SELECTIVE VEHICLE DETECTION AND PRIORITY TREATMENT IN MIXED TRAFFIC FLOW: DEMONSTRATION PROJECT EVALUATION SURVEY RESULTS

This report describes the evaluation of a set of bus priority traffic signals installed at the intersection of Bell Street and Oriel Road, Heidelberg. The results of the evaluations show that the scheme can be considered to either increase or decrease total travel time, depending on the definition of travel time used. There is an increase in the amount of energy consumed by vehicles as they negotiate the intersection. There is also an increase in air pollution emissions. Buses receive substantial decreases in average delay and standard deviation of delay; non-priority vehicles, on average, suffer slight increases in both these variables; while pedestrians at the intersection are relatively unaffected by the priority signals. The economic and financial evaluations showed that bus priority at a single intersection was not justified, but extension of the priority concept along a route improves the economic and financial situation. Overall, the study showed that while the Bell Street/Oriel Road intersection was not a good choice for the first bus priority intersection, the concept itself has merit and can give definite advantages to buses. It would appear worthwhile to search for other candidate sites for bus priority signals, especially when these sites can be linked to form a priority route. /TRRL/