More buses on shoulders

Buses might be able to operate on the shoulders of more than just freeways.

Sponsored by Rep. Tara Mack (R-Apple Valley), HF1289 would allow counties and cities to authorize buses on roads for which the unit of government has jurisdiction. Under current law, the provision only applies to the trunk highway system.

Approved 127-1 by the House May 5, it now awaits action by the Senate Transportation Committee. Sen. Chris Gerlach (R-Apple Valley) is the Senate sponsor.

The impetus for the bill is construction of the Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transitway in Mack’s district. “When construction is complete in 2012, Cedar Avenue BRT vehicles will travel on the shoulders of Cedar Avenue from Lakeville to the Mall of America,” she said. “This project is necessary to alleviate the congestion in this heavily used corridor. It is estimated that by 2030 this line will provide the same commuter capacity as an additional 1 1/2 lanes of highway.”

Dakota County Commissioner Nancy Schouweiler told a House committee that the shoulders along Cedar Avenue have been engineered to provide a 12-foot paved surface for buses and emergency vehicles. “It is the desire to run station-to-station bus vehicles as an all-day service utilizing these lanes without the need to weave in and out of regular traffic lanes.” she said.

Under current law, buses can use shoulders only when mainline traffic speeds drop below 35 mph, and buses on the shoulder cannot go more than 15 mph faster than mainline traffic to a maximum of 35 mph. Under the bill, the speeds could be adjusted based on an engineering study performed by the local unit of government and approved by the Department of Transportation.

Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Mpls) said the bill would be “very helpful” in terms of overall planning for bus rapid transit in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.