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EXPRESS ROUTEto
Better
Bus
Service
HowtoImproveBusTravelacrosstheHudsonRiver,andBeyond
TriStateTransportationCampaign
May2009
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Acknowledgements
Reportauthors:VeronicaVanterpool,KateSlevin,andMichelleErnstwithad
ditionalresearchandinputfromStevenHigashideandBeccaHoma.
Wewould
like
to
thank
Tri
State
Transportation
Campaign
board
member
Jeff
Zupan,SeniorFellowattheRegionalPlanAssociationforhisknowledgeand
insightofbustransportationissues. ThanksalsotothePortAuthorityofNew
YorkandNewJerseyforprovidingstatisticsvitaltoouranalysis.
WewouldalsoliketothankMarkGortonandtheOpenPlanningProjectfor
theirsupportandfeedbackonthisreport.
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ExecutiveSummary
EvenasNewJerseycommutersincreasinglypileintotransHudsonbuses,the
abilityoftheregiontoservethosecommutersisstifledbyprojectdelays,in
frastructureconstraintsandsevere
informationgaps.
This
report
takes
a
comprehensivelookatthemajor
problemscurrentlyfacingtrans
Hudsonbusserviceandoffersstrate
giesforhowtoaddressthoseprob
lemsandimproveservice. Itsacallto
actionforthePortAuthorityofNew
YorkandNewJersey,anagencywith
goodideasbutslowimplementation
timelines,and
New
York
City,
which
is
steadilyenhancingthestreetscapebut
hasntdevelopedacoordinatedap
proachtodealingwithinterstatebus
service.
Busesprovidebothsignificantenviron
mentalbenefitsandcongestionrelief
toaregionsorelyinneedofboth.
WitheachbustraversingtheHudson
Rivercarryinganaverageof34pas
sengers,existingtransHudsonbus
serviceeliminatesthousandsofcar
trips(andtheirconcomitantemis
sions)everyday. Theaveragebus
emitslessthanonefifththecarbon
dioxideemissionsperpersonasasin
gleoccupancycar.1 And,perpassen
germile,busesemit25percentless
nitrogenoxide
emissions,
80
percent
lesscarbonmonoxide,and90percent
lesshydrocarbonemissions.2
KeyFindings
Morethan9,000busescrosstheHudsonRiverinto
Manhattaneachweekday,servingapopulationthe
sizeofCincinnatiandtwiceasmanypassengersas
commuterrail.Withoutbuses,trafficwouldbe84%
higherthanitistoday.
TheeastboundLincolnTunnelExpressBusLaneisthe
mostefficientstretchofroadwayinthecountry,carry
ing62,000peopleeverymorning.
Thegrowingpopularityofbusesisoverwhelmingthe
threemajorHudsonRivercrossings,thePortAuthority
BusTerminal,andManhattanstreets.
PortAuthoritydocumentsstatethatbustripsacross
theHudsonRiverwillincreaseby18%by2030,butthe
agencysplanstoaccommodatethisgrowtharepro
ceedingslowly.
Thegrowthoftheprivateinterstatebusindustryhas
ledtoaproliferationofmakeshiftbusstopsonalready
crowdedcity
sidewalks.
Busesarefarlesspollutingperpassengerthancars.
Theaveragebusemitslessthanonefifththecarbon
dioxideperpersonasasingleoccupancycar.
FillingtheVoid
FindinginformationonbusservicetoandfromthePort
AuthorityBusTerminalcanbedifficult.Inanattemptto
makebus
service
more
customer
friendly,
TSTC
has
cre
atedacentralwebpageforallbusinformation,including
mapsofpopularroutes, andlinkstoprivatecarrierand
interstateservices.
1.MTA. MTASustainabilityReport.2008.
2.Alvord,Katharine. DivorceYourCar:Endingtheloveaffairwiththecar. NewSocietyPublishers.2000.
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With315,000buspassengers(and226,000carsandtrucks)crossingtheHudsonon
theGeorgeWashingtonBridge,orthroughtheLincolnandHollandTunnelsevery
weekday,totaling100millionannually,thecrossingsareatcapacity.Enhancedbus
service,especiallyacrosstheHudsonRiver,isoneofthePortAuthorityskeygoalsin
its
Strategic
Plan,
but
projects
meant
to
improve
bus
capacity
are
moving
slowly.
Yet,
evenwiththetroubledeconomicsituation,busridershipwithintheregionismain
taininghighlevels,expectedtoreachmorethan371,000dailypassengersby2030.
Similarly,thePortAuthorityBus
Terminalhasfarexceededitsuse
fullifespanandisindireneedof
renovationandexpansion,but
planstoexpandithavealso
slowed.Anincredible7,000buses
makethe
Port
Authority
Bus
Ter
minaltheirdestinationonanaver
ageweekday,buttheTerminalis
packedandbusesstillspillout
ontoneighborhoodstreetstopick
upanddischargepassengers. And
thelackofcentralizedinformation
makestheterminalandthebus
systemitservesdifficulttonavi
gate,even
for
an
experienced
bus
rider.
