{{Short description|Road lane intended for buses and other transits only}} {{About||the 2007 Thai film|Bus Lane (film)}} {{Redirect|Tram lane|areas exclusively for trams|Reserved track}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}} [[File:Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit 01.jpg|thumb|Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit bus lane in San Francisco, California]] [[File:SBS launched on the B44 (10931729326).jpg|thumb|Select Bus Service bus lane on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn, New York]] A '''bus lane''' or '''bus-only lane''' is a lane restricted to buses, generally to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion. The related term '''busway''' describes a roadway completely dedicated for use by buses, whilst '''bus gate''' describes a short bus lane often used as a short cut for public transport. Bus lanes are a key component of a high-quality bus corridor (QBC) and bus rapid transit (BRT) network, improving bus travel speeds and reliability by reducing delay caused by other traffic.
A dedicated bus lane may occupy only part of a roadway which also has lanes serving general automotive traffic; in contrast to a transit mall which is a pedestrianized roadway also served by transit.
==History== [[File:רשת מטרופוליטנית.JPG|thumb|Dedicated bus lanes in Herzliya, Israel. The bus lanes allow the buses to avoid congested roads.]] The first bus lane is often erroneously attributed to Chicago, where in 1939 Sheridan Road was installed with reversible lanes north of Foster Avenue.<ref>[http://www.apta.com/research/stats/history/mileston.cfm Milestones in U.S. Public Transportation History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807210727/http://www.apta.com/research/stats/history/mileston.cfm |date=7 August 2007 }} (from the APTA website. Retrieved 6 December 2007.)</ref><ref>[http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/ntd.htm History of the NTD and Transit in the US] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012095259/http://ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/ntd.htm|date=12 October 2007}} (from the NTD website. Retrieved 6 December 2007.)</ref> The setup consisted of three-lanes towards the peak direction (south in the morning; north in the evening), and one contraflow lane. None of the lanes exclusively carried buses, but were designed to facilitate bus operations. In 1948, the East Side Trolley Tunnel in Providence, Rhode Island was converted to bus-only use and became the first dedicated busway in the United States, continuing to operate to this day. In 1956 Nashville became the first city to implement on-street bus lanes. Later that year, Chicago implemented a bus lane in the center of Washington Street, a five lane one-way street downtown.<ref name="mineta">{{cite web |last1=Agrawal |first1=Asha Weinstein |last2=Goldman |first2=Todd |last3=Hannaford |first3=Nancy |title=Shared-Use Bus Priority Lanes on City Streets: Case Studies in Design and Management |url=https://nacto.org/docs/usdg/shared_use_bus_priority_lanes_on_city_streets_agrawal.pdf |publisher=Mineta Transportation Institute |access-date=3 November 2021 |date=April 2012 |archive-date=21 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421205308/https://nacto.org/docs/usdg/shared_use_bus_priority_lanes_on_city_streets_agrawal.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="report143">{{cite report |last1=Levinson |first1=Herbert S. |last2=Hoey |first2=William F. |last3=Sanders |first3=David B. |last4=Wyn |first4=F. Houston |date=1973 |title=Bus Use of Highways: State of the Art |url=https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_143.pdf |publisher=Highway Research Board |work=National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 143 |access-date = 4 November 2021}}</ref>
The first bus lanes in Europe were established before October 1962 when, at the creation of the UK's first contraflow bus lane, London Transport "welcomed the special bus lane idea, which is in wide use on the Continent and America".<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |title=Reverse-flow Buses |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/19th-october-1962/59/reverse-flow-buses-f-or-the-first-time-last-sunday |journal=Commercial Motor |issue=19 October 1962 |pages=59}}</ref> An article in August 1963 identified Hamburg, Milan and Rome as having them, with Milan having 2 miles 750 yards. Most of the lanes were with-flow, but some of the lanes in Milan and all those in Rome were contraflow.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Moses |first=F.K. |title=Buses Against the Traffic Flow |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/23rd-august-1963/58/buses-against-the-traffic-flow |journal=Commercial Motor |issue=23 August 1963 |pages=58-60}}</ref>
