South Boston Bus Stop & Service Improvement … Boston Bus Stop & Service Improvement Program...

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South Boston Bus Stop & Service

Improvement Program

September 23 2015

Condon School

200 D Street

Overview

■ MBTA Bus Routes are important assets for all of South

Boston

■ Current Bus Stops do NOT meet MBTA or accessibility

guidelines

■ Parking spaces are at a premium in South Boston

■ Bus stops are inadequate, closely spaced and impede

traffic

■ Many interim changes and operations should be re-

evaluated per current neighborhood context

Overview – MBTA Bus Routes are important assets

Over 15,000 people getting on and off all bus stops

between Broadway and City Point every weekday

■ Bus stops do NOT meet MBTA or accessibility

guidelines • 29% of the Route 9 & 11 bus stops in South Boston are

equal to or less than 40 feet

• 56% are along sidewalks less than 8 feet wide, or have no

sidewalks at all.

An inbound bus at East Broadway and H St

(a 45-foot long stop) sticking into traffic

Inaccessible sidewalk conditions at

East 1st and O Street

Overview

■ On-street parking is at a premium in South Boston

neighborhood

■ Increased residential development and construction

activity

Construction vehicles parked in the bus stop at E Broadway and L St

Overview

■ Very closely spaced stops • Over 70% of stops are closer than 750 feet

MBTA System Guidelines

■ Stop spacing should be between 750 and 1,300 feet

apart for urban bus routes

• 4 to 6 minute walking distance, 4 to 7 stops per mile

■ MBTA buses must open their doors at the curb

• Far side (70’ minimum, 90’ standard)

• Near side (90’ minimum, 100, standard)

• Midblock (or far side after a left turn) (100’ minimum, 120’ standard)

■ Any stop altered (unless removed) must be brought up to

current accessibility standards

MBTA Key Bus Route Improvement Program

■ MBTA’s highest ridership

bus routes

■ Improvements completed in

■ Utilized $10 million in ARRA

grant funds

■ Eliminated about 20-25% of

stops per route

Accomplishments

■ Improved Reliability

■ Faster Service

■ Accessibility Compliance

■ Passenger Amenities

South Boston Transit

RECENT

DEVELOPMENTS

Recent Development

■ Increased development activity and ridership in South Boston

Recent Development

■ Increased community interest in improving MBTA service

Recent Development

Credit: Boston Globe

Recent Development

■ Following the winter emergency, utility work has kept

inbound buses on East Broadway

Should MBTA bus service permanently move from 4th

Street to Broadway?

Relocate bus service from P Street to Farragut Road?

Ensuring bus stops are accessible

Key Issues:

■ East Broadway is a two-way street, and buses operate in both

directions along the rest of East and West Broadway

■ Sidewalks are wider on East Broadway than on 4th Street (15

feet compared to 7.5 feet), offering accessibility advantages and

greater comfort waiting for the bus

■ Multiple lanes allow passing, operational flexibility, and

emergency vehicle passage

■ More commercial and institutional activity along Broadway

■ Service running on the same street is more consistent and

understandable

Inbound Service on East Broadway

■ Farragut Road is a two-way street, allowing service to operate in both directions

■ Service running on the same street in both directions is more consistent and easier to understand

■ Sidewalks along the eastern edge of Farragut are recently resurfaced, and new curb ramps are already installed

■ Sidewalks on both sides of Farragut are consistently 14’ wide

■ Farragut Road has low traffic volumes, high visibility, and lower speeds; desirable for minimum stop lengths, which mitigate parking impacts

P Street service to Farragut Road

■ Faster, more reliable service: It takes an average of 15 seconds

for a bus to serve each stop. More variable travel times mean

less service is less reliable

■ Reduced parking impacts: Bus stops must be long enough to

be accessible. Consolidating stops impacts parking in fewer

locations

■ Coordinated with adjacent land use: Bus stops closer to

activity centers generating many riders

■ Smoother traffic flow: More stops means more weaving in and

out of traffic

■ Better amenities: Improved bus stops at ideal locations

Why consolidate bus stops?

EAST OF L STREET

Routes and Stops: SPRING 2014

Routes and Stops: WINTER 2015

Temporary stop

removed after

Winter 2015

Routes and Stops: AS PROPOSED

Net change in parking: +2 spaces

+1 +5 +3

+1 -3 -4 -1 -1

-3 +1 -2 +1

+3 +3 +3 +2 +2

0 0 +1

LEGEND

No net

change

Parking

spaces lost

Parking

spaces gained

1,090 ft

1,250 ft

1,110 ft

1,100 ft

640 ft

1,020 ft

1,200 ft (Rt 9)

950 ft

940 ft (Rt 11)

No more than 3

blocks from

nearest stop

660 ft (Rt 9)

700 ft (Rt 11)

INBOUND

10033 – 1st Street & O Street (5, 7, 9, 10, 11)

■ Existing stop

■ Eliminated

■ Issues

• Sidewalk is in poor condition

(cracked and warped)

