Intersection and signal design for BRT : challenges, lessons learned & the road ahead

Abstract

The National Department of Transport?s Vision of the Public Transport Action Plan encourages the utilisation of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as part of Integrated Rapid Transport Networks (IPTN?s). The roll out of BRT is currently being pursued in all of the major cities in South Africa. The design and signalisation of intersections needs to comply with the South African Road Traffic Signs Manual (SARTSM) in order to be legal. The SARTSM was drafted prior to BRT being envisaged and as yet has not been modified to adapt to the demands of the road based public transport requirements. The implementation of the SARTSM to active BRT projects is discussed, as are the challenges of conforming to SARTSM and the lessons learned from observations in the field. Alternative signalisation techniques have been implemented internationally to manage bus and light rail systems in street networks. The paper reviews various good international examples of these techniques with a view to encouraging decision makers within South Africa to update the SARTSM and hopefully improve the legibility of traffic signals at these complex BRT junctions and hence improve the safety of all road users.