Bus priority route to improve travel times

The final piece of the Beaufort Street bus priority plan has been put in place with the opening of a $1million peak-period bus-only lane between Walcott and Bulwer streets.

The $14.2million project was a joint initiative between the State Government and the cities of Perth, Vincent and Stirling. Transport Minister Dean Nalder said completion of the decade-long project would see bus travel times from Perth’s north-eastern suburbs into the CBD reduced by about three to four minutes, depending on traffic conditions. 

“In 2004, the first section of priority lane from Grand Promenade to Central Avenue in Inglewood was finished,” Mr Nalder said.

“Today we see the completion of a much greater project to deliver an unbroken bus priority link from Grand Promenade to Roe Street in the CBD.  Over the course of a year, more than 1.5 million passengers will travel this busy route during bus priority times, which is why completing these works was so important.”

The bus-only lanes will be in operation from 6.30am to 9am (southbound) and 4pm to 6.30pm or 4pm to 6pm in the City of Vincent (northbound). During these times, motorists can use the lane for 100 metres if turning.  Outside peak times, all vehicles are free to use the lane.

“In 2013 and 2014, travel time and reliability increased by 15 per cent where bus priority lanes were introduced - this equates to between three and four minutes of saved time when travelling between Morley and the Perth CBD,” the Minister said.

“Four minutes may not sound like a lot, but over a typical working year that’s 32 hours of commuting.  The highly-successful 950 bus route - Transperth’s most frequent service, which is averaging an unprecedented 17,000 passenger boardings every weekday - will be just one of the routes to benefit from the completion of this lane.”

The Walcott-Bulwer Street bus priority lane was funded with $600,000 from the State Government and $400,000 from the City of Vincent.  A map of the new lanes can be found here.

Fact File:

• Peak-hour buses run along Beaufort St about every three minutes, carrying about 1,200 people every peak hour
• Transperth’s most frequent bus route - the 950 Superbus - will benefit from reduced travelling times in peak periods
• The cities of Perth, Vincent and Stirling contributed $6.5million to the project