Thegrowingprivateinterstatebus
industry(Megabus,GotoBus,Bolt
BusandthelongstandingChina
townbuscarriers)isfurtherstrain
ingManhattansalreadytraffic
chokedstreetsandsidewalks.
Theseservicesareonlyanticipated
toexpandincomingyears.3 How
willNewYorkCityaccommodate
andmanagethem?
KeyRecommendations
ShortTerm
1. ExpeditethecompletionoftheLincolnTunnelHighOccu
pancyTollLanesstudyandimplementtherecommenda
tionsimmediately.
2. EstablishawestboundXBLintheLincolnTunnelduring
theeveningrushhour.
3. Createanonlineportalforregionalbusriders,withmaps,
routeschedulesandcarrierinformation.
4. Improvecommunicationstechnologyforbusesandup
datesignage.
5. NYCshoulddevelop,withcommunityinput,strategiesfor
formalizingbusloading/unloadingandbusparkingareas
inneighborhoodsacrossthecity.
6.Coordinate
with
MTA
and
Westchester
Countys
Bee
Line
tocreateand/orexpandexistingbusservicebetween
WestchesterCountyandGeorgeWashingtonBridgeBus
Station.
LongTerm
1. StudythepotentialforHighOccupancyTollingonthe
HollandTunnelandGWBridge.
2. Moveforwardplanstorenovateandaddcapacitytothe
PortAuthority
Bus
Terminal
with
community
input,
and
to
constructabusgarageontheWestSide.
3.J.Schwieterman,etal.TheReturnoftheInterCityBus:TheDeclineandRecoveryofScheduleServicetoAmerican
Cities.DePaulUniversitySchoolofPublicServicePolicyStudy.2007.
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Improvedbusservicecomplementedwithbetterroadwayefficiencyacrossthe
HudsonRivercrossingsintoManhattancanhelpreducetrafficcongestion
now. Relativelysimplestrategiessuchasthecreationofbusloadingandpark
ingzonesandbusterminalenhancementsatthePortAuthorityBusTerminal
and
the
George
Washington
Bridge
Bus
Station
can
improve
the
travel
experi
enceforthemillionsofbusriderswhocrosstheHudsonRiverannually. Con
tinuedmappingofthepublicandprivatebuscarrierroutesacrosstheHudson
Rivercanprovidebusriderswithinformationtheycurrentlylack.
Abetterbusridingexperiencecanencouragemoredriverstoleavetheircars
athome.Thiswillleadtolesscongestionandbetterairquality,andhelpthe
regionmaintainitscompetitiveedge.
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Introduction
TravelingacrosstheHudsonRivercanbeanightmare.Carcrossingsareper
petuallycongested,andtrainsandbusesarepacked.
ThePort
Authority
of
New
York
and
New
Jersey
promises
to
determine
how
besttoensurethatcapacityexistsforcontinuedhighqualityservicetobus
commutersinitsrecentlyre
visedstrategicplan. Butimple
mentingthatpromisehasbeen
slow.
Demandfortransitserviceishap
peningnow,andisonlyexpected
toincreaseastheeconomyre
covers.ThePANYNJcites
convincingevidencethatcontin
uedgrowthwilloverwhelmthe
abilityofthecurrenttransit,road,
andhighwaysystemtomeetthe
commutingneedsofthenewjobs
andresidentsforecastforthe
regionby2020.4Andfluctuating
gasprices,environmentalcon
cerns,andcongestionmeancom
mutersareincreasinglychoosing
toleavetheircarsathometo
takeadvantageofpublictrans
portation.Thefasterdeclinein
carandtrucktrafficversustransit
useresultingfromtheeconomic
downturnfurtherindicatesthe
popularityoftransit.
Thisreportofferssuggestionsformeetingthedemandforincreasedbusser
viceintoandoutofNewYorkCityinthenearandlongterm,withafocuson
thelowerHudsonRivercrossings. Itrecommendsasetofneartermimprove
ments,suchasthecreationofbusloadingzones,andlongerterminitiatives
ExpressbuslanesheadingintoLincolnTunnel. PhotofromFederalTransitAdministration.
4.PANYNJ.ThePortAuthorityStrategicPlan:TransportationforRegionalProsperity. 2006.
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suchasimplementationofhighoccupancytolllanes,areverseexclusivebus
laneoutbound,andbusterminalexpansionandimprovements.
Betterserviceandinfrastructureforbusridersmeanssignificantbenefitsfor
ourenvironmentandmobility,asagreaternumberofdriversshiftoutofcars
andontomoreefficientmodesoftravel.Italsomeansbusriderswillbegiven
greaterconsiderationandwillbetreatedlesslikesecondclasstransitpassen
gers.
AccesstotheRegionsCore
NJTRANSITandthePortAuthorityofNewYorkandNewJerseyareconstructinga
newpassengerrailtunnel,AccesstotheRegionsCore.The$8billiontunnelwill
doublepassengerrailserviceacrosstheriveralleviatingcongestionattheHudson
Rivercrossings.ThoughtheARCtunnelisexpectedtoprovidetrafficandtransit
reliefacrosstheHudson,eventhemostoptimisticconstructionschedulesputits
earliestcompletion
at
2017.
