Chestnut Street’s bus-only lane is now painted red. Can Philadelphia drivers stop themselves from blocking it?

Bright red just screams “Stop!”

The city is painting Chestnut Street’s bus-only lane between Broad and Second Streets red, an approach that studies have found effective in cutting the number of cars and delivery trucks blocking transit buses.

The goals: less traffic congestion in Center City and faster, more reliable crosstown bus service.

“The red makes it a lot more noticeable and easier for people to comply,” said Dan Nemiroff, a transit planner in charge of SEPTA’s ongoing redesign of its bus network.

“The long-term viability of a transit lane is reliant on people obeying the rules and cars staying in their lane, because you’re not going to have police out there 24/7,” Nemiroff said.

Red or terra-cotta pavement has reduced “vehicle incursions” from 30% to 50% along different routes in cities that have used the treatment, according to the National Association of City Transportation Officials.

Police or the Philadelphia Parking Authority can issue $100 citations for blocking mass transit if drivers park in or use the bus lane, said Christopher R. Puchalsky, director of strategic initiatives for the city’s Office of Transportation Infrastructure and Sustainability. Using the red lanes to make right turns is allowed.

The office, SEPTA, and PennDot worked together on the painting project. Officials hope for many more red bus-only lanes in the city. Current plans call for red lanes on Market Street and JFK Boulevard and a section of West Erie Avenue near Broad Street, but it is not clear when.

Strategic plans for both OTIS and SEPTA place a premium on more frequent and reliable bus service, by far the most widely used transit option in the city.

» READ MORE: Did Philadelphia make a terrible mistake getting rid of the Chestnut Street Transitway? | Opinion

Red dedicated bus lanes have been installed in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle, among other cities. Until late 2019, using red paint on streets was classified as “experimental” under federal regulations. The Federal Highway Administration then made it easier for local and state governments to use it, based on demand and evidence from previous studies.

Beginning in 1975, much of Chestnut Street was a Transitway, open only to buses and pedestrians. Merchants on the busy shopping route blamed it for hurting their businesses because of a lack of parking, and the city began to loosen the restrictions. By 2000, the Chestnut Street Transitway was no more.

It has had a bus-only lane since. City crews are coating it with a durable red epoxy paint that can last up to 10 years.

“It is not normal Home Depot paint,” Puchalsky said Friday on Fox29′s Good Day program.