in 1963 the tram system in Hamburg was closed and the former dedicated tram tracks were converted for bus travel. Other large German cities soon followed, and the implementation of bus lanes was officially sanctioned in the German highway code in 1970. Many experts from other countries (Japan among the first) studied the German example and implemented similar solutions. On 15 January 1964 the first bus lane in France was designated along the ''quai du Louvre'' in Paris and the first contraflow lane was established on the old ''pont de l’Alma'' on 15 June 1966.<ref>[http://www.amtuir.org/06_htu_bus_100_ans/oa_1961_1970/oa_1961_1970.htm ''Les zones bleues et les couloirs pour autobus''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114111730/http://www.amtuir.org/06_htu_bus_100_ans/oa_1961_1970/oa_1961_1970.htm|date=14 November 2007}} (from the AMTUIR website, Musée des Transports Urbains. Retrieved 6 December 2007.{{in lang|fr}})</ref> thumb|First substantial British contraflow bus lane in use, King's Road, Reading – 1971 The first contraflow bus lane in the UK was created in 1962 in London: a [https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/photographs/item/1998-31969 50m-long section of Berkeley Street] was made bus-only northbound while unrestricted southbound.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=26 July 1963 |title=London Transport in 1962 |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/26th-july-1963/38/london-transport-in-1962 |access-date=28 February 2026 |work=Commercial Motor |pages=38}}</ref> A bus gate was created in 1964 as part of a one-way scheme between Vauxhall Bridge and Victoria, London.<ref name=":0" /> On 26 February 1968 the first with-flow bus lanes were put into service on Park Lane and Vauxhall Bridge in London.<ref>{{citation|last=Matthews|first=Peter|title=London's Bridges|publisher=Shire|location=Oxford|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7478-0679-0|oclc=213309491}}</ref> They applied from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m., Monday - Friday<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hart |first=W.O. |date=2 February 1968 |title=Notice |work=Westminster and Pimlico News |pages=10}}</ref>. In October 1971 Runcorn opened the world's first bus rapid transitway. Upon opening, the {{convert|7|mi|km|adj=on}} busway featured specialized stations, signal priority, grade separation, and was expanded to {{convert|14|mi|km}} by 1980.<ref name="report143" /><ref name="RUDI 7.3 Transport">{{cite web |url=http://www.rudi.net/books/3346 |title=Runcorn New Town - 7.3 Transport |website=rudi.net |access-date=24 July 2020 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018012240/http://www.rudi.net/books/3346 |archivedate=18 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp90v1_cs/Runcorn.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913224704/http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp90v1_cs/Runcorn.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-09-13 |title=Runcorn buses enthusiast site detailing the busway |publisher=Members.lycos.co.uk |accessdate=2016-09-08}}</ref>
By 1972 there were over {{convert|140|km}} of with-flow bus lanes in 100 cities within OECD member countries, and the network grew substantially in the following decades.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3927/is_199912/ai_n8873097/pg_2 ''Assessing travel time impacts of measures to enhance bus operations''] - Jepson, D.; Ferreira, L., ''Road & Transport Research'', December 1999. Retrieved 6 December 2007.)</ref>
The El Monte Busway between El Monte and Downtown Los Angeles was the first dedicated busway in the US, constructed in 1974.<ref>[http://www.mtc.ca.gov/library/blueprint/bp_rapidbus.htm Los Angeles] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070611191716/http://www.mtc.ca.gov/library/blueprint/bp_rapidbus.htm |date=11 June 2007 }} (from the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Commission website. Retrieved 6 December 2007.)</ref>
==Design== [[File:Bus lane in Tallinn.jpg|thumb|A bus lane in Tallinn separated from general road traffic to avoid congestion]] Bus lanes may be located in different locations on a street, such as on the sides of a street near the curb, or down the center. They may be long, continuous networks, or short segments used to allow buses to bypass bottlenecks or reduce route complexity, such as in a contraflow bus lane.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nacto.org/publication/transit-street-design-guide/transit-lanes-transitways/transit-lanes/|title=Transit Lanes - National Association of City Transportation Officials|date=18 April 2016}}</ref>
Bus lanes may be demarcated in several ways. Descriptive text such as "BUS LANE" may be marked prominently on the road surface, particularly at the beginning and end. Some cities use a diamond-shaped pavement marking to indicate an exclusive bus lane. The road surface may have a distinctive color, usually red, which has been shown to reduce prohibited vehicles from entering bus lanes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nacto.org/publication/transit-street-design-guide/transit-lanes-transitways/lane-elements/pavement-markings-color/|title=Pavement Markings & Color - National Association of City Transportation Officials|newspaper=National Association of City Transportation Officials|language=en-US|access-date=20 December 2016}}</ref> Road signs may communicate when a bus lane is in effect.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Krichevsky |first=Sophie |date=2022-07-21 |title=In Downtown Flushing, busway hours reduced |url=https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/in-downtown-flushing-busway-hours-reduced/article_653513b1-968d-5605-a2cb-43e01214704f.html |access-date=2023-07-12 |website=Queens Chronicle |language=en}}</ref>
Bus lanes may also be physically separated from other traffic using bollards, curbs, or other raised elements.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nacto.org/publication/transit-street-design-guide/transit-lanes-transitways/lane-elements/separation-elements/|title=Separation Elements - National Association of City Transportation Officials|date=19 April 2016}}</ref>
In some cities, such as The Hague in the Netherlands, buses are allowed to use reserved tram tracks, usually laid in the middle of the road and marked with the text "Lijnbus".
