Tonight: Tell Transpo Planners Your Ideas for the Next Round of BRT Routes

offset_bus_lane.jpgNYCDOT photosim of an off-set bus lane. Physically-separated lanes are also being considered for some routes.

Preparations for the next phase of Bus Rapid Transit in New York City ramp up tonight with the first of seven public workshops to gather ideas for future routes. Tonight’s workshop gets underway at 6:30, at the College of New Rochelle (it’s in the Bronx — 332 East 149th Street, between Morris and Courtlandt Avenues).

The city’s first rapid bus corridor, on Fordham Road, has sped trip
times by 20 percent and attracted 5,000 additional riders each day. Now New York City Transit and DOT are looking to collect "feedback on where new BRT routes should be established and how they should operate." In a recent report, "Introduction to BRT Phase 2" [PDF], the agencies identified more than 30 potential corridors for BRT service. These workshops will help winnow the field down to about 10 corridors.

As for how the routes operate, the Phase 2 report lays out all the options, from fare payment to station design. The most significant variable to weigh in on is probably lane treatments. Planners are considering an array of options, including off-set bus lanes, busways that run along the median, and — for wide streets with lots of bus traffic — physically separated lanes.

Head over to DOT’s website for the full schedule of BRT workshops. The next one is scheduled for Tuesday in Jackson Heights.

  • Sam Branervitch

    The BRT idea sounds like a nice waste of money that could be spent on capital improvements to our aging subway system. Creating more bus lanes will only increase the amount of traffic on the streets instead of bringing it underground.

  • vnm

    If anyone is thinking about attending this meeting, it’s cheaper to park your bike than your car. The New York City DOT parking garage across the street from the meeting, at 315 E. 149th Street, offers free indoor secure bike parking. Cars parking there have to pay a fee.

  • Transit has an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but bus service is often much less carbon-reducing than a mode like subway due to slow travel times — because of vehicle congestion. According to the FTA, one passenger mile of car travel emits nearly 1 pound of carbon dioxide, a trip by subway emits .24 pounds, and a trip by bus emits .65 pounds per passenger mile. By giving buses their own lane, operations will improve greatly and the environmental benefits of bus travel will increase.

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