Supercharged (Dedicated) Bus Lanes – a New Take on Moving Your Passengers and Growing Your Agency

Pandemic relief funds and congressional infrastructure packages are stimulating transit growth in the form of bus rapid transit lines (BRT) across the country. Some of these development projects use technology, road re-designs, loading and unloading changes and route adjustments. Many make use of basic tools such as lane separations, posted signage and by-law enforcement officers.

BRT has been likened to ‘rail on wheels,’ but with a much lower price tag. BRT is considered more suitable for smaller, mid-sized urban areas over rail and in established, densely populated cites. Cities that implement BRT offer faster, more efficient and reliable service for their transit passengers. These cities see increased ridership on BRT lines and increased transit corridor density near stops associated with the BRT.

The Need for Dedicated Bus Lanes

Many North American cities’ average transit bus speeds are below 10 miles per hour. Compare this to the average walking speed of a typical adult, which is 3-4 miles per hour. [1]  And the average cycling speed, which is between 15 and 20 miles an hour. [2] These slow transit speeds coupled with negative public transit perceptions and the speed, comfort and efficiency of ride sharing can make it hard to get a commuter to consider taking public transit.

We can point the finger at traffic congestion for the decrease in bus speeds. In addition to improving public transit flow, there are a number of reasons we need to decrease congestion. Costs to the environment, goods flow bottlenecks, decreased quality of life, and geographical competitiveness are just a few.

Dedicated bus lanes are a low-cost way to make transit commutes faster and more reliable. More people on the bus can help lessen the impact on the environment and renew growth of the transit agency as we set our sights on the smart city model of the near future.

There are also early signs that dedicated bus lanes can establish urban density similar to that of light rail. The University of Arizona examined a rapid transit line in Eugene-Springfield, Oregon (no rail transit is available in this region). Jobs were lost in the metropolitan area between 2004 and 2010.  But during this same timeframe, jobs grew within .25 miles of the BRT stations.[3]

Dedicated Bus Lanes deliver results fast

The benefits of dedicated lanes can be realized within weeks of implementation and vary depending on the number of advanced features each route employs.  Transit agencies that implement basic dedicated lanes, with nothing more than stops spaced further apart and bus priority lighting at traffic intersections, can deliver 25% faster commute times.[4] Agencies that include automated bus lane enforcement to the mix can increase commute times by 30% and more.[5]

These faster commute times translate to increased ridership. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Select Bus Service (SBS), which includes all-door boarding, traffic light priority and automated bus lane enforcement reported an increase in ridership on their M14 line in the months following implementation. They saw an increase of ridership by 37% on Saturdays, 29% on Sundays and 15% on weekdays.[6]

Why Dedicated Lanes Are More Effective with Automated Bus Lane Enforcement

We know that increased congestion and long commute times are major contributors to decreasing ridership. Consider the issue of long commute times on dedicated bus lane routes. Many cities experience dedicated bus lane obstruction in the form of delivery vehicles, taxis and ride-sharing services. It’s not uncommon for large transit agencies to experience over 1,000 obstructions in a dedicated bus lane for a single route in a two-week period. This can put a huge burden on a dedicated lane, fanning the flames of discontent and threatening to compound a problem the lane was established to help correct.

Dedicated bus lanes can help improve commute times, but without technology to help address the issue of bus lane violations, these measures may further contribute to a lack of transit ridership and agency growth. Automated bus lane enforcement systems help an agency ensure their dedicated bus lanes remain available for buses only.

Removing bus lane obstructions improves bus speeds and schedule reliability/adherence, decreases schedule recovery times and lowers operating costs. Passengers benefit from a noticeable decrease in commute times along with reduced wait times and reduced congestion at bus stops. Agencies benefit by gaining dedicated bus lanes that work as they were intended to, improving overall passenger satisfaction and increasing ridership.

How Automated Lane Enforcement Works

Buses traveling in dedicated bus lanes capture footage of the bus, the lane, and any/all offending vehicles blocking the lane that are in violation of posted restrictions. Evidence of a violation is captured, bundled as a package and sent for review and processing as part of city policy.

Keeping the public updated about on-board bus systems related to dedicated bus lanes, posting violation signage on the dedicated route and the automated ticketing process itself results in significant and rapid results.

A multi-pronged approach generates the best results

As mentioned earlier, some agencies implement a number of process improvements to better enable their dedicated bus routes and others rely on very basic measures. Automated bus lane enforcement systems are well-suited and in-fact, foundational to the success of either approach, offering incredible value for a low cost of ownership.  

Free your lanes up for what they were intended to do. Reduce passenger commute times. Improve passenger satisfaction. Increase ridership.

Enable your dedicated bus lanes with automated bus lane enforcement.

Learn more in this white paper
 


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