"Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus" - Brad …bradlander.nyc/sites/default/files/images/74632375-Next-Bus-Please...Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association Robert Barrios

Next Bus PleaseImproving the B61 Bus

Office of Council Member Brad Lander

With Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez

& Council Member Sara M. González

Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to the following individuals and organizations

Data CollectionThe Red Hook InitiativeColumbia Waterfront Neighborhood AssociationRobert BarriosJared CarranoBrad KerrKim LeeArun Abraham-SinghMegan DahlgrenElizabeth Demetriou

Report Layout & MappingHanna Persson, Seth Ullman

Anthony Alexis & Michael Schwiensburg, Office of Council Member Sara M. GonzálezChris Hrones, NYC DOTMTA NYC Transit for providing background on bus operations

Next Bus Please: Improving the

B61 Bus

Report byMatt GreenMichael Freedman-Schnapp

With Daniel Wiley November 2011

Office of Council Member Brad Lander

With Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez

& Council Member Sara M. González

Executive Summary 1

Introduction 4

Study Area 7

Study Methodology 8

Data Analysis 9

Recommendations 18

Appendices 23

Table of Contents

1Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus

Executive Summary

This report assesses the operation of the B61 bus, finds that there is inadequate service at peak hours, and makes a number of recommendations to help improve public transportation and the transit rider experience in the line’s service area.

The B61 has undergone several changes to the route in recent years. Riders of the bus line have been negatively affected by the cancellation of four neighboring bus lines and the closure of the Smith-9th Street subway station.

To better understand how the affected communities are responding to this change in service, the offices of Council Member Brad Lander, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and Council Member Sara M. González worked with bus riders to collect information on the performance of the bus during the summer of 2011.

Volunteers gathered information on ridership levels and boarding volumes at various bus stops along the route, which buses are the most chronically delayed, how the Smith-9th Station closure is impacting transit service, and how often “bus bunching” (off-schedule buses arriving in tandem) occurs along the bus route. The volunteers collected this information by tracking bus arrival times and counting bus rider loads during peak periods, conducting a survey of passengers, and riding the B61 bus to find places where buses are frequently delayed.

Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus2

FindingsB61 Performance

The B61 bus is consistently arriving outside its •acceptable headway time (the amount of time scheduled between buses) during peak hours.1 Only 43% of B61 buses arrive within their acceptable headway time in peak hours, compared to a November 23, 2010 count by MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) that found 64% of B61 buses were arriving on acceptable headways.2

The B61 bus is most frequently off schedule when •traveling to Downtown Brooklyn during evening peak hours of service. Only 26% of northbound B61 buses arrive within 3 minutes of their scheduled headway time at the line's maximum load points (between Columbia/Union & Atlantic/Hicks bus stops) in the evening.

Bus Crowding Findings

There are a large number of buses that arrive at •stops too full to take on any more passengers during peak hours. 42% of northbound B61 buses observed bypassed the Columbia/Union bus stop in the 8-9 AM period because they could not take on any more passengers. In addition, 23% of northbound buses in the evening were the second consecutive bus to not take passengers in the same direction.3

B61 buses traveling northbound in the 8–9 AM and •5–6 PM hours are carrying more passengers than the loading guidelines prescribed by the MTA New York City Transit for peak service — indicating that more buses are required to effectively serve rider demand on the B61.4

1 “Acceptable headway time” is defined as a bus arriving +/-3 minutes out-side the intended time frame—or headway—between buses during peak hours of service. The scheduled headway for the B61 varies from 8 to 10 minutes during peak hours of service and averages at 8.5 minutes.

2 The NYCT-gathered measure on 11/23/10 is for all times.3 Bus drivers are instructed to not admit more passengers when it is unsafe

to do so (typically because passengers cannot fit behind the “white line”) or when directed by supervision. For purposes of this study, we conserva-tively estimated this amount to be 68 passengers based on observation.

4 A “full standing load” of 54 passengers is the MTA’s loading guidelines for bus service during peak hours.

Passenger Survey Findings

75% of passengers surveyed at • 4th Ave - 9th St say that the closure of the Smith-9th subway station has negatively impacted their commute.

81% of B61 riders surveyed at • 4th Ave - 9th St use the B61 bus to commute to/from Red Hook.

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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus 3333

RecommendationsWe strongly recommend that MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) and New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) examine the following options to improve service for transit riders in the B61 service area. These recommendations require little, if any, extra funding and are mostly possible with existing resources and under current NYCT and DOT policies.

Changes to B61 Line

Implement additional peak hour service on the 1. B61 to accommodate the higher ridership that has been observed by this study and bring service in line with NYCT system-wide standards, particularly at peak hours.

Implement limited-stop service during peak hours 2. of service along the B61 bus route to help riders get to subway transfer points quicker, as long as the additional bus runs required to implement this are added to the route. As ridership on the B61 continues to grow, this may become feasible within current NYCT guidelines.

Work with DOT to provide a more straightforward 3. route for the Park Slope-bound B61 to cross the BQE, as recommended in the follow up work from the Brooklyn Streetcar Feasibility Study.

Minimize 94. th Street bridge-caused delays with better alternative plans.

Find places to optimize bus stop placements where 5. stops are too close together and ridership is low, in order to help speed up the bus, in consultation with the community.

