Metro Transit officials ‘don’t know for sure’ why sections of bus lanes in downtown Madison and near campus are chipping. Before the September launch of Madison’s bus rapid transit system, Metro Transit officials said the red traffic paint covering bus-only lanes “should last 10 years” before needing repairs. But less than four months later, the material is already chipping in campus and downtown areas, where flakes of the red, methyl methacrylate-enhanced paint have accumulated along the sidewalk and curb.