Evaluation of Introducing the Bus Priority Measures by Traffic Microsimulation

Noriko MIMA

The purpose of this study is to evaluate an effect of introducing bus priority measures on the reduction of travel time of bus, as one of the improvement in bus service. The study develops and improves a traffic microsimulation model which simulates the movement of a single car. A study area is the center of Nagaoka, Niigata. Bus priority measures are bus exclusive lane, bus priority signal control and inflow restriction signal control. The bus priority measures are installed on a street from the west side of the Shinano river to the central railway station. The simulation investigates three kinds of alternatives, "no measure"," bus exclusive lane only" and "all three combined measures".
The simulation results are in the following:
1) The case of no measure: There was no difference between the travel time of a bus and a car.
2) The case of bus exclusive lane only: The travel time of a bus decreased greatly on a bus lane,while that of a car increased.
3) The case of all three combined measures: The taravel time of a bus decreased greatly up to the destination of the railway station, while that of a car did not increase much.