Mitigating negative impacts of near-side bus stops on cars

Bus stops are often placed short distances upstream of signalized intersections. Buses that dwell at one of these so-called near-side stops can impede queued cars upstream from discharging through the intersection during green times. Residual car queues can form at the intersection as a result. The smaller the distance between a stop and its intersection, the greater the problem can be. Models are formulated to address this problem using kinematic wave theory. The models can be used to determine where to place a near-side stop to achieve a target level of residual car queueing. In addition, the models are used herein to develop a scheme for mitigating residual car queues by briefly detaining some buses from reaching the stop. The scheme can be applied selectively, so that the times that detained buses depart from the stop are not postponed. The buses are therefore not delayed over the longer run. Analysis indicates that this bus-holding scheme can significantly reduce car delays and queueing. Our models for placing stops and holding buses are shown to be robust to systematic and random changes in car flow. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.