Buses to Get Priority Lanes on Broadway

Plans to build bus lanes down Broadway--a $2-million project--won approval Monday from the San Diego City Council despite some concern that downtown pedestrians and motorists were taking a back seat to bus patrons.

Councilwoman Celia Ballesteros expressed concern that pedestrians along Broadway were “being squeezed into too small an area” by covered bus benches planned along the bus routes. She pointed out that street trees, bus shelters, trash cans, telephone booths and other impediments force pedestrians into a narrow corridor where they cannot pause to window shop or walk at a leisurely pace.

Tom Larwin, Metropolitan Transit Development Board general manager, said the benches are considered “necessary” for the bus system, both to protect the bus patrons from the elements and from the passers-by.

However, he agreed that if the shelters proved to be an obstruction, they could be moved to other locations and replaced with benches that would take up less of the sidewalk.

The project will provide a bus lane in each direction along Broadway from 4th Avenue to 12th Avenue, the narrowest and busiest part of the downtown artery, and two widened traffic lanes for cars in each direction. Loading zones will be moved to side streets and left turns will be prohibited along the eight-block length of Broadway for all vehicles except buses between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Work will begin at 4th Avenue and eastbound traffic will be diverted to E Street during construction, which city engineers hope will be completed before the Christmas shopping season.

Included in the Broadway face lift will be installation of decorative sidewalk paving and new street lights and benches.

Earlier protests by downtown merchants against prohibiting left turns along Broadway dissipated after experimental street striping to provide turn lanes proved impractical, slowing traffic and prolonging waits at traffic lights.