A Limited for the 21st Century: Applying BRT …docs.trb.org/prp/14-2807.pdf15 MTA New York City...

A Limited for the 21st Century: Applying BRT Principles to Create Select Bus 1 Service on Hylan Boulevard 2 3 Corresponding Author: 4 Eric B. Beaton 5 New York City Department of Transportation 6 55 Water Street, 9th Floor 7 New York, NY 10041 8 Phone: 212-839-6697 9 Fax: 212-839-9892 10 Email: [email protected] 11 12 Co-Authors (alphabetical): 13 Theodore V. Orosz, AICP CTP 14 MTA New York City Transit 15 2 Broadway, A17.53 16 New York, NY 10004 17 Phone: 646-252-5623 18 Fax: 646-252-5648 19 Email: [email protected] 20 21 Richard Ravit AICP CTP 22 AECOM 23 605 Third Avenue, 30th Floor 24 New York, NY 10158 25 Phone: 212-973-2900 26 Fax : 212-973-3000 27 Email : [email protected] 28 29 Robert Thompson 30 New York City Department of Transportation 31 55 Water Street, 9th Floor 32 New York, NY 10041 33 Phone: 212-839-6698 34 Fax: 212-839-9892 35 Email: [email protected] 36 37 Darnell Tyson, P.E. 38 MTA New York City Transit 39 2 Broadway 40 New York, NY 10004 41 Phone: 646-252-5635 42 Fax: 646-252-5648 43 Email: [email protected] 44

45 Word count: 5,939 46 Tables and Figures: 1,250 (5x250 words) 47 Total count: 7,189 48

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TRB 2014 Annual Meeting Paper revised from original submittal.

Beaton, Orosz, Ravit, Thompson, Tyson 2

ABSTRACT 50 Staten Island is the most suburban of New York City's five boroughs, but it still has a large number of 51 bus riders, particularly on the Hylan Boulevard corridor. MTA New York City Transit and the New 52 York City Department of Transportation worked together to improve bus service in this corridor by 53 implementing short-term, low-cost BRT elements, including limited-stop spacing, targeted bus lanes, 54 and pedestrian enhancements in a manner appropriate to this high-traffic suburban setting. The resulting 55 S79 Select Bus Service showed the value of these simple improvements in improving bus service with 56 strong public support, while maintaining other traffic flow needed on the street. The project improved 57 bus speeds by 13-19%, while also improving pedestrian safety. 58

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INTRODUCTION 60 Although New York City is often thought of as a transit-friendly mix of high density land uses, much of 61 the city has a semi-suburban nature, including much of the borough of Staten Island. These areas of the 62 city still have high public transportation usage and slow bus speeds – at least when compared to national 63 figures – but some of these areas also suffer from high levels of traffic congestion. Improving public 64 transportation by providing higher quality bus service is important to improving the transportation 65 balance in these areas, but a different package of solutions is needed than might be appropriate in a 66 dense urban environment. The S79 Select Bus Service project shows how transit service can be 67 improved by applying Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) designs and other transit, traffic, and pedestrian 68 improvements with a targeted approach. The project improved bus speeds on the S79 by 13-19%, while 69 maintaining other traffic flow, and improving pedestrian safety along the corridor. 70

71 New York City BRT Study 72 In 2004, MTA New York City Transit (NYCT), the New York City Department of Transportation 73 (NYCDOT), and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) launched a series of 74 initiatives to reverse the decline in bus speeds, including a joint study of how BRT could be 75 implemented in New York City. The study identified candidate corridors for BRTi, leading to the 76 selection of five pilot projects citywide, which were branded as Select Bus Service (SBS). 77

Through the corridor selection process, it was always evident that Hylan Boulevard was by far 78 the strongest transit corridor on Staten Island. Among the several local services that operate along Hylan 79 Boulevard there are two primary destinations: the Staten Island Ferry and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The bus 80 routes that terminate at the Ferry are generally parallel to the higher-speed Staten Island Railway. The 81 S79 bus route, which terminates at the subway in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, was growing rapidly, making it 82 the best candidate for SBS on Staten Island. 83 84 Agency Partnership 85 Improvements to surface public transportation require the transit provider and roadways agency to work 86 closely together to plan and implement projects. Over the course of implementation of SBS projects, 87 NYCT and NYCDOT have developed a strong and ongoing partnership, where both agencies are 88 committed to the goal of improving bus service on corridors throughout the city. This partnership occurs 89 on a daily basis among planning staff, as well as at the executive level, and among staff dedicated to 90 public outreach. 91 The S79 SBS route is the fourth SBS project to be jointly implemented by the two agencies. 92 Through the development of these projects, the agencies have developed a shared toolbox of relatively 93 low-cost solutions that can be implemented through normal agency business procedures, as well as a 94 shared public communications approach. This toolbox and planning partnership could then be applied to 95 the S79 SBS project. 96 97 CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND 98 The S79 SBS operates in Staten Island, one of New York City’s five boroughs. With approximately 99 471,000 residents on 58 square miles/150 square kilometers, Staten Island is the least dense borough in 100 the city, with most of the island featuring suburban-style housing and auto-oriented retail development. 101 Within this context, there is still heavy transit use, both for local trips, and for trips to the Manhattan 102 central business districts (CBDs). 103 104



