Bus-only Lanes Research Articles

Utilization Rate of Bus-only Lanes on the Main Roads in Beijing

Utilization Rate of Bus-only Lanes on the Main Roads in Beijing

공간자료에 대한 통계적 위험 경계선 결정 방법에 대한 연구

Relative risk maps are widely used across various industries such as healthcare, transportation, and environmental area because they allow for the identification of risk region. In this study, a Bayesian spatial hierarchical model based on a Poisson distribution was used to estimate relative risk by incorporating spatial data from within the study area. However, while risk areas were identified based on the estimated relative risk that was the final model outcome, it is important to note that the existence of spatial correlation in certain areas within the study area may result in significantly different estimated relative risk values despite their close geographic proximity. This presents a limitation in accurately defining the areas of highest risk within the study area. The aim of this study was to estimate the risk boundary within the study area, which was defined as the boundary between areas with different estimated relative risk values based on observed variables in various traffic environments. To achieve this goal, the study proposed a method for determining the risk boundary on the relative risk map. The results of the analysis indicated that the installation ratio of bus-only lanes and the number of intersections had a statistically significant impact on determining the risk boundary.

Interaction of public autonomous vehicles with stochastic driving modes on Indian roads

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have advanced greatly due to research during previous decade. They can affect mobility and traffic dynamics. Implementing AVs as public transport is a rising subject of study because it's projected to improve network efficiency, safety, and congestion. Previous studies lack focus on heterogenous conditions during the transition phase especially in developing countries like India. This paper studies the transition phase on a real-world Indian road network by introducing Autonomous Buses (ABs) at varied penetration rates using a microsimulation platform. Results indicate that the network improves once 60% ABs are plying on the network. Compared to a bus-only lane, the network functions better without ABs, providing useful insights into their practicality. The study also suggests upgrading future microsimulation platforms at each stage.

드론에 적용 가능한 교통 법규 위반의 지능적 탐지 및 식별

We propose an intelligence detection and identification method for traffic rule violations by using a drone. First, the proposed method includes a novel approach for detecting solid lanes, bus-only lanes, and shoulder lanes. The second process of the proposed method involves determining each correspondence between detected vehicles and detected license plates. With both the coordinates of the detected lanes and of the vehicle-plate pairs, the next process of the proposed method is an algorithm for identifying vehicles that violate traffic rules. Furthermore, we validate the performance of the proposed method by testing it using video streams taken by a drone in various road environments.

Freeway Bus-Only Lane Enforcement System Using Infrared Image Processing Technique

Freeway Bus-Only Lane Enforcement System Using Infrared Image Processing Technique

Dynamic Sharing Scheme and Design Optimization of Bus-Only Lanes Based on Presignal and Detector Settings Before Intersections

Dynamic Sharing Scheme and Design Optimization of Bus-Only Lanes Based on Presignal and Detector Settings Before Intersections

A Evaluation of Implementation Level of UN SDGs Goal 11 in Korea: Focusing on a Framework Application Based on Relative Efficiency Theory

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation level of urban sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the Republic of Korea and to measure the extent of internal and external impact on implementation. An evaluation framework was established, based on relative efficiency theory, and the implementation level of urban SDGs at the local government unit in the Republic of Korea was examined by analyzing each stage. First, in reference to the 2018 of SDG 11, the implementation level for public transportation (target 11.2) was assessed as excellent across the country, compared with the implementation level for disaster safety (target 11.5), environment (11.6), and public space (11.7), which were all assessed as needing improvement. Second, the factors that positively impact implementation (target 11.2) were urban population, GRDP, financial independence, urbanization areas, and bus-only lanes, whereas the factors positively impacting implementation (target 11.5) were population density and GRDP. The positive factors influencing implementation (target 11.6; air quality sector) were found to be GRDP, financial independence, administrative area, and renewable energy generation, whereas the effective factors for implementation of target 11.6 (waste management) were found to be GRDP, financial independence, and the population density of households in waste management. The positive factors influencing the implementation level of target 11.7 were GRDP, financial independence, administrative area, and green areas.

