VicRoads Bus Priority Program funds projects delivered by VicRoads which support the development of high-quality service and connectivity on important radial and cross-town routes. This program focuses on the Principal Public Transport Network (PPTN) [PDF, 545KB].
The Department of Transport (DOT) has indicated in its Corporate Plan a target of 10% travel time improvements on PPTN bus routes. The DOT SmartBus program helps achieve this goal by focussing on defined orbital routes linking major activity centres and other public transport services. The program employs new technology for managing buses, providing passenger information and signal priority, and adopts a range of techniques to give buses priority along these orbital routes. VicRoads delivers the road space management component of SmartBus.
The links below connect to recent and current projects being implemented by VicRoads to deliver bus travel time improvements. As more bus projects are developed, they will be added here.
Bell Street at Nicholson Street, Coburg
Cheltenham Road at Springvale Road, Keysborough
Clayton Road, Clayton
King Street, Templestowe
Lower Plenty Road at Turnham Avenue
McIvor Highway at Myers Street, Bendigo
North Road, Murrumbeena
Pioneer Road, Grovedale
Princes Highway near Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds
SmartBus - Buckley Street, Keilor East
SmartBus Stud Road - Ringwood to Dandenong
SmartBus Stud Road - Rowville
SmartBus Stud Road - Wantirna South to Rowville
SmartBus - Wellington Road
Springvale Road at Burwood Highway, Vermont South
Surfcoast Highway, Grovedale
The indented bus bay located on the northwest corner of Bell Street / Nicholson Street intersection was extended through the existing footpath to the departure side of the intersection, to form an exclusive bus lane. The new bus lane incorporates red coloured surface treatment. Traffic signals were modified to provide a lead time for buses to jump ahead of traffic.
This site lies on the Red Orbital SmartBus Route, which will connect Altona to Mordialloc via Sunshine, Coburg and Doncaster. The project was completed in 2006.
Bus movement on SmartBus routes 888/889 during AM peak through Cheltenham Road/Lower Dandenong Road intersection will be improved by a 500m exclusive bus lane on the Springvale Road south approach to intersection, with provision for bus early start at signals. This road forms part of the Green Orbital Bus Route which will be further developed in future years.
Movement of westbound buses (routes 812 and 826-8) on Cheltenham Road will be improved by a 450m exclusive bus lane from Lake View Boulevard through to the Springvale Road intersection. The new bus lane will be created as part of the Cheltenham Road widening project.
Work were completed in 2007.
The bus bay at the Dunstan Street stop, in the busy Clayton Road shopping strip, has been reshaped and extended to improve the movement of buses and reduce congestion. Pedestrian safety will be improved with the installation of special PUFFIN pedestrian crossing signals.
Works were completed in January 2007.
Pedestrian access to bus stops and passenger waiting areas and bus stop facilities have been improved under a program of works. Works which were completed in February 2007.
Movement of route buses through the T-intersection at Lower Plenty Road and Turnham Avenue has been improved by installation of intersection traffic signals with bus detection loops in the western side of Turnham Avenue, just south of Lower Plenty Road. The intersection traffic signals are linked to the rail crossing and the existing pedestrian-operated signals located west of the rail-crossing.
The project, which was completed in April 2007, will reduce variability in bus travel times and deliver improvements for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.
Traffic signals on the Chapel Street approach to the busy roundabout at Myers Street have been metered to improve traffic flow during the AM peak period. This will reduce congestion and have benefits for public and school buses. Works were completed in 2007.
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The eastbound Route 630 bus will experience improved reliability and reduced delays through this project. Bus detectors, a B lantern and bus phase were installed to give the bus a head start from a relocated bus stop. The installation of a bus 'jump' phase and lane allows the bus to travel through the intersection and merge into the continuing through lane without being held up by other through traffic. Works were completed in August 2007.
Traffic signals will be installed at the busy intersection of Pioneer Road with Church Street to improve the reliability and travel times of two major inter-Geelong bus routes that utilise Church Street. Also improved will be the safety of vehicles turning from Church Street into Pioneer Road and the safety of pedestrians, particularly those accessing the nearby primary school.
Works were completed in 2007.
Safety and accessibility for high numbers of passengers at Waurn Ponds shopping centre and Deakin University will be improved with construction of a new bus stop hardstand area with kerb and channel. The new stop is on the Princes Highway west bound carriageway, west of Pigdons Road.
Work was completed in 2005
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New bus lane, westbound
The Buckley Street Bus Lane Project is part of the Orbital Smartbus Program. An exclusive bus lane will be constructed on Buckley Street between Dickson St and Milleara Rd. Buckley Street will be widened mainly on the south side to accommodate the new westbound bus lane. The westbound bus lane will provide a better service for bus patrons and a safer and improved flow of traffic by separating buses and other vehicles. To identify the bus lane, it will be coloured red when completed.
The project will also include traffic light works and remodelling of some intersections including Milleara Road and Dickson Street. Bus shelters will also be upgraded along this section.
Start date: March 2008
Completion date: August 2008
Cost: $ 2 million funded by the Victorian Government
Several pedestrian-operated, signalised crossings have been converted to PUFFIN technology. This technology helps reduce the wait time for buses at these crossings without compromising road safety. Works were completed in 2005.
A 300 metre bus lane (to be shared with bicycles) will be constructed between Timbertop Drive and Bergins Road. The gravel shoulders along two sections between Wellington Road and Kellets Road are being upgraded and converted into bus lanes. These bus lanes combined with traffic signal phasing and short bus lanes to be introduced at some intersections will improve bus travel time and reliability.
These projects are part of the Outer Eastern (Yellow Orbital) SmartBus route, which will be further developed in coming years. Works are in progress and will be completed in 2008.
Bus travel time and reliability will be improved by creating bus lanes through upgrade of the gravel shoulders along several sections of the southbound carriageway, between High Street, Wantirna South, and Wellington Road, Rowville. At some intersections, buses will use the existing left turn lane to access the departure-side bus stops. Movement will be aided by changes to traffic signal phasing, to provide priority for buses.
Short bus lanes together with bus-priority signal phasing will also be implemented in the section between Monash Freeway and Heatherton Road. These projects are part of the Outer Eastern (Yellow Orbital) SmartBus route, which will be further developed in coming years.
Works are in progress and will be completed in 2008.
The Wellington Road SmartBus provides a new limited stop express service from the Stud Park Shopping Centre in Rowville to the Caulfield Railway Station.
Major intersection improvements will give buses priority and provide a 'head-start' over other traffic with exclusive bus lanes on intersection approaches and signals to provide an 'early green light'.
Wellington Road
between Springvale Road and Stud Road is being widened to three lanes each way (excluding the bridge over the Monash Freeway). An off-road bicycle path is included along the route. SmartBus Routes 888/889 travelling south are often delayed due to traffic congestion in the morning and evening peak periods. A combination of new linemarking and traffic signal modifications will create a short bus lane to give buses priority, enabling them to cross the intersection before other traffic.
Springvale Road forms part of the Green Orbital SmartBus route, this jump lane will improve public transport through the intersection. It is anticipated that works will be delivered once the Eastlink project is completed.
Surfcoast Highway in Grovedale is a very busy 4-lane divided roadway and is a route for major commuter and school bus services. Buses stopping for passengers block the parking/bicycle lane and protrude into the adjacent through lane, creating a significant safety concern by forcing cyclists to move out into the high volume, fast moving through lane. Indented bus bays to 4.2m clear of the through lanes will be built at six bus stops along the nominated length of the south bound carriageway.
Works were be completed in 2007.
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