The final piece of the Beaufort Street bus priority plan has been put in place with the opening of a $1 million peak-period bus-only lane between Walcott and Bulwer streets.
The $14.2 million project was a joint venture between the state government and the cities of Perth, Vincent and Stirling.
Transport minister Dean Nalder said the completion of the decade-long project would result in a reduction in bus travel times from Perth’s north-eastern suburbs into the CBD by about three to four minutes, depending on traffic conditions.
“Four minutes may not sound like a lot, but over a typical working year that’s 32 hours of commuting,” he said.
“In 2004, the first section of priority lane from Grand Promenade to Central Avenue in Inglewood was finished, (and) 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 northbound in the City of Vincent.
During these times, motorists can use the lane for 100 metres if turning, but outside peak times all vehicles are free to use the lane.
Mr Nalder said Transperth’s most frequent service, the 950 bus route, which averages about 17,000 passenger boardings every week day, would be just one of the routes to benefit from the completion of the new 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.