Evaluating Traffic Impacts of Permitting Trucks in Transit-Only Lanes

With ongoing population growth and rapid development in cities, the demand for goods and services has seen a drastic increase. Consequently, transportation planners are searching for new ways to better manage the flow of traffic on existing facilities, and more efficiently utilize available and unused capacity. In this research, a lane management strategy that allows freight vehicles to use bus-only lanes is empirically evaluated in an urban setting. This paper presents an analysis of data that was collected to evaluate the operational impacts of the implementation of a freight and transit (FAT) lane, and to guide the development of future FAT lane projects by learning from the case study in Seattle, U.S. The video data was converted to vehicle counts, which were analyzed to understand the traffic impacts and used to construct a discrete choice model. The analysis shows that transit buses used the FAT lane 96% of the time, and authorizing trucks to use the lane did not affect that lane choice. Trucks used the FAT lane, but their utilization decreased with increasing numbers of buses in the FAT lane. Instead of higher rates of trucks, unauthorized vehicles, such as passenger cars and work vans, increasingly used the FAT lane during congestion. As a result of their differing schedule patterns, trucks and buses used the FAT lane at complementary times and trucks showed relatively low volumes in the FAT lane. Overall, the results are promising for a lane management strategy that may improve freight system performance without reducing transit service quality.

Analytical characterization of multi-state effective discharge rates for bus-only lane conversion scheduling problem

An accurate quantification of traffic flow characteristics with and without bus-only lane is important for determining transit priority strategies. Examinations of real-world vehicle trajectory data, like those from the NGSIM dataset, found that an effective discharge rate may be discounted when merging or lane-changing behaviors are observed. To deal with this, this manuscript analytically derives the effective discharge rate of a roadway segment by considering multi-stage merging behavior and vehicular traffic kinematics near a side entrance, for optimal bus-only lane conversion. The classic fluid-based approximation model by Newell that characterizes the queuing and dissipation process is extended to a multi-state queuing analysis framework. Three effective discharge rate discount factors are explicitly derived, for bus-only lane, general-purpose lane, and mixed-traffic lane, respectively. The derived effective discharge rates are represented by mathematically-simple expressions in a closed-form, and correctly account for the effects of demand inputs, such as arrival rate and the ratio of vehicles of different types, vehicular performance (such as acceleration rate), and traffic flow characteristics (such as backward wave speed and jam density). The bus-only lane conversion scheduling problem is then formulated as an optimization model to minimize total traffic delay. Validation, using NGSIM data, showed that our model reduced the effective discharge rate estimation error significantly on both arterials and freeways. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the optimal bus-only lane scheduling time varied in response to traffic demand and vehicle ratios, and the developed optimization model was always beneficial when compared with the demand-oriented strategy.

Modeling and optimization of dedicated bus lanes space allocation in large networks with dynamic congestion

Dedicated bus lanes provide a low cost and easily implementable strategy to improve transit service by minimizing congestion-related delays. Identifying the best spatial distribution of bus-only lanes in order to maximize traffic performance of an urban network while balancing the trade-off between bus priority and regular traffic disturbance is a challenging task. This paper studies the problem of optimal dedicated bus lane allocation and proposes a modeling framework based on a link-level dynamic traffic modeling paradigm, which is compatible with the dynamic characteristics of congestion propagation that can be correlated with bus lane relative positions. The problem is formulated as a non-linear combinatorial optimization problem with binary variables. An algorithmic scheme based on a problem-specific heuristic and Large Neighborhood Search metaheuristic, potentially combined with a network decomposition technique and a performance-based learning process for increased efficiency, is proposed for deriving good quality solutions for large-scale network instances. Numerical application results for a real city center demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed framework in finding effective bus lane network configurations; when compared to the initial network state they exhibit the potential of bus lanes to improve travel time for car and bus users.

Violations of Personal Transport Usage Which Break the Transcity Lines

The bus-only lane are specifically designated for usage by buses only, improving the appeal of public transportation by offering quicker travel. However, u private vehicles users continue to ignore the regulations regarding bus lanes, clogging these lanes and impeding bus services – especially during morning and evening rush hours. This study explores the context and consequences of these traffic violations using descriptive normative research methods.
 Keywords: Violation, Special Line, Vehicle, Personal

Bayesian hierarchical spatial count modeling of taxi speeding events based on GPS trajectory data.

Speeding behavior, especially serious speeding, is more common in taxi driver than other driving population due to their high exposure under traffic environment, which increases the risk of being involved in crashes. In order to prevent the taxi and other road users from speed-related crash, previous studies have revealed contributors of demographic and driving operation affecting taxi speeding frequency. However, researches regarding road factors, and spatial effect are typically rare. For this sake, the current study explores the contributions of 10 types of road characteristics and two kinds of spatial effects (spatial correlation and spatial heterogeneity) on taxi total speeding and serious speeding frequency. Taxi GPS trajectory data in a Chinese metropolis were used to identify speeding event. The study then established four kinds of Bayesian hierarchical count models base on Poisson and negative binominal distribution to estimate the contributor impacts, respectively. Results show that Bayesian hierarchical spatial Poisson log-linear model is optimum for fitting both total and serious speeding frequency. For the analysis, it is found that drivers are more likely to commit speeding on long multilane road with median strip, and road with non-motorized vehicle lane, bus-only lane and viaduct or road tunnel. Roads with low speed limit, and work zone are associated with increasing speeding as well. In terms of serious speeding, bus-only lane is not a contributor, while road speed camera number and one-way organization are significantly positive to the speeding frequency. Furthermore, it reveals that two spatial effects significantly increase the occurrence of speeding events; the impact of spatial heterogeneity is more critical.

