San Gabriel Valley COG outlines Garvey Avenue "jump‑start" bus‑lane plan to Rosemead

San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments staff presented a jump‑start demonstration project for Garvey Avenue that would install peak‑hour, side‑running bus lanes, transit signal priority at signals and upgraded bus shelters in time for a hoped‑for 2028 operation. Ricky Choi, the COG representative, told the council the project "came about through the San Gabriel Valley Transit Feasibility Study" and that any installation would require city consent and an agreement with Metro.

Technical presenters said the plan focuses on three short‑term components: "dedicated peak hour bus lanes," transit signal priority and bus‑stop shelter upgrades. Maya Boucher, a project presenter, said the team selected a side‑running configuration to preserve curb parking for businesses and to better align with adjacent complete streets work. The consultant noted Line 70 is the corridor's highest‑use route — cited in the presentation as about 15,000 boardings per day — and said dedicated lanes plus signal priority can reduce bus travel times by 10–25% in model scenarios.

The presentation included a traffic model of 43 signalized intersections and turning‑movement counts collected in May 2025. Consultants acknowledged some intersections would experience increased delay under a 2‑to‑1 lane conversion during peak hours but said signal‑timing optimization and allowing right turns through the bus/bike lane (a "BAT" or bus‑and‑turn approach) can mitigate impacts. The COG told the council the proposal is a study/receive‑and‑file item at this meeting and that any implementation would require a memorandum of understanding and a future council action vote.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 460; topfinish SEG 779.