Clear Lanes

Clear Lanes is a joint program among Metro and jurisdictional partners such as the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation aims to improve bus travel times and enhance bus stop safety by using bus-mounted cameras to identify illegally parked and stopped vehicles in dedicated bus lanes and bus stops.

When vehicles block bus lanes, buses are slowed down as they merge into traffic to navigate around the vehicle. When vehicles block bus stops, operators must often resort to unsafe practices such as stopping in the middle of the travel lane or pulling up past the bus stop to let passengers on and off the bus. This slows buses down and is a safety concern for customers, especially for those with accessibility needs.

To keep bus lanes and bus stops clear, Metro has installed automated cameras on buses serving select routes in DC and Montgomery County. These cameras automatically take photos of unauthorized vehicles and send the information directly to either DDOT or Montgomery Police for review and issuance of citations. With Clear Lanes, bus lanes remain open to buses, improving trip speed and reliability for customers. Additionally, clear bus stops allow bus operators to pull up directly to the curb so that customers may board safely and comfortably.

Bus lane and bus stop enforcement works. Between 2025 and 2023, bus speeds in Clear Lanes-enforced lanes increased a net 13 percentage points as buses slowed down everywhere else. This increase in bus speeds translates to minutes of transit time saved for thousands of bus riders and reliable service that customers can depend on for daily travel. In addition, use of the accessible ramp on Metrobuses has grown 10% from 2023 to 2024.  Clear Lanes helps ensure that these customers have safe places to board the bus.

Clear Lanes in DC launched with a warning period in July 2023. Bus stop ticketing began in November 2023, and bus lane ticketing began in January 2024.

In spring 2026, Metro and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation will launch Clear Lanes’ first expansion into Montgomery County, MD, on bus lanes serving the M12, M20, and M22 Metrobus routes. The enforced bus lanes are located on Georgia Avenue, Colesville Road, and Wayne Avenue in Silver Spring, along Georgia Avenue and Veirs Mill Road in Wheaton, and Glenmont, and along University Boulevard. The upcoming expansion to Montgomery County is possible due to the Better Bus Service Act of 2024, which allows transit agencies in the state of Maryland to enforce bus lanes using automated cameras.

For more information about Clear Lanes in DC, visit DDOT's Clear Lanes website. To learn more about current bus lanes in Washington, DC, visit DDOT’s Bus Priority website.