===Bus gates=== [[File:Bus_gates_in_Bristol's_heart_-_geograph.org.uk_-_7712098.jpg|thumb|Bus gate in the centre of Bristol, England, 2024]] In the United Kingdom bus gates are common in towns and cities. A bus gate consists of a short section of road that only buses, cycles and sometimes other vehicles (typically taxis) can pass through. They lack most of the signage of bus lanes and have the words "BUS GATE" on the carriageway instead of "BUS LANE".<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is a Bus Gate? |url=https://www.busgates.uk/what |access-date=20 January 2026 |website=Busgates.uk}}</ref>
The first bus gate in the UK is from 1964. Buses were allowed to continue along Vauxhall Bridge Road towards Victoria while other traffic was diverted along Bessborough Road and Belgrave Road.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |date=12 April 1963 |title=The Stopping up of Highways (London) (No. 24) Order 1963 |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/42966/page/3247 |journal=The London Gazette |issue=42966 |pages=3247}}</ref> A [https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/photographs/item/1998-44677 1967 photograph] shows pre-Worboys No Entry signs with "Except Buses" beneath; such signs ceased to be placed after 31 December 1964.[[File:Bus_Gate_into_Great_Tower_Street_-_geograph.org.uk_-_505416.jpg|thumb|Bus Gate with a red-and-white pole lifted to admit a Routemaster bus, City of London, 2007]]Until 2006 (later outside London), penalties for contravening a bus gate involved prosecution, so needed to be witnessed by police or traffic wardens. Some local authorities sought to make bus gates self-enforcing. Several technologies have been used:
* red-and-white pole pivoted at one end ("gates"). These were used from the mid-1970s<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/original_tmo_for_width_and_bus_r_2/response/2892247/attach/html/3/8876695%201978%20306%20GLC%20R.pdf.html |title=The Harrow (Prescribed Routes) (No. 2) Traffic Order 1978 |date=3 July 1978 |location=London}}</ref> and are still used at some toll bridges and in car parks; * rising bollards: these superseded pivoting poles from the mid-1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Department for Transport |date=March 1997 |title=Rising Bollards |url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20090505152230/http://www.dft.gov.uk/adobepdf/165240/244921/244924/TAL_4-97 |website=The National Archives}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2009 |title=Automatic bus gate at Wood Lane, Tinsley |url=https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1416781 |website=Geograph}}</ref> They (and the related sliding bollards) are no longer used at bus gates, but they are used in pedestrian schemes where they only have to change position twice a day; * traffic lights triggered only by buses (called "[https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/793936 bus plugs]" in Nottingham, which was the most prominent user); * CCTV with ANPR and civil enforcement (from 2006 in London; from 2010 outside London).
