Should Barriers be installed along bus lanes? The plus is it keeps the lane car free, speeding up service. The negative is that buses get stuck behind each other.

Put barriers along bus lanes, TWU says

Transportation Workers Union Local 100 last Friday called on the Department of Transportation to place physical barriers along some bus-only lanes and Select Bus Service routes to prevent cars and trucks from "invading" the dedicated spaces.The request came after the union surveyed 400 bus operators, asking them to identify the top causes of on-the-job stress - double-parking and traffic were the top two.

 From article, (Transportation Workers Union Local 100 last Friday called on the Department of Transportation to place physical barriers along some bus-only lanes and Select Bus Service routes to prevent cars and trucks from “invading” the dedicated spaces.

The request came after the union surveyed 400 bus operators, asking them to identify the top causes of on-the-job stress — double-parking and traffic were the top two.

“The results highlight the need for the city Department of Transportation to be much more aggressive when it comes to making mass transit the top priority, not the movement of private cars and trucks,” union officials said in a statement.

No specific bus-only lanes or SBS corridors were mentioned in the survey or the union’s statement.

Boston recently placed traffic cones along a bus-only lane for two days, and, according to the TWU, saw commutes for bus riders reduced by four minutes.
Bringing that concept to Queens, or any other part of New York City, has already received some mixed reviews.

“The barrier idea is not necessarily something we would oppose,” said Robert Sinclair, a spokesman for the American Automobile Association. “However, there would have to be a demonstrated need for such a change. In any case, it appears more vigorous traditional enforcement is called for.”

There are more than 12 SBS routes in New York City with bus-only lanes. The TWU says travel times on them have “generally improved,” though it didn’t say by how much.

Bus drivers also seem to like the features of SBS — with 79 percent of those surveyed saying off-board fare collection, in which commuters pay for their ticket before getting on the bus, has made their job easier.

Fifty-one percent said camera enforcement of SBS lanes has 
made their job easier.)

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