Advertisement Floating bus stops coming to northeast Baltimore Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Floating bus stops make busy roads easier for cyclists and bus riders. By the end of the week, crews will complete making changes to the Harford Road corridor in northeast Baltimore. It is the first of its kind for Baltimore."Essentially, it's a pad so that the bus doesn't have to pull out and back into traffic and allows passengers to board it from the lane of normal travel, and this helps to improve on-time bus performance," Baltimore City Councilman Ryan Dorsey said.Dorsey said the idea is to make both biking and busing better by removing the need for buses to pull up to the curb, often across a bike lane, to load and unload passengers. "It's easier for them to get on and off the bus. Often, when a bus stop is obstructed by a car parked in it, that means that bus can't adequately get over to the curb. This is a severe impediment for people who have mobility issues," Dorsey said.Dorsey calls it a much-needed road diet for the Harford Road corridor. The changes reduce the amount of road space for four-tenths of a mile."This project will not add more than one minute to drivers' commute time, and at the same time, it is creating real improvements for 30% of Baltimore City households who rely on public transportation because they lack access to a car," Dorsey said.Some bus riders said they weren't sure what to make of the changes, while others are pretty excited."It makes it easier to get to the bus. Sometimes you have to play 'Frogger' to get out of the bus, so I like it. And I like the bike lane, so I think it's good to have them both work together," bus rider Alex Robertson said.The total cost of the project is $400,000, which includes everything from the floating bus stops to the construction that goes along with it. The money comes from state funds that were only to be used for transportation.Dorsey said the movable, floating bus stop can be used in other areas, which could create more opportunity for other communities down the road.​