EVALUATION OF A CONTRAFLOW ARTERIAL BUS LANE

In 1979, the city of Madison, Wisconsin, conducted a 90-day trial experiment in which a contraflow arterial bus lane was closed and all buses were rerouted into mixed-traffic lanes on a parallel arterial. The findings and conclusions of that experiment, as well as comments on generalizable conclusions that might be drawn from the Madison experience, are presented. Evaluation criteria included traffic performance, safety, transit revenue, transit ridership, and environmental impacts. The study findings supported the conclusion that the permanent closing of the bus lane would be undersirable principally because of anticipated increases in bus accidents and higher rates of fuel consumption and pollutant emissions. (Author)