thumb|Bus gate with rising bollards in Cambridge, England, 2014 Many motorists are fined for going through bus gates.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Simson |first=Pete |date=22 March 2024 |title='Atrocious' bus gate fines top £500k since January |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7203gxpe8vo |work=BBC News}}</ref> == Operation == Bus lanes may have separate sets of dedicated traffic signals, to allow transit signal priority at intersections.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nacto.org/publication/transit-street-design-guide/intersections/signals-operations/|title=Signals & Operations - National Association of City Transportation Officials|newspaper=National Association of City Transportation Officials|language=en-US|access-date=20 December 2016}}</ref>
Peak-only bus lanes are enforced only at certain times of the day, usually during rush hour, reverting to a general purpose or parking lane at other times. Peak-only bus lanes may be in effect only in the main direction of travel, such as towards a downtown during morning rush hour traffic, with the buses using general purpose lanes in the other direction.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nacto.org/publication/transit-street-design-guide/transit-lanes-transitways/transit-lanes/peak-bus-lane/|title=Peak-Only Bus Lane - National Association of City Transportation Officials|newspaper=National Association of City Transportation Officials|language=en-US|access-date=20 December 2016}}</ref>
Entire streets can be designated as bus lanes (such as Oxford Street in London, Princes Street in Edinburgh, or Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn), allowing buses, taxis and delivery vehicles only, or a contra-flow bus lane can allow buses to travel in the opposite direction to other vehicles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/Signsandmarkings/index.htm|title=Signs Giving Orders|work=Highway Code|access-date=10 January 2008}}</ref>
Some locations allow bicyclists or taxis to use bus lanes, however where bus or bicycle volumes are high, mixed traffic operations may result in uncomfortable conditions or delays.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nacto.org/publication/transit-street-design-guide/transit-lanes-transitways/transit-lanes/shared-bus-bike-lane/|title=Shared Bus-Bike Lane - National Association of City Transportation Officials|newspaper=National Association of City Transportation Officials|language=en-US|access-date=20 December 2016}}</ref> Certain other vehicles may also be permitted in bus lanes, such as taxis, high occupancy vehicles, motorcycles, or bicycles. Police, ambulance services and fire brigades can also use these lanes.<ref>[http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/tal/trafficmanagement/trafficadvisoryleaflet207 The Use of Bus Lanes by Motorcycles] (from Traffic Advisory Leaflet 2/07, Department for Transport, United Kingdom) {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080808120139/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/tal/trafficmanagement/trafficadvisoryleaflet207|date=8 August 2008}}</ref>
In the Netherlands mixed bus/cycle lanes are uncommon. According to the Sustainable Safety guidelines they would violate the principle of homogeneity and put road users of very different masses and speed behaviour into the same lane, which is generally discouraged.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/sustainable-safety/|title=Sustainable Safety|date=2 January 2012}}</ref>
Some locations have allowed access to bus lanes to electric cars and/or hybrid cars. Oslo removed one such exception in 2017 following protests due to congestion in bus lanes. The large number of electric vehicles on Norwegian roads slowed buses, defeating the purpose of bus lanes.<ref>{{cite web |date=6 May 2015 |title=Electric cars lose right to drive in Oslo bus lanes |url=http://www.thelocal.no/20150506/norway-strips-electric-cars-of-ke |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918213940/http://www.thelocal.no/20150506/norway-strips-electric-cars-of-ke |archive-date=18 September 2015 |access-date=30 November 2020 |website=The Local}}</ref>
==Enforcement== [[File:EDSA Busway Violators (cropped).jpg|thumb|Traffic enforcers in Manila, Philippines, ticketing unauthorized vehicles using the EDSA Busway.]] Bus lanes can become ineffective if weak enforcement allows use by unauthorized vehicles<ref name="NZ_Herald_10404011">{{cite web |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10404011 |title=1779 cheats spotted in single morning using bus lanes |author=McNaughton, Maggie |date=3 October 2006 |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=22 September 2011}}</ref> or illegal parking. Center-running bus lanes avoid the problem of private vehicles blocking the lane by double parking for loading of passengers or cargo.