Limited Stop Bus Service 105 Longer stop spacing is part of the SBS program, but such initiatives have a long history on other routes 106 in New York City. NYCT introduced limited-stop service in in the 1970s and this program has been 107 steadily expanded across the city, now including services in every borough. Some limited-stop services 108 are peak hour/peak direction only and some operate for most of the service day in both directions. At the 109 same time NYCDOT was expanding a network of curbside bus lanes, which were generally in effect in 110 the peak hours/peak direction of travel. There were also experiments with leading bus indicator traffic 111 signals, transit streets, and peak-hour contra-flow lanes. 112 113 SBS in New York City 114 Prior to 2012, NYCT and NYCDOT had jointly implemented SBS on three routes around the city. In 115 2008 the first SBS project was inaugurated successfully on the Bx12 Fordham Road/Pelham Parkway 116 corridor in the Bronx and northern Manhattanii, with M15 First Avenue/Second Avenue SBS beginning 117 in 2010iii, and M34/A 34th Street SBS in 2011. Across these corridors there were consistent 118 improvements to bus service, with bus travel times declining approximately 15-20%, and bus ridership 119 increasing about 10%, with high levels of customer satisfaction. These results led the agencies to 120 continue planning for implementation of additional routes. 121 122 Transportation on Staten Island 123 Staten Island is the most suburban of New York City's five boroughs, with a highway-oriented street 124 network resulting in relatively high auto ownership and use (64% drove/carpooled to work compared to 125 28% citywideiv). In terms of transit, the borough is served by one commuter heavy rail line (Staten 126 Island Railway, SIR), local buses, limited-stop buses that primarily operate peak hours only, and express 127 buses that provide zone express service to the CBDs of Manhattan. 128 The St. George Ferry Terminal serves the Staten Island Ferry, which provides 24-hour-a-day 129 service to Lower Manhattan, 5 miles north of Staten Island. Fifteen local bus routes and 9 limited stop 130 bus routes provide timed transfers to connect with every boat to provide a one-seat ride to most 131 neighborhoods on the island. 132 The passenger rail service on the island is the SIR, which operates from the Ferry Terminal at St. 133 George in the northeastern corner of the island to Tottenville, serving 22 stops over 13 miles. The SIR 134 operates local service 24 hours a day with zone express service operating during peak hours in the peak 135 direction. Ridership on the SIR is approximately 20,000 customers a day. 136 The local bus network is composed of 20 local and 11 limited stop routes, with a combined 137 ridership of 82,000 customers a day. Eight of the local routes operate at all times. The network is 138 primarily focused on the St. George Ferry Terminal, but also provides a number of routes that operate 139 north-south through the center of the island or as circulators to popular mid-island or south shore 140 destinations including the Staten Island Mall and Tottenville High School. One limited stop bus route 141 and two local stop bus routes intersect with the (R) subway line at 86th Street in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. 142 Many Staten Island residents use express buses to travel to Manhattan, rather than a multi-leg 143 transit connection. The express bus network, most of which operates peak direction, peak hours only, is 144 composed of 20 bus routes, carrying 35,000 passengers a day. Buses typically make limited stops to the 145 Staten Island Expressway, which bisects the island traveling east-west. The buses then operate closed 146 door along expressways into either Lower Manhattan or Midtown Manhattan. A premium fare is 147 charged for this service and coaches are provided with luggage racks and customer amenities typically 148 found on intercity buses, with the exception of restrooms. 149



