L.A. Metro, LADOT Celebrate Bus Priority Lanes

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), City of Los Angeles, and the City of West Hollywood officially opened 5.7 lane miles (2.8 miles end to end) of bus priority lanes on La Brea Avenue today in West Hollywood.

With these new bus priority lanes, Los Angeles will have 40 miles of bus priority lanes across the city.

"Angelenos deserve a Metro system that can get them where they need to go reliably, quickly, and safely. Infrastructure improvements like the La Brea bus priority lanes help us make progress towards those goals and help us deliver for our riders who rely on the Metro system," said Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass. "These are the solutions we must continue pursuing, and I want to thank the Metro Board of Directors, Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins, the Department of Transportation, and all partners for working together to make the La Brea bus priority lane a reality."

First Phase of La Brea Avenue Bus Priority Lanes Project

The first phase of the La Brea Avenue Bus Priority Lanes Project, from Sunset Boulevard to Olympic Boulevard, will improve bus speeds by 15% or more, increasing service frequency and reliability, as well as enhancing mobility by moving more people without widening streets or adding more infrastructure.

This project also provides a faster multimodal transit network, benefiting over 8,900 daily riders who typically ride Metro Bus Line 212.

"The La Brea bus priority lanes will provide improved access to job-rich centers along the Santa Monica business corridor, bringing people into Hollywood and West Hollywood quicker and with more ease," said L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. "With the future opening of the D (Purple) Line, these priority lanes will drastically improve service and increase access for our residents who rely on safe, efficient transportation to move throughout the region."

Bus priority lanes will give buses priority access during weekday peak hours, between 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Buses will run every ten minutes during bus lane hours.

Additionally, West Hollywood’s Cityline shuttle service will use the lanes to access the Hollywood/Highland B Line (Red) Metro Station in Hollywood. 

Second Phase of Bus Priority Lanes

The second phase of bus priority lanes on La Brea Avenue, which are still in the planning and study stage, will eventually add 5.2 lane miles from Olympic Boulevard in Mid-Wilshire to Coliseum Street in South Los Angeles, providing additional access to the Expo/La Brea E Line (Expo) Station.

"Peak-hour bus priority lanes are a key part of our NextGen Bus Network strategy to make public transit better and more reliable for the millions of Angelenos who go Metro," said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. "The lanes will save thousands of Metro bus riders time and help make our buses more reliable on the La Brea corridor. We’ve opened almost 40 miles of these bus priority lanes across Los Angeles, and we’re planning to open more than 100 miles of these lanes in the coming months and years to further improve our service."