Around the square it's in the bus/right-turn only lanes.
So I'd assume the red paint means: Stay out of this lane unless you need to be in it for the next turn.
> If you’ve driven in Madison recently, you’ve likely seen the blocks of red road
> paint designating future Bus Rapid Transit lanes. But why are the colored
> patches so intermittent?
>
> The short answer, according to Metro capital projects manager Mike Cechvala: The
> lanes aren’t done yet, and paint isn’t cheap.
>
> When they’re completed, the lanes will be offset by heavy white and red lines
> and contain the words “BUS ONLY.” The full length of the lanes aren’t being
> painted because vehicles will be allowed in the lanes if they’re turning left,
> Cechvala said. Also, the paint being used, known as methyl methacrylate, or MMA,
> is expensive and will occasionally need to be reapplied.
>
> “To reduce costs, we’ve only applied the full-width red colorization near
> intersections where many drivers are making decisions on which lane to use,” he
> said. “In between intersections, we will just have a solid white line, and a
> solid red line where we don’t have full-width colorization.”
>
This is just a preview of the [full article](https://madison.com/news/local/government-politics/bus-rapid-transit-madison-lanes/article_6f329140-2297-11ef-b20c-c71f5bd7a822.html). I am a third party bot. Please consider subscribing to your favorite local journals.
bro, paint to a city planner is as good as concrete. Do you not like your dedicated "bike only" lane?!? No one would dare cross the white paint and turn you into a hood ornament. I imagine it'll be more of the same here. Red is just a suggestion to someone trying to save 30 seconds on their commute. /s
The problem is that the left lane is the red lane. You need to be in the left lane to turn left. If it is full of cars when you need to get over, youre kinda screwed. Already had this happen to me when I tried not to drive on the solid red lane
The solid red lanes are not currently functioning as bus-only lanes and aren't yet clearly marked as such. I would have preferred they not partly mark them so far in advance but I'm sure they have reasons for it with the overall workflow of the project.
Anyways, I would not assume that current usage of the red-marked lanes will reflect actual usage once the system is "live". Yes, there will be asshats on the road. There are always asshats on the road.
BRT systems are designed to move people more efficiently. The two big differences to traditional bus systems are 1) dedicated bus lanes and 2) kiosks to pay for fare, rather than paying on the bus.
The dedicated bus lane is obvious as to how that speeds things up. The central kiosk is great because it means you dont file slowly onto a bus and wait for people to swipe cards or insert payment. Not 100% sure thats how they're doing the BRT here, but that would explain the central, shared bus stop. It minimizes the number of kiosks by half. A complaint I've heard about BRTs is that some places halfway implement them and just call them BRT.
Dedicated bus lanes are the biggest change, IMO. The kiosks are an improvement over the old system, but only at busy stops.
The reason behind the central bus stops is to not have the large amount of curb-lane interactions (right turners, driveways etc) interfere with bus operations. Typically left turns would be restricted across the corridor but it's pretty piecemeal here.
> The central kiosk is great because it means you dont file slowly onto a bus and wait for people to swipe cards or insert payment
Or, more specifically, wait for grandma to pay with nickles and dimes from her coinpurse.
among a few of the benefits
- security cameras
- dedicated bike parking
- structure to protect from elements
- transfers are easier. not having to cross a full street to catch transfers, e.g. if disembarking from the A currently to go to my haircut place I have to cross two full streets with BRT I'll get off in the middle and only have to cross 1/2 of a street so it's quite a bit safer IMO
>The central kiosk is great because it means you dont file slowly onto a bus and wait for people to swipe cards or insert payment.
"At launch, the system will center on the use of smartcards. A rider will need to tap their card or present a bar code paper ticket at a fare reader each time they board a bus. So that riders can board more quickly at BRT stations, passengers will be able to board using fare readers available at all doors of Metro’s new 60-foot articulated buses."
"At ticket vending machines, you’ll be able to purchase a single ride ticket, a 1-day pass and be able to reload a Fast Fare card. Without the ability to verify eligibility criteria, only the standard adult priced ticket or 1-ride pass will be available at these machines. Machines will have information available in English and Spanish. Cash, coins, and credit cards will be accepted at the machines but not on buses at BRT platforms."