A key transit location on Staten Island is the Eltingville Transit Center (ETC). This intermodal 150 transfer point was constructed by NYSDOT in 2004 and is operated and maintained by NYCT (at the 151 intersection of Arthur Kill Road and Richmond Avenue). The park and ride lot has a climate-controlled 152 waiting room with a real time bus arrival display, and free parking for 375 vehicles. In addition to the 153 S79 SBS, 4 local bus routes, 2 limited stop bus routes, and 8 express bus routes operate to the Center. 154 155 Hylan Boulevard Corridor 156 Hylan Boulevard is one of the busiest transportation corridors on Staten Island, providing a critical route 157 for both private automobile and bus traffic. The project focused on the full S79 bus route, which in 158 addition to traveling along much of Hylan Boulevard also extends Staten Island-bound along Richmond 159 Avenue to the ETC and the Staten Island Mall, and Brooklyn-bound over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge 160 (VNB) to the 86th Street/Fourth Avenue business district in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where it also connects 161 to the (R) subway line. Along its route, the bus route made several off-corridor deviations to serve 162 various destinations, including the ETC, and the Yukon bus depot. 163

With more than 2.9 million annual passengers and nearly 9,000 customers on an average 164 weekday, the 15-mile S79 bus route along Hylan Boulevard and Richmond Avenue is the second busiest 165 bus route on Staten Island. Additionally, Hylan Boulevard is an important corridor for other local bus 166 services, as well as for express buses to Manhattan. Hylan Boulevard carries over 32,000 customers per 167 day on all of the local and express bus routes combined. Bus travel times were slow, with one-way travel 168 time on the S79 from the beginning to the end of the route generally exceeding one hour. 169 Hylan Boulevard is also a key route for automobile traffic, carrying more than 40,000 daily vehicles (at 170 New Dorp Lane), with much of the traffic also headed to the VNB. Traffic congestion can be severe at 171 peak hours, particularly at bottleneck intersections where large numbers of turning vehicles and cross 172 traffic limit the amount of traffic signal time available to through traffic. 173

Hylan Boulevard generally has three lanes in each direction plus a center turn lane and a narrow 174 center median. The adjoining land use is primarily commercial, with a diverse mix of development 175 types. In some locations, one- or two-story buildings with storefronts are next to the sidewalk. In other 176 locations there are retail strips or free-standing stores that are separated from the street by small parking 177 lots. Finally, there are some commercial developments set far back from the street by large parking lots. 178 Historically, the curb lanes on Hylan have been available for on-street parking, especially where 179 buildings adjoin the street. However, in 2002 the curb lanes were designated as No Standing in the peak 180 direction in the morning and evening rush hour periods, to serve growing traffic along the corridor. The 181 street typically operates at or near capacity, particularly at rush hours. 182 An additional factor for traffic along Hylan Boulevard is that for much of its length it is the only 183 major arterial street along the South Shore of Staten Island. Amboy Road and Richmond Road form one 184 continuous parallel route farther inland, but they have only one effective moving lane in each direction 185 for much of their length. There is no parallel arterial closer to the shoreline except for Father Capodanno 186 Boulevard, which runs parallel to Hylan Boulevard for approximately 2 miles between the Verrazano-187 Narrows Bridge and Greeley Avenue. Father Capodanno Boulevard provides a fast alternate route 188 between the Bridge and central areas of Hylan Boulevard and points south. 189

Additionally, Hylan Boulevard provides many challenges for pedestrians seeking to walk along 190 or cross the street. The 70-foot width of the street and the high volume of traffic result in a street that is 191 difficult to cross. In many locations sidewalks and curb ramps were in disrepair or were non-existent. 192 Since every bus rider is a pedestrian for a portion of their trip – and all need to cross the street at some 193 point – addressing these pedestrian access issues were a key goal of the project. 194



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196 Figure 1 – Typical roadway and land use conditions along Hylan Boulevard 197 198 PROJECT PLANNING 199 Staten Island is dependent on both cars and surface transit, with constrained capacity for both. With 200 these conditions, there is little tolerance for additional traffic congestion. The project would need to get 201 buses through key congested intersections without imposing substantial delays on the other traffic at 202 those intersections. 203 204 Early in the project process, the study defined a series of goals: 205

Develop a project supported by the community 206 Improve transit speed and reliability 207 Maintain traffic flow 208 Improve pedestrian safety and comfort 209

210 Public Participation 211 A key reason for the success of this project was an extensive public and agency outreach program. 212 NYCT and NYCDOT publicized the project in the local media, on agency websites, and on buses. The 213



team met regularly with the public and elected officials to obtain input on issues important to the 214 community and to help guide the development of the recommended package of improvements. The team 215 was determined to be responsive and sensitive to community concerns. 216

