Sydney Could Automate Traffic Lights to Prioritize Buses

A proposed plan would speed up bus service in Sydney, Australia by automating traffic lights to prioritize buses. According to an article by Elias Visontay and Catie McLeod in The Guardian, “The plan, outlined by the New South Wales government’s bus industry taskforce in its white paper for better bus services, is designed to address frustration such as long waits, delays and getting stuck in traffic that have become front of mind for passengers.”

The government hopes improving bus service will incentivize more people to use public transit and help reduce traffic congestion in the city. “Existing priority lanes in Sydney’s network use a “B light” that allow buses to accelerate first, whereas the new technology would be similar to how trams on the light rail network influence traffic lights.”

According to John Lee, chair of the taskforce, “most traffic intersections already had the potential to incorporate bus priority – they just need to be switched on.” The taskforce also identified a driver shortage as a challenge to improving service and frequency.