But
with
the
Hudson
crossings
already
at
capacity,
expandedtransitserviceisneedednow. Improvementstotheregionsbusser
vice,asidentifiedinthisreport,canhelpmeetthegrowingdemandinthenear
term.
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TheChallenges
Onanygivenweekday,morethan9,000busescurrentlycrowdontothe
GeorgeWashingtonBridgeandthroughtheLincolnandHollandTunnels,car
rying315,000passengers. Thisistheequivalentofmovingnearlytheentire
populationofCincinnatiacrosstheHudsoneveryday.Withtransitusegrowing
bothnationallyandinourregion,transitcarriersabilitytoaccommodatethe
demandisatabreakingpointthethreemajorHudsonRivercrossingsare
alreadycarryingfarmorevehiclesthantheyweredesignedtoaccommodate,
theCitysbusterminalsareeitherdesperatelyoutdatedorprovidelimited
transitconnectionstotherestoftheregion,andscarcestreetspaceisbeing
overrunbylooselyregulatedprivatebuscarriers.
DemandforBusServiceIsStrong
Overthecourseofayear,morethan100millionbuspassengerstravelacross
theGWBridgeorthroughtheLincolnorHollandTunnelsintoNewYorkCity.5
Thecrossingsaccommodatesignificantcartravelaswell,withmorethan
226,000carsandtruckspassingovertheGWBridgeorthroughtheLincolnand
HollandTunnelsonanygivenweekday(Figure1).
5.TheTappanZeeBridgealsoaccommodatessignificantbusridershipandhasreachedcapacity. However,
becausethebusservicecrossingtheTappanZeeprimarilyservesthesuburbanmarket,theCampaignex
cludedthiscrossingfromouranalysis.
9,000busesmove
theequivalentof
thepopulationof
Cincinnatiacross
theHudson
River
everyday.
Figure1.AverageWeekdayBusandCartripsonthe
GeorgeWashingtonBridge,LincolnandHollandTunnels
(Typical2008Weekday,eastboundvehicles)
Source:PortAuthorityofNewYorkandNewJersey.
132,400
47,200 46,700
82,000
190,000
43,000
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
180,000
200,000
GWBridge LincolnTunne l HollandTunnelEastbound
vehicles/passengers
AutosandLightTrucks BusPassengers
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AnydriverorbuspassengertravelingacrosstheHudsonRiverduringrushhour
canattesttothetrafficcongestionatthesecrossings. Backupsroutinelyex
tendformilesanddelayscanlastforanhourormore.
Butthosedelayswouldbefarworsewithouttheregionsextensivecommuter
bussystem. Accommodatingthe315,000dailybuspassengersbycarinstead
wouldfurtherchokethealreadycongestedcrossings. TheCampaigncalcu
latedthatifthe315,000dailybuspassengerstravelingintoNewYorkCity
acrosstheHudsonRiverweretoinsteadtravelbyprivatevehicle,190,909ad
ditionalcarswouldneedtosqueezeacrosstheGWBridgeandthroughthe
LincolnandHollandTunnels,nearlydoublingthenumberofcarsusingthe
crossings(see
Table
1).
Recent
research
suggests
that
traffic
is
subject
to
a
tippingpoint,andthatshiftingevenasmallportionofthosebusridersinto
privatevehicleswouldsignificantlyworsenthealreadyterriblecongestion.6
TransitUseGrowing
Transitridershipcontinuestogrowbothnationallyandregionally,andata
pacefarfasterthandriving. Whilethenumberofmilesdrivenhasfallenby3.6
percentoverthepastyear,theAmericanPublicTransportationAssociation
(APTA)reportsthat2008ridershipreacheditshighestpointsince1956,and
hasgrown
more
than
17
percent
over
the
last
decade.
In
New
York
City
and
NewJersey,thisgrowthintransithasbeenparticularlyrobust(seeFigure2),
evenasdrivingisflatliningordeclining.7
NumberofCarsand
TrucksNeededto
ReplaceBuses
Hypothetical
Traffic
Growth
GeorgeWashingtonBridge 49,697 38%
LincolnTunnel 115,152 244%
HollandTunnel 26,060 56%
Total 190,909 84%
Table1.NumberofCarsandTrucksNeededtoAccommodate
CurrentBusRidershipAcrossGWBridgeandthroughLincolnand
HollandTunnels
Source:TSTCcalculationassumingvehicleoccupancyof1.65peoplepervehicle.
Itwouldtakeal
most191,000
carstoaccommo
datethe315,000
commuterscur
rently
crossing
theHudsonRiver
onbuses.
6.CEOsforCities.TheTippingPoint,March3,2009.http://www.ceosforcities.org/blog/entry/2169
7.FHWA.TrafficVolumeTrendsMonthlyReport,December2008. APTA.FourthQuarterRidershipReports
byMode. NYCT.AnnualBusandSubwayRidershipReports.NJTRANSITRidershipHistory.
