Simulating Heterogeneous Traffic Flow on Roads with and without Bus Lanes

Exclusive bus lanes are intended to enhance the level of service of bus transport in terms of speed, reliability, safety, etc. This paper is concerned with application of a newly developed microsimulation technique to study the effect of provision of reserved bus lanes on the flow of nonlane-based heterogeneous traffic on urban roads in India. The aim of the study reported here is to modify and validate a newly developed simulation model of heterogeneous traffic flow using field observed data and to apply the validated model to study the effect of exclusive bus lanes on traffic flow. The effect is measured in terms of the reduction in the speeds of other categories of vehicles due to the possible reduction in the available road space for these vehicles. The results of the study indicate that it is possible to introduce exclusive bus lanes on carefully selected urban roads to enhance the level of service of bus, simultaneously ensuring a satisfactory level of service to the other vehicles on the road.