The Profile Identification Selection Module (PRISM) (Peek Traffic Limited, 2005) provides a means of selective vehicle detection (SVD) by the analysis of inductive profiles obtained from loops embedded in the carriageway. A key advantage of PRISM over many alternate SVD systems is the negation of the need for vehicle-mounted equipment. PRISM was evaluated for the SVD of buses for bus priority via Bus Split, Cycle and Offset Optimising Technique (Bus SCOOT) (TRL, 2005). Two test sites on the A630 Balby Road in Doncaster were examined. Data on over 800 buses revealed an accuracy of detection of 65% at both test sites with false detection rates of 0.38% and 0.49% of traffic volume. In a simultaneous study of Bus SCOOT the microscopic journey times of 1,590 buses (in total) were recorded over one day of normal SCOOT operation and one day of bus priority via Bus SCOOT. The survey revealed only fractional reductions in journey time 0.06% and 0.1% neither of which were shown to be statistically significant. (Author/publisher).
Abstract