Improve the B61 Rider Experience

Equip B61 buses with the MTA Bus Time GPS 6. system (piloted on the nearby B63 line) as soon as possible. This system will allow:

Riders to know when buses are actually •arriving through cell phones and countdown clocks.

T• he implementation of “transit signal priority” for a few key intersections where the B61 is chronically delayed.

Make upgrades to the Smith-97. th Street and 4thAve-9th Street bus stops by adding bus shelters, countdown clocks, benches, plantings, and better lighting where possible given sidewalk geometry.

Options to Change Nearby Transit Lines

Extend the recently reconfigured B57 bus line into 8. Red Hook along Lorraine Street to create better links to train transfers in Downtown Brooklyn. Currently the B57 has excess “recovery time” at the turnaround point on its route that could be used to redirect the bus line.

Provide a transfer point from the B61 to the B103 9. at 3rd Avenue and 9th Street.

Above: Rendering of 4th Ave-9th St Bus Stop

Methodology

The data in this report was collected by volunteers between July 5 and September 14, 2011 on weekdays during peak hours of bus service, in the 6:15 AM - 9:30 AM and 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM periods for a minimum of two hours per observation period. We used observations of bus arrival times and counts of riders boarding, de-boarding and remaining on the bus to generate the main data analysis. Additional data came from volunteers surveying bus passengers about their origin, destination and purpose of trip and from volunteers who rode the entirety of the bus route, recording the number of boarding and de-boarding passengers and arrival time.


IntroductionBus speeds in New York City are the slowest in the country.5 Outer-borough bus riders, including those in Brooklyn, have the longest median commute times of all NYC commuters. Those who rely on public transit have had to depend more on city buses, especially those commuting between boroughs. As a result, commuting times have grown. Unfortunately, any resources available to address this trend are diminishing, with governments at all levels undergoing deep budget cuts, especially at mass transit agencies like MTA New York City Transit (NYCT).

To better understand how the affected communities are responding to changes in service, the offices of Council Member Brad Lander, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and Council Member Sara M. González worked with bus riders to collect information on the performance of the bus during the summer of 2011.

This study would not have been possible without the help from B61 riders, community volunteers and local advocacy organizations. The datasets used to make our recommendations in this report are based on quantitative and qualitative observations collected by riders of the B61 bus. Volunteers gathered information on ridership levels on the bus and at various bus stops, which buses are the most chronically delayed, how the Smith-9th closure is impacting riders’ trips, and where “bus bunching” most frequently occurs along the bus route. Volunteers collected this information by tracking bus arrival times and counting bus rider loads during peak periods, surveying passengers, and riding the B61 bus to find places where the buses are frequently delayed.

5 Giles, David. Behind the Curb. Rep. New York: Center for an Urban Future, 2011.


B61 Bus LineThe B61 bus route operates at all times between Park Slope, Smith Street and Fulton Mall near the Jay Street-MetroTech subway station in Downtown Brooklyn via Red Hook. The bus route has been affected by several changes in the last few years that have dramatically changed mobility in the neighborhoods served by the B61:

In January 2010 the bus line was divided into two shorter routes, one from Red Hook to Downtown Brooklyn, and one from Downtown Brooklyn to Long Island City, Queens. NYC Transit President Howard H. Roberts, Jr. said the split was intended to address the rapidly growing new residential areas along the Williamsburg waterfront and provide convenient bus and subway connections for customers to the Williamsburg Bridge Plaza transit hub on the new B62 line.6 This change has generally been positively received as it reduced frequent delays that occurred in Downtown Brooklyn on this formerly inter-borough line.

On June 27, 2010 the B37, B71, B75 & B77 were cancelled, and the B61 was extended along portions of the latter two routes. This change redirected the B61 through Red Hook along Lorraine Street, retracing the former B77 and B75 lines to Park Slope. This change occurred at the same time as the cancellation of the B71 bus along Union Street between Carroll Gardens and Park Slope, with no replacement service.

On June 20, 2011 the Smith-9th Street station was closed for renovations for at least a year. NYCT has increased overnight B61 service with buses running every 20 minutes to accommodate night riders, but has not increased any other service. Community members have complained about overcrowded B61 buses, in particular at the 4th Ave-9th St bus stop and northbound on Van Brunt and Columbia streets during rush hours. NYCT has recommended that riders take the B61 bus to the 4th Ave- 9th St station, or the B57 bus to the Carroll Street station as alternatives during the rehabilitation of the Smith-9th Street subway station.

6 NYCT New York City Transit. B61 Split into Two Routes. B61 and B62 Set to Begin January 2010. NYCT, 29 July 2009.

The number of bus lines that serve the affected communities has decreased significantly in the last two years.


Transit Service is Challenged in a Time of AusterityThe speeds of city buses have gotten significantly worse over the last decade.7 Due in part to a 60% increase in ridership, average bus speeds have decreased from 9.1 mph to 8.1 mph. This is significantly slower than bus speeds in other major U.S. cities.8 In addition, over the last three years, the available resources to improve the operational services of NYCT’s bus fleets has decreased.