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ExistingtransHudsonbusserviceisprovidedbyanumberofprivatecarriers
and60differentcommuterroutesoperatedbyNJTRANSIT,NewJerseyspub
lictransitoperator. RidershiponNJTRANSITscommuterbusrouteshas
grownsignificantlyoverthepastfewyears. Between2002and2007,ridership
jumped18percent,withmorethan52millionpassengersutilizingNJTRANSIT
commuterbusestotravelintoNewYorkCityin2007.
BusridershipacrosstheGWBridgeandthroughtheLincolnandHollandTun
nelsis
projected
to
climb
by
more
than
18
percent
by
the
year
2030.8
Assum
ingbusoccupancyratesholdsteady,thatwouldmeananadditional1,650
busescrossingtheHudsononadailybasis.
Theupwardtrendintransitridershipisobviouslygoodnewsforourenviron
mentandeconomy. Butthegrowthalsopresentschallengestotransitsys
temsoperatingagainstfinancialandinfrastructureconstraints. Demandfor
neworexpandedserviceisputtingincreasedpressureontransitagenciesal
readystrugglingtomaintainexistingservicelevelsunderconstrictingbudgets.
AndinthegreaterNewYorkmetropolitanregion,therobustgrowthintrans
Hudsonbustravelteststhelimitsofthephysicalinfrastructure.
CrossingCapacityataBreakingPoint
Currently,onlyoneaccommodationisgiventobusestravelingacrosstheHud
sonanditwasestablishednearlyfourdecadesago. TheLincolnTunnelsEx
8.AccesstotheRegionsCoreFinalEnvironmentalImpactStatement.,Chapter3.1,p.8.2008.
Busridership
acrossthethree
crossingsispro
jectedto
grow
by
morethan18
percentbythe
year2030.
Figure2.GrowthinTransitRidership(allmodes),1999to2008
Source:FHWA.TrafficVolumeTrendsMonthlyReport,December2008. APTA.FourthQuarterRidership
ReportsbyMode. NYCT.AnnualBusandSubwayRidershipReports.NJTRANSITRidershipHistory.
17.6%
22.3%
25.5%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
National NYCTransit NJTRANSIT
Change
in
AnnualRide
rship
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clusiveBusLane(XBL),createdin1971,usesawestboundtrafficlaneforeast
boundweekdaymorningbustravel. TheXBListhemostefficientstretchof
roadwayinthecountry,carrying1,700buseswithover62,000passengers
headingeastboundintoNewYorkCityonweekdaymornings. TheXBLisso
popularthatitisnowcongestedattimes(thoughitstillspeedsbustripsby15
to20minutesaccordingtothePortAuthority). TheXBLisclosetoreachingits
capacitylimitof700peakhourbuses.9Variousreports,suchasNewYork
Cityssustainabilityplan,PlaNYC,listtheXBLasoneoftheregionsmostim
portantassets.
Thissole
accommodation
is
sorely
insufficient
today
and
will
be
even
more
so
inthefuturegiventhesurgingdemandforbusserviceandskyrocketingrider
ship.ThePortAuthorityacknowledgesthisinitsStrategicPlan,stating,
continuedgrowthwilloverwhelmtheabilityofthecurrenttransit,road,and
highwaysystemtomeetthecommutingneedsofthenewjobsandresidents
forecastfortheregionby2020.10 Yet,inthepastthreedecadestherehave
beenfewnewprovisionsforbustrafficandnolargecapacityimprovements.
BusridersacrosstheHudsonRiverareattractedtotheaffordability,conven
ience,andenvironmentalbenefits. However,thesebenefitswillquicklydwin
dlewithoutmeasurestokeepbuscommutingafaster,moreconvenientalter
nativetodriving.
TypicalHollandTunnelrushhourcongestion. PhotobyAlexdiSuveroforTheNewYorkTimes
TheLincolnTunnel
XBL,themosteffi
cientstretchof
roadwayinthe
country,wases
tablished38years
ago,in1971.
9.ARCFEIS,Chapter1,p.6
10.PANYNJ.ThePortAuthorityStrategicPlan:TransportationforRegionalProsperity. 2006.
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Terminals
OutdatedandOvercapacity:PortAuthorityBusTerminal
ThePortAuthorityBusTerminal(PABT),inmidtownManhattan,isthelargest
andbusiest
bus
passenger
facility
in
the
world.
On
an
average
day,
200,000
commutersand7,000busesmakethePABTtheirdestination. Over53million
passengerscomethroughthisterminalannually. Usedbybothpublicandpri
vatebuscarriers,theterminalhas223busgates,1,250spacesofpublicpark
ing,alongwithcommercialandretailspace.
Theterminal,builtbetween1949and1951,wasalreadyoperatingatitscapac
ityby1966.Itwasexpandedby50percentinthelate1970sandearly1980s,
buthasseenfewimprovementssincethen,eventhough,accordingtothePA,
the
terminal
now
has
the
highest
ridership
and
bus
activity
in
its
history.
The
PortAuthorityBusTerminalisbusiernowthaniteverhasbeenbutfinancial
constraintsandpoliticalpressureshaveinhibiteditsexpansion.
PlanstorenovateandexpandthePABThavestalledasthePortAuthorityne
gotiateswithaprivatedevelopertobuytheairrightsovertheterminal,a
processthatislikelyhamperedbythenationaleconomicdownturn. The
agencybudgeted$5millionin2008tostartworkonabusparkinggarageadja
centtothePABT,butthatprojectisbehindschedule.
