Enhancing Transit in Tourist Areas Through Improved Modeling and Priority Initiatives: Case Study from Australia

Mode choice models developed thus far have not explicitly defined visitor mode choice and have therefore assumed that the mode choice characteristics of visitors are the same as those of residents. In areas such as the Gold Coast, Australia, visitors account for over 20 percent of the total population and provide transit patronage levels equivalent to those of residents. With the increasing emphasis on attracting higher transit mode shares, there is a need to understand the unique combination of factors that attracts visitors to various types of transport during their stay. Results are outlined of the first phase of a two-phase research program involving surveys of visitors to calibrate visitor mode choice models. Also dealt with specifically are bus priority treatments and their applicability to tourist areas. The current trends in bus priority treatments are addressed by considering a case study for the Gold Coast Highway, located on Queensland’s Gold Coast, approximately 100 km to the south of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland. An evaluation of bus priority treatments and conditions for justification for such measures is provided, and the impact of introducing bus lanes, transit lanes, bus priority at traffic signals, and improved ticketing systems for the Gold Coast Highway is summarized. The analysis indicates that journey time savings for buses of up to 20 percent may be achieved with these bus priority treatments.