In 2009, Governor David Paterson and the State Legislature used $160 million of NYCT funds to plug a state budget shortfall, and another $100 million in 2010. These cuts to NYCT’s budget, in conjunction with an increase in debt repayment costs and a massive shortfall in revenue from real estate taxes led to a major reduction in service for transit riders.9 As part of a series of actions to balance the agency budget (which is required by law), NYCT made three-dozen bus route changes and eliminated service at 570 bus stops in New York City, along with other major changes to subway service. This included the rerouting of the B61 described above, along with the cancellation of the B37, B77, B75 and B71 that serve the same area. Eliminating these buses and extending the B61, among other changes in brownstone Brooklyn, were anticipated to save NYCT $3 million annually.10

To help prevent future uses of NYCT funds to close budget shortfalls, a “Transit Funding Lockbox Bill” was passed by the State Assembly (A06766C-Brennan) and State Senate (S04257-Golden) in June 2011. Passage of this legislation would prevent future funds from being used to plug budget gaps and would bring stability to government funding streams that keep the buses, trains and subways running in New York City. Proponents of the Transit Funding Lockbox Bill include the Straphangers Campaign, Transport Workers Union Local 100, Transportation Alternatives’ Rider Rebellion, and more than 40 other

7 ibid.8 ibid.9 Donohue, Pete. “Bill to Protect NYCT Coffers from Repeated Government

Raids worth Signing.” Featured Articles From The New York Daily News. The Daily News, 15 Aug. 2011.

10 Buiso, Gary, and Tony Cella. “Unkindest Cuts! Boro Subways and Buses Are Slashed by the NYCT.” The Brooklyn Paper [Brooklyn] 30 Mar. 2010.

civic organizations, labor groups and construction industry associations. On September 20, 2011, advocates of the Transit Funding Lockbox Bill held a rally at City Hall to urge Governor Cuomo to sign the Transit Funding Lockbox bill into law. The bill has yet to be sent to the Governor for his signature.

Recognizing that NYCT’s operating budget is severely constrained, this study identifies a number of existing resources, policies and programs that can be used to address the needs of B61 riders and improve the experience of taking the B61 bus.


Study AreaWe collected data in the communities in which the B61 bus line operates, from Downtown Brooklyn through the neighborhoods of Columbia Street Waterfront, Red Hook, Park Slope and Windsor Terrace.

Park Slope

The Park Slope neighborhood is the most populous neighborhood in the Study Area and contains approximately half of the residential population within Community Board 6. The 4th Ave-9th Street F/G/R station, at the border of Park Slope and Gowanus, is a major transfer point for B61 riders, especially following the closure of the Smith-9th St station.

Red Hook

Red Hook, a mixed-use neighborhood combining residential uses with a mix of light industry and maritime uses, is a peninsula that is surrounded on three sides by water and isolated from the rest of Brooklyn by the elevated Gowanus Expressway. The neighborhood has two of Brooklyn’s largest public housing developments, Red Hook East and West. The area also has seen significant commercial development with the coming of Ikea, Fairway, and many smaller industrial and artisan businesses. With no subway lines directly serving Red Hook, and many locals dependent on public transit, the B61 is the only way in or out of Red Hook for many residents and workers. No direct transit save the B61 bus and the $5 Ikea Water Taxi connects the neighborhood to the rest of the city.

Columbia Street Waterfront

The Columbia Street Waterfront area is located between the East River/Buttermilk Channel, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Atlantic Avenue. This area contains a mix of residential and light industrial uses with working waterfront activities along its western edge. The area is experiencing a recent revival, with new restaurants, art galleries, and residential development. At the same time, the arrival of Phoenix Beverages to the Red Hook Container Terminal has brought new activity to the port. Columbia Street, the main thoroughfare in the neighborhood, contains a number of small shops on the ground floor of three- or four-story residential buildings

along with industrial companies along Van Brunt Street. The area houses the Red Hook Marine Terminal and Van Voorhees Park.

Downtown Brooklyn

Downtown Brooklyn is New York City’s third largest central business district (CBD) after Midtown and Downtown Manhattan, and is a government center. Numerous city, state, and federal institutions are located here, including the U.S. Federal Courthouse, Brooklyn Criminal Court, Brooklyn Family Court, the New York State Supreme Court, and the New York City Housing Court. It is also a major transfer point for B61 riders to the subway, particularly at the Jay Street-Metrotech A/C/F/R and Borough Hall – Court St 2/3/4/5/R complexes.


Study MethodologyVolunteers collected data on 701 individual bus runs over 64 total shifts and surveyed 134 passengers in Red Hook and Park Slope from July 5 to September 15, 2011. Each volunteer collected data for approximately two hours per shift during rush hours. The main data analysis is derived from observations of bus arrival times and counts of riders boarding, de-boarding and an estimated count of riders that remain on the bus. Additional data came from volunteers surveying bus passengers about their origin, destination and purpose of trip and from volunteers who rode the entirety of the bus route, recording the number of boarding and de-boarding passengers and arrival time. Data collection instruments used appear in the Appendices.

Volunteers collected data via the following methods:

1) Bus stop monitoring

Volunteers collected data in minimum two hour shifts during the 6:15-9:30 AM and 4:30-7:00 PM periods . Volunteers collected bus arrival and passenger load data at several major bus stops, including the 4thAve-9th St, Atlantic Ave/Hicks, Columbia/Union, and Ikea bus stops. Please see Appendix A for the field instrument.

2) Riding the B61 Route

To help us know more about B61 ridership characteristics, volunteers rode the entire bus route and filled out field sheets that recorded the number of passengers who boarded and de-boarded the bus at each bus stop. We had volunteers ride the complete bus route both northbound and southbound to observe ridership levels and delay points along the B61 route. Please see Appendix B for the field instrument.

