CINCINNATI -- The city will start testing its first ever bus-only traffic lane as early as next month.
City transportation officials announced Thursday the right-side parking lane on Main Street between Fifth Street and Central Parkway will be restricted to Cincinnati Metro bus traffic only between the weekday morning and afternoon rush hours, beginning mid-November.
The city will begin testing a bus-only lane on Main Street in mid-November. (Provided)
The current traffic configuration prohibits parking in that lane during those hours. Officials did not say how long the city would test the bus-only configuration.
Accommodating the bus lane will require the removal of a curb bump-out at the intersection of Main and Seventh streets, as well as additional signage. DOTE crews will complete that work in the coming weeks, officials said in a news release.
"Removing the bump-out and significantly limiting vehicular traffic in that far-right lane will allow buses to travel unimpeded,” said John Brazina, the DOTE's transit manager.
According to Metro, 635 buses travel up Main street every day, and 90 of those buses use the far-right lane to pick up and drop off riders during the afternoon rush.
The grassroots nonprofit Better Bus Coalition first proposed the bus-only lane in March, hoping it would help improve bus reliability and avoid congestion-related delays.
Pat LaFleur reports on transportation and mobility for WCPO. Connect with him on Twitter (@pat_laFleur) and on Facebook.
