City and county transportation officials are figuring out how to create a "bus rapid transit" system that will speed up Metro buses with traffic-signal control devices, in-lane bus stops and maybe more bus-only lanes in West Seattle and Ballard.

Bus rapid transit, or "Rapid Ride" as King County Metro calls it, is part of the county's "Transit Now" program, which voters approved two months ago. It includes money to start five bus rapid transit routes around the county. West Seattle and Ballard are first in line.

Voters also approved a city of Seattle measure called "Bridging the Gap." It provides money to improve streets, bridges and other transportation infrastructure in the city. It includes money for transit improvements.

The West Seattle bus rapid transit route will go from the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal, north on Fauntleroy Way to Morgan Junction. It will continue north on California Avenue to the Junction, then to the West Seattle Bridge and downtown.

Bus rapid transit will connect Ballard to Seattle Center and downtown along 15th Avenue Northwest. Another bus rapid transit route is planned on Aurora Avenue North.

Seattle Department of Transportation officials are meeting regularly with King County Metro Transit officials to coordinate their differing but parallel missions.

Two more Rapid Ride routes are planned, one for Pacific Highway South between Tukwila and Federal Way, and the other between Bellevue and Redmond through Crossroads and Overlake.

The goal is to increase transit speed by 10 percent and "free up service hours," said Barry Hennely of the Seattle Department of Transportation at the Jan. 10 meeting of the Ballard District Council.

"Ballard keeps growing and growing in density and housing," Hennelly said. "Overall, I think this is a realization there's going to be a capacity increase."

Instead of rolling by every half hour as most Metro buses currently do, Rapid Ride buses will arrive every 15 minutes. Bus shelters on these selected routes are to be improved too, with electronic display screens to show how long it will take for the next bus to get there.

One of the key questions will be whether Rapid Ride buses will travel in bus-only lanes or blend with other traffic, said Gregg Hirakawa, spokesman for the Seattle Department of Transportation. The routes could have some bus-only sections with other parts where buses will mix with regular traffic.

Bridges are posing some challenges to bus rapid transit. The Ballard Bridge is not wide enough for a dedicated transit lane, Hirakawa said.

While the West Seattle Bridge is plenty wide, engineers aren't sure how they'll get bus rapid transit lanes onto it, he said.

Meanwhile Metro plans to add more runs on a few bus routes as soon as next month.

In Ballard, Route 44 runs to the University District and onto Montlake. Beginning in February, the route is scheduled to have buses arrive every 15 minutes.

One of the goals is to improve rush-hour service on Route 44, said Bill Bryant of King County Metro. There are a lot of people commuting to the University of Washington and Metro wants to add more rush-hour trips.

Route 120 connects downtown, Delridge, White Center and Burien. Today, buses roll every half hour on Saturdays. In February, buses are scheduled to run the route every 15 minutes on Saturdays.

Route 140 - which connects Burien, Tukwila, Renton and Sea-Tac International Airport - will get more frequent weekday service during the middle portion of the day.

Every Metro bus is pressed into service during rush hour but there's a systemwide shortage of buses, Bryant said. Twenty more buses have been ordered but probably won't arrive for at least a year. All of the buses on Rapid Ride routes will be articulated to provide more seats. They'll also be able t load and unload faster to reduce "dwell time," the periods when a bus is stopped.

Some people at the Ballard meeting wondered if the planned Rapid Ride routes are intended to fill the transit void left by the erstwhile monorail project.

"We're not trying to do what the monorail failed to do," Bryant said. "We recognize the need for ridership in those areas (Ballard and West Seattle)."

The county and the city also will figure out if they can provide an electronic way for Metro buses to negotiate more intersections by controlling traffic signals to stay green long enough for Rapid Ride buses to get through. It could mean using a device similar to the signal pre-empt system used by fire engines, in which a radio dispatcher can override the timing of traffic signals to keep the green light on longer so firefighters can speed through intersections on their way to emergencies.

Plans for central Seattle and the Eastside will be spelled out next fall, said Victor Obeso, manager of service development for King County Metro.

It will take up to five years to implement the Rapid Ride program.

Rebekah Schilperoort contributed to this report. Tim St. Clair can be reached at 932-0300 or tstclair@robinsonnews.com