The Montgomery County Department of Transportation has begun painting red bus lanes on a stretch of University Boulevard between Wheaton and the Four Corners area of Silver Spring. As part of a pilot program, the bus lanes will be replacing one existing vehicle travel lane in each direction between Amherst Avenue in Wheaton and Dennis Avenue near Four Corners. MCDOT says it expects the painting to be completed by December, and will be taking steps to minimize the impacts of the work on residents and businesses.
Once designated, only transit buses, bicycles and emergency vehicles will be permitted to use the bus lanes. Automobiles may use them to make right turns within 100 feet of an intersection or turn. The new lanes will be monitored by MCDOT for 12 months to determine if they improve bus service in the corridor or not.
“Dedicated bus lanes benefit everyone,” MCDOT Director Chris Conklin said in a statement. “The intended outcome is to increase bus ridership by providing more reliable and faster service. We know that if we want more people to use the bus, we have to compete with cars by being faster and more convenient. This project will help us achieve that. Additionally, the bus lanes will provide more separation from higher-speed traffic for people walking along University Boulevard and will reduce number of cars in the right lane, improving conditions for bicyclists.”
Good luck trying to enforce that!
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