ARLINGTON, Va. — The rules are out for new bus-only lanes that are coming to Arlington in the spring. On Thursday, the Arlington County Board adopted the rules for the lanes, which are part of the Crystal City Potomac Yard Transitway project.
In Potomac Yard, the lanes, which are physically separated from traffic, will be off-limits at all times to vehicles other than buses and emergency vehicles.
In Crystal City, it will work a little differently. Since the lanes are sharing the road with other traffic, they will only be off-limits during the morning and afternoon rush hours. Outside of the hours of 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., all vehicles will be able to use the lanes.
The lanes in Crystal City run between 26th Street South and 15th Street South. The single lanes for buses are on the northbound side of Crystal Drive, as well as the southbound sides of Bell and Clark streets.
To keep the lanes clear for buses, the county also adopted fines for those who break the rules.
Drivers who use the lanes when they shouldn’t face a $200 fine if caught. Anyone who gets busted trying to take the bus without paying a fare faces a $100 fine.
The county says it will be working to get the word out to motorists about the new rules. When the lanes open, only warnings will be handed out for the first 30 days.