Part of the context for this outreach is that there had been a prior study of BRT improvements on 217 the corridor that had not been well received by the public and elected officials. These proposals would 218 have included substantial reductions in street space for private vehicle travel and parking, and the effects 219 of these proposals were not well explained. Therefore, the outreach for this project began with issue 220 identification, in order to build a concept in line with stakeholders’ experiences on the corridor. 221

The project team developed solutions specific to the Hylan Boulevard corridor, reflecting local 222 stakeholders’ expressed concern that improvements implemented along other SBS corridors in the City 223 may not work along the auto-centric Hylan Boulevard corridor. In response, the team worked closely 224 with stakeholders to develop solutions to fit the distinct characteristics of the corridor rather than apply a 225 “one size fits all” approach. It was vital to not only plan differently for this corridor, but also to make 226 clear to the public that the planning was taking into account this more suburban context. 227

An important contributor to the success of the project was the presence of a project champion, in 228 the form of the Staten Island Borough President, a position that has few formal powers but which still 229 carries substantial political weight. While always being careful to support a balanced plan –meaning one 230 that did not have substantial negative effects on traffic flow or parking –the Borough President helped 231 line up support from other stakeholders, elected officials, and local press in a way that helped the project 232 throughout planning and implementation. 233 234 Transit Corridor Planning 235 As noted above, the Hylan Boulevard corridor serves not only the S79 bus, but also several other local 236 and express bus routes. An emphasis on measures to improve the corridor for all routes was employed, 237 with route planning and traffic engineering solutions sought that would benefit not just the S79 but all of 238 the buses that share the corridor. 239 Prior to the study, the S79 local route contained 80 bus stops in total. This number was reduced 240 to 18 to speed service, transforming the route to a limited stop bus route. The plan was to provide 241 aggressive stop spacing, while still providing walkable distances to stops for most customers. In most 242 other implementations SBS stops are spaced similarly to subway stops, approximately every half-mile 243 (800 meters) primarily at major points of interest and transfer points. However, a slightly more 244 customized approach was taken to Staten Island, whose customers are generally less likely to utilize 245 public transit. S79 stations roughly mirror the SIR along the section that both routes share, but the 246 modes serve different markets, with the SIR carrying passengers to the ferry terminal. On Staten Island, 247 stops have an average spacing of 0.75 miles, with one or two exceptions. In Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, there 248 are 2 stops, one at the intermodal terminal at 86th Street and one adjacent to the Verrazano Bridge. These 249 are the two main transfer points and the busiest locations along the route in the area. 250 Frequent local bus service is provided by the S59 along Richmond Avenue and the S78 along 251 Hylan Boulevard. At meetings with stakeholders, some customers expressed concern that the local S59 252 and S78 bus routes would become overcrowded due to the greater stop spacing on the S79 SBS. To 253 address this concern, frequency and span were increased on the two underlying local services. To also 254 assist in the transition to SBS and ensure customers were not placed at a financial disadvantage, an 255 additional free 3-leg transfer was offered to customers to continue their trip using a local bus to the S79 256 SBS and then connecting to a bus or subway in Brooklyn. 257



As a net result, the S79 local bus service was replaced with S79 SBS. The S79 SBS operates with 258 fewer, more widely-spaced stations than the former S79 service, which enables buses to travel faster 259 between stations and reduce overall travel time along the corridor. The route was implemented with very 260 few timepoints so that Bus Operators will not have to slow down or wait if running ahead of schedule. 261 The S79 route also operates with a dedicated fleet of branded buses for increased visibility. All other 262 local and express bus routes were maintained throughout the corridor. At some stations, local and/or 263 express bus stops were slightly relocated to make it easier for buses to access the curb, to provide more 264 space for waiting customers, and to facilitate buses passing each other. At many bus stops along the S79 265 SBS route it was possible to reduce crowding on the adjacent sidewalk, reduce conflicts between 266 pedestrians and vehicles, expedite boarding, and reduce overall dwell time. This was accomplished by 267 either designating the stop only for the S79 SBS or, if the stop was served by multiple bus routes, by 268 increasing the separation between the individual stops. 269 270

