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iantheengineer · November 9th 03, 02:33 PM posted to uk.transport.london,uk.transport

"JNugent" wrote in message
...
wrote:

"Nick Finnigan" wrote:

"iantheengineer" wrote:

"Nick Finnigan" wrote:

but what would
you expect the maximum PT throughput per lane to be?

Per lane the maximum throughput of a lane for buses is 900 vehicles
per hour. This is purely a lane capacity in pcu (passenger car
units) that relates a bus to equal 2 passnger car units. An average
lane has a capacity of 1800 pcu, although this depends upon width
gradient and alignment.

But if they have to stop to pick up customers,
what is the achieved passenger throughput?

You cant really say this globally as it depends upon the density of
stops, the number of people alighting etc.

Fair enough.

Its got to be higher than the car figure at any rate as the car lane
capacity is 1800 pcu so thats 1800 cars per hour at say 2 people per
car (that is very generous!) giving 3600 persons per hour. Say a bus
achieved 1/3 capacity of 72 sealts ie 24, and they have a lane
capacity of 900 buses per hour you are talking 21600 passenger
throughput, taking out say 15 minutes of the hour to be ultra
generous to the car argument you are looking at 16200 which is far in
excess of the 3600 car argument, and I have been generous to the car
argument and have taken a pessimistic view of the buses.

That isn't right. That a bus lane could handle 900 buses an hour may be
theoretically possible, but there is no highway in the UK (probably in the
world) which carries 900 buses or bus movements an hour - probably nowhere
near that many in a *day* (where I live, which is on a bus rouite, it
doesn't approach that figure in a week). So you are being very optimistic
in
the case of buses, and not pessimistic at all.

If you read the earlier posts it is theoretical, the question asked was how
many buses *could* you get through a lane.