Queue Jumps for Buses — The Ethical Way to Cut in Line

A new queue jump is speeding up service on the M96.

This short bus lane segment on East 97th Street lets M96 bus bypass the bottleneck preceding the traffic light.
This short bus lane segment on East 97th Street lets M96 bus bypass the bottleneck preceding the traffic light.

Cutting in line is pretty much unacceptable behavior among decent human beings, but there’s one exception to the rule: A bus carrying dozens people should go to the front of the line at traffic lights.

A “queue jump” is a simple street engineering tool to let buses bypass the queue of private vehicles at signalized intersections. They’re quicker to install than full-on bus lanes but can still make a big difference by giving buses a way around the worst traffic bottlenecks on a route.

NYC DOT and the MTA are just beginning to install queue jumps on city streets. In this video, TransitCenter cheers on the new queue jump for the M96 at 97th and Madison, which was recently installed by DOT:

https://vimeo.com/214571060

The M96 isn’t one of the city’s Select Bus Service routes, which typically have a basket of features like off-board fare payment to speed up service — but that doesn’t preclude smaller interventions at key locations, which is what DOT has done here. Citywide application of these targeted improvements is one of the recommendations in transit advocates’ Bus Turnaround Campaign.

More please.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

There are three queue jumps on the M86 route, including this one at Fifth Avenue and 84th Street. Photo: DOT

The M86 Moves Faster and More People Are Riding Thanks to Queue Jumps

By David Meyer |
While bus ridership is down citywide -- and especially in Manhattan -- there are some routes that are bucking the trend. One that's gaining riders is the M86, which got a package of upgrades from DOT and the MTA in 2015. The improvements included off-board fare collection and queue jumps -- short bus lane segments that enable buses to cut ahead of other traffic at signals.

Queue Jumps: A Simple Fix to Speed Up NYC’s Buses

By David Meyer |
With the City Council set to take on NYC’s declining bus service tomorrow morning, here’s a look at one of the many strategies DOT and the MTA can employ to speed up the city’s slowest-in-the-nation buses: queue jumps. Queue jumps give buses a green light before other vehicles at an intersection, often via a dedicated “queue jump lane” that allows buses to skip […]

Eyes on the Street: Red Paint for “Queue-Jump” Bus Lanes on the M86

By Stephen Miller |
Select Bus Service on 86th Street in Manhattan won’t be getting full bus-only lanes, but riders will benefit from short bus lanes at busy intersections. DOT has added two “queue-jump” lanes where 86th Street and 84th Street meet Fifth Avenue, to keep buses from getting stuck behind traffic waiting at lights. The most important component of the M86 SBS upgrade is off-board fare collection. The sidewalk fare […]

It’s Time to Think Big to Turn Around Lousy Bus Service in NYC

By David Meyer |
Bus service in New York is getting worse and losing riders, and unless policy makers step in and make systemwide improvements, those trends may accelerate in a vicious cycle. New York can turn things around, advocates say, with a suite of policies to get buses moving quickly and reliably again. Today a coalition of transit advocates unveiled […]