In the UK, and in many other countries, new road building to accommodate increasing demand has been ruled out on the grounds of environmental impact and cost. The Government's White Paper 'A New Deal for Transport' set a new agenda for transport which identified the need to improve integrated public transport and reduce dependency on the car. But travel by public transport, especially bus, has been declining over many years, so how can this trend be reversed and how can bus travel 'lead our transport revolution in the 21st Century'? This paper considers how large increases in travel capacity and substantial improvements in bus journey times and reliability could potentially be achieved with bus lanes. It examines how they can be implemented, drawing on the author's work on the UK's first-ever motorway bus lane on the M4 Spur and on feasibility studies on motorways elsewhere, including examples in other countries. Possible options are presented that include motorway widening, use of hard shoulder and reallocation of existing traffic lanes. Bus lane users are considered, for example whether taxis or even HOVs should be permitted, and traffic management issues are examined. If bus is to help accommodate travel growth, then there must be a substantial improvement in service quality. This can be achieved in part through providing better vehicles and trip information, but improvements in journey time and especially reliability are key requirements as part of a 'Quality Partnership' package. Bus lanes can deliver these improvements, but a much more ambitious programme is needed to make a real nation-wide impact.
Samenvatting