The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the City of Boston are working to improve bus speed and reliability through a citywide expansion of transit signal priority (TSP).
This initiative builds on the success of a pilot programme along Brighton Avenue and is part of the MBTA’s Better Bus Project.
During the pilot, transit signal priority was implemented at three intersections along Brighton Avenue, resulting in a 21% reduction in red light delays and an 8% improvement in travel times. These adjustments contributed to a cumulative weekday travel time saving of 110 minutes.
Building on these results, the partnership will now upgrade Boston’s Traffic Management Centre to integrate MBTA bus locations into real-time traffic signal adjustments. Currently, up to 50% of transit delays occur at red lights in signalised intersections. The planned upgrades are expected to help mitigate this issue and improve overall service efficiency.
MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said:The MBTA has great municipal partners who continue to collaborate with us on improving bus services, and we’re grateful to the City of Boston for building on the success of the 2019 Brighton Avenue bus lane project to add Transit Signal Priority to the bus lane corridor. This will add to the reliability benefits already felt by riders on Routes 57 and 66 every day, improve bus service for the community, and bring riders to their destinations more quickly. We thank Boston for their partnership.
The expansion of transit signal priority across Boston involves close collaboration with Boston’s traffic signal vendor, Control Technologies, Inc (CTI), and machine-learning TSP technology provider, LYT. These upgrades will allow the Traffic Management Centre to adjust signal timing dynamically based on real-time bus locations.
The planned expansion aligns with broader efforts to enhance public transport reliability, making bus services more efficient for daily commuters. The MBTA and the City of Boston will continue to monitor performance metrics to ensure effective implementation of the TSP upgrades.
City of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said:We are thankful for the partnership between the MBTA and City of Boston as we continue to improve the reliability of public transportation options across the city. Traditionally, traffic signals have been timed without prioritising the flow of bus routes. This is another step to retime signals to keep traffic moving for all road users in our city.
