L.A. Metro debuts new bus lane on Aliso Street in downtown Los Angeles to speed up bus trips
The city of Los Angeles is partnering with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) to launch a new bus lane on a quarter-mile stretch of Aliso Street in downtown Los Angeles (DTLA).
The bus lane should be especially helpful for riders headed from downtown L.A. to the San Gabriel Valley and Cal State L.A. Among the many bus lines that use Aliso Street include L.A. Metro’s J Line (Silver), the 487 and 489 Lines and Foothill Transit’s popular Silver Streak. At peak times, up to 61 buses an hour use this stretch of Aliso Street.
Aliso Street runs along the south side of the 101 freeway and is used by buses heading toward Union Station and the 10 freeway. With a bus lane already on Spring Street and a bus-only left turn lane from Aliso to Alameda Street, the new lane will improve travel time and reliability by creating continuous bus priority lanes from the DTLA Civic Center to El Monte Bus Station.
The new bus lane — which will be in operation 24/7 — will replace the existing curb lane. Cyclists can use the bus lane as well as motorists who are making right turns from Aliso.
This project is a key step for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, key city departments and L.A. Metro to build a better transit network in DTLA. The city of L.A. opened bus lanes on 5th and 6th Streets between Flower Street and Central Avenue this past summer and made permanent the bus lane on Flower Street in the southern part of DTLA.
The city and L.A. Metro are continuing to work together to identify other locations for bus lanes and other infrastructure to help buses avoid getting stuck in traffic. Such upgrades are also part of L.A. Metro’s NextGen Bus Plan to restructure the vast bus system, greatly increase the frequency of most routes and shave travel times. During the NextGen Bus Study, the agency heard from both riders and bus operators alike that this short segment on Aliso resulted in significant bus delay.
