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🇪🇸 Spain /Environment & Climate

Drivers’ hostility to the “empty” bus lane is blocking its expansion

From El País · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources Ongoing story
  • Spain tested a peak-hour bus and high-occupancy-vehicle lane on the A2 near Madrid after a 10-year delay.
  • Experts say drivers often resent lanes that appear empty, even though buses can carry 40 or 50 people and reduce congestion and emissions.
  • The traffic authority estimates bus passengers on the route could cut their travel time by 25%, though the lane’s next operating date is not known.

A bus lane that appears empty to drivers can still be carrying far more people than the traffic jam beside it. That tension sits at the heart of a new experiment on Madrid’s A2, where Spain’s traffic authority and Transport Ministry reserved the left lane for buses and shared cars during peak hours.

The model took 10 years to reach the road. It costs far less than schemes requiring major construction, such as the system on the A6. Transport officials, then operating under the name Fomento, once planned similar lanes on all approaches to Madrid, but the 2008 crisis put the project on hold.

These infrastructures reserve a lane for cars or buses so there are fewer vehicles, less congestion and fewer emissions, while more sustainable modes of transport are prioritized.

· José Manuel VassalloThe transport engineering professor explained the purpose of bus and high-occupancy-vehicle lanes.

Experts say the expansion of these lanes has been slowed by drivers’ reaction to what they see as an unused lane, as well as poor coordination between public administrations. José Manuel Vassallo, a transport engineering professor at Madrid’s Polytechnic University, said the infrastructure is designed to reduce the number of vehicles, cut congestion and emissions, and prioritize more sustainable transport.

It improves bus travel times, especially during rush hour, because a bus with 40 or 50 people suffers the same traffic jam as a car with one occupant if they use the same road.

· Marta SerranoThe mobility expert described why dedicated lanes can improve the movement of people.

Marta Serrano, a mobility expert, said the lanes improve bus travel times, especially during rush hour. A bus carrying 40 or 50 people can face the same traffic jam as a car with one occupant, she said, wasting an opportunity to move more people efficiently.

The General Directorate of Traffic estimates that bus passengers on the A2 section could reduce their travel time by 25%, although it is not yet known when the lane will operate again. Social psychologist David Lois said some drivers interpret the reassignment of one of three lanes as something being taken from them. Civil engineer Samir Awad warned that the political cost can be immediate because the infrastructure needs time to build up usage. At first, he said, buses may appear to use an empty lane while cars remain stuck, even though the bus is moving more people with fewer vehicles.

A small but very loud minority of the population, drivers, gets angry at the perception of an 'empty lane.'

· David LoisThe UNED social psychologist discussed the public reaction to dedicated bus lanes.
About this summary

Originally published by El País in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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