Thanks to the installation of a queue jump light funded by a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant, Community Transit’s Swift Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service in Snohomish County, WA, is able to save its riders even more time.

Swift operates on the Highway 99 corridor, making few stops and using the right-hand transit lane. The queue jump light at Highway 99 and 148th Street between Lynnwood and Everett, where the northbound transit lane ends, will help the vehicles merge into regular traffic.

The new traffic signal on the northbound traffic pole at 148th Street, above the pedestrian light, is visible only to those in the right-hand transit lane. When a Swift bus has a red light at the intersection, the queue jump arrow will light green several seconds before the regular green light is activated for all northbound traffic. This head start will allow time for the bus to cross the intersection and merge into the general traffic lane. When a Swift bus is not waiting for a head start, the arrow will match the color of the regular signal – green, yellow, or red.

While the bus driver and passengers will see the new green arrow, other motorists may think the bus is running a red light. Traffic engineers made the queue jump light visible only to right-hand lane drivers so other cars would not accidently go at the same time. Despite how it may look to drivers in adjoining lanes, the bus movement is safe and legal.