3) Passenger Surveys

In order to determine the general transportation needs within the study area, we conducted a survey of passengers who boarded the B61 in both directions at various bus stops along the B61 bus route including but not limited to, 4thAve/9th St, Lorraine/Hicks, Van Brunt/Dikeman, and Columbia/Union. Please see Appendix C for the instrument.


Data Analysis The following analysis presents data volunteers collected on the performance of the B61 bus. It includes performance in terms of headway time (the time between each bus), performance of specific bus runs, frequency of buses too full to accept more passengers, perceptions of riders about change in service, and ridership levels at various points along the bus route.

B61 Bus Performance Appears to Have Become Less Regular since 2010

The scheduled headway for the B61 varies from eight to ten minutes during peak service, and averages around 8.5 minutes in the time period under study.11

Only 43% of all B61 buses during peak hours arrive within their acceptable headway time, meaning that only 43% of buses arrive within ±3 minutes of the scheduled time between buses. This compares unfavorably to a November 23, 2010 review of B61 performance by NYCT that found that 64% of B61 buses arrived within their acceptable headway time. While the NYCT measure was based on all bus times, this strongly suggests that the regularity of the B61 bus has significantly decreased since November 2010.

11 We obtained the most recent internal schedule for the B61 bus from NYCT, which was put into effect on July 5, 2011.

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Identifying Problem Spots on the Route

Looking more closely at the directions and times in which the B61 runs outside its scheduled headways, we found that Downtown Brooklyn-bound (northbound) buses deviate from their scheduled headway time more often than Park Slope-bound buses (southbound). And afternoon/evening rush hour buses arrive outside their scheduled headway much more frequently than morning rush hour buses.

Only 29% of evening northbound B61 buses arrive on their scheduled headway time at all observed bus stops, compared to morning southbound B61 buses, which arrive on their scheduled headway 56% of the time (see above graph).

Examining B61 performance at specific stops (see table at right), we found that northbound buses performed worse on the end of their route, with the exception of the Lorraine & Columbia stop. This suggests that the stretch of the route from 4th Ave to the BQE is a source of problems, as is the Van Brunt/Columbia St corridor. Southbound buses also performed poorly along the Van Brunt/Columbia corridor, as well as leaving Downtown Brooklyn.

Percent of Peak Hour Buses that Arrive Outside Acceptable Headway Times

Bus StopDowntown Brooklyn

Park Slope

4th Ave/9th St 47% 56%

Lorraine/Columbia 73% 46%

Ikea-Beard/Otsego St 59% 47%

Van Brunt/Wolcott & Van Brunt/Dikeman

47% 63%

Van Brunt/Hamilton 60% 54%

Columbia/Union 58% 50%

Atlantic/Hicks 64% 65%

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Explaining Bus Headways

To make the discussion of headways more intelligible, we provide a histogram (below) of actual headway times we observed at peak hours throughout the study. B61 buses are scheduled for eight to ten minute headways during peak hours, at an average headway of 8.5 minutes between buses. Therefore, the average acceptable headway is between 5.5 and 11.5 minutes.12 As discussed above, less than a majority of the buses observed arrive within an acceptable headway.

12 We calculated acceptable headways based on the actual scheduled headway during the time period the bus arrived. So for example, if a bus arrived during a period when the scheduled headway was eight minutes, a headway was acceptable if the bus arrived between five and eleven minutes. If a bus arrived during a period when the scheduled headway was ten minutes, the acceptable range was between seven and thirteen minutes.

The histogram below shows that many buses either arrived closely spaced together—less than five minutes apart—or, they arrived far outside what many riders (and MTA standards) would consider acceptable on this line—more than 12 minutes apart. There are even a significant number of buses that arrived between 20 and 30 minutes after the previous one— a wait that would be quite disruptive to a commute during peak hours.

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Bus Performance by “Run Number” - Northbound Route

Run NumberAverage

Arrival Time

Average Headway (mm:ss)

% Outside AcceptableHeadway

# of Observations

3 7:18 AM 08:54 40% 12

4 7:46 AM 09:27 36% 11

5 7:51 AM 08:10 17% 17

9 7:58 AM 08:38 9% 14

8 8:02 AM 08:26 21% 14

6 8:03 AM 09:18 35% 17

12 8:08 AM 08:21 21% 14

14 8:09 AM 13:28 60% 17

15 8:14 AM 05:24 7% 16

10 8:21 AM 08:00 6% 17

11 8:23 AM 09:00 10% 10

7 8:30 AM 12:45 75% 9

13 8:30 AM 09:30 38% 8

16 9:07 AM 11:00 33% 6

28 4:42 PM 07:15 25% 13

24 4:51 PM 09:48 40% 7

17 4:52 PM 06:00 13% 8

18 4:56 PM 06:18 8% 12

22 5:06 PM 09:49 14% 14

15 5:18 PM 08:23 0% 13

20 5:26 PM 11:55 33% 12

19 5:30 PM 07:51 23% 14

16 5:44 PM 12:27 75% 9

26 5:46 PM 05:27 9% 11

27 5:52 PM 09:22 27% 12

21 5:54 PM 09:38 27% 11

25 6:01 PM 12:47 67% 9

23 6:29 PM 09:26 29% 7

Examining Performance of Specific Bus Runs on the B61 Line

The table below shows the regularity of specific buses on the B61 line. There is great variability in which buses arrived outside their acceptable headway times. Buses which ran more than 50% of the time outside their acceptable headway are highlighted below. We observed that runs #7, #14 and #16 arrived most frequently outside their acceptable headway time in both directions. Bus run #8 arrives outside its acceptable headway time 64% of the time on its southbound runs but only 21% on its northbound runs.


