Evaluating the Effects of Exclusive Bus Lanes on Passenger Ridership and Travel Time in Kuala Lumpur City Roads

Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.9, 2011 Evaluating the Effects of Exclusive Bus Lanes on Passenger Ridership and Travel Time in Kuala Lumpur City Roads Samira MELITI Abdul Azeez KADAR HAMSA BURP Student (Graduated) Associate Professor Kulliyyah of Architecture and Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design Environmental Design International Islamic University International Islamic University Malaysia Malaysia P.O. Box 10 P.O. Box 10 50728 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 50728 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Fax: +6-03-6196 4864 Email: [email protected] Abstract: Bus priority treatment in urban areas is seen as an effective measure to improve bus transit services. This paper describes the effects of exclusive bus lanes on passenger ridership and travel time. Exclusive bus lanes along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (Jalan TAR) and Jalan Syed Putra (Jalan SP) are used to measure the service characteristics of bus transit. Passenger ridership and travel time survey were conducted during peak and off peak- hours on weekdays and weekend. The differences between mean travel time of buses and motorcars were statistically tested by using T-test. The findings showed that the bus passenger ridership is generally low and the effect of exclusive bus lanes on passenger ridership is insignificant. Travel time for buses along exclusive bus lanes was found significantly higher than other traffic (especially motorcars) along adjacent traffic lanes. Recommendations are drawn to overcome issues confronting exclusive bus lanes in Kuala Lumpur. Key Words: bus lane, passenger ridership, travel time, bus transit, Kuala Lumpur 1. INTRODUCTION The growth of traffic has been increasing tremendously in many developing cities including Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia due to strong economic growth, increasing affordability to own private vehicles and migration of population to cities for better job opportunities. As a result, the degree of traffic congestion in many urban areas in Malaysia has been increasing steadily. However, the supply of road and related infrastructure is not seen increasing in proportion to travel demand because of limitations in land and other resources in the urban areas. Traffic management measures are considered as an important management tool to effectively control and manage traffic flow operations and circulations in urban areas. It also protects environmental degradation in reducing the dependency on private motor vehicles and encouraging the use of public and non-motorized transportation. Exclusive bus lanes are seen as one of the most important traffic management measures to improve public transport services in terms of reducing travel time without adding new road infrastructure. Exclusive bus lanes are successfully implemented in most developed countries Garber et al. (2008). Exclusive bus lanes are priority lanes devoted for use by buses only in some 986 Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.9, 2011 cases, and by other vehicles like HOVs in other cases. Bus lanes reduce travel time (higher operating speed) of public bus transport, thus, making it more reliable and convenient for many users. Reducing traffic congestion can also be achieved by using exclusive bus lanes. It is one of the measures in reducing vehicular traffic volume by improving urban bus transit services, thereby encouraging road users to shift from private transport to public transport Hanson et al. (2004). The purpose of this paper is to highlight findings based on the analysis on the variations of speed and travel time between buses and motorcars using exclusive bus lanes and adjacent traffic lanes respectively, the effect of exclusive bus lanes on passenger ridership, and factors affecting speed and travel time of buses along exclusive bus lanes. Two important major roads in the city of Kuala Lumpur were selected to measure travel time of the buses along exclusive bus lanes and motorcars along adjacent traffic lanes. T-test was applied to test whether or not the travel time differences between buses and motorcars are statistically significant. The findings based on T- test and other analyses are discussed in the following sections. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ON EXCLUSIVE BUS LANE The global demand for mobility has reached its peak during the preceding century, and in the last few decades, travelling to and around cities has increased dramatically. The high demand for travel is related to the increasing number of activities and services provided in the metropolitan areas which attract workers, students and shoppers (Mokhtarian, 2007). The enormous number of trips which are generated on a daily basis is usually performed by using either public or private transportation. Understandably, public transportation has been the subject of interest to many researchers owing to its importance in making travelling easier and more sustainable in urbanized areas (Steg, 2003). Levinson et al. (2003) has indicated that government authorities and transportation agencies viewed public transport as a mean for solving mobility issues in urban areas due to clogged roadways and urban sprawl. An emerging concern for the protection of the environment is clearly covered by the notion of promoting the use of public transport which minimizes travel by private vehicles. Nevertheless, the preference of travellers to choose available mode of transport could vary according to certain characteristics. Wright (1992) has listed six attributes that affect the choice of transportation among travellers namely flexibility, frequency, punctuality, comfort, ease of carrying goods and most importantly travel time. It was found that public transport operation will be highly efficient if these characteristics are seriously considered (Wright, 1992). The role of transit in urban areas is very important as it helps move people inside the Central Business District (CBD), especially those who are unable to drive by themselves such as young individuals, the old and physically impaired (Highway Capacity Manual, 2000). The operation of bus transit system is extensively related to the exclusiveness of the right-of-way along which buses run. According to Wright (1992), there are four degrees of right-of-way where buses might operate; mixed traffic (the lowest capacity and performance), bus-only lanes, busways and guided busways. The fact is that bus travel in mixed traffic flow makes it a difficult task to ensure smooth and efficient operation. According to Simpson (1994), many issues facing public transport in general, and the local bus services in particular can be connected to the rise in car ownership, inefficient integration of landuse and transport, traffic congestion and the low esteem afforded to buses due to discomfort and inconveniences. The 987 Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.9, 2011 use of motorcars has increased dramatically in the last few decades and as a result fewer people are dependent on public transport. This has led to the construction of more motorways and this phenomenon has since been associated with car oriented landuse where little thought has been given to the integration of public transport in new developments (Simpson, 1994). According to Taylor et al. (2001), the factors that influence the rate of passenger ridership are categorized into direct (internal) and indirect (external) factors. The direct factors represent elements such as fare structure, frequency of bus services, travel time and the priority measures like bus lanes. The external factors, on the other hand, represent elements related to car ownership taxation, fuel prices, parking fee and access restriction. Increasing ridership in public transportation, especially bus transits, is the aim of many urban local authorities as it helps to reduce the number of private vehicles on the roads and therefore help to decrease traffic congestion. It is also known that improvement in the travel time of public transportation in general and bus transit in particular will have a great effect on increasing passenger ridership Taylor et al. (2001). The significance of studying travel time becomes apparent when estimating the value of investment on road infrastructure, predicting the passenger ridership using each mode of travel and in solving issues related to the services and use of existing urban transit system (Beesley, 2003). Studying the variation in travel time of buses (as a public transport mode) is often carried out in comparison with other modes (usually motorcars) at different times of the day (it is common to use peak and off-peak hours) as it is crucial to examine the time spent in travelling under different traffic conditions (Smeed, 2003). According to Winston et al. (1998), the effect of traffic congestion on travel time and virtually on speed is very important in studying the performance of bus transit system as any improvement to these two variables compared to private vehicles will result in a change in the mode of travel (shift from motorcars to public transport). Nevertheless, many authors were agreed that exclusive bus lanes alone are not able to change the travel behaviour and mode of people unless other measures adopted. White (2002) suggests that the concept of exclusive bus lanes as a traffic management measure should operate in conjunction with efficient bus stops, passenger information and pedestrian movements. Traffic management measures are, by definition, means to overcome traffic flow issues in existing roadways and, therefore,

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