By Philip Newman
Technology that will hold green traffic lights long enough to allow super express buses to go through intersections is coming to the MTA.
New York City Transit, which operates buses and subways, is planning a pilot project to find out how much time could be saved on the Select Service Buses, which require passengers to pay before boarding.
“Traffic Signal Prioritization is a vital piece in making bus travel more attractive,” said NYC Transit President Thomas Prendergast.”It is no great secret that the faster and more dependable we can make our buses, the more attractive the service will be to our riders.”
NYC Transit has asked the MTA board for permission go ahead with the Traffic Signal Priority project.
It will be a joint project with the city Department of Transportation, which operates the traffic signals.
No dates have been mentioned for a start-up of the $480,000 project.
The project would first involve Section bus runs on First and Second Avenues in Manhattan.
Gayle Anderson of the Los Angeles County Transportation Authority said one third of the time saved on its super express bus runs has been attributed to extending green lights.