Bus Performance by “Run Number” - Southbound Route

Run NumberAverage

Arrival Time

Average Headway (mm:ss)

% Outside AcceptableHeadway

# of Observations

13 7:42 AM 06:30 0% 12

2 7:46 AM 07:40 17% 12

7 7:50 AM 10:43 50% 14

3 7:54 AM 10:24 30% 12

5 7:54 AM 09:33 36% 13

11 8:02 AM 10:00 14% 10

6 8:05 AM 09:46 31% 13

8 8:14 AM 11:13 64% 14

10 8:19 AM 07:00 0% 8

4 8:24 AM 09:08 33% 15

9 8:36 AM 06:34 14% 8

12 8:37 AM 08:15 18% 12

14 9:06 AM 12:30 50% 6

15 9:13 AM 08:24 20% 5

14 4:55 PM 08:00 20% 15

28 5:10 PM 08:08 20% 15

24 5:10 PM 08:39 29% 15

25 5:13 PM 12:18 30% 19

17 5:18 PM 09:36 30% 10

27 5:20 PM 07:53 12% 18

18 5:23 PM 08:55 18% 12

22 5:29 PM 08:46 24% 17

26 5:35 PM 07:18 10% 13

15 5:42 PM 10:04 20% 15

20 5:51 PM 05:51 0% 13

19 5:54 PM 12:07 31% 16

16 5:55 PM 09:55 31% 14

21 6:14 PM 09:30 33% 12

Because there are multiple buses on any given route, “run numbers” are used to dispatch and track buses by NYCT. These numbers are observable on the bottom left side of the windshield of a bus when looking at the front of the bus from the outside. Sometimes, the run number is shown incorrectly because of dispatching changes or switching buses between lines and therefore, only runs with more than five observations are shown in this table to exclude observed bus runs that cannot be matched to a run on the NYCT internal schedule.


B61 Buses Often Skip Stops Because They Are Too Full

42% of northbound B61 buses traveling to Downtown Brooklyn bypass the Columbia/Union bus stop in the 8-9 AM period because they cannot take on any more passengers. In addition, 12% of the full buses during this period are the second consecutive bus at the same stop to not take passengers.13

We found that 23% of buses arriving at the Columbia/Union bus stop in the 5–6 PM time period were the second bus not accepting passengers in a row — a clearly unacceptable level of bus service.

13 Bus drivers are instructed not to admit more passengers when it is unsafe to do so (typically because passengers cannot fit behind the “white line”) or when directed by supervision. For purposes of measuring the number of passengers for bus capacity study, we conservatively estimated this amount to be 68 passengers based on observation.

B61 Line Does Not Have Enough Buses in Peak Hours

The B61 line traveling northbound during 8–9 AM and 5–6 PM is carrying more passengers than the loading guidelines prescribed by the MTA for peak service. According to NYCT, the B61 bus has an average loading guideline capacity of 54 passengers per trip, which is a "full standing load."14 The NYCT measures average passenger load on buses per half hour and compares it to this loading guideline in order to determine the number of and frequency of buses during that period. Calculations of bus capacity utilization—or, how crowded the buses are—based on our data for peak hours at the peak load points are presented on the facing page. Periods that are at or exceed the loading guidelines are highlighted.

These calculations show that B61 buses traveling northbound during 8–9 AM and 5–6 PM are fuller than the loading guidelines prescribed by the MTA for peak service. This indicates that a review of the B61 during these periods should be conducted in order to increase the number of buses during peak hours.

14 This is derived from the total seated capacity on the B61 bus — 36–40 seats depending on bus model — plus a full standing load at a “comfort-able” amount of space per person. This works out to approximately 54 people per bus run.

“The B61 bus bypasses my stop (Columbia & Union)

between approximately 8am and 8:45am. I either

have to walk several blocks to a place where it does

stop or to the F train at President and Smith (about

20 minutes away). With winter coming I wish to do

neither. Leaving to catch an earlier bus is an option

but not one that I want to take.” – B61 rider email

to Council Member Lander on October 27, 2011.

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Downtown Brooklyn-bound (Northbound) Buses Average Passenger Load Per Bus at or Near Maximum Load Point

1/2 hour period

(starting time)

Atlantic/Hicks Columbia/Union

ObservationsPassenger Load

@ DepartureObservations

Passenger Load @ Departure

7:00 AM 2 27 15 31

7:30 AM 4 39 24 47

8:00 AM 2 58 14 54

8:30 AM - - 6 58

4:00 PM 3 42 - -

4:30 PM 2 52 17 33

5:00 PM 1 65 15 50

5:30 PM 14 44 18 32

6:00 PM - - 12 36

6:30 PM - - 5 52

Park Slope-bound (Southbound) Buses Average Passenger Load Per Bus at or Near Maximum Load Point

1/2 hour

period (starting

time)

Atlantic/Hicks Columbia/Union

ObservationsPassenger Load

@ DepartureObservations

Passenger Load @ Departure

7:00 AM - - 19 32

7:30 AM 3 35 18 34

8:00 AM 3 26 18 33

8:30 AM 3 54 4 37

9:00 AM 3 22 - -

9:30 AM 1 19 - -

4:30 PM 11 38 16 30

5:00 PM 9 32 17 29

5:30 PM 8 40 16 28

6:00 PM 10 41 15 32

6:30 PM - - 6 31


Passenger Survey Findings

We surveyed 140 bus riders at multiple stops in Red Hook and Park Slope to determine the general transportation needs of B61 bus riders.

