I thought it would be interesting to explore further the potential impacts of implementing bus-only lanes in Downtown Berkeley, an idea mentioned by Steve Weissman and Juliet Lamont. The paper explores factors that make bus-only lanes effective. The paper looks specifically at San Francisco and London as case studies.
One can glean from the two case studies that a combination of engineering, enforcement, and technology are all and equally necessary for bus-only lanes to achieve the desired results of greater efficiency and thus attractiveness for public transportation. For instance, some
One of the most extensive applications of bus-only lanes is London, England where there are over 537 miles of bus priority streets that include bus priority at intersections and 24-hour enforced bus-only lanes. Overall, the bus-only lanes in London have had strong results: patronage for the bus system increased by 21.9%. A key element of the success of the program has been the use of photo enforcement technology, which is more accurate and efficient than manual enforcement.
In turning to San Francisco, the authors have highlighted that standardizing operating hours, signage, and markings; enforcement; traffic operation; and civil and streetscape improvements as areas in which the system can be improved. Something that the authors believe will be instrumental in making enforcement more effective is photo enforcement technology, which has proven successful for red-light enforcement.
Michael Kiesling and Matthew Ridgeway, Effective Bus-Only Lanes, Institute of Transportation Engineers, ITE Journal, July 2006, available at http://www.arch21.org/BusLanes/CB06C273.pdf
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