271 Figure 2 – Hylan Boulevard SBS corridor 272 273 Street Planning 274

A key goal of the project was to improve bus travel times while minimizing impact on general 275 traffic. Staten Island is unusual in both New York City and in the United States in that it has relatively 276



suburban land use, while having relatively high levels of peak-hour transit ridership. Eighty-four percent 277 of Staten Island households own at least one motor vehicle, versus 47% in New York City overall. 278 Meanwhile, while Hylan Boulevard looks much like many inner-suburban arterials in America, it has 279 peak bus volumes of up to 80 buses per hour bound for Manhattan and Brooklyn. While intra-Island 280 transportation is dominated by car usage, the street network largely predates mass auto ownership, with 281 few wide arterial streets needed for use by both cars and surface transit. 282 283 Because of the high frequency of bus service along Hylan Boulevard, especially in the peak 284 periods, these curbside travel lanes are heavily used by buses both traveling and stopping. This activity 285 has limited the volume of general traffic that used the curb lanes for through movement, as opposed to 286 accessing driveways or turning right. Given the pre-existing peak period curbside travel lanes on Hylan 287 Boulevard, and their already heavy use by buses, the project team decided that the most cost- and time-288 efficient way to implement bus lanes would be to convert the curbside travel lanes to bus lanes, which 289 would reduce conflicts with other vehicles, particularly helping buses get through some of the most 290 congested intersections on the corridor. In order to avoid both perceived and actual traffic impacts, the 291 project team decided that Hylan Boulevard bus lanes should only be installed in the section where Father 292 Capodanno Boulevard provides a parallel route. The project did not seriously consider widening the 293 roadway to add a bus lane, as this would have been both very expensive, and highly disruptive to many 294 businesses close to the roadway. 295 Bus lanes were also seen as desirable in two other segments of the corridor. As the S79 bus route 296 approaches the Staten Island Mall, it travels along a section of Richmond Avenue with four travel lanes 297 in each direction plus a wide center median with left turn bays (in some cases with double left turn 298 lanes). Because this segment of Richmond Avenue can become congested at peak shopping times but 299 otherwise had too much road capacity, full-time bus lanes were installed for approximately 0.6 miles in 300 this area, from Platinum Avenue to just south of Forest Hill Road. Although there is no on-street parking 301 in this area, the bus lanes were placed in the offset position one lane away from the curb in order to 302 normalize the remaining lane widths and reduce off-peak speeding. The resulting configuration has three 303 travel lanes in each direction, in addition to the bus lanes and left turn bays. 304 At the southernmost section of Richmond Avenue approaching Hylan Boulevard, queues could 305 form because most morning peak traffic and buses from Richmond Avenue turns left to travel north on 306 Hylan Boulevard. A southbound offset bus lane was installed on the final ¼-mile (400 meters) 307 approaching Hylan Boulevard, except for part of the last block, in order to provide sufficient capacity 308 for all traffic at the intersection. In addition to the bus lane there is one general traffic lane and a parking 309 lane in each direction. 310 All bus lanes were painted red, as is standard on SBS routes, to improve visibility and 311 compliance. Curb bus lanes are operational only during the a.m. and p.m. peaks and implemented only 312 in locations where bus delays could be reduced without adversely affecting general traffic. However, the 313 offset bus lanes are in effect at all times. The bus lanes save travel time for all Hylan Boulevard bus 314 passengers, including those on the S79 and on numerous express bus routes that serve longer-distance 315 customers traveling to the Manhattan CBD. 316 The traffic planning for the project was by no means limited to bus lane design. At many 317 locations along the corridor, left turn bays were added, and street geometry adjusted in ways that helped 318 all traffic flow on the corridor, including the buses. In some locations, flush medians and similar 319 treatments were used to narrow travel lanes to reduce off-peak speeding issues, in ways that did not 320



affect bus service. Traffic signal timing was better coordinated along the corridor, improving flow for 321 both buses and other traffic. 322 323

324 Figure 3 – Typical street design and SBS bus station on Hylan Boulevard following project implementation 325 326 Traffic Analysis 327 Before the project proposals were presented to the community, an evaluation of the effects on traffic in 328 the project area was performed. The traffic study showed that the project would not cause a significant 329 impact to traffic. The following is a synopsis of the findings. 330 Where bus lanes were proposed on Hylan Boulevard, nine major intersections were analyzed to 331 determine potential traffic impacts. On Richmond Avenue, traffic analysis was performed for the 332 highest-volume intersection in the area near the Staten Island Mall. The analysis showed that all major 333 intersections would meet acceptable levels of service for general travel lanes in the Build condition. 334 Key analysis assumptions that resulted from the analysis of alternatives included a diversion rate 335 of ten percent of through traffic (northbound in the a.m. and southbound in the p.m. peak hours) from 336 Hylan Boulevard to the parallel Father Capodanno Boulevard, as well as changes to the signal 337 progression and to the peak hour factors. This diversion is based on NYCDOT experience with projects 338 on congested streets where alternative routes are available; all traffic is still accounted for along 339 alternative routes. Because of this assumption, one intersection on the Father Capodanno corridor (Lily 340 Pond Avenue at McClean Avenue, on the final approach to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge) was also 341 analyzed. Another assumption was that right turning traffic would use the bus lanes, as is allowed by 342 New York City traffic rules. 343 The intersections were analyzed using 2000 Highway Capacity Manual procedures – the 344



