Simulation-Based Public Transport Priority Tailored to Passenger Conflict Flows: A Case Study of the City of Zagreb

Abstract

Prioritizing public transport is one of the most effective measure to increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of public transport in relation to individual vehicles. The main goal of this study was to examine the possibilities for reducing the travel time of tram vehicles by giving priority at signalized intersections in terms of sharing the traffic lane with personal vehicles and under conditions of strong conflict flows with private transport. For this purpose, we used the simulation tool VISSIM and its module EPICS. A methodology for determining weighting factors for prioritizing public transport flows was developed based on conflicting passenger flows in public transport vehicles and passenger cars. Three scenarios were tested in the study area: (1) “do nothing”; (2) unconditional priority; and (3) conditional priority. The results showed that unconditional priority led to unsustainable traffic conditions for personal vehicles and public transport. In contrast, conditional priority reduced the travel time of public transport on certain corridors by between 7.64% and 18.76% in the morning peak period, and 5.60% to 22.50% in the afternoon peak period.