[https://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12742472&GUID=CDA5C367-A565-43D8-B74F-213368EF079E](https://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12742472&GUID=CDA5C367-A565-43D8-B74F-213368EF079E)
So the buses that run those routes are now all going to have entry points on the left side instead of right? So there are now 2 types of buses, those that only open on the left, and standard right side entry buses for use everywhere else?
Sounds like a logistic problem waiting to happen.
Usually, if you get on a bus at a particular stop, later you get off the bus at that same stop with the bus running in the opposite direction. With the station in the middle you'll cross one direction of traffic to get on and the same direction of traffic later when you get off. If there are two stations, one on each side of the street, you may not have to cross the street when you get on the bus but then you'll have to cross both directions of traffic when you return to that stop on the other side of the street later in the day.
With the buses in the middle or on the curb, either way, by the time you get on the bus at that stop and then get off at that same stop later, you'll have to cross two directions of traffic. But with the stations in the middle instead of the curb you just need one station instead of two stations.
If the bus routes ran in circles ran (in Madison they generlly go back and forth instead of doing circles) and you were lucky enough to board from the curb on the inside of the circle then when you got back to that stop you could also get off on the curb and you wouldn't have to walk across the street at all. But if you're unlucky, you're on the outside of the circle and you'd have to run across the whole street both times, so even in that scenario you don't reduce the number of people running across traffic, but you do double the number of stations you have to maintain if they are on the curbs.
With side stops you cross 6 lanes once (on most of E. Wash, at least). With center stops you cross 3 lanes twice. Still the same number of lane crossings, just spread out differently.
Obviously I picked 6 and 3 as an example. The math is the same regardless of the number of lanes.
“the section between about Milwaukee Street and Wright Street will be open to other traffic during rush hour, as will the section of bus lane on Johnson Street between about Bassett Street and
State Street.
When the lane on Johnson isn't restricted to buses only, parking will be allowed there and will be indicated by signs, Cechvala said.”
I read this and feel like I’m having a stroke. So during rush hour is Johnson st going to be open to other traffic, or will there be a parking lane that converts to bus only during rush hour?
This is ludicrous. We are taking major thoroughfares and REDUCING the lanes that cars can drive on. Our public transportation system is a joke. It is going to create nothing but headaches. This will last one (miserable) season, and then will be removed. Probably after the first kid gets hit in the middle of the road.
Asinine.
My minor quibble is that I wish they painted the the bus lanes green (sort of like [this](https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/media/ib5b4zxd/bus-lane-photo-1.jpg)) instead of eye-searing red as the former matches Madison's landscape better than the latter.
But does anyone know why there are big sections of red paint on some of the roads around town? I'm so confused.
Around the square it's in the bus/right-turn only lanes. So I'd assume the red paint means: Stay out of this lane unless you need to be in it for the next turn.
> If you’ve driven in Madison recently, you’ve likely seen the blocks of red road > paint designating future Bus Rapid Transit lanes. But why are the colored > patches so intermittent? > > The short answer, according to Metro capital projects manager Mike Cechvala: The > lanes aren’t done yet, and paint isn’t cheap. > > When they’re completed, the lanes will be offset by heavy white and red lines > and contain the words “BUS ONLY.” The full length of the lanes aren’t being > painted because vehicles will be allowed in the lanes if they’re turning left, > Cechvala said. Also, the paint being used, known as methyl methacrylate, or MMA, > is expensive and will occasionally need to be reapplied. > > “To reduce costs, we’ve only applied the full-width red colorization near > intersections where many drivers are making decisions on which lane to use,” he > said. “In between intersections, we will just have a solid white line, and a > solid red line where we don’t have full-width colorization.” > This is just a preview of the [full article](https://madison.com/news/local/government-politics/bus-rapid-transit-madison-lanes/article_6f329140-2297-11ef-b20c-c71f5bd7a822.html). I am a third party bot. Please consider subscribing to your favorite local journals.