standard methodology approved for use by NYCDOT. The plan was analyzed as the Build condition 345 under impact criteria specified in the New York City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) Technical 346 Manual (2010). CEQR guidelines define a “significant traffic impact” at signalized intersections as an 347 increase in average vehicle delay of five seconds when the No Build condition is worse than mid-Level 348 of Service (LOS) D(45+ seconds of delay), four seconds when the No Build condition is within LOS E, 349 and three seconds when the No Build condition is within LOS F. These guidelines are very conservative 350 and were established primarily for the City’s review of development projects, defining impacts 351 associated with those actions and the need for mitigation measures. These rigorous “5-4-3” significant 352 traffic impact criteria have been applied to compare Build to Existing conditions. 353 In summary, the analysis determined that the planned changes allow for general traffic to operate 354 without significant traffic effects as compared to existing conditions, while providing improved 355 conditions for buses and pedestrians. The curbside bus and right turn lanes on Hylan Boulevard 356 (northbound in the a.m. peak period and southbound in the p.m. peak) would operate better than existing 357 conditions at every analysis location. In all locations, this means operating at LOS A, B, or C, which 358 would allow bus customers to move more quickly along Hylan Boulevard than they did before. The 359 general through traffic lanes would operate at a similar LOS to before, or slightly better, at nearly all 360 locations. 361 362 Pedestrian Planning 363 In addition to planning for improvements for bus in motion, substantial attention was paid to the 364 experience of accessing and waiting for the bus. The SBS project focused heavily on improving 365 sidewalks, providing pedestrian ramps and refuge islands and improving pedestrian access to bus stops. 366 At multiple locations along the corridor, bus stops either lacked sidewalks entirely or had only 367 small segments immediately adjacent to the stop. In these locations NYCDOT constructed new 368 sidewalks. Improving pedestrian access to bus stops is a key tenet of the City of New York’s Safe 369 Routes to Transit Program and promotes walking as a healthful form of non-motorized transportation 370 along the corridor. Although many intersection corners along the corridor have full pedestrian ramps, 371 some corners did not. Some of these ramps also did not comply with ADA requirements. To mitigate 372 this condition, and where space exists, NYCDOT installed ADA accessible ramps with tactile warning 373 strips near bus stops. 374 At many SBS stations, the pedestrian environment was upgraded by: providing larger boarding 375 areas, constructing sidewalks, installing new bus shelters, constructing new concrete bus pads, and 376 installing pedestrian ramps. A dedicated S79 SBS bus station was constructed at the Eltingville Transit 377 Center in an area not previously available to bus passengers. 378 At several signalized intersections with medians wide enough to accommodate a pedestrian 379 refuge island, NYCDOT constructed refuge islands to provide a haven for pedestrians unable to finish 380 crossing the street during the designated Walk phase. This treatment also can reduce the speed of turning 381 vehicles, which in turn reduces the number of serious crashes occurring at these locations. 382 The wide median along Richmond Avenue in the vicinity of Yukon Avenue presents an excellent 383 opportunity to create a median station that not only halves the distance that passengers would have to 384 cross Richmond Avenue to access buses serving the Staten Island Mall but also is a significant upgrade 385 compared to the existing bus stop. NYCDOT and NYCT are considering implementing a median bus 386 station at this location as part of a long-term program of improvements for the corridor. 387



388 Figure 4 – New sidewalk constructed to bus stop previously in dirt path, new concrete bus pad 389 390 Cost 391 The total capital and operating cost for all improvements, such as new bus stations, bus branding, 392 sidewalks, pedestrian refuges, additional local service, and other elements is approximately $7 million. 393 This exemplifies how a project that benefits thousands of New Yorkers daily can be implemented cost 394 efficiently. 395 396 Implementation 397 All elements described above were in place for SBS service launch on September 2, 2012. In the days 398 prior to the beginning of SBS service, fliers were distributed to passengers at key bus stops to inform 399 them of service changes, in addition to posted notices on the bus, and information provided at all SBS 400 stops. Additionally, personnel were stationed at key bus stops along the route after service commenced 401 to explain the service, and answer any questions provided by customers. 402 403 RESULTS 404 The area immediately adjacent to the Hylan Boulevard portion of the project corridor was severely 405 damaged during Superstorm Sandy, so immediate results were difficult to measure. However, it appears 406 that bus speed has improved, without any substantial impacts on other traffic, and by October 2013 407 travel patterns appear to be close to pre-Sandy conditions. 408



