Bus Priority ay Ahead - The National Archives

245 Pages·2004·4.73 MB·English

Bus Priority

The Way Ahead
Resource Pack
Edition 2
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12/04
Bus Priority

The Way Ahead
Overview
Resource Pack - Edition 2
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12/04
Foreword
“I am delighted to see the publication of this, the Second Edition of the Bus Priority Resource Pack.
Government has consistently highlighted the important role that the bus plays in our towns and cities and we are firmly
committed to making the bus a more attractive travel option. We have worked with the bus industry and local authorities
through the Bus Partnership Forum to create the conditions for encouraging greater use of buses. Introducing measures
that minimise delays and improve the reliability of bus services are a crucial part of achieving this.
While many successful measures have been introduced around the country, we fully recognise that planning and
implementing a programme of priorities for buses is not a simple task. It is often the practical details that make the
difference between the success or failure of a scheme. I therefore welcome this initiative from the Bus Partnership
Forum, which provides best practice guidance, and shares the practical experience gained by local authorities,
Passenger Transport Executives and bus operators around the country. I look forward to seeing more new and
innovative measures, which provide real benefits to passengers, emerging as a result of it.”
Charlotte Atkins MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Background
The road network needs to move people and goods efficiently if we are to ensure the social and
economic well being of our communities. Buses have a vital role to play in this as they can make
excellent use of limited road space, carrying many more passengers than a private car for a given
amount of road space. However, the potential benefit of the bus can be stifled by traffic congestion.
Local authorities and bus operators need to work in partnership to make buses a more attractive
alternative to the car by releasing them from the congestion delays experienced by other road
users. This in turn will improve reliability and help make the bus an attractive choice for more car
users as well as providing quicker journeys for both bus and other road users.
Providing the right conditions for this to happen is not a simple task. This overview seeks to outline
some of the ways in which local authorities can develop a successful bus strategy that will ensure
that bus travel becomes a realistic alternative to the private car.
What is being done?
The Government has consistently made it clear that the bus d
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has a crucial part to play in present and future transport s
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policy. In the short term, buses provide the best means of ulta
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increasing public transport services. n
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Government, in partnership with local authorities and bus M
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operators, is positively encouraging bus travel through a of
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number of measures, including capital funding through the e
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local transport plan process, concessionary fares schemes, Co
the development of Quality Bus Partnerships, real time
information and timetable information systems.
Inbound guideway, Manchester Road, Bradford
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Why help buses?
The challenge that we face
The challenge is, of course, well known and understood. Since 1950, car ownership in the UK has
grown from 2 million cars to over 22 million and use of the car has grown commensurately. The
capacity of our roads has not increased at anything like this rate and this has led to severe traffic
congestion, affecting the ability of buses to deliver reliable services.
Who is affected?
Transport affects the economic and social well being of everyone. Well over 11 million bus journeys
are made every day. Better bus services in our towns and cities contribute towards the
regeneration and revitalisation of both the business community and our living areas. An efficient,
reliable bus service can be an attractive alternative to those who have access to a car.
Furthermore, an efficient bus service ensures social inclusion by providing access to jobs,
education, health, social and leisure services to those without access to a car. A wide variety of
people use buses but many people, especially older people, children, people with disabilities,
women and the less well off, are often dependent upon having a reliable bus service.
What do people want?
In almost every survey about bus services, reliability is one of the most important issues for bus
users. Motorists cite reliable bus services as a pre-requisite for leaving their car at home. Bus
priority measures assist buses through traffic, with more consistent journey times helping deliver
timetable reliability. Buses cannot take short cuts to get around congestion; they need help to get
through it.
What will more bus measures deliver?
Without priority measures bus services get caught up in general E
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traffic congestion, especially in our towns and cities during peak MP
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periods. Experience from schemes around the country shows of
that bus lanes may reduce bus travel times by up to 7 to 9 sy
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minutes along a 10 kilometre congested route and also improve u
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their reliability. Reliability means buses operate in accordance
with their timetables on every journey which is important to bus
users. Measures to assist buses in one metropolitan city have
halved the variation in journey times that operators experienced
in that corridor, enabling them to operate their buses more
efficiently.
By introducing bus priority with other improvements, services
can become more attractive to potential passengers. For
example, a comprehensive quality corridor initiative in a major
conurbation delivered a 75 per cent increase in bus passengers
over 5 years, with 20 per cent being new customers. Low floor buses provide access for wheelchair
users
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What if we don’t do it?
With car ownership continuing to grow, traffic congestion will get worse. Large-scale road
construction is not a sustainable option and so greater use of public transport, along with more
cycling and walking, must provide our main answers. Initiatives to assist buses must be seen to be
