Enhancing transit corridor performance through dynamic bus lanes: analyzing performance at different traffic compliance rates

Surface transit is a key mode of transportation in urban areas. Nevertheless, when compared to other competing modes, surface transit has traditionally been characterized by its slow service. Consequently, several cities have introduced exclusive bus lanes (EBLs) as a means of prioritizing and enhancing the performance of transit services. However, a significant drawback associated with EBLs lies in the reduction of road capacity for other road users. An emerging solution to this issue is the adoption of dynamic bus lanes (DBLs) facilitated by vehicle-to-vehicle communication. DBLs function as regular traffic lanes in the absence of buses and as exclusive bus lanes when a bus is present, to prioritize transit while minimizing disruptions to general traffic. Despite its proven potential, the performance of DBLs depends on the compliance of the vehicles ahead of the bus to make way for the bus. This study focuses on analyzing the ability of DBLs to prioritize transit service and improve corridor performance for different traffic compliance rates using a micro-simulation model for the Eglinton East corridor in Toronto. The results show that minimum values of 60% and 80% compliance rates are needed under intermediate and heavy traffic demands to allow the DBLs to achieve improvements in the total person travel times (TPTT) for the entire corridor. In addition, DBLs work best for intermediate traffic demand levels, achieving a 50% improvement in the TPTT for transit commuters and a 20% improvement in the TPTT for the entire corridor including transit riders and drivers, at 100% traffic compliance.