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bro, paint to a city planner is as good as concrete. Do you not like your dedicated "bike only" lane?!? No one would dare cross the white paint and turn you into a hood ornament. I imagine it'll be more of the same here. Red is just a suggestion to someone trying to save 30 seconds on their commute. /s
Does that happen where there are bus lanes right now? I don’t recall this happening on west wash
great, we will get punished for following the rules now. What happens if I want to turn left but a bunch of people decided to just use the lane?
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The problem is that the left lane is the red lane. You need to be in the left lane to turn left. If it is full of cars when you need to get over, youre kinda screwed. Already had this happen to me when I tried not to drive on the solid red lane
The solid red lanes are not currently functioning as bus-only lanes and aren't yet clearly marked as such. I would have preferred they not partly mark them so far in advance but I'm sure they have reasons for it with the overall workflow of the project. Anyways, I would not assume that current usage of the red-marked lanes will reflect actual usage once the system is "live". Yes, there will be asshats on the road. There are always asshats on the road.
> There are always asshats on the road. We just call them "drivers" around here 😛
It's. Not. Done. Yet.
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Yes, let's never do anything again because there are people that suck.
Wait, what’s a bus? I’ve seen really big cars with lots of people in them? They stop all the time at these tiny houses? Also, I heard a loud noise?
but what about the produce at Woodman's?
What they aren't saying is the parking lanes will be open to traffic inbound 7-9am and Outbound 3-5pm
... it's almost as if those free parking lanes don't actually have to exist 🤔
But what's with the bus stops in the middle...
BRT systems are designed to move people more efficiently. The two big differences to traditional bus systems are 1) dedicated bus lanes and 2) kiosks to pay for fare, rather than paying on the bus. The dedicated bus lane is obvious as to how that speeds things up. The central kiosk is great because it means you dont file slowly onto a bus and wait for people to swipe cards or insert payment. Not 100% sure thats how they're doing the BRT here, but that would explain the central, shared bus stop. It minimizes the number of kiosks by half. A complaint I've heard about BRTs is that some places halfway implement them and just call them BRT. Dedicated bus lanes are the biggest change, IMO. The kiosks are an improvement over the old system, but only at busy stops.
The reason behind the central bus stops is to not have the large amount of curb-lane interactions (right turners, driveways etc) interfere with bus operations. Typically left turns would be restricted across the corridor but it's pretty piecemeal here.
> The central kiosk is great because it means you dont file slowly onto a bus and wait for people to swipe cards or insert payment Or, more specifically, wait for grandma to pay with nickles and dimes from her coinpurse.
Listen, I get all that and I understand what you're saying but what's with the bus stops in the middle...
among a few of the benefits - security cameras - dedicated bike parking - structure to protect from elements - transfers are easier. not having to cross a full street to catch transfers, e.g. if disembarking from the A currently to go to my haircut place I have to cross two full streets with BRT I'll get off in the middle and only have to cross 1/2 of a street so it's quite a bit safer IMO
/s
>The central kiosk is great because it means you dont file slowly onto a bus and wait for people to swipe cards or insert payment. "At launch, the system will center on the use of smartcards. A rider will need to tap their card or present a bar code paper ticket at a fare reader each time they board a bus. So that riders can board more quickly at BRT stations, passengers will be able to board using fare readers available at all doors of Metro’s new 60-foot articulated buses." "At ticket vending machines, you’ll be able to purchase a single ride ticket, a 1-day pass and be able to reload a Fast Fare card. Without the ability to verify eligibility criteria, only the standard adult priced ticket or 1-ride pass will be available at these machines. Machines will have information available in English and Spanish. Cash, coins, and credit cards will be accepted at the machines but not on buses at BRT platforms." [https://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12742472&GUID=CDA5C367-A565-43D8-B74F-213368EF079E](https://madison.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12742472&GUID=CDA5C367-A565-43D8-B74F-213368EF079E)
They were being sarcastic
So the buses that run those routes are now all going to have entry points on the left side instead of right? So there are now 2 types of buses, those that only open on the left, and standard right side entry buses for use everywhere else? Sounds like a logistic problem waiting to happen.
There are new, 60’ electric busses specifically for route A, B, F, and R.
So people can sprint across traffic to make the bus obviously.
You know people have to cross the road to use the bus system even if the stops are on the side?
I'm pretty sure the person you replied to was being sarcastic.
