WeGo says downtown 4th Avenue bus-priority pilot cut travel times, but required heavy enforcement

WeGo Public Transit reported that a short bus-priority pilot on downtown Nashville’s 4th Avenue meaningfully reduced travel times and travel-time variability for three busy routes but required intensive operational support, including staffing by Nashville police and state transportation partners.

Katie (Speaker 6), who presented the quarterly route performance report, said the pilot covered roughly 1,000 feet of 4th Avenue between Church Street and just south of Broadway and required 17 officers to control lane access, manage garage access and help control heavy pedestrian flows at intersections. "On some nights, it has taken buses over an hour to go a quarter of a mile," she said, describing how pedestrian volumes and late-night activity created severe bottlenecks. The pilot included in-field adjustments such as relocating signs, shifting some buses from the curb to a center lane to reduce pedestrian conflicts and temporarily using the bus lane to flush stalled traffic.

Staff said the pilot notably reduced peak night travel times and the variability operators experienced, and some customers reported shorter waits and less time on the bus. WeGo will continue working with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (NDOT) and the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) to test extending the approach to major special events, refine operational tactics to reduce impacts on other traffic, and identify a sustainable long-term plan to move buses safely and efficiently through downtown.

Board members praised operational flexibility and the partnership with NDOT and MNPD; no final policy vote was taken, and staff flagged additional field testing and design work as next steps.