We found that 75% of passengers waiting for the B61 at 4th Ave/9th St reported being negatively impacted by the closure of the Smith-9th St subway station.

The following are selected comments made by those who are affected by the closure of the Smith-9th St subway station:

“Buses are totally crowded. More buses need

to be added during morning and evening rush

hours.” -Rider at 4th Ave/9th St bus stop, traveling to

Downtown Brooklyn

“It’s a big inconvenience because it's more work

and traveling time you have”

-Rider at Lorraine/Columbia, traveling to Sutter Ave in

East New York.

“Smith and 9th is the hub and now it is shut down

who only knows how long. When will life get better

for the people of Red Hook? Get more buses out

there!” -Rider at 4th/9th, traveling to Red Hook

“It used to take me 45 minutes to get to work, but

now it takes an hour and a half!” -Rider at 4th Ave/9th

St, traveling into Red Hook from Manhattan


The graphs below show the different purposes riders use the B61 bus for in the morning and evening peak hours of service. The primary purpose of the B61 bus, in both the morning and evening peak hours of service, is commuting to work. We found that 69% of riders use the bus to commute to work in the morning versus 35% in the evening.

Passenger surveys also showed that 81% of northbound B61 riders surveyed at the 4th Ave/9th St bus stop use the bus to commute into or out of Red Hook (see above graph). 14% of riders use the B61 bus to travel to Manhattan and 5% did not give a location.

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RecommendationsOur analysis shows that there are key times at which the frequency of B61 buses is inadequate to serve demand and that riders are frustrated with the performance of the bus line. The B61 bus is delayed most frequently when traveling northbound towards Downtown Brooklyn. Over half of all B61 buses arrive outside their acceptable headway time, and many exceed their guideline capacity, leaving passengers behind and waiting for the next bus. We also observed a sizable number of cases where two consecutive buses too full to take on more passengers bypassed stops near the peak load point of the bus line.

Adding more runs to meet NYCT guidelines in peak hours and low-cost technical improvements like “transit priority signaling,” if implemented correctly, might be able to address many of these problems. Furthermore, NYCT and DOT can provide a better rider experience by improving key stops and giving riders information about bus arrival times. We believe NYCT can meet this demand under current policies and with a relatively limited set of resources. We provide nine different cost-effective recommendations for NYCT/DOT to improve the experience of riders of the B61 bus.

Potential Changes to B61 Line

1. Implement additional peak hour service on the B61 to accommodate the higher ridership that has been observed by this study and bring service in line with NYCT system-wide standards.

Given the elimination of the B71 and the temporary closing of the Smith-9th St station, it is no surprise that additional peak hour service is needed in order to accommodate the higher ridership levels observed here. NYCT needs to immediately add additional B61 buses in rush hour and to monitor the performance of the line going forward on a more frequent basis than every two years. While it may cost a small amount to add extra bus runs, this change would bring the B61 bus lines into conformance with the standards that NYCT applies to bus lines system-wide.

2. Implement limited stop service during peak hours of service along the B61 bus route to help riders get to subway transfer points quicker.

It appears that many of the B61 rush hour riders are seeking to travel to or from downtown Brooklyn for a subway transfer. A limited stop service, like those on other high-traffic lines in the city, would stop only at the most popular stops, providing a quicker trip. While NYCT has strict guidelines15 about how frequent a bus must be to warrant limited stop service, providing a shorter route to and from Downtown Brooklyn and the 4th Ave-9th Street subway station could increase ridership of the line to the point where it would be feasible and still be within NYCT guidelines.16 This would potentially turn a 30-minute trip from Red Hook to Jay Street into a 20-minute trip or a 20-minute commute from Columbia Street to Jay Street into a 10-minute trip.

3. Work with DOT to provide a more straightforward route for the B61 to cross the BQE, as recommended in the follow up work from the Brooklyn Streetcar Feasibility Study.

Currently, the Park Slope-bound B61 must make a circuitous route through an industrial area in order to cross the BQE at Smith Street. DOT has proposed a slight re-routing of the Park Slope-bound bus across the BQE via Mill and Garnet Streets to provide a more direct route (shown on map on page 22). This would require reversing the traffic flow on a very short and little-used block of Garnet Street between Hamilton Avenue and Court Street and adding a traffic signal. This would also allow for the creation of a safe pedestrian crossing of Hamilton Avenue where one does not currently exist. As this change would reduce the B61’s travel time by as much as two to three minutes, this change should be quickly implemented by DOT & NYCT after formal community consultation and feedback.

15 NYCT generally does not implement limited-stop service on a route un-less bus headway is less than one bus every 5 minutes or there are other routes traveling on the same street that can provide local service. Right now the B61 has one bus every 8 minutes during am peak and one bus every 9 minutes during the PM peak.

16 NYCT requires a maximum peak headway time of 12 minutes per route, so a bus needs a six minute headway in order to be feasibly split into limited and local routes.