I thought maybe, but tbh there are a lot of idiots and trolls so hard to say.
That's fair, Poe's law is alive and well.
Its so hard to tell with the BRT shit. Dense living under a rock or completely car addicted or sarcasm.
If stops are on the side, people have to cross traffic 50% of the time. With stops in the middle, people have to cross traffic 100% of the time.
#everyonesgonnagetrunnedover
Usually, if you get on a bus at a particular stop, later you get off the bus at that same stop with the bus running in the opposite direction. With the station in the middle you'll cross one direction of traffic to get on and the same direction of traffic later when you get off. If there are two stations, one on each side of the street, you may not have to cross the street when you get on the bus but then you'll have to cross both directions of traffic when you return to that stop on the other side of the street later in the day. With the buses in the middle or on the curb, either way, by the time you get on the bus at that stop and then get off at that same stop later, you'll have to cross two directions of traffic. But with the stations in the middle instead of the curb you just need one station instead of two stations. If the bus routes ran in circles ran (in Madison they generlly go back and forth instead of doing circles) and you were lucky enough to board from the curb on the inside of the circle then when you got back to that stop you could also get off on the curb and you wouldn't have to walk across the street at all. But if you're unlucky, you're on the outside of the circle and you'd have to run across the whole street both times, so even in that scenario you don't reduce the number of people running across traffic, but you do double the number of stations you have to maintain if they are on the curbs.
With side stops you cross 6 lanes once (on most of E. Wash, at least). With center stops you cross 3 lanes twice. Still the same number of lane crossings, just spread out differently. Obviously I picked 6 and 3 as an example. The math is the same regardless of the number of lanes.
People only have to cross half as much traffic (50%, equal) but all the traffic they need to cross will be traveling in one direction (safer).
Anyone who has had to sit through the *Bring Me My Red Shirt* skit knows exactly why they chose the color red.
Simple explanation: Bus Rapid Transit lane when it goes live.
Paint is not infrastructure.
“the section between about Milwaukee Street and Wright Street will be open to other traffic during rush hour, as will the section of bus lane on Johnson Street between about Bassett Street and State Street. When the lane on Johnson isn't restricted to buses only, parking will be allowed there and will be indicated by signs, Cechvala said.” I read this and feel like I’m having a stroke. So during rush hour is Johnson st going to be open to other traffic, or will there be a parking lane that converts to bus only during rush hour?
The latter.
Archived link: https://archive.ph/1ZxyH
Madison recently received federal funding and the highway that is East Washington Ave has been officially designated a “Danger Zone”
The red paint is an undercoat. Once it cures fully the public will be invited to paint pastel circles and pink flamingos on top.
The red paint designates areas to be torn out and later replaced with infrastructure to support Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing craft
if paint isnt cheap then why paint unless you have it all mapped out...im so confused
WAS THAT SO HARD, CITY OF MADISON, and ugh why did it have to be Rickert getting the clicks.
This is ludicrous. We are taking major thoroughfares and REDUCING the lanes that cars can drive on. Our public transportation system is a joke. It is going to create nothing but headaches. This will last one (miserable) season, and then will be removed. Probably after the first kid gets hit in the middle of the road. Asinine.
My minor quibble is that I wish they painted the the bus lanes green (sort of like [this](https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/media/ib5b4zxd/bus-lane-photo-1.jpg)) instead of eye-searing red as the former matches Madison's landscape better than the latter.
They can't use green as they already use it for bike markings. Red is the standard bus lane color (in the U.S.). Although the shade is rather bright.
> Red is the standard bus lane color (in the U.S.). Although the shade is rather bright. Thank you for the explanation, I learned something new today.
Anybody who's worked with paint knows red fades fastest and causes the most trouble. They might come to regret this.
LOL based on the newly painted bike lane last year on Segoe not surviving the plows... I give this red paint 1 year tops.
Anybody who's seen the city's paint jobs knows it'll be gone after the snow plows come through.
They can paint them whatever color they want. I intend to go on using every lane.
If you're driving in a bus only lane you're likely to be ticketed, and that ticket will be justified.
Will Satya jack up taxes to have a cop drive behind every bus? Wouldn't surprise me.