NFTA hopes rapid bus transit system planned for Bailey Avenue spreads for improved, safer service [Video]

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Some initial funding from New York state taxpayers is going to help start up enhanced bus service for a major East Side corridor in Buffalo.

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is getting $3.2 million in seed money from the state to pay for consultants to get this idea of a bus rapid transit system rolling for Bailey Avenue.

The goal is to hopefully boost ridership by making the busses move more efficiently through the normally crowded Bailey Avenue. They want to also to make that street safer following a City of Buffalo study that shows over 2,500 traffic collisions on Bailey over the past five years. 

It includes certain features like dedicated bus only lanes in some portions of the street, redesigned intersections, and synchronized traffic signals to keep the buses moving a …