Ann Arbor has its first dedicated bus lane, and the hope is that more will be following.
The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority opened the lane earlier this month on State Street between William and South University. It is part of an $8 million major overhaul of the road. It includes vertical posts separating the lane from the rest of vehicular traffic and “bus only” markings on the pavement.
TheRide CEO Matt Carpenter told the City Council it’s gotten a great response.
“Our drivers and passengers are over the moon about it. We want to thank you for all of your support, the University of Michigan obviously for carrying most of the cost. We chipped in a little bit ourselves.”
Carpenter says the bus only lane includes a priority traffic signal at State and William. It allows the bus to move through the intersection first ahead of the rest of the traffic.
TheRide says similar bus lanes are planned for the coming years.
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