Evidence from the operation of urban arterials in Brisbane shows that a properly enforced bus lane, operating as designed without interference, can increase passenger throughput. In 2009 and 2010 traffic surveys showed that in Brisbane on a number of urban arterials with bus and transit lanes, noncompliance rates were approaching 90%. Following enhanced enforcement of the lanes, noncompliance rates dropped and overall efficiency of the bus and transit lanes improved with an up to 12% increase in total passenger throughput in the lane. Average bus journey times dropped, in some cases, by up to 19%.<ref>Lyndon, S. Marinelli, P.A. Macintosh, K. and McKenzie, S. High occupancy vehicle lane enforcement: a successful trial in Brisbane by adding a splash of magenta. Proceedings of the 34th Australasian Transport Research Forum, 28–30 September 2011, Adelaide. http://www.atrf11.unisa.edu.au/PaperListing.aspx {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731210000/http://www.atrf11.unisa.edu.au/PaperListing.aspx |date=31 July 2012 }}. Retrieved 9 February 2012.</ref>
Some cities, including San Francisco and New York, employ automated camera enforcement, using either stationary cameras adjacent to the bus lane, or cameras on the front of buses to automatically issue citations to vehicles obstructing the bus lane.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfmta.com/services/permits-citations/camera-enforcement|title=Red Light Camera and Other Automated Enforcement|date=2 May 2013|work=SFMTA|access-date=20 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www1.nyc.gov/nyc-resources/service/1286/bus-lane-camera-violations|title=Bus Lane Camera Violations|work=NYC 311|access-date=20 December 2016}}</ref>
==Effectiveness== Bus lanes give priority to buses, cutting down on journey times where roads are congested with other traffic and increasing the reliability of buses. The introduction of bus lanes can significantly assist in the reduction of air pollution.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Beevers |first1=Sean |last2=Carslaw |first2=David |last3=Westmoreland |first3=Emily |last4=Mittal |first4=Hrishi |date=April 2009 |title=Air pollution and emissions trends in London |url=https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat05/1004010934_MeasurementvsEmissionsTrends.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701160940/https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat05/1004010934_MeasurementvsEmissionsTrends.pdf |archive-date=1 July 2015 |access-date=24 February 2023 |website=Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs }}</ref>
Bus lanes marked with colored pavement have been shown to reduce intrusions into bus lanes, speeding travel time and increasing bus reliability.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/agendaitems/2015/6-2-15%20Item%2012%20%20Church%20St.%20Rapid%20Pilot%20-%20Final%20Report_1.pdf|title=Church Street Transit Lanes Final Report|last=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency|date=February 2015|access-date=20 December 2016}}</ref>
==Major networks== Some network lengths of bus lanes in major cities, listed by buses per km of bus lane):
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" |- !City || Country || Population (million) || Buses (#s) || Population per bus || data-sort-type=number|Bus lanes (km) || Buses per 1 km of bus lane |- | Helsinki || Finland || 0.6 || 470<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kuukankorpi.com/paikallisliikenne/automaarat.html|title=Automäärät pääkaupunkiseudun bussilinjoilla|website=www.kuukankorpi.com}}</ref> || 1,238 || 44<ref>HKL SUY D: 10/2009: Joukkoliikenteen luotettavuuden kehittämisohjelma</ref> || 11 |- |Sydney || Australia || 4.3 || 1,900 || 2,260 || 90+<ref>[http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/usingroads/buses/buslanes.html Bus lanes] (from Roads & Traffic Authority, 18 February 2008</ref> || 21 |- |Santiago || Chile || 6.5 || 4,600 || 1,400 || 200<ref>''[http://www.economist.com/world/la/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10650631 The slow lane]'' - ''The Economist'', Thursday 7 February 2008</ref> || 23 |- |London || England || 8.7 || 8,600 || 1,010 || 304<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=5 April 2024 |title=Question on bus lane length - FOI request |url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=Transport for London |language=en-GB}}</ref>|| 28 |- |Singapore || Singapore || 5.5 || 3,775 || 1,200 || 200 (23 km are 24-hour restricted bus lane)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ride.asiaone.com/news/general/story/more-bus-lanes-and-bigger-stops|title=More bus lanes and bigger stops in Singapore|access-date=17 December 