Public transport priority at traffic signals in London: Progress, performance and opportunities

Hounsell, B. and Landles, J. (1995) Public transport priority at traffic signals in London: Progress, performance and opportunities. Steps Forward. Second World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, Yokohama, Japan. 09 - 11 Nov 1995.

Abstract

The need for efficient public transport services in London has led to increasing emphasis on the implementation of bus priority systems. Significant new initiatives include the 805-km (500-mi) "London Bus Priority Network," currently being developed, and bus priority at traffic signals to benefit many of the 5,000 buses at increasing numbers of the 3,000 traffic signals in London. This paper concentrates on bus priority at traffic signals, charting the progress of system implementations in London, and focusing on current developments. These developments include implementation of bus priority using selective detection within the SCOOT traffic responsive system. This paper outlines the achievements of a project called PROMPT, including results from simulation and field trials in the United Kingdom, moving towards a commercial SCOOT system incorporating public transport priority. Interest in London, and in other cities in the United Kingdom, now concerns the use of automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems for providing the bus location function within the priority system. The paper will discuss the opportunities for integrated architectures for public transport priority, referencing the existing system in Turin, recent developments in Southampton, and possible ways forward for London.

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