• Sidewalk is 5.5’ wide, but

obstructions narrow path of

travel to 3.5’

• Landing area is insufficient

width (5.5’)

• No detectable panel at curb

ramp for crossing O Street

■ Parking Impact: +1

35 – P Street & Broadway (5, 7, 9, 10, 11)

■ Existing stop

■ Eliminated

■ Issues

• Sidewalk width is only 7.5’

• Cross slope of landing area

is 7.8%

NEW - Farragut Road & 2nd Street (5, 7, 9, 10, 11)

■ New stop to be created

■ Sidewalk Width: 15’

■ Proposed Stop Length: 70’

■ Improvements Needed

• Resurface sidewalk to

reduce cross slope and

running slope of landing

area, and reduce cross

slope of path of travel

• Add visible crosswalk

across Farragut Road

• Repair curb ramps that

have greater than 8%

running slope

■ Parking Impact: -2

NEW – Farragut Road & 4th Street (11)

■ 2 options: Near Side and Far Side

■ Near Side • Sidewalk width: 15’

• Resurface sidewalk to reduce cross slopes of landing area and path of travel

• Install curb ramp immediately across Farragut Road

• Potential stop length: 90’

• Parking impact: -2

■ Far Side • Sidewalk width: 15’

• Resurface sidewalk to reduce cross slopes and running slope of landing area and cross slopes of path of travel

• Potential stop length: 70’

• Parking impact: -2

37 – 4th Street & O Street (5, 7, 9, 10)

■ Existing stop

■ Eliminated

■ Issues

• Stop length - 40’

• Sidewalk width - 8’

• No detectable panels at

corner curb ramp

• Inconsistent sidewalk slope

• Retaining stop would

require removal of disability

parking space

NEW – Broadway & P Street (5, 7, 9, 10)

■ Sidewalk Width: 15’

• Resurface sidewalk to

reduce cross slopes of

landing area

• Consider far and near

sides of P Street for further

evaluation

TEMP – Broadway & O Street (5, 7, 9, 10)

■ Temporary stop

■ Eliminated

■ Issues

• Currently not in use

• Created due to closure

inbound stops along 4th

Street

• School and neighbors

objected to location of stop

due to loading and unloading

of students

• 2 parking spaces were

gained with closure

■ Parking Impact: No change

NEW – Broadway & N Street (5, 7, 9, 10)

■ Temporary

■ Retained and Improved

■ Sidewalk Width: 14.5’

• Establish back of stop at

point of curvature in order to

avoid tree pit in landing area

• Coordinate alongside

ongoing park improvements

TEMP – Broadway & M Street (5, 7, 9, 10)

■ Temporary stop

■ Eliminated

■ Issues

• Currently in use as a

temporary stop due to

construction on 4th Street

• Less than minimum

spacing between adjacent

■ Parking Impact: No change

41 – Broadway & L Street (5, 9, 10)

■ Existing stop

■ Retained and improved

■ Stop Length

• Current: 60’

• Proposed: 90’

• Expand stop to standard

length (move back of stop

to point of curvature)

• Resurface cracked

pavement

886 – L Street & Broadway (7)

■ Existing stop

■ Retained and improved

■ Stop Length

• Current: 49’

• Proposed: 90’

• Resurfacing of sidewalk to reduce cross slopes of both landing area and path of travel

• Replace pedestrian signals to meet currently accessibility standards

OUTBOUND

27 – Broadway & N Street (5, 7, 9, 10)

■ Existing stop

■ Sidewalk width: 15’

■ Stop Length

• Current: 43’

• Proposed: 90’

• Resurfacing: cross slope of

landing area tilted toward

roadway

28 – Broadway & O Street (5, 7, 9, 10)

■ Existing

■ Eliminated

■ Issues

• Lamp post in landing area

• Tree box reduces sidewalk

width to 7’

• Space between adjacent

stops is below minimum

30 – Broadway & Farragut Road (5, 7, 9, 10)

■ Existing stop

■ Eliminated

■ Issues

• Near side immediately

before left hand turn

• Less than minimum

spacing between adjacent

• Retaining stop would force

removal of disability

parking space

30272 – Farragut Road & Broadway (11)

■ Existing stop for Route 11, to be for Routes 5, 7, 9, 10, and 11

■ Stop Length

• Current: 37.5’

• Proposed: 100’

• Expand stop to minimum length and accommodate left turns from Broadway onto Farragut Road

• No surfacing necessary

WEST OF L STREET

Routes and Stops: CURRENT

Routes and Stops: MAKE ALL STOPS ACCESSIBLE

Net change in parking: -35 spaces

-1 -2 -2 -3 -3

-2 -2 -2 -2

Net change in parking: 0 spaces

-1 +2 -2 +1 -3

-2 +2 -2 +1

NEXT STEPS

•Review Comments

•Finalize Plan

•Interim Improvements (as possible)

•Cost Estimates/Allocate Budget

•Final Design

•Implementation

Thank you

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