APPENDIX A
Survey Questionnaire

Introduction

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute is conducting a synthesis for the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). TCRP Project J-07/Topic SD-07 is documenting the current state of practice in the implementation and performance of red-tinted bus lanes. The synthesis is focused on:

• Understanding why transit agencies and jurisdictions such as cities (collectively referred to as “agencies” hereafter) have implemented red-tinted bus lanes
• Documenting the key features of red-tinted bus lanes
• Understanding how much it costs to plan, implement, operate, enforce, and maintain red-tinted bus lanes
• Understanding the impacts of red-tinted bus lanes
• Documenting how red-tinted bus lanes have been enforced and what enforcement strategies have been effective
• Documenting the maintenance performance of red-tinted bus lanes
• Understanding the partnerships involved in planning, implementing, operating, enforcing, and maintaining red-tinted bus lanes
• Identifying the key challenges of planning, implementing, operating, enforcing, and maintaining red-tinted bus lanes
• Documenting lessons learned that would be valuable to other agencies implementing red-tinted bus lanes

For the purposes of this study, red-tinted bus lanes are defined as travel lanes that feature red-colored pavement to enhance the conspicuity of locations, station stops, or travel lanes in the roadway exclusively reserved for vehicles of public transit systems or multimodal facilities where public transit is the primary mode. This definition is based on Section 3H.07 of the 11th Edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The red color treatment can be achieved using tinted paving materials (e.g., colored asphalt), paint, or other materials applied to the surface of the road. It can be applied for the full length of a bus lane or only at locations such as intersections and bus stops.

We estimate that it will take 20 to 40 minutes to complete this survey. If you leave the survey and return to complete it later, you will be able to continue where you left off if you use the same device and browser. Your answers will be saved every time you advance to the next page of the survey. We encourage you to collaborate with your colleagues and external partners when completing the survey. Please feel free to forward the survey link to your external partners.

This survey must be completed by 11:59 p.m. EST on March 25, 2024. The information you provide in response to this survey will be synthesized with information collected from other agencies that have implemented and/or use red-tinted bus lanes. Your answers will be confidential to the extent possible. Your participation in the survey is voluntary at all times.

If you have questions, concerns, or complaints regarding this survey or the project, please contact Kelly Blume. You may be contacted by the project team after the survey is complete to help clarify your answers or obtain additional information.

Do you agree to participate in this survey?

• Yes
• No

Please provide the name of your organization and your contact information.

Agency: 

Contact Name: 

City: 

State/Province: 

Phone Number: 

E-mail Address: 

What type of organization is yours?

• Independent transit agency
• Transit agency that is also a department or division of a local government
• Local government department of transportation (DOT) or similar
• State DOT
• Regional planning organization
• Law enforcement organization

• Other (please specify) 

Are there red-tinted bus lanes in your jurisdiction or service area? Include full-length bus lanes with red tinting as well as red tinting applied only at locations such as intersections and bus stops. Note: If there were red-tinted bus lanes in your jurisdiction or service area in the past but they have been discontinued, complete the rest of the survey based on your knowledge of those red-tinted bus lanes.

• Yes
• No – But there used to be red-tinted bus lanes in our jurisdiction or service area.
• No – There are no red-tinted bus lanes in our jurisdiction or service area.
• Unknown

[If “Yes” or “No – But there used to be red-tinted bus lanes in our jurisdiction or service area” are selected . . . ]

About Your Red-Tinted Bus Lanes

Full and intermittent red-tinted bus lanes are illustrated in the figure that follows. Cases A and C are full red-tinted bus lanes. Case B is an intermittent red-tinted bus lane (i.e., red-tinted bus lanes only at locations such as bus stops and intersections).

How many lane-miles of full red-tinted bus lanes are in your jurisdiction/service area? (If red-tinted bus lanes are present in both directions on a 1-mile long roadway segment, that would be 2 lane-miles.) Enter “0” if none.

