Submitted by: Whatcom Transporation Authority
Have you ever found yourself sitting at a stop light, waiting for the light to turn green, when a WTA bus appears to jump the gun and run a red light? If so, you’ve probably just witnessed a “Queue Jump Lane.”
A queue jump lane is a traffic control device that gives special preference to certain vehicles at certain intersections. To help WTA buses stay on time, the City of Bellingham installed transit queue jump lanes on Lakeway at Lincoln and on Alabama at James Street.
Here’s how they work:
At these intersections, there’s a “Turn Only” lane on the right. Though it’s Turn Only for cars, WTA buses are allowed to go straight. A specially timed signal here can detect the presence of a WTA bus and give it (and it alone) a green light before the lights turn green for the other lanes. This head start allows WTA’s bus to “jump the queue” and reach the travel lanes before the cars waiting at the light.
