Assessing the Impacts of Dedicated Bus Lanes on Urban Traffic Congestion and Modal Split with an Agent-Based Model

Abstract Dedicated Bus Lanes (DBLs) have the potential to significantly improve the performance of bus services while encouraging mode switch from private cars to Public Transport (PT), reduce travel times and relieve urban congestion. We present MATSim simulations that assess the impact of DBLs on urban road traffic, focusing on the transportation network of the city of Sioux Falls and comparing the effects of adding a DBL vs. converting one of the lanes into a DBL, for each link that is exploited by PT. The DBLs result in essential changes to the modal split and preserves travel time of the PT users at off-peak levels. MATSim’s inherent ability to represent individual travelers’ adaptation to the changing travel opportunities demonstrates high effectiveness of the DBLs in cities where the level of congestion is high or very high and quantitatively estimates their qualitative effects. The model will be further applied for establishing the network of the DBLs in the highly congested Tel-Aviv metropolitan area, where, historically, most of the PT lines share the same road space with the rest of the traffic.