Thelack
of
acentralized
information
systemalertingpassengersandcom
muterstobusterminallocationsorthe
timesofarrivalsanddeparturesisaglar
ingshortcoming. Fortravelersnotregu
larlycommutingthroughthePABT,just
figuringoutwhichbustotake,whereto
findit,andwhenitleavescanbeadizzy
ingexperience. Onseveralvisits,Tri
State
staff
saw
the
information
booth
unstaffed,makingitthatmuchharder
forcommuterstogettheinformation
theyneed.
InMarch2009,NJTRANSIT,whichoperatesseveralcommuterroutesintothe
terminal,announceditscontractwiththePABTforseveralcommunication
ThePortAuthority
BusTerminalis
strainingtohandle
thehighestrider
shipandbusactiv
ityinitshistory.
ThePortAuthorityBusTerminalisoutdatedandovercrowded.
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upgradestobecompletedbyDecember2009. Theupgradesincludemore
videoscreenswithrealtimetravelinformation,animprovedpublicaddress
systemannouncingbusdepartures,andfasterticketmachinesthatexpedite
purchases. Thisisclearlyastepintherightdirection,butmuchmoreneedsto
be
done.
OutofReach:GeorgeWashingtonBridgeBusStation
ThePABTisthemostwidelyusedbusterminalfortransHudsonbusservice
butthelesserknownGeorgeWashingtonBridgeBusStation(GWBBS)hostsa
significantnumberofbusesandpassengersaswell. Thebusstation,locatedin
upperManhattan,isdirectlylinkedtotheGeorgeWashingtonBridgeviaexclu
sivebusramps. TheGWBBSservesabout17,000passengersand950buses
eachday. Overthecourseofayear,morethanfivemillionpassengerstravel
intothe
station
on
nearly
300,000
buses.
Despiteitsawardwinningdesignandthesignificantcapitalinvestmentsmade
bythePortAuthority,theGWBBSfailstocapturealargershareofridersand
buses. Onereasonmaybebecausetransitconnectionsarenotasefficientas
theycouldbe.
Figure3.MTABusesServingtheGWBridgeBusStation.
Source:MTA.ManhattanBusMap2008.
Overthecourseof
ayear,morethan
fivemillionpas
sengerstravelinto
theGeorgeWash
ingtonBridgeBus
Stationonnearly
300,000buses.
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LocatedintheWashingtonHeightssectionofManhattan,theGWBBSisserved
bytheA(express)and1(local)subwaylinesprovidingoptionsforcommuters
headedfurthersouthandeast. Severalbusroutes(seeFigure3)connectpas
sengerstootherManhattandestinationssuchasPennStation,MurrayHill,
Greenwich
Village,
Inwood,
and
East
Harlem
but
traffic
congestion
compro
misestheirspeedandreliability,oftenaddingsignificanttimetoacommute
thatisalreadybattlingdelaysontheGeorgeWashingtonBridge.
TherearenobusconnectionsintoWestchesterCounty,NewYorkCitys
neighbortothenorth,despitetheGWBSSsproximity. Expandednorthernand
westernbusservicecouldopenupanuntappedmarketforincreasedtravel
choicesintocitiessuchasYonkersandWhitePlains.
StreetSpaceUsedasMakeshiftBusStops
Respondingtothegrowthinregionalleisureandbusinesstravel,carrierssuch
asGotoBus,Megabus,andBoltBusarebranchingintonewmarketswithaf
fordable,reliable,andconvenientbusservicetodestinationssuchasAtlantic
CityandWashington,DC. Thecarriersmarketthemselvesasservingneighbor
hoods(e.g.Chinatownbuses),pickingupanddischargingpassengersatloca
tionsthroughoutthecityratherthanatamajorcentralterminal. Forsome
passengers,theoptiontoavoidthetriptomidtownisastrongincentive.
Theselongdistanceprivatecarriersareusingcitystreetsasmakeshiftbus
stopswith
waiting
passengers
queuing
along
crowded
sidewalks
without
ade
quateshelter. BuscapacityconstraintsatPortAuthorityBusTerminalareone
factorwhy,accordingtoanofficialatthePANYNJ. Privatecarriersseeking
spaceattheTerminalarebeingturnedawayduetolackofcapacityandare
findingcurbspaceonNewYorkCitystreetsin
stead.
Thehighcostofgatefees(relativetofreestreet
parking)mayalsodeterbuscarriersfromusing
thePABT. Publicdocumentsindicatethatthe
gateleasefeeatthePABTforprivatelong
distancecarrierscanapproach$20,000forpre
miumgates. Avoiding leasingfeesattheTermi
nalmightmakeiteasierforsomeofthesecarri
erstomaintainthesecheapfares,astrongincen
tiveforcustomers. MegaBuspassengerswaiting at31stStreetand8thAvenue. PhotobyTSTC
Busesareincreas
inglybeingseenat
makeshiftbus
stopsonNewYork
Citystreets.