409 Bus Speed 410 On the S79 SBS a travel time savings of 13-19% was observed. The improvements are due to having 411 fewer stops, dedicated bus lanes along a section of the route, traffic signal optimization, and three 412 routing changes to make the route more direct. 413

The installation of red bus lanes along the northern 2 miles of Hylan Boulevard was a measure 414 that not only benefits the S79 SBS but also the numerous local and expresses buses that use the corridor 415 as well. During the peak period these buses operate at a frequency of one bus a minute. The red bus 416 lanes have been a well used component of the SBS toolbox throughout its expansion around the city. 417 The lanes are self-enforcing, supported by overhead signs placed at regular intervals along the corridor. 418 The lanes keep the travel path clear for buses as they travel through some of the most congested 419 sections, most notably the New Dorp neighborhood. The lanes require a significant investment and 420 regular maintenance but they also yield tangible benefits to travel time and speed. 421 Travel speeds were presented by time of day for the northbound and southbound directions on 422 the route. The “Before” case represents data points from Summer 2012, immediately before the 423 implementation of S79 SBS, while the “After” case captures readings from March 2013 after the 424 implementation of the service. 425 The average end-to-end travel time decreased from 71 to 62 minutes northbound and from 68 to 426 55 minutes southbound, representing a 13% reduction in travel time southbound and a 19% reduction in 427 travel time northbound. This time savings is similar to the time savings achieved on other 428 implementations of SBS but is also significant because the time savings was achieved even though off-429 board fare collection was excluded from this implementation. The maximum observed speed increased 430 to 17.3 mph northbound during the nighttime period and 19.1 mph southbound during the nighttime 431 period, from 15.4 mph and 16.3 mph, respectively. 432 433 Bus Ridership 434 In general, the S79 ridership was performing better than other Staten Island routes prior to the 435 introduction of SBS in September. In September and October 2012, ridership showed very little change, 436 which is not uncommon for new services, since it often takes time for some riders to adapt to the new 437 stopping patterns. Beginning in November 2012, ridership growth on the S79 and the S59/78/79 began 438 to greatly outperform the rest of Staten Island (Figure 5). This growth was likely due to a combination of 439 riders attracted to the faster service provided by the S79 SBS, as well as some ridership diversion from 440 the parallel SIR, which experienced service disruptions (and ridership loss) after Sandy. Since the S79 441 SBS provided a fast connection to the subway in Bay Ridge, it provided a good alternative for riders 442 previously riding the SIR and Staten Island Ferry. 443

An analysis of bus-subway transfer activity revealed a significant development. Between May 444 2011 and May 2013, transfers between the S79 and the R subway route in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, 445 increased by 34% from 1,227 per day to 1,591 per day. This shows a trend of actual modal shift from 446 express buses or SI Railway to the S79 SBS, indicating that customers are responding to the faster 447 service. 448

449



450 Figure 5 – S79 ridership trend compared to other corridor local bus routes and other Staten Island local routes 451 452 Traffic Patterns 453 While the implementation of the bus/right turn lanes create a theoretical reduction in the capacity for 454 general traffic on the corridor, traffic impacts have not been significant. On Richmond Avenue near the 455 Staten Island Mall and approaching Hylan Boulevard, general traffic can easily be accommodated in the 456 remaining general traffic lanes. On Richmond Avenue near the Mall, the northbound bus lanes are 457 particularly useful to serve right turning vehicles in addition to buses, as all the large shopping centers 458 are on the east side of the street. 459 Where the bus lanes were implemented on Hylan Boulevard, the reduction in general traffic 460 capacity is not as disruptive as might be expected, for three reasons: 461

So many buses previously traveled and made stops in the curb lane that many private vehicles 462 avoided using it for through movement; 463

The bus lane reduces the friction caused by private vehicles weaving in and out of the curb lane 464 while attempting to bypass queues; and 465

