New ‘Rapid Transit’ Bus Prototypes Displayed
EL PASO, TX. – The El PasoMetropolitan Planning Organization is proposing a “bus rapid transit” system.
The systemwould work a lot like a subway or elevated rail line — but it would roll on the roads — not on rails.
The planis still in the very early phases, but theMPO has keyed in on several possible routes: Mesa, Alameda, North loopand Dyer.
So what separates these buses from the regular Sun Metro buses that are already on the streets? The buses might use separate lanes along those major streets. That means they’d get where they’re going fast and avoiding all the traffic.
They also really want to connect key facilities — hospitals, UTEP, EPCC andthe airport. Also, possibly, a link with Juarez would be proposed.
“The buses will augment our exisiting buses. Those will be in the neighborhood acting as circulators — but these will be more for the express routes,” said Mayor John Cook.
They may run in lanes reserved just for them. They may also be equipped with signal prioritization technology — meaning they’d get preference at traffic lights.