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NYCDOTdesignatessomelocationsforbusdropoff/pickupsitesbut these
loadingandunloadingzonesarepoorlyenforced. Elsewhere,busesseemto
stopwhereverconvenientwithlittleconsiderationforneighborhoodimpacts.
PrivateCarrierInformationHardtoFind
BeyondtheprivatelongdistancecarrierssuchasGotoBus,anumberofprivate
busservicessuchasAcademy,Coach,DeCamp,andRocklandCoachesprovide
transHudsonservicetoregionalcommuters. Thoughthesecarriersareavital
partofourregionaltransitnetwork,informationabouttheirroutesandsched
ulesisnotuserfriendly.
Totravelviaprivatebus intoandoutofPABT,onemustvisiteachcarriers
website(linksareavailablethroughthePortAuthoritywebsite)tofigureout
schedulesorseeroutemaps,iftheyexist. Manyprivatecarriersdonotmap
outtheirroutes,providingahugedisservicetotravelers. Suchmapsareim
portantvisualaidsforanycommuterseekingtraveloptionstransHudson.
Samplemapshavebeencreatedforthisreportwiththeintentionofencourag
ingamorecentralizedandpracticaltraveltool. Doingsocanstreamlineand
facilitatebustravelforthesecommuters.
SeveralprivatecarriersservetransHudsoncommutersinBergen,Essex,Mer
cer,Middlesex,Monmouth,Morris,Passaic,SomersetandUnionCounties,all
ofwhicharegeographicallyclosetoNewYorkCity. Yet,thereisnopublicrid
ershipdata
available
that
shows
how
many
bus
riders
are
using
private
carriers
togetfromthesecountiesintoNYC.
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TheSolutions
AdditionallanescannotbeaddedtoanyoftheHudsonRivercrossingsinto
Manhattan,butexistinglanescanbecomemoreefficientbybetteraccommo
datingbustraffic. Busfacilities,particularlythePortAuthorityBusTerminal,
canbeenhancedsignificantlywithrelativelyminorimprovements.Thedesig
nationofstreetcurbspaceforbusloadingandparkingareas,andinthelonger
run,theexpansionofthePABTandthecreationofabusgaragecouldalleviate
themusicalchairsforbusparkinginmanypartsofthecity. Muchofthisis
includedinthePortAuthoritysstrategicplan,andtheagencysmostrecent
capitalbudgetdesignateshundredsofmillionsofdollarstotheeffort. Butpro
gressseemsstalled,evenasridershipgrowsandtheregionsfacilitiesare
burstingattheseams.
MoreExclusive
Bus
Lanes
Regionalbusridershipisskyrocketing,butridersaregivenfewaccommoda
tions.
In2005,thePortAuthoritybeganstudyingwaystoalleviatecongestioninthe
LincolnTunnelXBL. Thatreport,forwhich$5millionwasbudgetedin2008
alone,wasdueoutattheendof2008. Butthereporthasbeendelayedby
anotheryearduetoglitchesinthetransportationmodelingprogrambeing
used. Suchmodelsmaybethebestmethodswehavetodecipherpossible
impactsof
transportation
decisions,
but
they
are
far
from
being
an
exact
sci
enceandnevershowpreciseimpacts.
PortAuthorityofficialshavesaidtheyareleaningtowardstheconversionofan
existinggeneralpurposelanetoaHighOccupancyToll(HOT)lanetohelpre
lievethegridlockonthebuspriorityroute.HOTlaneschargesolodriversa
premiumfordrivingonalesscongestedroadway,whileallowingbusesand
carpoolsatnoadditionalcost.
Recommendation:ExpeditethecompletionoftheLincolnTunnelHighOccu
pancyToll
Lanes
study
and
replace
ageneral
purpose
lane
with
aHigh
Occu
pancyTollLaneattheLincolnTunnel.
AnotheroptionisthecreationofawestboundLincolnTunnelexclusivebus
laneduringrushhour. UsingPortAuthoritydata,aTSTCanalysisfoundthat
thenumberofcars,busesandtrucksleavingNewYorkCityviatheLincolnTun
nelintheeveningrushhournearlyrivalsthenumberofvehiclescominginto
Itstimetostop
treatingbus
riderslike
2nd
classcitizens
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thecityduringthemorningrush.Yet,theLincolnTunnelExclusiveBusLaneis
onlyineffectintoNewYorkandonlyduringthemorningrushhour.Buses
headedbacktoNewJerseyduringeveningpeaktimesmustcontendwiththe
samegridlockconditionsthatcarsdo(seeboxabove).PortAuthorityofficials
havesaidthattrafficmovesfasterwithoutlanerestrictions,butbusdriverssay
thatdelaysleavingthecityaresubstantialanddesignatedlanesmayhelp.
UsageofaNewJerseyboundXBL(whichwouldeitherreplaceaNewJersey
boundgeneralpurposelaneorbeacontraflowlanecarvedoutofNewYork
Cityboundtraffic)wouldalmostcertainlyrivalthatofthemorningXBL,provid
ingrealbenefitsforthelargestshareoftransHudsoncommutersandcreating
furtherincentivestocommutebymasstransit.
Recommendation:EstablishawestboundXBLduringtheeveningrushhour.
