Bright red curb lanes in Vancouver remind drivers there is no stopping in the bus zone
Red painted intersections ‘visually overwhelming’ to some
High-volume bus stops in Vancouver are getting red painted curb lanes aimed at reminding drivers there is no stopping in bus-only lanes.
The red zones are a pilot project between the City of Vancouver and TransLink — and have already popped up at several busy intersections.
"The brightly painted red zones act as a visual deterrent and are becoming an industry standard in North America as municipalities and transit agencies work to keep buses moving amid increasing congestion," TransLink said in a statement.
The newly painted zones aren't proving very popular with some people on social media, however, who say they are more of a distraction.
One Twitter user called the painted lanes "visually overwhelming" while another said: "My colleagues and I thought there was a red carpet event outside our workplace."
Over the next few weeks, red zones will be installed at five busy bus stops:
- East and westbound stops at Cambie Street and Broadway.
- Northbound on Commercial Drive at Broadway.
- Westbound on Broadway at Commercial Drive.
- East and westbound on Pender at Granville Street.
- East and westbound on Georgia at Burrard.
Translink said those stops were chosen because of the high volume of passengers and the frequency of bus-lane violations in the areas.
The pilot project will run through the winter and will be evaluated by the City of Vancouver and TransLink in the spring.