The City of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), and SEPTA announced that red-painted bus-only lanes will be installed on three critical transit corridors in Center City and South Philadelphia.

Philadelphia’s New Red Lanes

The bus priority lanes will be implemented in conjunction with scheduled PennDOT repaving through a partnership between the City, SEPTA, and PennDOT. 

All three corridors were identified in the 2021 Philadelphia Transit Plan as “Tier 1” priority corridors for improvements to bus service. Corridors were identified and prioritized based on ridership, bus speeds, service hours, geographic and economic equity, and connections, among other factors.

“SEPTA is proud to partner with the City of Philadelphia and PennDOT to expand our region’s bus lane network,” said SEPTA GM Scott A. Sauer. “These bus lanes immediately improve the customer experience by enhancing bus reliability and trip times while increasing traffic safety for SEPTA’s riders and operators.”

Red-painted bus-only lanes will be implemented on:

• Chestnut Street between Broad Street and 21st Street.

• Walnut Street between Broad Street and 19th Street.

• Oregon Avenue between 5th Street and Front Street.

Philadelphia has seen success in implementing red-painted bus lanes on Chestnut Street, from Broad Street to 2nd Street, and more recently, on Market Street, from 20th Street to 15th Street, as well as on Erie Avenue, from Germantown Avenue to Old York Road.

“These red bus lanes will improve the daily commute for thousands of city residents while increasing the efficiency of SEPTA’s service,” said Chris Puchalsky, director, policy and strategic initiatives, at the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems. 

The Effectiveness of Red Lanes

A study of the red bus lane on the eastern portion of Chestnut Street revealed improvements to bus service, reductions in the improper use of the bus-only lane and illegal double parking, and no slowdowns for drivers. 

Buses on this section of Chestnut Street experienced a 12% reduction in travel times, while buses elsewhere in Center City during the same time period saw a 4% increase in travel times.

In addition to these successes, the City and SEPTA anticipate further positive impacts on bus service and reductions in misuse of the bus-only lanes following the recent implementation of the Automated Bus Camera Enforcement Initiative, a partnership between the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) and SEPTA. 

The initiative aims to improve safety and reduce congestion by using camera-mounted computer vision technology to enforce violations for blocking bus lanes, bus stops, and trolley zones. It is currently in effect in Center City, as well as on Market, Chestnut, and Walnut streets between the Schuylkill River and 63rd Street.

The streets have been milled. Red paint for the bus lane will then be installed after resurfacing, according to officials.