Bus signal priority by active signal program – A case study in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam

The bus signal priority (BSP) has been applied in many cities world-wide. However, it has not been implemented in Vietnam, particularly in Hanoi and HCMC where traffic congestion happens every day due to i) the limitation of space for expand road infrastructure; ii) the limited level of technology integration in Vietnam; iii) the budget constraint; iv) the poor traffic management system; v) the traffic participants’ awareness; and so forth. Although the BSP has been suggested by many experts, no feasible solution of BSP for HCMC has been proposed. Therefore, this research shall focus on the application of ASP (active signal controller program) aiming to prioritize buses in mixed traffic flow in HCMC. The traffic management theory is combined with, the smart signaling system technology (automatic vehicle location (AVL) and advanced signal control systems) in this research. The BSP is expected to improve the bus quality service, which will encourage people to use bus in daily activity instead of motorbike. Besides, the economic loss and the air pollution caused by time delay and petrol consumption is also expected to reduce.