A Lane Usage Strategy for General Traffic Access on Bus Lanes under Mixed Traffic Environment

Abstract

The strategy of permitting general traffic to use the bus lane for improved utilization while ensuring bus priority has gained increasingly attention, particularly with the support of vehicle-to-everything technology. In this study, we propose a novel lane usage strategy called Dynamic Spatial-Temporal Priority (DSTP) to ensure bus priority and optimize bus lane usage in a mixed traffic environment. DSTP leverages dynamic methods to identify available spatial-temporal resources in the lane, utilizing signal timing, road information, and vehicle data. A Right-of-Way assignment optimization model is then developed based on these resources to determine which vehicles can enter the bus lane. The model is dynamically enacted using a rolling horizon scheme to accommodate time-varying traffic conditions. Numerical studies have validated the advantages of DSTP, showing maintained bus priority, improved traffic efficiency, reduced fuel consumption, and lower CO2 emissions, especially during periods of high traffic demand and concentrated bus arrivals.