Houston's Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) has decided to strip the downtown area of its red bus lanes due to high maintenance costs, despite the project's initial success in speeding up public transportation and keeping solo drivers out. The nearly 18-month pilot program, which involved painting the lanes a vibrant red to denote their restricted use, will be reverted back to white diamonds and overhead signs, a less costly alternative, reported the Houston Chronicle.
Interim Metro CEO Tom Jasien indicated that the red paint, which made the lanes stand out to drivers, posed "a challenge" in terms of maintenance and longevity, especially in Houston’s muggy climate. The lanes, which started to chip and peel in just two years, would require an estimated $1 million per street to refresh, according to a Houston Chronicle report. In comparison, Metro can redo all of the diamond lane markings in downtown Houston for about $1.5 million.
Despite Metro's cost-based decision, transit advocates are arguing that the benefits of the red lanes outweigh the expense. According to LINKHouston, an advocacy group, the red lanes and fewer bus stops contributed to significantly faster travel times for buses along Travis and Milam streets, as per the Houston Chronicle. Peter Eccles told the board members, "This project has succeeded in making trips faster and more accessible,” noting that the time savings could allow Metro to serve more riders. Metro's own scheduling data backed this claim with proof of a six-minute improvement over times recorded in 2022 and a 10-minute gain on 2019's figures.
However, with downtown traffic and workforce numbers returning to pre-pandemic levels, Metro officials seem convinced that an approach less centralized on speed and more focused on accessibility is warranted. "It may have been beneficial for the speed of the bus, but it wasn’t beneficial for the customers," Jasien explained. The red lanes weren't the only change eyed by advocates - changes along Westheimer and major capital projects like the planned bus rapid transit lines have also been affected, Jordan Thomas, an activist for transit investments, hinted at a broader strategy by Metro officials, saying, “These are savvy bureaucrats/politicos who have been around the block. They know you have to heat that frog slowly and gently over time. You don't just pop him into the fryer.” according to a social media post mentioned by the Houston Chronicle.
In contrast to the removal of the red lanes, Metro previously announced the introduction of new Red Lanes as part of an initiative to improve bus travel times, recounted the Houston Chronicle. The lanes, replacing previous Diamond Lanes, came under federal guidelines that permitted changing bus-only lane designs. These lanes, initially perceived as a boon for Houston's step towards multimodality, notably include bicycles, a decision that Joe Cutrufo, executive director of Bike Houston, regards with skepticism citing the lack of true separation from traffic as a limiting factor to their effectiveness for cyclists.