4. Minimize 9th Street bridge-caused delays with better alternative plans.

Operation of the 9th Street lift-bridge sometimes slows down the B61 route, causing a 5-15 minute delay. At the same time, the 9th Street Bridge, along with the Hamilton Avenue drawbridge, is a key connection for waterborne freight serving the Gowanus Canal and federal navigation law requires the bridge to open when a vessel needs to access the canal. DOT operates the bridge and recently added NYCT to its notification list for bridge operation. NYCT should put in place a standard operational procedure, including an alternate route to take, when notified that the bridge is going to open. DOT should also revisit its procedures to make sure that both the 9th Street and Hamilton Ave bridges are not open simultaneously.

5. Find places to optimize bus stop placements where stops are too close together and ridership

is low, in order to help speed up the bus, in consultation with the community.

There are several places along the route where bus stops are located quite close to one another, which can reduce bus speeds. Our research identified nine bus stop pairs that could be considered for merging because they are significantly under DOT’s guideline of 750 feet. We recognize that merging bus stops may be seen as an elimination of service by some and that this could be perceived as a cut to service, especially if there is not an appreciable gain in bus speed. Therefore, this should only be done with the service improvements advocated for elsewhere in the report, after a closer look at where the lowest levels of ridership occur along the B61 route and in consultation with riders and the community at large. The pairs of bus stops significantly less than 750 feet apart are shown in the table below. These stops should be evaluated with ridership levels and community input.

Bus Stop Pairs Closer Together Than NYCT 750’ Standard

Stop 1 Avg Ridership*

Stop 2 Avg Ridership*

Distance

Windsor Pl/PPW 1 Bartel-Pritchard Sq 3 ***466’

Court St/W 9th St 3 Court St/Hamilton Ave 1 ***282’

Lorraine St/Henry St 3 Lorraine St/Hicks St** 3 453’

Lorraine St/Hicks St 3 Lorraine St/Columbia St 5 492’

Lorraine St/Columbia St 5 Lorraine St/Ostego St 7 404’

Dwight St/Dikeman St 1 Dwight St/Van Dyke St 1 381’

Van Brunt St/Dikeman St 8 Van Brunt St/Sullivan St 3 390’

Van Brunt St/Sullivan St 3 Van Brunt St/Verona St 3 469’

Atlantic Ave/Hicks St 5 Atlantic Ave/Henry St 2 400’

* Average of riders boarding plus riders exiting on five trips along the whole B61 route ** NYCT is currently considering merging the Lorraine St/Henry St bus stop *** Northbound only

Improve the B61 Rider Experience6. Equip B61 buses with the MTA Bus Time GPS system (piloted on the nearby B63 line) as soon as possible in order to inform riders about when the bus will arrive and to provide priority for B61 buses at key intersections.

Working with OpenPlans, a non-profit technology organization, the MTA has shown that installing GPS devices in buses can be a simple and relatively cheap way to help bus riders plan their trips. This would allow passengers to see real-time updates about when the next buses will arrive and enable other improvements to bus

service. NYCT is in the process of outfitting every city bus with BusTime equipment – piloted on the nearby B63 line – which will allow bus arrival information to be transmitted for the entire NYCT bus fleet. In October 2011, NYCT committed to outfitting the entire fleet by spring 2013.

The B61 bus should be a priority to receive the BusTime system because of its irregular headways and the sole reliance on the B61 by many of the neighborhoods it serves. As the program will be installed depot by depot and both the B61 and B63 are run from the Jackie Gleason depot in Sunset Park, it makes sense to install BusTime on the B61 in early 2012.


6a) Install bus “countdown clocks” in bus shelters to show when the bus will arrive in real time.

The benefits of installing BusTime go beyond riders being able to use cell phones and computers to find out when buses are actually arriving. The program can be used to install “countdown clocks” – real time bus arrival information displays — in bus shelters. Elected officials can work with NYCT to fund the placement of bus arrival clocks in bus shelters, which Cemusa (the franchised provider of the bus shelters) has the contractual obligation to provide.

6b) Implement “Transit Signal Priority” to hold green lights for B61 buses at key intersections.

BusTime would also allow the implementation of “transit signal priority” for a few key intersections where the B61 is

often delayed, such as Atlantic/Hicks, Hamilton/Van Brunt, Smith Street and 3rd Avenue. This functionality requires the latest traffic signal controllers to be installed at these intersections (if they are not already there), which DOT is currently in the process of doing citywide. It also requires additional work to coordinate the systems, but the precondition of the new signal boxes and BusTime appear to be sufficient for this arrangement to be in place.

Improving the technological services of the B61, including time-arrival technology, would allow passengers to see real-time updates about when the next buses will arrive. Knowing when the next bus is due to arrive, either by a time-arrival sign at the bus stop, a mobile text message, or a smart phone application would benefit many riders. Therefore we recommend that the B61 be considered a high priority for MTA BusTime implementation.

4th Ave and 9th Street Bus Stop With New Shelter & Bus Countdown Clocks


7. Make upgrades to the Smith-9th St and 4th Ave-9th Street bus stops by adding bus shelters, benches and plantings where possible given sidewalk geometry.

Improving the Smith-9th Street and 4th Ave-9th Street bus stops — two very busy and crowded locales that leave much to be desired — would enhance the B61 rider experience. In the case of the Smith-9th Street stop, the area under the subway viaduct is quite dark and needs additional sidewalk lighting. Such improvements could include a new bus shelter with a countdown clock at

4th Ave-9th Street, and bike share stations, benches and improved street lighting at Smith-9th Street. We provide two conceptual renderings that show what these upgrades could look like.

