Philadelphia to Redesign City Streets for Bus Convenience
In a bid to boost public transportation, the city is set to transform three major streets in Center City and South Philly by converting their far-right lanes into bus-only routes. The newly designated lanes will be painted red, a tactic proven to deter drivers from double-parking and blocking transit stops.
Chestnut Street, Walnut Street, and Oregon Avenue are among those selected based on multiple factors such as bus ridership rates, travel times, service hours, and geographic indicators. According to the city's 2021 transit plan, these streets were previously listed as priorities for improvement.
The transformation will see milled roads painted red after resurfacing, with officials hailing it a simple yet effective measure. "PennDOT understands the value that transit brings to our communities," said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll in a statement. "And if we can do something simple – like painting bus lanes red to help deter double parking and make it easier for people to choose transit – it just makes sense to do it."
This initiative follows on from existing measures, including the addition of red bus lanes on Chestnut Street between Broad and Second streets in 2022, which demonstrated a significant reduction in double-parking incidents. Additionally, AI-powered cameras have been deployed to automatically ticket cars obstructing transit lanes or parked in front of stops.
The new lanes are expected to reduce travel times for buses by up to 12% while increasing those for center city buses driving on non-painted lanes by 4%.
In a bid to boost public transportation, the city is set to transform three major streets in Center City and South Philly by converting their far-right lanes into bus-only routes. The newly designated lanes will be painted red, a tactic proven to deter drivers from double-parking and blocking transit stops.
Chestnut Street, Walnut Street, and Oregon Avenue are among those selected based on multiple factors such as bus ridership rates, travel times, service hours, and geographic indicators. According to the city's 2021 transit plan, these streets were previously listed as priorities for improvement.
The transformation will see milled roads painted red after resurfacing, with officials hailing it a simple yet effective measure. "PennDOT understands the value that transit brings to our communities," said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll in a statement. "And if we can do something simple – like painting bus lanes red to help deter double parking and make it easier for people to choose transit – it just makes sense to do it."
This initiative follows on from existing measures, including the addition of red bus lanes on Chestnut Street between Broad and Second streets in 2022, which demonstrated a significant reduction in double-parking incidents. Additionally, AI-powered cameras have been deployed to automatically ticket cars obstructing transit lanes or parked in front of stops.
The new lanes are expected to reduce travel times for buses by up to 12% while increasing those for center city buses driving on non-painted lanes by 4%.
just thinkin', this red paint trick is gonna work like magic! i mean, who wouldn't wanna park their car in a nice, clean spot? 
but seriously, it's about time philly figured out how to make public transportation more convenient. i'm all for boostin' bus ridership rates and reducin' double-parkin'. let's hope this new initiative brings some real change to the city's streets 
. Like, I get it, it's a simple solution and all that, but what if some people just don't see the paint and park anyway? And isn't that kinda meanin' they'll be ticketed without even knowin'? 
It seems like a pretty harsh punishment to me. Plus, what about older ppl who might not be as tech-savvy and can't figure out how those AI cameras work? Don't wanna see 'em gettin' hassled just for tryin' to use the system 
. Maybe they shoulda just kept it simple with some actual bus stops instead of all these fancy tech solutions... 
where Bumblebee's all about speed and efficiency. I mean, who wouldn't want to hop on the bus if it means skipping traffic? And can we talk about how cool it is to see iconic Philly streets getting a fresh new look? Like, Walnut Street's gonna be red and hot 
! I'm loving the practicality of this plan too - it's not like they're trying to reinvent the wheel or anything. Just some clever tweaks to make public transportation more convenient for everyone 
like philly is really stepping up its transit game and making it easier for ppl to get around without a car. those red lines are gonna look sick and i can already imagine how much less stressful the commute is gonna be. plus, it's not just about convenience - it's about accessibility too. what about people who dont have cars or cant afford one? this initiative feels like such a big win 
- those guys at PennDOT are speaking my language! Who cares about drivers getting all huffy-puffy when it comes to parking their cars? Let them find another spot. The main goal here is making public transportation more efficient and reliable, and that's exactly what this initiative does