Montgomery County recently introduced modernized dedicated bus lanes at their Germantown Transit Center.
County Executive Marc Elrich and County Councilmember Craig Rice recently introduced new dedicated bus lanes at the Germantown Transit Center. The lanes, which have been painted red and are located on Crystal Rock Drive, Century Boulevard, and Aircraft Drive, allow buses to easily access the transit center.
According to the press release:
“It is important for our environment, economic, and equity efforts that we consistently improve our bus service,” said Montgomery County Executive Elrich. “Dedicated bus lanes help support faster, safer, and more reliable transit and will help us encourage residents to ditch their cars in favor of riding the bus. Drivers should know that when they see a lane painted red in Montgomery County, they are solely for the use of buses.” . . .
“It is so important to have a fast, reliable bus system in place to meet our equity goals,” said Councilmember Craig Rice. “Our bus riders are 80 percent people of color and almost half have a household income under $30,000. MCDOT is planning a lot of new up-and-coming transportation projects and I encourage community members to look out for ways to get involved and provide feedback to help influence our growing transit system.”
Other jurisdictions have had great success in using red pavement markings to improve compliance with bus lanes and increase bus speeds. Red bus lanes installed in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York, Chicago, San Diego County, and elsewhere have improved bus operations. A special paint that includes glass particles is used to create a high-friction surface. The glass also helps filter out UV rays, adding to the longevity of color.
The Germantown Transit Center has six bus bays serving eight routes. More than 1,900 people board buses at the bus transit center each day. The center had an average of 2,700 people boarding prior to the start of the COVID-19 health crisis.