part of the traffic congestion solution, by providing more people with better and faster travel at the
same time as reducing the need to travel by car.
Achieving success
Which strategy?
It is important to recognise that there is a range of strategies available and that there is not an ‘off
the shelf’ solution that will maximise the benefits to buses regardless of location. The most
appropriate strategy in any one area will depend upon the prevailing local conditions. In general,
the reliability and journey time benefits of bus initiatives tend to follow the maxim ‘the whole is more
than the sum of the parts’. A range of strategies can be adopted. These can include taking a full
network approach where the entire bus network is considered or a whole route strategy where
delays along the length of a particular route are addressed. Alternatively, in a corridor strategy,
important corridors within an area served by a number of major routes are treated. Delays can also
be treated on the basis of hot spots where specific points of delay located around the area are
addressed.
Who should be involved?
It is vital for local authorities and bus operators to work in partnership at all stages of the initiative,
from developing the strategy, to promoting completed measures to customers and the general
public. To ensure that full commitment is achieved for the implementation, a wider group of
stakeholders should be involved in the development of the strategy. Experience has shown that
opposition to measures can be minimised if early stakeholder involvement takes place.
Stakeholders, besides the local authority and the bus operators, are likely to include the highway
authority (if different); neighbouring authorities; the passenger transport executives (PTEs); the
police; signal authorities; bus user organisations; residents’ organisations; cyclist groups; business
and trader organisations.
Who should be informed?
As well as those stakeholders directly affected by the measures, the wider public needs to be
informed of the proposals and why they are happening. Remember that, to many, the measures
will be unfamiliar and misunderstood, and the benefits unclear. It may be beneficial to encourage
local media to run stories on bus schemes as a general issue rather than wait until specific
schemes are developed and opposition entrenched.
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What will be successful?
The most successful measures have been those which have been designed to meet the
circumstances of a particular route or corridor. It is crucial that these measures are developed as
part of an overall road management strategy to improve bus services in the local area. An
important part of a strategy is the efficient management and coordination of traffic schemes,
maintenance and other roads works. When these measures are complimented by enforcement
and bus friendly traffic management, delays to all traffic, including buses, can be significantly
minimised. Under new powers local authorities can enforce bus lanes using CCTV cameras in
order to maintain the benefits to bus services. Enforcement can also target offences such as
abandoned or untaxed vehicles.
How do we convince people of the benefits?
Early stakeholder involvement and well targeted information about the proposals is vital. Of at least
equal importance is the determination of councillors and senior officers to see the measures
succeed. It can be daunting to attempt to progress schemes when there is the presumption that
there will be opposition to them. There are, however, numerous examples of successful
implementation. Many have achieved their aims in full and still more have shown that disbenefits
predicted by objectors have not occurred. The resource pack that accompanies this overview tells
you how this has been done.
Securing the benefits cil
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Selecting appropriate measures C
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Bus schemes are often part of a comprehensive unt
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treatment of a road corridor with enhanced facilities e
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for all types of travel. The most successful shi
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measures tend to feature an iterative design rid
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process that continues throughout the planning and m
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implementation phase. In designing the most of
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appropriate measure it is advisable to consider the es
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whole process, for example to: ou
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• establish the form of strategy to be adopted; Rising bollards in action on Emmanuel Road, Cambridge
• identify problem areas consistent with that strategy;
• agree with stakeholders the nature of the problem;
• discuss possible solutions to specific problems;
• investigate the preferred solutions and compare benefits;
• assure benefits are achieved for bus users;
• monitor the measure before and after it is carried out; and
• make adjustments to measures if they would improve the benefits.
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Enforcement and maintenance
It is essential to maintain the benefits of bus measures and to do this requires a positive approach
to enforcement and highway maintenance. Basic design and maintenance procedures include
ensuring that bus priority measures are clearly seen and well maintained, and that the effects on
buses are considered when highways are maintained. Active enforcement should aim for total
compliance; even if it leads to direct costs being incurred with no revenue stream. Specific actions
to consider can include:
• decriminalisation of parking enforcement to give control to local authorities; and
• camera enforcement or roving wardens/attendants.
More information
Resource pack
The resource pack provides decision makers with advice and guidance on how to make bus
initiatives successful. It consists of a series of leaflets which provide evidence of successful
implementation, and advice on how to promote and manage the process. This illustrates the
benefits achieved through a whole range of experiences countrywide.
Web site
A web site dedicated to bus measures (www.buspriority.org.uk) contains all the information in the
resource pack. It also has a number of links to other web sites which have useful information and
will be of use in developing bus initiatives.
Presentational CD ROM
Attached to this resource pack is a CD ROM that contains a range of presentational information.
This information can be used to tailor presentations on bus initiatives to a range of audiences and
can be customised to suit each user.
Contacts
To get a free copy of the resource pack and overview, contact:

