WATERWORKS ROAD INTELLIGENT BUS PRIORITY PILOT

This paper describes the Brisbane City Council's use of ITS technology to improve bus services and thereby encourage greater use of public transport and a reduced reliance on the private motor car. Council has implemented an intelligent bus priority system along a major arterial road into the city (Waterworks Road). The objectives of the project included reduction of travel time for buses, increased consistency of bus arrivals and real-time bus arrival information at bus stops. Council's BLISS Bus Priority System utilises an automatic vehicle location system based on traffic signal detector loops. The pilot consists of active bus priority at 14 sets of traffic signals on Waterworks Road and eight variable message signs at strategic bus stops providing real-time bus arrival information. As a result of the first survey (October 1996 - March 1997), a number of refinements are being implemented and a second survey will be carried out beginning in July 1997. For the covering abstract, see IRRD 490001.