How many lane-miles of intermittent red-tinted bus lanes are in your jurisdiction/service area? (If intermittent red-tinted bus lanes are present in both directions on a 1-mile long roadway segment, that would be 2 lane-miles.) Enter “0” if none.

In corridors where you implemented intermittent red-tinted bus lanes, why did you choose to implement intermittent red-tinted bus lanes instead of full red-tinted bus lanes? What factors were part of your decision-making process?

How were the red-tinted bus lanes in your jurisdiction or service area implemented? Check all that apply.

• Applied red tinting to one or more existing bus lanes
• Constructed one or more red-tinted bus lanes where bus lanes did not exist before (e.g., as new construction or from repurposed general traffic lanes)

• Other (please specify) 

What criteria (e.g., buses per hour, lane violations, and/or crashes) did you use to inform your decision to implement red-tinted bus lanes instead of non-red-tinted bus lanes?

In what year were red-tinted bus lanes first implemented in your jurisdiction or service area?

What red-tinting treatments do you currently use? Check all that apply.

• Tinted paving materials (e.g., colored asphalt)
• Red paint applied to the pavement surface
• Red thermoplastic applied to the pavement surface
• Red methyl methacrylate (MMA) applied to the pavement surface

• Other (please specify) 

• Not applicable

What red-tinting treatments have you used in the past? Check all that apply.

• Tinted paving materials (e.g., colored asphalt)
• Red paint applied to the pavement surface
• Red thermoplastic applied to the pavement surface
• Red methyl methacrylate (MMA) applied to the pavement surface

• Other (please specify) 

• Not applicable

What are the advantages of the red-tinting treatments you have used? Please comment on cost of maintenance, complexity of application, effectiveness, durability, etc.

What are the disadvantages of the red-tinting treatments you have used? Please comment on cost of maintenance, complexity of application, effectiveness, durability, etc.

Who are the allowed users of your red-tinted bus lanes? Check all that apply.

• Public transit vehicles
• Private transit vehicles (e.g., shuttles)

• Turning automobiles
• Other automobiles
• Taxis
• Transportation network companies (TNCs)
• Bicycles
• Micromobility modes (e.g., e-scooters and pedicabs)
• Freight and delivery vehicles
• Emergency vehicles

• Other (please specify) 

Do the allowed users of your red-tinted bus lanes change by time of day or day of week?

• Yes
• No

Please describe how the allowed users of your red-tinted bus lanes change by time of day or day of week.

How do you enforce usage of your red-tinted bus lanes? Check all that apply.

• Local police
• Transit police
• On-street cameras
• On-board cameras
• Vehicle operator reports
• Transit agency supervisors

• Other (please specify) 

• No enforcement

Do any of your red-tinted bus lanes extend into, cross, or otherwise exist in multiple jurisdictions?

• Yes
• No

Implementing Your Red-Tinted Bus Lanes

For what purposes were your red-tinted bus lanes implemented? Check all that apply.

• Simplify enforcement of bus lane restrictions
• Increase safety for transit users
• Increase safety for other roadway users
• Increase transit performance/reliability (e.g., reduce delay to buses)
• To strengthen the branding of the transit service

• Other (please specify) 

Which of the purposes selected in the previous question was the most important?

• Simplify enforcement of bus lane restrictions
• Increase safety for transit users
• Increase safety for other roadway users
• Increase transit performance (e.g., improve bus travel time)
• To strengthen the branding of the transit service
• [Other as specified above]

What alternatives to red-tinted bus lanes (e.g., non-red-tinted bus lanes or physically separated bus lanes) were considered to achieve the same purpose(s)?

Please identify below the specific entities involved in the listed activities associated with your red-tinted bus lanes. These entities might include transit operators, local government departments, law enforcement agencies, and regional planning organizations.

How did you educate the public (including roadway users) about the purpose and usage of your red-tinted bus lanes?

