Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Report

8/3/2019 Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Report

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Next Bus PleaseImproving the B61 Bus

Oce of Council Member Brad Lander

With Congresswoman Nydia Velzquez

& Council Member Sara M. Gonzlez


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Acknowledgments

Tk w z

D C

The Red Hook Iniave

Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Associaon

Robert Barrios

Jared Carrano

Brad Kerr

Kim Lee

Arun Abraham-Singh

Megan Dahlgren

Elizabeth Demetriou

Report Layout & Mapping

Hanna Persson, Seth Ullman

Anthony Alexis & Michael Schwiensburg, Oce of Council Member Sara M. Gonzlez

Chris Hrones, NYC DOT

MTA NYC Transit for providing background on bus operaons


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Next Bus Please:

Improving the

B61 Bus

Report by

Ma Green

Michael Freedman-Schnapp

With Daniel Wiley

November 2011

Oce of Council Member Brad Lander

With Congresswoman Nydia Velzquez

& Council Member Sara M. Gonzlez


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Ex S 1

I 4

S A 7

S M 8

Data Analysis 9

R 18

Appendices 23

Table of Contents


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1Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus

Ex S

This report assesses the operaon of the B61 bus, nds that there

is inadequate service at peak hours, and makes a number of

recommendaons to help improve public transportaon and the

transit rider experience in the lines service area.

The B61 has undergone several changes to the route in recent

years. Riders of the bus line have been negavely aected by the

cancellaon of four neighboring bus lines and the closure of theSmith-9th Street subway staon.

To beer understand how the aected communies are responding

to this change in service, the oces of Council Member Brad

Lander, Congresswoman Nydia Velzquez and Council Member

Sara M. Gonzlez worked with bus riders to collect informaon on

the performance of the bus during the summer of 2011.

Volunteers gathered informaon on ridership levels and boarding

volumes at various bus stops along the route, which buses are

the most chronically delayed, how the Smith-9th Staon closure

is impacng transit service, and how oen bus bunching (o-

schedule buses arriving in tandem) occurs along the bus route. The

volunteers collected this informaon by tracking bus arrival mes

and counng bus rider loads during peak periods, conducng a

survey of passengers, and riding the B61 bus to nd places where

buses are frequently delayed.


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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus2

FindingsB61 Performance

The B61 bus is consistently arriving outside its

acceptable headway me (the amount of me

scheduled between buses) during peak hours.1

Only43% of B61 buses arrive within their acceptable

headway me 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 o 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

me at the line's maximum load points (between

Columbia/Union & Atlanc/Hicks bus stops) in theevening.

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 addion, 23% of northbound buses in

the evening were the second consecuve bus to not

take passengers in the same direcon.3

B61 buses traveling northbound in the 89 AM and

56 PM hours are carrying more passengers than the

loading guidelines prescribed by the MTA New York

City Transit for peak service indicang that more

buses are required to eecvely serve rider demand

on the B61.4

1 Acceptable headway me is dened as a bus arriving +/-3 minutes out-side the intended me frameor headwaybetween 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 mes.

3 Bus drivers are instructed to not admit more passengers when it is unsafe

to do so (typically because passengers cannot t behind the white line)

or when directed by supervision. For purposes of this study, we conserva-

vely esmated this amount to be 68 passengers based on observaon.

4 A full standing load of 54 passengers is the MTAs loading guidelines for

bus service during peak hours.

Passenger S F

75% of passengers surveyed at 4th Ave - 9th St say

that the closure of the Smith-9th subway staon has

negavely 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 Transportaon

(DOT) examine the following opons to improve

service for transit riders in the B61 service area. These

recommendaons require lile, if any, extra funding andare mostly possible with exisng resources and under

current NYCT and DOT policies.

Changes to B61 Line

Implement addional peak hour service on the1.

B61 to accommodate the higher ridership that has

been observed by this study and bring service in

line with NYCT system-wide standards, parcularly

at peak hours.

Implement limited-stop service during peak hours2. of service along the B61 bus route to help riders

get to subway transfer points quicker, as long as

the addional bus runs required to implement this

are added to the route. As ridership on the B61

connues to grow, this may become feasible within

current NYCT guidelines.

Work with DOT to provide a more straighorward3.

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

beer alternave plans.

Find places to opmize bus stop placements where5.

stops are too close together and ridership is low,

in order to help speed up the bus, in consultaon

with the community.

Improve the B61 Rider Experience

Equip B61 buses with the MTA Bus Time GPS6.

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 implementaon of transit signal priority

for a few key intersecons 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, planngs, and beer

lighng where possible given sidewalk geometry.

Op C Nb T L

Extend the recently recongured B57 bus line int8.Red Hook along Lorraine Street to create beer

links to train transfers in Downtown Brooklyn.

