One Light, Two Light, Red Light, Green Light: An Analysis of Metro G Line Signal Priority

Project Description

Buses get stuck in traffic. Allowing priority at stoplights is one possible solution to speed them along. Transit signal priority in the City of Los Angeles faces a host of constraints. These are both technology and policy based, with the City Department of Transportation relying on transponder technology that must be keyed to individual buses and hesitant to introduce additional delays for private vehicles. LA Metro would like to pilot a program to loosen the schedule- and traffic signal cycle-based restrictions put in place by LADOT. The pilot, scheduled to occur along the A (Blue), E (Expo), G (Orange) light rail and BRT lines and 720 Wilshire and 754 Vermont bus lines, could speed many more riders along some of the busiest transit corridors in Los Angeles. By introducing smoother flows for transit vehicles in Los Angeles, it may spur transit adoption by offering more competitive travel times.

Success with the program in LA could encourage more adoption of signal priority in both California and the greater US. Exploring beyond the traditional BRT model to explore BRT-lite corridors, such as the 720 and 754, could allow more flexible and easier adoption of transit priority.