Dedicated Bus Lanes Improve Safety - SSTI
By Chris McCahill
The U.S. DOT is funding bus projects across the country that promise many of the same benefits as rail, but at lower cost. With dedicated lanes and stations that are more like train stops than a typical American bus stop, bus rapid transit (BRT) aims to move large numbers of people through congested areas faster than rush hour traffic. This sometimes comes with tradeoffs, like the loss of regular traffic lanes, but it can also offer unanticipated safety benefits, like curbing excessive traffic speeds, according to new research.
Albuquerque Rapid Transit opened in 2019 and boosted ridership along Central Avenue by at least 30% in the months leading up to the pandemic. However, that launch came after more than a year during which the new bus lanes sat empty due to operational problems. While unfortunate for riders, the delay presented an opportunity for researchers at the nearby University of New Mexico.
Using vehicle probe data from StreetLight Data, they studied the impact of BRT infrastructure on vehicle speeds and found significant decreases along the corridor, even without buses running. Overall, 85th percentile speeds dropped 11.5% from 32.3 mph to 28.6 mph. This suggests, “that the BRT infrastructure is especially effective at limiting excessive speeding,” according to the authors. Speeds also dropped on comparable roads without new bus infrastructure, but by a smaller margin of around 5.8%.
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