Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chairman, Eric Garcetti, announced on Tuesday that exclusive bus lanes have been added to a five-mile stretch between Westside and downtown L.A.
According to the announcement, this area along Wilshire Blvd. is one of the busiest corridors for public transit in Southern California. The transit lanes officially opened Wednesday at 7 a.m. With exclusivity given to buses during peak hours -- from 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. -- commutes are estimated to be approximately 15 minutes faster.
"Because the bus has its own lane and is synched with traffic lights, it will get there faster than a car leaving the same place at the same time," Garcetti said. "In the car capital of the world, we're working to ease traffic flow and cut air pollution by giving Angelinos multiple options for getting where they need to go."
This is the second phase of the Wilshire Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, which will see improvements in signaling, signs and the road itself; once completed, 7.7 miles will be made exclusive to buses during peak hours.
In addition to lane exclusivity, the metro system is also implementing all-door boarding that will save time at key stops on the commute.
“The Federal Transit Administration is proud to partner with L.A. to bring more state-of-the art transit options to the growing region,” FTA Acting Administrator Therese McMillan said. “Enhanced bus service along Wilshire Blvd. will make a huge difference for the thousands of Angelinos who rely on public transit to travel throughout this busy corridor -- to jobs downtown, school at UCLA, medical care at the VA Hospital in Westwood and other important destinations.”
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