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Dedicated bus lanes, bus speed and traffic congestion in Rome

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  • Russo, Antonio
  • Adler, Martin W.
  • van Ommeren, Jos N.

Abstract

Buses are the mainstay of public transport systems in many cities but are typically subject to significant delays due to traffic congestion. We examine the welfare effects of providing dedicated bus lanes in the city of Rome, Italy. We demonstrate that a dedicated bus lane reduces bus travel time by about 18 percent. Our welfare analysis focuses on the situation where mixed road lanes are turned into dedicated bus lanes. We find that bus lanes are undersupplied, despite the additional time costs due to reducing road capacity available to cars.

Suggested Citation

  • Russo, Antonio & Adler, Martin W. & van Ommeren, Jos N., 2022. "Dedicated bus lanes, bus speed and traffic congestion in Rome," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 298-310.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:160:y:2022:i:c:p:298-310
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2022.04.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ramírez, Vicente & Galilea, Patricia & Poblete, Joaquín & Silva, Hugo E., 2022. "Team-based incentives in transportation firms: An experiment," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 1-12.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Congestion; Bus lanes; Public transit;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • H76 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Other Expenditure Categories

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