Mixed traffic flow modeling near Chinese bus stops and its applications

Abstract

To determine how bus stop design influences mixed traffic operation near Chinese bus stops, a new theoretical method was developed by using additive-conflict-flows procedure. The procedure was extended from homogeneous traffic flow to mixed traffic flow. Based on the procedure and queuing theory, car capacity and speed models were proposed for three types of bus stops including curbside, bus bay and bicycle detour. The effects of various combinations of bus stop type, traffic volume, bus dwell time, and berth number on traffic operations were investigated. The results indicate that traffic volume, bus dwell time and berth number have negative effects on traffic operations for any type of bus stops. For different types of bus stops, at car volumes above approximately 200 vehicles per hour, the bus bay and bicycle detour designs provide more benefits than the curbside design. As traffic volume increases, the benefit firstly increases in uncongested conditions and then decreases in congested conditions. It reaches the maximum at car volumes nearly 1 100 vehicles per hour. The results can be used to aid in the selection of a preferred bus stop design for a given traffic volume in developing countries.