Express Route to Better Bus Service

8/14/2019 Express Route to Better Bus Service

1/24

EXPRESS ROUTEto

Better

Bus

Service

HowtoImproveBusTravelacrosstheHudsonRiver,andBeyond

TriStateTransportationCampaign

May2009


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3

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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4

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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5

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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6

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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8

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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9

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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11

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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12

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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13

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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14

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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15

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.


16/24

16

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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17

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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18

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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19

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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20

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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21

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.


22/24

22

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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24/24

24

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.

Express Route to Better Bus Service

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