T3 Webinar:

4/16/2008 - Assessing the Potential for BRT in Your Region: Lessons Learned from a Los Angeles/New York ITS Peer-to-Peer Exchange

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"Bus Rapid Transit T3 Webinar"

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Slide 1: Bus Rapid Transit T3 Webinar

April 16, 2008

Naomi Klein
Westchester County
Department of Transportation

Slide 2: BRT Initiatives in the NY Metro Region

1. Central Avenue (Route 100), Westchester County
2. 6 Corridors in NYC
3. New Brunswick, New Jersey
4. Tappan Zee Bridge/ I-287 Corridor

[Image: Map of metropolitan New York City. Show the location of the four BRT initiatives underway in the NY Metro Region.]

Slide 3: Different Approaches to Identifying BRT Corridors in the Region

Conditions that were considered:

• Market for increased transit service
• Demographic characteristics
• Need for new transit service
• Operating characteristics of existing transit services (delays, increased running times)
• Potential for BRT type service improvements

Slide 4: Example – Westchester County DOT (Bee-Line System).Central Avenue (Route 100) Corridor

Evaluation of existing conditions confirms the suitability of the corridor for BRT:

• Traffic Analysis
• Run Time Analysis – How a bus spends its time traveling – time at lights and dwelling at stops
• Ridership Counts
• Public Input
• Parking Inventory

Slide 5: Results of Existing Conditions Analysis

• Transit Signal Priority - Victory Boulevard in Staten Island - operational Fall 2007. 13 signals, key bus corridor feeding Staten Island Ferry Terminal (15% improvement in bus speeds)
• First BRT Corridor - Fordham Blvd/Pelham Parkway in Bronx – Late June 2008 launch – Corridor w/ TSP at up to 40 signals, 6 minute peak headways, radio emitters communicate request to signal controller.

Slide 6: Capital District Transportation Authority Central Avenue Albany

• Over 40% of the time a bus is in service it is stopped
• Scheduled running time of bus routes has increased because of traffic congestion and more boardings
• Ridership grew 21% from 2003-2007 on the Routes 20 and 21
• Potential for increased ridership and a market for more service
• Central Avenue has more of a retail market than a traditional journey to work market with most congestion mid-day
• There is support for BRT among the public
• Most areas of the corridor have no parking; there are 3 major areas with meters

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Slide 7: Central Avenue Corridor: 3 Bee-Line Bus Routes

• Route 20 (local) and 21 (limited) connect Westchester with the New York City subway and bus – approximately 30% of Bee-Line customers transfer
• Route BxM4C (Westchester – Manhattan Express) links Westchester to Midtown and Lower Manhattan
• 3.6 million annual riders
• Average Route 20 daily weekday ridership approximately 10,000 riders – 10% of Bee-Line system ridership

[Image: Photo of cars and trucks maneuvering under elevated train tracks. ]

Slide 8: Major Destinations Support a Market for BRTS

• Downtown White Plains, Westchester County Center
• Cross County Shopping Center – 1.5 million square foot retail development
• Yonkers Raceway – 7,500 Video Lottery Terminals (10/06)
• NYC Subway and bus system – MetroCard (4/07) – allows free transfers

[Images: Photos of a court house. Photo of a sign for a mall.]

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Slide 9: High Concentration of Residential, Retail and Commercial Development

• High density residential and retail uses provide opportunities to attract more riders
• Underutilized or vacant properties have potential to be redeveloped

[Images: Photos of a residential street with a large apartment building in the background. Photo of a busy strip mall. Photo of a vacant commercial space. Photo of a small commercial district. ]

Slide 10: Pedestrian Challenges

• Incomplete and narrow sidewalks
• Wide crossings

[Images: Photo of a four lane street (two lanes in both directions) with a dirt path for a sidewalk. Photo of a narrow sidewalk along a street. Photo of a crosswalk extending over a four lane street (two lanes in both directions).]

Slide 11: Traffic Signals and Bus Stops

• 71 bus stops in corridor, spaced approximately every 2/10 of a mile
• 44 traffic signals along corridor, approximately every 3/10 of a mile

[Images: Photo a store signs at the entrance to a strip mall. Photo of an uncovered bus stop along a sidewalk. Photo of a covered bus stop opposite a strip mall.]

Slide 12: Need to Acquire More BRT Expertise

Purpose of a Peer-to-Peer Exchange:

• Observe a system in operation first hand
• Travel on the system
• Enhance knowledge of technical issues - ITS
• Understand appropriate strategies for different operating environments
• Ask questions of the experts and exchange ideas

Slide 13: BRT Peer-to-Peer Exchange.November 7-8, 2007, Los Angeles

Agencies Represented:
Westchester County DOT
MTA New York City Transit
New York City DOT
MTA Metro-North Railroad
New Jersey Transit
New York State DOT

Why a multi-jurisdictional exchange?
Value in sharing different expertise and perspectives on BRT issues

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Slide 14: Lessons Learned

How to justify an investment in BRT attributes

• BRT is a proactive way of operating and improves efficiency – By cycling vehicles more rapidly, a 20% travel time savings yields a 20% increase in seats (Extending running time is reactive and inefficient.)

How benefits are achieved

• Need a system of integrated components – benefits achieved in LA support integrated concept:
• Travel time savings in LA – 1/3 from tsp, 1/3 fewer stops, 1/3 headway based scheduling
• Increase in Ridership in LA – 1/3 new to system, 1/3 riding more, 1/3 from other routes

Slide 15: Lessons Learned – BRT Concepts for Westchester County.

• Need an integrated and customer friendly system
• Implementation can be incremental

• ITS Components:
  • Real time arrival information at stops
  • Transit Signal Priority – loop or wireless system, check in/check out capability needed
  • Queue jumps
• Preferential lanes on 2 mile segment
• Fewer stops

[Images: Photo a message sign displaying "Next Bus in 1 Min."]

Slide 16: Lessons Learned – BRT Concepts for Westchester County (continued)

• Attractive stations with customer amenities
• Improved station access
• Transit Oriented Development – (Efforts to guide land use development on the Orange Line)
• Faster boarding/fare collection through smart cards, proof of payment system, all door boarding (Orange Line)
• Strong brand identity – can be achieved through a separate logo or stylized vehicles

Slide 17: Work Completed

• Collected existing ridership and traffic data
• Performed run time analysis
• Identified areas with current or planned development
• Developed Existing Conditions report
• Public involvement:
  • Steering committee meetings, open house, newsletter
  • Website: www.westchestergov.com/transportation
• Developed baseline traffic simulation
• Developed initial operating concepts

Slide 18: Next Steps

• Operating characteristics
• ITS components
• Travel demand model
• Land Use concepts
• Fare collection concepts
• Traffic simulation with BRT improvements
• Station locations
• Vehicle characteristics
• Branding concepts

Slide 14: Contact Information

Naomi Klein
Project Manager
Central Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Study
Westchester County DOT
100 East First Street
Mount Vernon, NY 10550

(914) 813-7758
nkk3@westchestergov.com

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