Study on the Improvement of Operation Time of Road-side Bus-only Lanes

Study on the Improvement of Operation Time of Road-side Bus-only Lanes

Acceptability and perceived feasibility of strategies to increase public transport use for physical activity gain - A mixed methods study.

Public transport (PT) users typically accumulate more physical activity (PA) than motor vehicle users. This mixed methods study aimed to determine acceptability and perceived effectiveness of strategies to increase bus use for PA gain in a regional Australian setting. In a 2017 online survey, Tasmanian adults (n=1091) rated the likelihood of increasing their bus use according to ten hypothetical strategies (fare-, incentives-, information- or infrastructure-based). Three focus groups and five interviews (n=31) included infrequent bus users from the survey to determine reasons for strategy preferences and potential impact on PA. The top three strategies in the survey, with supporting rationale from qualitative data, were: provision of real-time bus information ("…because I can better plan…"); bus-only lanes ("…it just speeds the whole thing up…") and employee incentives/rewards for example bus fare credits ("…it really comes down to money…"). Full-time students favoured cost-saving strategies most and residents in outer suburbs favoured infrastructure-based strategies most. Qualitative data indicated that potential for enhanced certainty, efficiency or cost-savings drove strategy preferences and some strategies may lead to PA gain (eg through the location of Park and Ride facilities). Real-time information, bus-only lanes and employee incentives/rewards appear most promising for increasing bus use in this population, but tailoring strategies may be required. Discrete PT enhancement strategies may result in PA gain. SO WHAT?: Increasing PA through transport behaviour has been underexplored. The potential for PA gain through greater PT use and discrete PT use enhancement strategies is an important public health consideration.

Hybrid Signal Priority and Full Actuation for Isolated Large Four-Leg Circular Intersections

AbstractIn cities with bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, median bus-only lanes (MBLs) may extend to a circular intersection of two arterials. Making the MBLs traverse the central island is advantage...

Macroscopic and microscopic analyses of managed lanes on freeway facilities in South Florida

Abstract As congestion grows in metropolitan areas, agencies tend to utilize managed lanes on their freeway systems. Managed lanes have several forms and names, such as high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, express lanes, and bus-only lanes. Although managed lanes have received significant attention as they increased the overall throughput and improved mobility without adding more lanes, little has been known about their operational capabilities. In addition, calibrating managed lane facilities can be challenging as they do not necessarily follow the same behavior with general purpose freeway lanes. This paper presents an operational analysis of two HOT lane segments located in South Florida. The sites are one-lane and two-lane segments separated by flexible pylons (FPs). The paper includes a macroscopic capacity analysis, and a microscopic calibration of the two sites using VISSIM microsimulation. The research findings assist in determining the capacity and speed-flow relationship of these segments, and also provide guidance for microsimulation model calibration for practitioners. The results of the study indicate that the percent drop in capacity for the one-lane FP site is 7.6% while the flow did not substantially change after the breakdown in the two-lane FP site. The research findings also include guidelines for simulating the breakdown events and calibrating one-lane and two-lane managed lane facilities in VISSIM microsimulation software. The Wiedemann car-following parameters (CC0 = 3.9 ft, CC1 = 1.9 s, CC2 = 26.25 ft, CC4 = −0.35, and CC5 = 0.35) provided the best fit for the one-lane FP site, while the combination (CC0 = 4.92 ft, CC1 = 1.9 s, CC2 = 39.37 ft, CC4 = −0.7, and CC5 = 0.7) parameters is recommended for the two-lane FP site.

