The county council on Wednesday approved six transit-priority corridors after a two-year congestion study found that peak-hour delays on those routes were measurably worse than the regional average. The vote, 5–2, came after four hours of public comment and the late release of a procurement memo that had been requested under public records law.
Supporters argued the lanes will reduce average bus travel times by an estimated seven minutes during morning rush. Two commissioners — Hale (D-3) and Vega (R-5) — voted no, citing an estimated capital expenditure of $42 million spread over three fiscal years.
What the data showed
The study, conducted jointly by the regional transit authority and a university-affiliated transportation lab, tracked 184 buses across 28 routes between February 2023 and February 2025. Peak-hour delays on the six selected corridors averaged 11.4 minutes longer than off-peak service.
If a bus is the city's most-used public asset, then giving buses their own lane is not a privilege. It's basic infrastructure. — K. Okafor, transit advocate
Construction is scheduled to begin in September. The council also approved a $1.2 million accountability program that will publish monthly travel-time data publicly — a measure inserted by Commissioner Stein after testimony from the regional disability rights coalition.
What dissenters argue
Hale and Vega argued the program does not solve the underlying issue of suburban-to-urban traffic and would penalize drivers without a workable alternative. Vega proposed a smaller two-corridor pilot, which failed 3–4. Hale said her opposition was budgetary, not philosophical, and indicated she would re-evaluate if implementation costs come in below estimate.