TheagencyshouldalsoimmediatelycommenceaHighOccupancyTolling
studyfor
the
Holland
Tunnel
and
George
Washington
Bridge,
as
demand
for
transHudsonservicewillonlyincreaseincomingdecades.
PortAuthorityisalreadyexaminingthisoptionfortheLincolnTunnel.
Recommendation:StudythepotentialforHighOccupancyTollingontheHol
landTunnelandGWBridge.
FixTerminalsandFormalizeBusParking
Althoughithostsover53millionpassengertripsandover2millionbusmove
mentsperyear,thePortAuthorityBusTerminalhasnotbeenrenovatedin
overtwentyyearsandlacksamodernizedappearanceandtechnologybased
information. ThewebsiteVirtualTourist.comrateditthe5thugliestbuildingor
monumentintheworldin2008.
PlansforPortAuthorityBusTerminalexpansionhavelanguishedforyearsand
IJustWanttoGetHome!
EveningrushhourtrafficfromNewYorkCityintoNewJerseynearlyrivalsthe
morningrushhourintoNewYork.Duringtheaverageeveningpeakperiod(48
pm),nearly
17,000
vehicles
travel
westbound
into
New
Jersey;
by
comparison,
around19,100vehiclesenterNewYorkCityduringthemorningrush(610am).
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needtobeexpeditedortheywillneverhappen.Themostrecent
redesign,announcedbythePortAuthorityinJuly2008,includes18
newbusgatesandupgradestoexistinggatesallowingforanaddi
tional70buses,carryingabout3,000passengers,totravelthrough
during
peak
commuting
hours
(the
terminal
currently
has
223
gates).Thisisanincreaseinpeakhourbuscapacityof18percent
asignificantboost.However,atthecenteroftheredevelop
mentplansisthesaleanddevelopmentoftheairspaceabovePort
AuthorityBusTerminalwhichwillbedevelopedinto1.3million
squarefeet.Giventhecurrenteconomicsituation,thereisnoguar
anteetheseplanswillcometofruitioninthenearfuturewithout
increasedattentionfromtheagency.
Arelatedplantobuilda$545millionbusgaragenearthePABT
wouldhelp
alleviate
neighborhood
problems
with
bus
layovers.
Thegaragecouldbemadeavailabletocommuterbuses,private
intercitybusservices,andcharterbuses.
Recommendation:Moveforwardplanstorenovateandaddca
pacitytothePortAuthorityBusTerminalwithcommunityinput,
andtoconstructabusgarageontheWestSide.
Information,Please!
ThePort
Authority
makes
apoint
of
not
providing
bus
information
tocustomers,beyondthephonenumbersforcarriers. Theagency
needstodoamuchbetterjobofcommunicatingwithriders.
BuildingonthemappingandonlineworkdonebytheCampaign
forthisreport,(seepage4oftheExecutiveSummary)thePANYNJ
shouldcreateasinglewebsitethatprovidesbusinformationfor
riders.Thisshouldincluderoutes,schedules,andmapsforregional
andlongerdistanceprivatecarriers,aswellasforNJTRANSIT(see
www.tstc.org/bus).
Recommendation:Createanonlineportalforregionalbusriders,
withmaps,routeschedulesandcarrierinformation.
Thewaybusarrival,departure,androuteinformationismade
availabletobuscommutersisoutdated. AnewcontractwithNJ
TRANSITwillprovidesomeneededcommunicationupgradesbut
GateassignmentsforNJTRANSITarelisted
on small,dispersedbulletinboardsdespite
theavailabilityofmoremoderndisplay
methods.PhotobyBeccaHoma
PelliClarkePelliArchitectsrenderingofnew
PABTofficetower.
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morecanbedone.
Recommendation:Improvecommunicationstechnologyforbusesandup
datesignage.
UseNYC
Street
Space
for
Buses
Busridersshouldnothavetocontinuetowaitforimprovementswhilethe
PortAuthorityBusTerminalismodernizedoranewfacilityisbuilt. And
clearly,withbusridershiprising,theneedformoreloadingandparkingspace
isimmediate.
NewYorkCitydoesprovidedesignatedbusloadingandunloadingareas
throughoutManhattan:SouthStreetSeaport,PennStation,BatteryParkand
theJacobJavitsCenter. Butthedemandforspaceexceedsthissupply,andno
spaceis
formally
provided
in
popular
bus
destinations
such
as
Chinatown.
Designatingadditionalstreetspaceforbusparking,loadingandunloadingcan
helpimproveserviceinthenearterm.Thiseffortmustbedonewithcommu
nityinputandmustbetailoredtoreflectlocalconcernsandparticularneeds.
BetterenforcementofcurrentNewYorkCityantiidlinglawscanhelpallay
communityconcernsaboutairpollutionandnoise. Andchargingfortheprivi
legeofloadingandunloadingorparkingonNewYorkCitystreetscouldhelp
offsetthecostsofenforcingtheparkingrestrictionsandantiidlinglaws,and
maybeevenpayforamenitiessuchasbusshelters.