Some of this work could be done with existing DOT/Cemusa and NYC Department of Parks & Recreation resources, such as the street furniture and trees, respectively, and other work could be done either through discretionary funding from elected officials and private funding, such as the countdown clocks.

Improved Smith-9th Street Intersection• New bus shelters• Countdown clocks• Bike share station• New "CityBench"• Lighting under elevated

tracks• Street trees


Change Nearby Bus Lines to Provide More Options

8. Extend the recently reconfigured B57 bus line into Red Hook along Lorraine Street to serve former riders of the Smith-9th Street Station and provide a direct connection to train transfers in Downtown Brooklyn.

According to our passenger surveys, residents who use the B61 bus along Lorraine Street are the most inconvenienced by the closure of the Smith-9th Street subway station. On top of that, Red Hook is now serviced by just one public transit route—the B61 bus. Extending the recently rerouted B57 bus into Red Hook along Lorraine Street would provide passengers with a second option to travel to Downtown Brooklyn, thereby mitigating overcrowding on the B61 bus. By using the same street that the B61 runs down, this would help create a transit corridor along the most dense residential area in Red Hook.

Currently the B57 has excess “recovery time” at the turnaround point on its route, which means that potentially some of the resources required to extend the route already exist. Because the B57 would travel to Ikea, the bus could lure new transit customers and would be a popular option to get to downtown Brooklyn, thus potentially making the route extension cost-effective once revenue is taken into account. The proposed route change is shown here in the map as the dotted extension of the existing B57 route.

9. Provide a transfer point from the B61 to the B103 at 3rd Avenue and 9th Street

According to our passenger surveys and ridership counts, passengers at the 9th Street/4th Ave bus stop experience the most overcrowded buses. Therefore, we believe that as an alternative route for passengers to connect with the 2,3,4,5,B,D,N,Q,R and LIRR, NYCT should provide a B103 transfer point at 3rd Avenue and 9th Street. The B61 can connect with the B103 at 9th Street and 3rd Ave to go towards Downtown Brooklyn or Canarsie.

ConclusionThis report has proposed a number of ways that the rider experience and performance of the B61 bus can be greatly improved. With a set of cost-efficient steps — adding bus runs at peak hours, laying the groundwork for a limited bus service, adding existing technology and upgrading major bus stops to help riders, and making some common-sense route adjustments — the B61 can become a much better bus line for a set of isolated communities.

We look forward to working with NYCT and NYC DOT to move these recommendations forward as soon as possible.


Appendices


Appendix A

Surveyor’s Name: ______________________Date:_________

Stop Location: ____________Weather:__________________________________

Bus Direction (circle one): Downtown BK Park Slope/Windsor Terrace

Arrival TimeControl Number

# of Passengers Un-boarding

# of Passengers boarding

# of Passengers Remaining On Bus


Appendix B

NORTHBOUND B61

Date: ____________

Surveyor’s Name: _________________Weather:____________

Stop Arrival Time# Passengers

On# Passengers

Off

PPW/18th St

PPW/Prospect Ave

PPW/ Windsor Pl

PPW/PPSW

15th St/ 8th Ave

8th Ave/13th St

8th Ave/11th St

9th St/8th Ave

9th St/7th Ave

9th St/6th Ave

9th St/5th Ave

9th St/4th Ave

9th St/3rd Ave

9th St/ 2nd Ave

9th St/Smith St

Court St/ West 9th St

Court St/ Hamilton Ave

Lorraine St/ Clinton St

Lorraine St/Henry St

Lorraine St/Hicks St

Lorraine St/Columbia St

Lorraine St/Otsego St

Dwight St/ Dikeman St


Dwight St/ Van Dyke St

Beard St/ Otsego St

Van Dyke St/ Richards St

Van Dyke St/ Van Brunt

Van Brunt/ Dykman St

Van Brunt/ Sullivan St

Van Brunt St/ Pioneer St

Van Brunt/Verona St

Van Brunt/ Seabring St

Van Brunt/Hamilton St

Columbia St/ Carroll St

Columbia St/Union St

Columbia St/ Kane St

Columbia St/Warren St

Columbia St/Atlantic Ave

Atlantic Ave/Hicks St

Atlantic Ave/Henry St

Atlantic Ave/ Clinton St

Atlantic Ave/Court St

Smith St/Atlantic Ave

Smith St/Livingston St


Appendix C

Survey Questions

1) Direction of bus (please circle one) Northbound/Southbound

Time survey was taken: ______________ 2)

Location of survey: __________________3)

Where did your trip begin? (Please give me the closest intersection and what borough it is in)4)

Where will your trip end? (Please give me the closest intersection and what borough it is in)5)

What is the primary purpose of your trip? (Circle one)6)

Going to or coming from work•

To or from shopping•

Personal business (doctor, dentist, or other appointment)•

To or from school•

Social or recreational •

Business-related•

Other purpose •

Which bus and subway lines will you use on this trip?7)

How long does this trip normally take you? 8)

How has the closure of the 9) Smith/9th F-G Station impacted transit service?


"Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus" - Brad …bradlander.nyc/sites/default/files/images/74632375-Next-Bus-Please...Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association Robert Barrios

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