Sichuan News Network-Home News Chengdu, February 7 (Reporter Xu Yuke, Zhou Qiong Photo Report) Recently, the Chengdu Traffic Management Bureau issued a notice on the optimization of bus lanes in some sections, adjusting the use time of bus lanes, and allowing social vehicles to be used during peak hours.
However, "will more sections of the road follow up as soon as possible?" In particular, can the second ring road and other rapid bus lanes be open to public vehicles at night? "Is it possible to simply cancel the bus lanes that are less used? and other suggestions frequently appear in the discussion of related topics on many online platforms such as the Mala community, and have become the focus of heated discussions.
A few days ago, a reporter from Sichuan News Network also visited the road sections where citizens and netizens reported that they were more concentrated, such as Riyue Avenue, Second Ring Elevated, Phoenix Mountain Elevated, etc. The reporter found that the above-mentioned road sections have the problems of fewer bus shifts and low utilization rate of special lanes.
So, how should the "embarrassing" bus lane be continuously optimized next? What are the stones from other mountains that are worth learning from all over the country? In this regard, the reporter interviewed a number of experts in the field of transportation to see how they "check the pulse" of the bus lane.
Can I just cancel the bus lane?
The key is whether it meets the relevant setting standards.
Regarding the opinion of "directly canceling some bus lanes during the peak period", Fan Wenbo, an associate professor at the School of Transportation and Logistics of Southwest Jiaotong University, said that whether it can be canceled depends on whether the existing bus lanes meet the relevant setting standards.
Fan Wenbo introduced that the setting of bus lanes should follow the "Bus Lane Settings (GA T507-2004)" document formulated by the Ministry of Public Security, and some cities have also set local standards. Among them, the bus passenger volume and bus flow of the road section, as well as the relevant road hardware conditions (such as "more than 2 lanes in one direction") are the main reference standards for setting up bus lanes, and have little to do with the traffic volume of cars and the congestion degree of the road section.
In the second batch of optimization and adjustment measures, the section from Yiguanmiao to Moziqiao has been cancelled as a bus-only lane.
The cancellation of bus lanes, or the excessive occupation of bus roads, will affect the efficiency of bus operation, which is not conducive to the development of public transportation and the promotion of green travel. Sun Zhanbo, deputy dean of the School of Smart City and Transportation of Southwest Jiaotong University, said.
Can the enhancement measures be extended to all road sections?
A variety of time-sharing bus restriction modes can be adopted.
In response to the general concern of citizens and netizens, "Can the optimization measures be extended to all road sections?" At the just-concluded 2024 Sichuan Provincial People's Congress and the National People's Congress, Wen Xueqian, a representative of the Provincial People's Congress, put forward relevant suggestions for optimizing the use of bus lanes.
The optimization of bus lanes in Chengdu is a good change, and I think we should continue to optimize more bus lanes and more time slots. Wen Xueqian said in an interview.
Wen Xueqian, deputy to the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress and member of the Social Construction Committee of the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress (**provided by the interviewee).
According to Wen Xueqian's research, the existing bus lane restriction period in Chengdu is mainly from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 24 hours a day. Wen Xueqian believes that in the future, more bus lanes can be optimized and adjusted to 7 o'clock to 22 o'clock and 7 o'clock to 9 o'clock, 17 o'clock to 19 o'clock (morning and evening rush hour) and other time-based traffic restrictions.
In particular, the second ring elevated bus lane and other road sections where citizens are more concentrated, the optimization measures can also be more three-dimensional and rich, such as the use of bus lanes and multi-passenger lanes, the introduction of variable bus lanes, etc. Wen Xueqian suggested that multiple measures should be taken to further release the utilization rate of bus lanes.
Stones of other mountains. Strengthening technical means is key.
In the next step, what directions can Chengdu's bus lane optimization work be carried out from?
You can refer to the bus lane setting specifications of similar cities at home and abroad to formulate local standards. Fan Wenbo believes that the relevant departments in Chengdu should continue to optimize, add and adjust bus lanes according to the flow of bus passengers and vehicles, but they must avoid too many temporary policies. At the same time, it is also necessary to carry out scientific research and evaluation of bus lanes on a regular basis in daily work. ”
Chen Jian, a professor at the School of Transportation of Chongqing Jiaotong University, combined with the use time of Chongqing's bus lanes are morning and evening rush hours, and social vehicles are allowed to use them during peak hours, providing several suggestions for Chengdu's bus lanes: strengthen the evaluation of bus lanes, and give priority to the passages with large bus passenger flow and good road conditions; Optimize the way bus lanes are set up, especially the passage time, and at the same time pay attention to the network of bus lanes to improve bus operation services; Vigorously promote the construction of smart transportation, improve the overall efficiency of urban transportation and optimize the travel structure through big data and a new generation of communication technology.
In fact, alleviating urban congestion should not only focus on the problem of bus lanes, traffic congestion control is a complex system engineering. Sun Zhanbo, deputy dean of the School of Transportation and Logistics of Southwest Jiaotong University, suggested that the relevant departments of Chengdu should strengthen technical means to empower transportation, make good use of big data, artificial intelligence and other means to establish a dynamic evaluation mechanism for the efficiency of bus lanes, and can also provide scientific decision-making basis and low-cost trial and error means through technologies such as virtual and digital twins.