BOSTON (WHDH) - As Boston prepares for the upcoming Orange Line shutdown, city officials are considering making new temporary lanes on the streets just for shuttle buses.
Starting August 19, while the Orange Line is shut down, there will be at least 160 more buses on the road until September 19 to replace it. Transportation officials are considering creating temporary bus lanes that would resemble the permanent bus lanes along Columbus Avenue in Roxbury. The added lanes would allow bus drivers to avoid car traffic and parked vehicles.
“It’s working well for the buses. The traffic patterns for the buses are in and out,” said Seth Adler, who runs Muffler Mart on Columbus Avenue. “But as far as the traffic coming into the city and going out of the city, in the morning and at night, it’s totally disastrous.”
Alder, who’s worked on Columbus Ave. for 40 years, said that the bus lanes took the road away from other drivers when it was installed in October 2021.
“Because of that, people who are still coming into the city are having larger and longer travel times. It’s a mess,” said Adler.
Marlon Givens of Lawson Brothers Hairstyling Salon said the bus lane also eliminated parking spots.
“Buses are getting through, but there’s no parking in the community. All the stores, it’s kind of slow in the area,” said Givens.
City and state transportation leaders are considering the parking and traffic problems along with how to create curb space and signage for the shuttle buses.
“It’s something that people have to get adjusted to,” said Keisha Carr, a commuter who drives along the bus lane. “Everyone has their own train of thought on how they move.”
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