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131217035324/http://ride.asiaone.com/news/general/story/more-bus-lanes-and-bigger-stops|archive-date=17 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> || 29 |- |Seoul || {{sort|Korea, South|South Korea}} || 10.4 || 8,910 || 1,167 || 282<ref>{{cite web|url=http://transport.dialogue.org.hk/pdf/091128/2_ChangkyunKim.pdf |title=Transportation in Seoul for Sustainability |access-date=5 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216095134/http://transport.dialogue.org.hk/pdf/091128/2_ChangkyunKim.pdf |archive-date=16 February 2010 |df=dmy }}</ref> || 32 |- |Madrid || Spain || 7 || 2,022<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emtmadrid.es/about/index.html |title= EMT - Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid, S.A. - Presentación|website=www.emtmadrid.es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080629043159/http://www.emtmadrid.es/about/index.html |archive-date=29 June 2008}}</ref> || 2,720 || 50<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uitp.org/publications/pics/FactsheetMadrid.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081116060949/http://uitp.org/publications/pics/FactsheetMadrid.pdf|title=Publications | UITP|archive-date=16 November 2008}}</ref> || 40 |- |Jakarta || Indonesia || 10.1 || 524 || 5,000 || 184.31<ref name="www.transjakarta.co.id">{{cite web |url=http://www.transjakarta.co.id/tentangkami.php?page_id=3 |title=Berita – PT Transportasi Jakarta |access-date=23 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623063354/http://www.transjakarta.co.id/tentangkami.php?page_id=3 |archive-date=23 June 2012 |df=dmy-all }} (Jakarta Trans Jakarta official website. Accessed 26 June 2012.)</ref> || 30 |- |Bogotá || Colombia || 6.7 || 1,080<ref name="transmilenio.gov.co">{{cite web |url=http://www.transmilenio.gov.co/WebSite/Contenido.aspx?ID=TransmilenioSA_TransmilenioEnCifras_EstadisticasGenerales |title=TRANSMILENIO S.A. - Estad?sticas Generales |access-date=5 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810063348/http://www.transmilenio.gov.co/WebSite/Contenido.aspx?ID=TransmilenioSA_TransmilenioEnCifras_EstadisticasGenerales |archive-date=10 August 2013 |df=dmy-all }} (Bogotá TransMilenio official website. Accessed 5 April 2009.)</ref> || 6,200 || 84<ref name="transmilenio.gov.co"/> || 13 |- |São Paulo || Brazil || 10.9 || 14,900<ref>[http://www9.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/spMovimento/sisnum/frotaoperamuni.php Frota das linhas municipais de ônibus] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219030834/http://www9.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/spMovimento/sisnum/frotaoperamuni.php |date=19 December 2014 }} (São Paulo local government website. Accessed 27 March 2008.)</ref> || 730 || 155<ref>[http://www9.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/spMovimento/sisnum/termurbmuni.php Extensão dos corredores] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223002718/http://www9.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/spMovimento/sisnum/termurbmuni.php |date=23 February 2014 }} (São Paulo local government website. Accessed 27 March 2008.)</ref> || 96 |- |Kunming || {{sort|China, People's Republic of | People's Republic of China}} || 5.7 || ~ || ~ || 42<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://walshcarlines.com/china/Bus%20Rapid%20Transit%20in%20China%20Jason%20Chang.pdf|title=BRT Developments in China}}</ref> || |- |Beijing || {{sort|China, People's Republic of | People's Republic of China}} || 19.6 || 26,000 || 754 || 294 || 88 |- | Hong Kong || Hong Kong || 6.8 || 19,768<ref>[http://www.td.gov.hk/mini_site/atd/2008/s3_eng_2.htm Hong Kong The facts] (Information Services Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, July 2009, from the Hong Kong Transport Department website. Accessed 16 September 2008.)</ref>|| 666 || 22<ref>[http://www.td.gov.hk/transport_in_hong_kong/public_transport/buses/index.htm Transport in Hong Kong > Public Transport > Buses] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027204548/http://www.td.gov.hk/transport_in_hong_kong/public_transport/buses/index.htm |date=27 October 2009 }} (from the Hong Kong Transport Department website. Accessed 16 September 2008.)</ref>|| 899 |- | Vienna || Austria || 1.8 || || || 56<ref>{{Cite news |last=Berger |first=Michael |date=8 April 2008 |title=Busspur für Zweiräder |language=de |page=20 |work=Kurier |location=Vienna, Austria}}</ref>|| |- | New York || United States || 8.5 || 5,777 || 1,480 || 222.7<ref>{{Cite web|date=27 May 2021|title=How the Candidates for N.Y.C. Mayor Plan to Improve Transit|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/27/nyregion/mayoral-election-mta-buses.html|access-date=28 May 2021|website=New York Times}}</ref>|| 26 |- |Auckland || New Zealand || 1.6 || 1,360<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-23 |title=Auckland, New Zealand Explores Full Implementation of Electric Bus Fleet - OpenGov Asia |url=https://opengovasia.com/auckland-new-zealand-explores-full-implementation-of-electric-bus-fleet/ |access-date=2023-01-31 |language=en-US}}</ref> || 1,176 || 128 (by the end of 2017)<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 November 2014 |title=New Bus Priority coming |url=https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2014/11/24/new-bus-priority-coming/ |access-date=21 May 2017 |website=Greater Auckland}}</ref> || 11 |}
