The Design and Simulation of Absolute Priority Bus Lane Incorporating Clearance Distance

To alleviate the congestion in general-purpose lanes while exclusive bus lanes remain idle, this paper proposes absolute-priority bus lane design with clearance distance. By establishing specific clearance distances and lane-changing rules, the proposed design method not only enhances overall road utilization efficiency but also ensures unimpaired bus speeds, thereby maintaining bus priority. The simulation is performed based on cellular automaton (CA) model and the results demonstrate that this design is effective when general-purpose lane traffic density ranges between 0-50 vehicles/km/lane, with greater improvements in other non-public vehicle speeds under longer bus dispatch intervals. These results provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for future bus lane management.