L.A. Metro, LADOT open 5.7 miles of bus priority lanes on La Brea Avenue

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) have opened 5.7 lane miles (2.8 miles end to end) of bus priority lanes on La Brea Avenue in West Hollywood. With the new bus priority lanes, Los Angeles will have 40 miles of bus priority lanes across the city.

"Angelenos deserve a Metro system that can get them where they need to go reliably, quickly and safely. Infrastructure improvements like the La Brea bus priority lanes help us make progress towards those goals and help us deliver for our riders who rely on the L.A. Metro system," said Mayor of Los Angeles and L.A. Metro Board Chair Karen Bass. "These are the solutions we must continue pursuing, and I want to thank the L.A. Metro Board of Directors, L.A. Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins, the Department of Transportation and all partners for working together to make the La Brea bus priority lane a reality."

The first phase of the La Brea Avenue Bus Priority Lanes Project, from Sunset Boulevard to Olympic Boulevard, will improve bus speeds by 15 percent or more, increasing service frequency and reliability, as well as enhancing mobility by moving more people without widening streets or adding more infrastructure. This project also provides a faster and more reliable multi-modal transit network, benefiting over 8,900 daily riders who typically ride L.A. Metro Bus Line 212.

"The La Brea bus priority lanes will provide improved access to job-rich centers along the Santa Monica business corridor, bringing people into Hollywood and West Hollywood quicker and with more ease," said LA County Supervisor and L.A. Metro Board Member Lindsey P. Horvath. "With the future opening of the D (Purple) Line, these priority lanes will drastically improve service and increase access for our residents who rely on safe, efficient transportation to move throughout the region."

Bus priority lanes will give buses priority access during weekday peak hours, between 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Buses will run every 10 minutes during bus lane hours. Additionally, the city of West Hollywood’s Cityline shuttle service will use the lanes to access the Hollywood/Highland B Line (Red) L.A. Metro Station in Hollywood.

The second phase of bus priority lanes on La Brea Avenue, which are still in the planning and study stage, will eventually add 5.2 lane miles from Olympic Boulevard in Mid-Wilshire to Coliseum Street in south Los Angeles, providing additional access to the Expo/La Brea E Line (Expo) Station.

L.A. Metro says creating the bus priority lanes doesn’t require the widening of any roads or altering of existing street infrastructure, which is expensive and time consuming.

"Peak-hour bus priority lanes are a key part of our NextGen Bus Network strategy to make public transit better and more reliable for the millions of Angelenos who go Metro," said L.A. Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. "The lanes will save thousands of L.A. Metro bus riders time and help make our buses more reliable on the La Brea corridor. We’ve opened almost 40 miles of these bus priority lanes across Los Angeles and we’re planning to open more than 100 miles of these lanes in the coming months and years to further improve our service."

"The new La Brea bus lanes are a great example of what can happen when agencies work together, alongside residents and business owners, to deliver results for those who need it most," said LADOT Interim General Manager Connie Llanos. "The improved bus service on this corridor will improve the lives of tens of thousands of Angelenos daily, who will be able to get to where they need to go safely, reliably and with dignity."