Possiblearrangementscouldincludebusprioritystreetswithvehiclerestric
tionsinplaceduringallorpartoftheday. Thosestreetscouldbeusedforbus
layoversandloadingandunloadingofpassengers. TriStatehasadvocatedfor
restrictingvehiclesfrom32ndStreetbetween7thAvenueandBroadwayto
allowformorebusestousethisalreadycrowdedMTAlayoverarea.
NYCDOTisalreadyaddressingcommunityconcernsontheWestSideofMan
hattanbyestablishingmorebuslayoverareas.Sucheffortsneedtobeex
pandedandformalized,particularlytoaccommodateprivatecarriers,toen
surebusesarentcreatinghavocalloverNewYorkCitystreets.
Anotheroptioncouldbetosetasidemorecurbspaceasbusloadingand
unloadingzones. Thisapproachiscurrentlyutilizedwithgreatsuccessinsev
erallocationsthroughoutthecityforNewYorkCitybuses(seephotos,right).
Additionally,thePAshouldcoordinatewithNYCtocreateabusparkinggarage
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ontheWestSideofManhattan. Proposalstoaddressbus
parkinghavefacedsignificantoppositionfromcommunity
members,butconcernsarenotinsurmountable.Forexample,
thesitingofabusgarageunderthe WorldTradeCenter me
morial,
where
an
existing
parking
lot
once
existed,
along
with
amorerecentproposaltomove18commuterbusestoWest
StreetinlowerManhattan,hasraisedsignificantcommunity
concerns. Suchexampleshighlighttheimportanceofincorpo
ratingcommunityinputintoanyproposalaidedbythesugges
tionsproposedbycommunityleaders.
Infact,someelectedofficialshavestronglysupportedaddi
tionalbusparkingandloadingzonesaroundthePABT.For
example,SenatorThomasK.Duanehasnotedthetrafficcon
gestion,health,
pedestrian
safety,
and
quality
of
life
impacts
stemmingfromthelackofadditionalbusfacilitiestoaccom
modatetheincreasingnumberofbuses.InaOctober2008
NewYorkTimeslettertotheeditor,hecalledfortheconstruc
tionofaWestSideparkinggaragetoprotecthisconstituents.
Recommendation:NewYorkCityshouldde
velop,withcommunityinput,strategiesforfor
malizingbusloading/unloadingandbusparking
areas
in
neighborhoods
across
the
city.
CreateBusConnectionsintoWestchesterCounty
TherearenobusconnectionsfromtheGeorge
WashingtonBridgeBusStationintoWestchester
County. Suchconnectionscouldprovidejobac
cessintolowerWestchesterCounty,suchas
YonkersandWhitePlains,forpeopleusingthe
lowerHudsonrivercrossingsintoNewYork. For
example,Bee
Lines
MxM4c
could
provide
ser
vicefromWhitePlainsdirectlytotheGWBBS.
Recommendation:PANYNJshouldcoordinate
withMTAandWestchesterCountysBeeLine
tocreateand/orexpandexistingbusservice
betweenWestchesterCountyandGWBBS.
AvarietyofwaystoaccommodatebusesonNYCstreets
Top:OutsidetheProspectPark subwaystationinBrooklyn, parking
hasbeenremovedtomakeroomforthethreeNYCTransitbusroutes
whichbeginthere.Thebusstophashelpedlocalbusinessesand
madethestreetsaferforpedestrians.Middle:Buslayoverareanear
theSouthStreetSeaportstation. Thislayoverareaaccommodates
bothpublicandprivatebuscarriers.Bottom:Withmorethan20local
andregionalbusesservingthearea,aswellastheLIRRandseveral
subwaylines,theJamaicaBusTerminalhasbeendesignedtoaccom
modatedozensofbuses. PhotosbyTSTCstaff.
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Conclusion
Busridershipisgrowingsignificantly. ThetransHudsoncorridorsupportssig
nificantnumbersofcommutersofallmodesusingthreepointsofaccessthat
arealreadyatcapacity. Totackletheenvironmentalandphysicalchallengesof
theexistinginfrastructurebroughtonbythislargevolumeofcommuters,bus
serviceshouldbegivengreaterpriorityandexpandedprovisionstobetter
serveallcommutingpopulations.
Busserviceisaconvenient,expedient,andcosteffectivealternativetodriving,
butthelevelsoftransitgrowthacrossthesecrossingswillcompromisethese
benefits. Inordertoencouragemoredriverstoleavetheircarsathome,ex
pandedandincreasedbusserviceintheHollandandLincolnTunnelsand
acrosstheGeorgeWashingtonBridgemustbecomeapriorityofthetransit
agenciesserving
our
region.
This
coordination
can
result
in
fewer
car
trips,
improvedairquality,increasedmobility,andtimesavings. Itcanalsobethe
catalystforamorerobustregionalbusnetworkwiththepotentialtoserve
millionsmore.
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350W31stStreet
NewYork,NY 10001
p:(212)2687474 f:(212)2687333
www.tstc.org
TheTriStateTransportationCampaignisanonprofitpolicyandadvocacyorganization
workingtoward
amore
balanced,
transit
friendly,
and
equitable
transportation
system
inNewJersey,NewYork,andConnecticut.
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