Impacts of Your Red-Tinted Bus Lanes

The sets of questions that follow are about the impacts of your red-tinted bus lanes. Please complete one set of questions per corridor, for up to five corridors. If impact data are available in a report, please upload the report below or e-mail it to the projectʼs principal investigator.

Notes:

• If only systemwide impact data are available, please fill out only one set of questions and identify it as “Systemwide” in the corridor name field.
• If you have more than five corridors with red-tinted bus lanes, please choose the five that are the most representative of your experience with red-tinted bus lanes.
• Enter “N/A” if data are not available or are unknown.

For how many corridors will you provide data?

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

[Repeat the following set of questions for each corridor . . . ]

Corridor [Number]

Name or description:

What kinds of red-tinted bus lanes exist in Corridor [Number]? Check all that apply.

• Full red-tinted bus lanes
• Intermittent red-tinted bus lanes

Please describe below the impacts of the red-tinted bus lanes in Corridor [Number]. Please specify the metrics that you use and (where available) provide before-and-after data to quantify impacts.

Impact of red-tinted bus lanes on ridership in Corridor [Number]:

Impact of red-tinted bus lanes on transit reliability in Corridor [Number]:

Impact of red-tinted bus lanes on transit speed and/or travel time in Corridor [Number]:

Impact of red-tinted bus lanes on safety of transit users in Corridor [Number]:

Impact of red-tinted bus lanes on safety of other roadway users (including pedestrians) in Corridor [Number]:

Impact of red-tinted bus lanes on other transportation modes in Corridor [Number]:

Impact of red-tinted bus lanes on lane usage compliance in Corridor [Number]:

Impact of red-tinted bus lanes on enforcement costs in Corridor [Number]:

Impact of red-tinted bus lanes on maintenance costs in Corridor [Number]:

Other impacts of red-tinted bus lanes in Corridor [Number] (if applicable):

Overall

Overall, what is the annual cost of enforcing your red-tinted bus lanes?

Overall, what is the annual cost of maintaining your red-tinted bus lanes?

Overall, have your red-tinted bus lanes been effective in achieving their purpose(s)?

• Yes
• No
• Unknown

[If the red-tinted lanes have been effective . . . ] Why have your red-tinted bus lanes been effective overall in achieving their purpose(s)?

[If the red-tinted lanes have not been effective . . . ] Why have your red-tinted bus lanes not been effective overall in achieving their purpose(s)?

Challenges and Lessons Learned

Please provide brief responses to the following questions. These questions apply to all of your red-tinted bus lanes. We may follow up with you in a case study to explore lessons learned in more detail.

In your experience, what are the key challenges in planning red-tinted bus lanes?

In your experience, what are the key challenges in implementing red-tinted bus lanes?

In your experience, what are the key challenges in operating and enforcing red-tinted bus lanes?

In your experience, what are the key challenges in maintaining red-tinted bus lanes?

What guidance or recommendations would you give to agencies that are considering implementing red-tinted bus lanes?

Case Study Participation

Would you be willing to participate in a case study in which we discuss your answers to the questions posed in this survey? We may include one or more of your key external partners in the case study, and we may ask for additional detail related to your answers. We anticipate that your case study involvement will consist of participating in a web meeting lasting 1–2 hours, sharing relevant reports and other documents, and reviewing a written summary of our findings from the case study.

• Yes
• No

[If “Yes” . . . ] Please provide contact information for the individual with whom we should coordinate the case study.

Agency: 

Contact Name: 

City: 

State/Province: 

Phone Number: 

E-mail Address: 

Conclusion

Thank you for participating in our survey! Your time and your input are greatly appreciated! We would be happy to provide you with a link to the synthesis report when it is published.

As noted at the beginning of the survey, if you have questions, concerns, or complaints regarding this survey or the project, you may contact Kelly Blume. You may be contacted by TTI after the survey is complete to help clarify your answers or obtain additional information.