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> A bus only lane is also a vehicle lane that is sitting empty a good part of the time. While that bus lane may look empty most of the time it likely carries f

> A bus only lane is also a vehicle lane that is sitting empty a good part of the time. While that bus lane may look empty most of the time it likely carries far more people per hour than the congested car lane next to it. > While the Lincoln Tunnel’s car lane can only move 3,000 people per hour in each car lane, its bus lane moves 30,000 people per hour. https://transalt.org/blog/bus-commutes-are-significantly-longer-for-low-income-black-and-latino-bus-riders-dedicated-space-for-buses-is-the-solution https://transalt.org/blog/bus-commutes-are-significantly-lon...

xnx 1y ago
I think you've been lied to with that highly misleading statistic. The 3000 for cars is actual (though I'm skeptical of that now too), while the 30,000 for buses is theoretical. "While a typical traffic lane carries approximately 3,000 people in 2,000 cars each hour, the XBL lane can carry over 30,000 people in 700 buses during that same time period." http://fourthplan.org/action/highway-congestion http://fourthplan.org/action/highway-congestion
- laurencerowe 1y ago
  That doesn't seem unreasonable for the Lincoln tunnel. Rush hour buses are pretty full, 50 on each seems pretty reasonable - everyone got a seat! > Now the XBL handles 1,850 buses that carry more than 70,000 passengers from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. each weekday, which comes to 600 buses an hour. The bus lane operates at its maximum capacity for 90 minutes of its four-hour operation. https://www.govtech.com/transportation/fed-funds-study-of-ai-to-improve-lincoln-tunnel-bus-traffic https://www.govtech.com/transportation/fed-funds-study-of-ai... Here in San Francisco along Mission St we have about 20 articulated buses an hour in each direction. These have a planning capacity of 94, 85% load standard 80, 125% crush capacity 119 according to https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSF/comments/445xdg/what_is_the_maximum_legal_capacity_for_sf_muni/ https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSF/comments/445xdg/what_is_the_m.... While mostly a bus and taxi lane Mission St allows local traffic within each block so buses are still a minority of the vehicles in the lane. Meanwhile the main 2 lanes in each direction street nearby has 1020 vehicles an hour in the peak direction. At 1.6 people per vehicle that's only about 830 people per lane at rush hour. So even at 'standard capacity' the buses in a regular city street not completely dedicated bus lane carry double the number of people. (From experience I suspect it is somewhat more than that.)
  - TylerE 1y ago
    700 busses per hour is a BIT unreasonable. That's a bus every 5.1 seconds. In a single lane. (and at 30mph it'll take 1.5 of that 5 seconds just for the bus itself to pass. That's very marginal braking distance). Also, 1850 / 4 is 453, not 600.
    - laurencerowe 1y ago
      > 700 busses per hour is a BIT unreasonable. The article I quoted to which you are replying suggests 600 busses an hour. I don't think that is unreasonable for a dedicated highway lane into a bus terminal. There's a nice picture of it here: https://abc7ny.com/port-authority-lincoln-tunnel-technology-buses/5750552/ https://abc7ny.com/port-authority-lincoln-tunnel-technology-... > Also, 1850 / 4 is 453, not 600. Quoted in the post you are replying to: > Now the XBL handles 1,850 buses that carry more than 70,000 passengers from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. each weekday, which comes to 600 buses an hour. The bus lane operates at its maximum capacity for 90 minutes of its four-hour operation. I read that as they reach the maximum capacity of 600 buses an hour only for the 90 minutes of rush hour. Across the 4 hours it operates each bus averages 38 passengers (70000/1850). It seems reasonable to assume that the rush hour buses are more packed given they are looking at ways to increase capacity and have you ever taken a rush hour bus in a big city?! From the picture linked above these seem to be 53 seat coaches for longer distance routes rather than city buses which would carry more passengers with some standing. 50 * 600 = 30,000. It's in the ballpark!

xnx 1y ago

I think you've been lied to with that highly misleading statistic. The 3000 for cars is actual (though I'm skeptical of that now too), while the 30,000 for buses is theoretical. "While a typical traffic lane carries approximately 3,000 people in 2,000 cars each hour, the XBL lane can carry over 30,000 people in 700 buses during that same time period." http://fourthplan.org/action/highway-congestion http://fourthplan.org/action/highway-congestion

laurencerowe 1y ago
That doesn't seem unreasonable for the Lincoln tunnel. Rush hour buses are pretty full, 50 on each seems pretty reasonable - everyone got a seat! > Now the XBL handles 1,850 buses that carry more than 70,000 passengers from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. each weekday, which comes to 600 buses an hour. The bus lane operates at its maximum capacity for 90 minutes of its four-hour operation. https://www.govtech.com/transportation/fed-funds-study-of-ai-to-improve-lincoln-tunnel-bus-traffic https://www.govtech.com/transportation/fed-funds-study-of-ai... Here in San Francisco along Mission St we have about 20 articulated buses an hour in each direction. These have a planning capacity of 94, 85% load standard 80, 125% crush capacity 119 according to https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSF/comments/445xdg/what_is_the_maximum_legal_capacity_for_sf_muni/ https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSF/comments/445xdg/what_is_the_m.... While mostly a bus and taxi lane Mission St allows local traffic within each block so buses are still a minority of the vehicles in the lane. Meanwhile the main 2 lanes in each direction street nearby has 1020 vehicles an hour in the peak direction. At 1.6 people per vehicle that's only about 830 people per lane at rush hour. So even at 'standard capacity' the buses in a regular city street not completely dedicated bus lane carry double the number of people. (From experience I suspect it is somewhat more than that.)
- TylerE 1y ago
  700 busses per hour is a BIT unreasonable. That's a bus every 5.1 seconds. In a single lane. (and at 30mph it'll take 1.5 of that 5 seconds just for the bus itself to pass. That's very marginal braking distance). Also, 1850 / 4 is 453, not 600.
  - laurencerowe 1y ago
    > 700 busses per hour is a BIT unreasonable. The article I quoted to which you are replying suggests 600 busses an hour. I don't think that is unreasonable for a dedicated highway lane into a bus terminal. There's a nice picture of it here: https://abc7ny.com/port-authority-lincoln-tunnel-technology-buses/5750552/ https://abc7ny.com/port-authority-lincoln-tunnel-technology-... > Also, 1850 / 4 is 453, not 600. Quoted in the post you are replying to: > Now the XBL handles 1,850 buses that carry more than 70,000 passengers from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. each weekday, which comes to 600 buses an hour. The bus lane operates at its maximum capacity for 90 minutes of its four-hour operation. I read that as they reach the maximum capacity of 600 buses an hour only for the 90 minutes of rush hour. Across the 4 hours it operates each bus averages 38 passengers (70000/1850). It seems reasonable to assume that the rush hour buses are more packed given they are looking at ways to increase capacity and have you ever taken a rush hour bus in a big city?! From the picture linked above these seem to be 53 seat coaches for longer distance routes rather than city buses which would carry more passengers with some standing. 50 * 600 = 30,000. It's in the ballpark!