Bus Operations on Hard Shoulders During Congested Morning Hours – A Pilot Evaluation in Israel

Abstract

Promoting the use of public transport was stated by the Ministry of Transport in Israel as one of its main policy priorities. Amongst others, a solution allowing bus operations on hard shoulders of existing road sections during congested hours was suggested. A pilot project was undertaken on 12-kms of main road No 2 leading into the Tel-Aviv metropolitan area. The shoulder is open for bus operations in one direction during the morning peak hours. The pilot aimed to explore the feasibility of this solution and its impacts on travel times and road user behaviour. An evaluation study accompanied the pilot, estimating the impacts of the new arrangement on bus speeds and travel times, bus occupancy and the occurrence of hazardous events. Field observations were carried out before the changes, shortly after the opening of the new arrangement and after a year of its operation. The analysis demonstrated that the new arrangement brought about a 30%-reduction in bus travel time and a 10%-increase in bus occupancy, compared to the before-period. During the congestion hours, the bus speeds were higher than those of the general traffic, yet, the speed differentials between the buses and nearby lane traffic were mostly below 20km/h. Despite initial safety concerns, neither an increase in hazardous events nor in traffic accidents was observed since the introduction of the bus lane. However, a significant phenomenon of cars using the bus lane to bypass the congestion was reported indicating a need for automatic enforcement of the new arrangement.