DfT Free Literature, PO Box 236, WETHERBY, LS23 7NB.

Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Please quote the following reference: 04DFT07

The resource pack and overview can also be obtained through the web site:

www.buspriority.org.uk. All of the leaflets, along with other information on bus priority, can be

accessed and downloaded, free of charge, from the bus priority web site.

To find out more about bus priority measures, contact:

Department for Transport, Traffic Management Division,

3/19 Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DR.

Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Email: [email protected]

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Bus Priority

The Way Ahead

Contents
1 6
News Case studies
Guide to case studies
With-flow bus lanes
2
Strategic options
Contra-flow bus lanes
Whole route approach, St Albans Road
Green Route, Watford
3
Implementation & delivery Bus gates and bus only links
Rising bollards
Guided busways
4 Maintaining the benefits
Pre signals and bus advance areas
Route management
Selective Vehicle Detection (SVD)
Traffic management
MOVA
5
Special initiatives Bus SCOOT
Edinburgh Greenways Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL)
London Bus Initiative (LBI)
Mixed priority street
West Midlands Bus Showcase
Bus friendly traffic calming
Leeds City Centre
High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes
Oxford, historic city
A690 Durham Road Superoute/
Newport, smaller town no-car lanes
West Bromwich Town Centre Bus park and ride
Complementary measures
1 - The bus stop environment
2 - Other measures
How to use the resource pack
This is the second edition of the resource pack,
which provides practical information and guidance
on successful bus priority. A useful summary is
provided in the overview document at the front of
the resource pack. The resource pack comprises a
series of leaflets which are updated periodically.
The resource pack begins with copies of Bus
Priority News which can be found in section 1.
7
Performance indicators & Sections 2 to 4 of the resource pack provide
monitoring
advice and guidance on the planning,
implementation and maintenance of bus priority
schemes. Section 5 follows with a series of special
8 Web site
initiative case studies. These case studies provide
details of best practice, high profile, flagship bus
priority initiatives.
9 Frequently asked questions
A series of successful case studies by type of bus
(FAQs)
priority measure can be found in section 6. Groups
of measures are colour-coded and a guide to the
10 Signs & regulations case studies is provided at the front of section 6.
The resource pack is accompanied by a web site
found at www.buspriority.org.uk. All resource pack
leaflets are available for download from the
11
Bibliography
website. Helpful links to other web sites of interest
will also be provided. A copy of the home page and
site map is provided in section 8.
12
Glossary
A CD ROM (version 2.1) accompanying the
resource pack contains all the leaflets in
permanent document format. The CD ROM also
13 contains a PowerPoint presentation that can be
Contacts
used by scheme promoters. These materials can
be tailored to suit bus initiative presentations for
different audiences. Any subsequent releases of
14
Audio visual materials the CD ROM and leaflets will be announced in
forthcoming issues of Bus Priority News and on the
website.
Published by the Department of Transport © Crown
Copyright 2004. Printed in the UK December 2004 on
paper containing 75 per cent post consumer waste
and 25 per cent ECF pulp. Product code: 04DFT07 December 2004.
Bus Priority

News
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12/04