Simulation Analysis of a Bus Lane Establishment Method

The proper integration of bus lanes into the transportation network can be achieved by several methods. In this paper a theoretical framework was developed in order to determine, in which cases the establishment or existence of a bus lane is reasonable. With the elaborated method the processes can be analyzed considering three steps: handling the transportation demands, review of the feasibility, and estimation of the traffic situations. The method puts the emphasis on the analysis of the traffic situations, where the original status before the bus lane and the established status after having a bus lane are compared. The main idea of the proposed method is the determination of total time losses in the certain section both for the car drivers and for the bus passengers. The elaborated results are analyzed and simulated in order to prove the correctness of the method, where using VISSIM simulation tool the expected traffic volumes are calculated after the establishment. The simulation was performed in different traffic situations, as peak hours and off-peak hours. This means that different traffic volumes were tested in order to simulate real situations. Having the capacities, volumes and time loss values for each participant of the transportation network, a service level can be assigned to the analyzed section. Finally a decision support tool is presented to facilitate bringing a verdict about establishing a bus lane or using alternative solutions in a certain urban section. As a result it can be stated that in case of congestion the prior advantage of the bus was lost, therefore the establishment in peak hours is not preferred, however in off-peak hours it is.