Tampa Bay’s SunRunner, the first rapid transit system in the region, could lose some of its dedicated lanes, reports Shauna Muckle in Tampa Bay Times.
Some state lawmakers claim the buses don’t have enough ridership to warrant dedicated lanes. Now, the Florida Department of Transportation is requiring new dedicated bus lanes to maintain 6,000 riders per day during their opening year. FDOT is also conducting “what it calls a routine review of lane repurposing projects around the state, including the SunRunner.”
Muckle points out that “No buses in Tampa Bay currently serve that many riders. One fare-free route in Tampa has about 5,000 riders each weekday, while other popular routes average about half that.”…