District DOT Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Bus Transit

Washington, D.C. is the latest place to find traffic lanes emblazoned with a bright red coat of paint to welcome transit while barring cars.

1 minute read

June 22, 2016, 8:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Bus Lane

Goran Bogicevic / Shutterstock

"DC's first bright red bus lanes now adorn four blocks of Georgia Avenue, near Howard University," reports Dan Malouf, after "DDOT crews added the red surface earlier this month."

DDOT added the red lanes to help speed "Metrobus' busy 70-series line through what was the slowest section of Georgia Avenue north of downtown."

Malouf's reports anecdotal evidence that cars are staying out of the lanes, while also noting that "DDOT is in the process of collecting actual data, comparing the car violation rate now to the rate from before the red surface was added."

The article includes more details about the red lanes as well as the intended message communicated by such infrastructure decisions. Meanwhile in San Francisco, similar red transit-only lines face public scrutiny earlier this week. 

Tuesday, June 21, 2016 in BeyondDC

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

View of mountains with large shrubs in foreground in Altadena, California.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

March 9 - Pasadena NOw

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

March 9 - Axios

Close-up of row of electric cars plugged into chargers at outdoor station.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives

A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.

March 9 - UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation