Buses arriving or departing a bus stop may have a considerable effect on traffic flow. If the road design induces events (for the purposes of this paper a bus arriving or departing a stop) that do not meet with car drivers' expectations, it can result in conflicts or accidents, The aim of the study was to find out how bus stops at different locations affect driver behaviour. This formed the basis for evaluations of functionality and safety effects. Four different types of bus stops were evaluated. Vehicles were video-recorded unobtrusively as buses arrived or departed a bus stop. The behaviour was measured by observing braking (lights on) and lane-changing on videotapes A large number of these actions was hypothesised to indicate a poorly operating and high accident risk bus stop. The results suggest that the best location for a bus stop is on the extension of an exit lane. (Author/publisher).
Abstract