{| class="wikitable sortable" |- !Country || Highway || Bus lanes (km) || Section |- | {{sort|Korea, South|South Korea}} || Gyeongbu Expressway || 137.4 || Hannam IC (Seoul) ~ Sintanjin IC (Daejeon) |- |Hong Kong || Tuen Mun Road ||8.5<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.td.gov.hk/en/publications_and_press_releases/press_releases/transport_department/index_id_172.html|title=Transport Department - Transport Department|website=www.td.gov.hk}}</ref>|| So Kwun Wat ~ Sham Tseng |} The busiest bus lane in the United States is the Lincoln Tunnel XBL (exclusive bus lane) along the Lincoln Tunnel Approach and Helix in Hudson County, New Jersey, which carries approximately 700 buses per hour during morning peak times an average of one bus every 5.1 seconds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=http://www.arctunnel.com/about/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110913022242/http://www.arctunnel.com/about/ |archive-date=13 September 2011 |website=arctunnel.com}}</ref> In contrast, the Cross-Harbour Tunnel in Hong Kong carries 14,500 buses per day,<ref>{{Cite web |title=P201003030140_0140_62651.doc |url=http://gia.info.gov.hk/general/201003/03/P201003030140_0140_62651.doc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001128/http://gia.info.gov.hk/general/201003/03/P201003030140_0140_62651.doc |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-format=DOC |access-date=24 February 2023 |website=Hong Kong Government |format=DOC}}</ref> or an average of about 605 an hour all day (not just peak times), but the bus lane must give way to all the other road users resulting in long queues of buses.{{explain|date=June 2015}}
==Criticism== Some residents and observers criticize bus lane plans and implementations because they take space from other vehicles or require road widening,<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Hu |first1=Winnie |last2=Schaverien |first2=Anna |date=2022-02-12 |title=Eric Adams Is Pushing a Plan to Speed Up Buses. Will It Work? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/12/nyregion/nyc-bus-lanes.html |access-date=2023-07-06 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> which can require the use of eminent domain.<ref name="NZ_Herald_10428321">{{Cite news |last=Dearnaley |first=Mathew |date=12 March 2007 |title=Transport plan will force homes and businesses to move |work=The New Zealand Herald |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10428321 |url-status=dead |access-date=22 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929125803/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10428321 |archive-date=2007-09-29}}</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery> File:Bus lane in Jingtong Expressway.jpg|In Jingtong Expressway in Beijing File:Transjakarta Pemuda Pramuka 3.jpg|Rapid transit of Transjakarta in Jakarta, separated from heavy traffic File:Taipei Roosevelt Road.JPG|Bus lane in the middle of Roosevelt Road in Taipei, Taiwan File:臺灣大道東海段.jpg|BRT lane laid on Taiwan Boulevard in Taichung, Taiwan File:NO road sign 508.2.svg|Bus and taxicab lane sign in Norway File:Busspur und Haltestelle in Mannheim 100 9128.jpg|Bus lane in Mannheim, Germany File:HK Wan Chai North Walkway Gloucester Road Fortis Bank Tower Beijing 2008 a.jpg|Bus lane on Gloucester Road in Hong Kong, with the words "bus lane" painted in English and "巴士綫" in Chinese File:Curitiba 04 2006 06 RIT.jpg|Bus lane of the pioneer Rede Integrada de Transporte in Curitiba, Brazil </gallery>
==See also== {{Portal|Buses}} {{Commons category|Bus lanes}} * Bus rapid transit (BRT) * Bus priority signal * Guided bus * High-occupancy vehicle lane (HOV lane) * Public transport bus service * Quality Bus Corridor * Reversible lane
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== *[http://nacto.org/publication/transit-street-design-guide/transit-lanes-transitways/ Transit lane design guidance] from the National Association of City Transportation Officials ''Transit Street Design Guide''.
{{Public transport}} {{bus rapid transit}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bus Lane}} Category:Road traffic management Category:Bus terminology Category:Transportation planning Category:Sustainable transport