Customer satisfaction with bus rapid transit: a study of New York City select bus service applying structural equation modeling

Like any other transit mode, bus rapid transit (BRT) has a number of service quality and performance attributes that can affect rider satisfaction. However, there is little understanding about BRT rider satisfaction. This study investigates the relationship between riders’ overall satisfaction and underlying driving factors of the BRT service in New York City (NYC), known as select bus service (SBS). Two conceptual structures are developed for three groups of SBS riders based on theoretical review and pilot survey. Hypotheses about relationships between latent variables and observed variables are developed. Survey data obtained from interviewing riders on buses and at bus stops are used to test the hypotheses by applying structural equation modeling (SEM). For each group of riders, one model was built. Acceptable fits were obtained for all three models. In addition, some of the proposed causal relationships were supported in these models. Accepted hypotheses suggest that service quality was the most important factor influencing overall satisfaction for all three kinds of riders, namely, frequency, on-time performance, and speed. The other significant attributes are bus-only lanes, buses with three doors, bus comfort and cleanliness, proximity of bus stops, real-time information, limited stops, and ticket system attributes. Their effects vary among riders on routes with different locations and between rider groups with and without awareness of travel information. The implications of the findings for future planning and system improvement are discussed. In this study, SEM is found to be an appropriate methodology for measuring rider satisfaction levels. The findings are useful for the agencies in NYC and other cities in a similar situation to justify and plan transit service with limited resources.

Application of Bus-Only Lanes in Downtown Washington, D.C.: Concurrent Versus Contraflow Bus Lanes

Buses operating in mixed traffic are subject to congestion and thus experience long delays and unreliable service. The impact of congestion on buses is more pronounced in downtown areas than elsewhere because of heavy vehicular traffic, high transit–pedestrian activity, and friction caused by curbside users. This research explored potential benefits, effects, and costs associated with bus-only lane alternatives, including effects for traffic, transit, and curbside users (e.g., parking and loading). H and I Streets, Northwest, in downtown Washington, D.C., where bus frequency reaches one every minute during peak hours, were modeled through microsimulation. Concurrent-flow lanes and contraflow bus-only lanes were analyzed. A benefit–cost analysis (BCA) was conducted for each scenario of bus-only lanes. Concurrent-flow bus-only lanes (Alternative 1) offered a low-cost solution with good benefits (reduction as high as 5 min/mi in bus travel time). However, sensitivity analysis showed that enforcement of restrictions on right turns and operations would be needed to ensure these benefits. A contraflow bus-only lane on H Street (Alternative 2) provided substantial improvements in auto and transit travel times without right-turn restrictions and with medium costs. As a result, Alternative 2 provided the most monetary benefits, according to the BCA, with a benefit–cost ratio of 28. Benefits associated with contraflow bus lanes were not contingent on enforcement, because they are self-enforcing. Couplet contraflow bus-only lanes on H and I Streets (Alternative 3) represented the highest-cost solution yet resulted in marginal benefits compared with the other scenarios because of its high impact on auto users.

An Optimization Model for the Selection of Bus-Only Lanes in a City.

The planning of urban bus-only lane networks is an important measure to improve bus service and bus priority. To determine the effective arrangement of bus-only lanes, a bi-level programming model for urban bus lane layout is developed in this study that considers accessibility and budget constraints. The goal of the upper-level model is to minimize the total travel time, and the lower-level model is a capacity-constrained traffic assignment model that describes the passenger flow assignment on bus lines, in which the priority sequence of the transfer times is reflected in the passengers’ route-choice behaviors. Using the proposed bi-level programming model, optimal bus lines are selected from a set of candidate bus lines; thus, the corresponding bus lane network on which the selected bus lines run is determined. The solution method using a genetic algorithm in the bi-level programming model is developed, and two numerical examples are investigated to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed model.

Quantifying the Effects of Modal Conflicts on Transit Reliability

Residents of San Francisco, California, have repeatedly cited transit reliability as one of their top concerns. As San Francisco has begun investing in projects to reduce travel time variability, the trade-offs between alternatives have been difficult to quantify with existing tools. This study investigated and quantified the effects of modal conflicts on bus travel along a 3.6-mi study corridor and each conflict's contribution to unreliability. Instances of modal conflict were modeled as Bernoulli trials or other simple probabilistic events and included vehicles entering or exiting parking spaces, double-parked vehicles, and vehicles queuing for pedestrians while executing turning movements. Cumulative distributions of modal conflict resulted in estimates of average delay and variance of delay from bus to bus. Sensitivity analyses illustrated and quantified the nonlinearity and variance of delay with respect to the number and severity of events. The convolution of distributions of delay for each conflict type could also be calculated, provided the causes of delay were independent. Modal conflict delay for a side-running bus rapid transit line in the study corridor was 1.9 min longer for buses with 95th percentile delays than for those with the mean delay of 4.2 min. Overall, the semi—standard deviation of delay compared with a no-modal-conflict reference point was 4.3 min. Furthermore, eliminating the analyzed modal conflict types along the study corridor–for instance, by establishing center-running bus-only lanes–could reduce system operating costs by up to $2.5 million per year and could result in user time savings equivalent to as much as $10.5 million per year.