Leeds guided busway study. Prepared for the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions DETR, Buses and Taxi Division.

The Leeds guided busway on Scott Hall Road consists of a 450 m outbound guideway on the nearside of the carriageway (Phase 1) and a 750 m inbound guideway located in the central reserve of a dual carriageway (Phase 2 and 3). All junctions that intersect the guideway are roundabouts, through which buses are given priority via a remote control signal technique. Other elements of the scheme included the signalisation of a busy junction, and the introduction of a contra-flow bus lane to improve bus access into the city centre. The inbound guideway saved buses on average 70 seconds during the morning peak, but this increased to 2 minutes during the height of the peak. Also, by isolating buses from the worst of the congestion the guideway reduced the variability of bus journey times by 75 per cent. The signalling techniques used to give buses priority onto the roundabout improved average bus journey times by between 5-10 seconds, although this could be as much as 30 seconds when the roundabout was most congested. Beyond the guideway, both buses and general traffic suffered increased delays on the approach to a busy intersection, eroding much of the benefit accrued within the guideway. Bus journey times improved by about 40 seconds with the re-routing of buses into the city centre via the contra flow bus lane on North Street. The success of the outbound guideway was mixed; while buses journey times improved by up to 2 and a half minutes within the guideway (compared to general traffic alongside it), they were delayed by increased traffic queues on the approach to the Potternewton Lane roundabout. It is thought that these extended queues delay buses on the approach to the start of the guideway. It has been estimated that this additional delay can be as high as 110 seconds during the height of the peak. The signalling technique used to give buses priority onto the roundabout was thought to be partly responsible for the increase in general traffic queues, but an increase in downstream traffic flows could not be ruled out. A questionnaire survey was also undertaken to assess the views of car drivers and bus passengers to the guideway and bus services along Scott Hall Road. (A)