Tacoma Weighs Bus Rapid Transit

If a Pacific Transit Plan goes through, Tacoma will be getting a bus lane for faster transit service. "The line would run along Pacific Avenue from downtown Tacoma into Spanaway and could shave travel time by one-third," Joel Moreno writes for KOMO News.

Part of that time-savings would come from signal priority for buses, which would keep green lights green longer as buses approached. The planned lane would not take away a driving lane, but would remove parking and take some lawn space.

The prospect of lost parking brought complaints from some, who worried about local businesses. Others worried about losing their sidewalks or lawn spaces. The exact route of the lane is still being determined. "Pierce Transit is still deciding whether to run dedicated bus lanes curbside - the current recommendation - or run buses down the center median," Moreno reports.