The city of Santa Monica has opened two bus-only lanes on part of Lincoln Boulevard between Ozone Street and Pico Boulevard. The long-awaited, dedicated bus lanes are part of a Big Blue Bus project called Lincoln Neighborhood Corridor (LiNC).

According to Curbed, the bus-only lanes will be available during peak traffic hours, with the northbound lane (heading towards Downtown Santa Monica) open between 7 and 9 a.m., and southbound lane (to Aviation Station) open between 4-6 p.m. The dedicated bus lanes are meant to shorten transit time for bus riders to as much as eight minutes, which is a big deal for the traffic-heavy city. Per Santa Monica Next, the new lanes will only run to the city border with no plans to expand in Los Angeles just yet.

 During the bus-only lanes’ off hours, the lanes would operate as parking space and “better-than-nothing” space for cyclists. The lanes are currently 12 feet wide and since a parking space only takes up seven feet, the remaining five feet would be for bikes. Unlike bike riders in Los Angeles, cyclists in Santa Monica are not allowed to share lanes with buses, so during peak hours, bus lanes will be closed to cyclists.

 The city will also implement additional safety measures and designs to Lincoln Boulevard including the installation of new crosswalks, curb ramps, street trees, curb extensions, banner poles, and bicycle connectors.