RAA has welcomed the State Government’s decision to remove the bus lanes along Anzac Highway, following a six month trial.
RAA Senior Manager Road Safety Charles Mountain said the bus lanes, located between South Road and Greenhill Road, did not provide the benefits they were intended to.
“The bus lanes along Anzac Highway actually had a negative impact on traffic flow, without proving it had improved the efficiency of public transport on this section,” said Mr Mountain.
“During the trial, we didn’t see any evidence that public transport had improved, either with travel times or reliability.
“It’s also unclear whether the bus lanes encouraged more people to use public transport instead of driving into the CBD.
“Motorists were left confused about how to use the bus lanes, which created greater congestion, particularly on the approach to South Road.
“For motorists entering Anzac Highway from the kerbside lane, they had to move into the adjacent middle lane, which in heavy traffic could be challenging unless someone wanted to let you in.”
As the trial draws to a close, the bus lanes are anticipated to be removed this weekend.
“We’re pleased to see that the government has listened to our concerns about the bus lanes, and made the decision to remove the Anzac Highway bus lanes,” said Mr Mountain.
“Trials are an effective way to attempt to improve traffic flow, but when it’s clear that the adjustment isn’t providing any benefit it’s good to know the Government is prepared to reverse its decision.
“We hope any future trials to introduce bus lanes will take into account the lessons learnt in this instance.”
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