DOES THE FTA REQUIRE ALBUQUERQUE TO HAVE CENTER BUS LANES?
What is Required?
Albuquerque planners claim they want to have a Gold rated “Class A” bus line. The Gold Standard means having dedicated bus lanes for the entire route. The dedicated lanes can be in the center or on the sides of the roadway.
Dedicated lanes mean that no other traffic shares the bus lane. A good place to do this is on a freeway where a shoulder can be used. For example, the bus lane on the freeway shoulder in Ottawa, ON. Source: McCormick Rankin Corporation
Another example is in the middle of a freeway, like the freeway median busway on Interstate 45 in Houston, Texas. Source: Texas Transportation Institute
Will Bus Rapid Transit Fit on Central Avenue?
Even Cleveland does not have dedicated bus lanes for their whole route -- this gives Cleveland's BRT a Silver rating. How does Albuquerque plan to surpass all other BRTs in the United States? We can't. Planners have posted drawings on line and shown them at public meetings in March and April 2016. Take a look at the A.R.T. plans.
There are parts of Central Avenue that are only 70 feet wide including the sidewalks. There does not appear to be enough room for this project on Central. In response to specific questions, planners said the plans were being revised. The plans posted on brtabq.com have not changed though.