Bus priority and UTC systems: the PROMPT project

The European Commission's DRIVE II program into the application of advanced telematics in transport (ATT) includes a significant element of public transport applications. The achievements and plans of one such collaborative project PROMPT - in which priority and informatic systems are being developed and tested in London, Turin and Gothenburg are described. The emphasis in all three cities is the application of individual bus/tram priority at traffic signals within traffic responsive urban traffic control (UTC) systems. The key PROMPT activities in each city are described, including the definition of strategies, off-line evaluations and the design and implementation of field trials. An assessment of the potential for integration of public transport priority and UTC systems is given.