Curbside bus lanes are available for all right-turning traffic. Because Hylan Boulevard is lined by 466 many off-street parking lots, the bus lane serves to isolate not just traffic turning onto intersecting 467 streets, but traffic entering and leaving driveways as well. 468

469



In order to measure the impact of the project on traffic conditions, Automated Traffic Recorder (ATR) 470 counts from before the project, in June 2012, were compared to ATR counts after the project in March 471 2013. Overall, while peak hour traffic volumes declined on Hylan Boulevard, there was no clear pattern 472 of diversion to other streets. 473 In the a.m. peak hour of 7:15 to 8:15, traffic on Hylan Boulevard at the turn at Steuben Street to 474 head towards the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge declined by 22%, or 327 vehicles, after the project. 475 However, the volume at the parallel location on the Father Capodanno corridor, on Lily Pond Avenue at 476 Major Avenue, also fell by 10%, or 233 vehicles. Meanwhile, on the parallel route inland from Hylan, 477 Richmond Road, the volume increased just slightly on the approach to the bridge at West Fingerboard 478 Road, by 1% or just 14 vehicles. One possible explanation for this pattern could be that Superstorm 479 Sandy's damage to the neighborhoods between Hylan and Father Capodanno resulted in lower travel 480 demand on both of these streets, but Sandy-damaged houses would not, by itself, cause the entire 481 decline. The fact that traffic on Hylan Boulevard declined further than traffic on Father Capodanno 482 could suggest some diversion effect from Hylan to Capodanno, even as both carried less traffic than 483 before the project. Richmond Road's relatively stable traffic could reflect that street's distance from the 484 storm-damaged areas, or it could reflect a relative shift in traffic away from both Hylan and Father 485 Capodanno. 486 It should be noted that traffic volumes farther south do not provide the same evidence of a 487 relative shift of demand from Hylan to Father Capodanno Boulevard. Just north of Seaview Avenue, 488 after the primary opportunities for drivers to move from Hylan to Capodanno, the volume on Hylan 489 actually increased by 3%, or 52 vehicles, while it declined by 6%, or 103 vehicles, on Father 490 Capodanno. 491 In the evening peak hour, there was a similar pattern of traffic declines on Hylan and Father 492 Capodanno Boulevards, while traffic remained steady on Richmond Road. Traffic fell by 8%, or 92 493 vehicles, on Hylan at Steuben Street, while it fell even more on Lily Pond Avenue, by 13% or 224 494 vehicles. At Seaview Avenue these declines occurred in a reverse pattern, with a 12% drop (208 495 vehicles) on Hylan and a 9% drop (128 vehicles) on Father Capodanno. Meanwhile, traffic on 496 Richmond Road effectively held steady with an increase of 8 vehicles just south of West Fingerboard 497 Road. 498 In summary, traffic volumes after bus lanes were implemented did not clearly change 499 substantially or divert to parallel streets. Traffic on both Hylan and Father Capodanno Boulevards 500 declined by small amounts, while there was no major change on parallel Richmond Road. These traffic 501 patterns will continue to be monitored going forward to understand whether they may still be reflecting 502 changes from Superstorm Sandy. 503 504 CONCLUSION 505 The improvements implemented along the Hylan Boulevard corridor provided significantly faster and 506 more reliable bus service, improved access to bus stops and enhanced vehicular and pedestrian safety, 507 without substantially affecting traffic patterns. Critically, these improvements were achieved on a 508 substantially suburban corridor, with traffic patterns, land uses, and public opinions different from those 509 in other high-use transit corridors in New York City. This project therefore serves as an example of how 510 careful planning can allow BRT-style tools to take traditional limited-stop bus service to a higher service 511 level. 512



i McNamara, I. G., S.L. Zimmerman, T. Orosz, H. S. Levinson, D. Sampson. Bus Rapid Transit in New York City: Corridor Evaluation and Screening. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1971, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2006, pp. 3-13. ii Barr, J., E. Beaton, J. Chiarmonte, T. Orosz. Select Bus Service on Bx12 in New York City: Bus Rapid Transit Partnership of New York City DOT and Metropolitan Transit Authority New York City Transit. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2145, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2010, pp. 40-48. iii Barr, J., E. Beaton, J. Chiarmonte, T. Orosz, D. Paukowits, A. Sugiura. Select Bus Service on the M15 in New York City: A BRT Partnership Between the New York City DOT and MTA New York City Transit. In TRB 91st Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD. Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2012, Paper #12-1809. iv 2009-2011 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates, compiled by NYC Department of City Planning: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/census/boro_econ_09to11_acs.pdf


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