Currently the B57 has excess recovery me 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 B1039.

at 3rd Avenue and 9th Street.

Ab: R 4th Ave-9th S B Sp

Methodology

The data in this report was collected by volunteers between Ju

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 observaon period.

We used observaons of bus arrival mes and counts of riders

boarding, de-boarding and remaining on the bus to generate

the main data analysis. Addional data came from volunteers

surveying bus passengers about their origin, desnaon and

purpose of trip and from volunteers who rode the enrety of th

bus route, recording the number of boarding and de-boarding

passengers and arrival me.


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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 mes of

all NYC commuters. Those who rely on public transit

have had to depend more on city buses, especially thosecommung between boroughs. As a result, commung

mes 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 beer understand how the aected communies are

responding to changes in service, the oces of Council

Member Brad Lander, Congresswoman Nydia Velzquez

and Council Member Sara M. Gonzlez worked with bus

riders to collect informaon 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 organizaons. The datasets used to make our

recommendaons in this report are based on quantave

and qualitave observaons collected by riders of the

B61 bus. Volunteers gathered informaon on ridership

levels on the bus and at various bus stops, which buses are

the most chronically delayed, how the Smith-9th closure

is impacng riders trips, and where bus bunching

most frequently occurs along the bus route. Volunteerscollected this informaon by tracking bus arrival mes and

counng bus rider loads during peak periods, surveying

passengers, and riding the B61 bus to nd places where

the buses are frequently delayed.

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

2011.


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B61 Bus LineThe B61 bus route operates at all mes between Park

Slope, Smith Street and Fulton Mall near the Jay Street-

MetroTech subway staon in Downtown Brooklyn via

Red Hook. The bus route has been aected by several

changes in the last few years that have dramacallychanged 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 residenal areas along the

Williamsburg waterfront and provide convenient bus and

subway connecons for customers to the Williamsburg

Bridge Plaza transit hub on the new B62 line.6 This

change has generally been posively received as it

reduced frequent delays that occurred in Downtown

Brooklyn on this formerly inter-borough line.

O J 27, 2010 B37, B71, B75 & B77 w

, B61 w x p

w . 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 me as the cancellaon of the B71

bus along Union Street between Carroll Gardens and ParkSlope, with no replacement service.

O J 20, 2011 S-9th S w

. 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 parcular

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 staon, or the B57 bus to the Carroll Street staon

as alternaves during the rehabilitaon of the Smith-9th

Street subway staon.

6 NYCT New York City Transit. B61 Split into Two Routes. B61 and B62 Set

to Begin January 2010. NYCT, 29 July 2009.

T b b

w .


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Transit Service is

Challenged in a Time of

AusterityThe speeds of city buses have goen signicantly 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 signicantly slower than bus

speeds in other major U.S. cies.8 In addion, over the

last three years, the available resources to improve the

operaonal services of NYCTs bus eets has decreased.

In 2009, Governor David Paterson and the State Legislature

used $160 million of NYCT funds to plug a state budget

shorall, and another $100 million in 2010. These cuts

to NYCTs budget, in conjuncon with an increase in debtrepayment costs and a massive shorall in revenue from

real estate taxes led to a major reducon in service for

transit riders.9 As part of a series of acons 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 reroung

of the B61 described above, along with the cancellaon

of the B37, B77, B75 and B71 that serve the same area.

Eliminang these buses and extending the B61, among

other changes in brownstone Brooklyn, were ancipatedto save NYCT $3 million annually.10

To help prevent future uses of NYCT funds to close budget

shoralls, a Transit Funding Lockbox Bill was passed

by the State Assembly (A06766C-Brennan) and State

Senate (S04257-Golden) in June 2011. Passage of this

legislaon 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, Transportaon

Alternaves Rider Rebellion, and more than 40 other

7 ibid.

8 ibid.

9 Donohue, Pete. Bill to Protect NYCT Coers from Repeated Government

Raids worth Signing. Featured Arcles 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 organizaons, labor groups and construcon industry

associaons. 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 NYCTs operang budget is severelyconstrained, this study idenes a number of exisng

resources, policies and programs that can be used

to address the needs of B61 riders and improve the

experience of taking the B61 bus.


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Study AreaWe collected data in the communies in which the B61

bus line operates, from Downtown Brooklyn through the

neighborhoods of Columbia Street Waterfront, Red Hook,

Park Slope and Windsor Terrace.

Pk Sp

The Park Slope neighborhood is the most populous

neighborhood in the Study Area and contains

approximately half of the residenal populaon within

Community Board 6. The 4th Ave-9th Street F/G/R staon, 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 staon.

Red Hook

Red Hook, a mixed-use neighborhood combining

residenal uses with a mix of light industry and marime

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 Brooklyns largest public housing developments, Red

Hook East and West. The area also has seen signicant

commercial development with the coming of Ikea, Fairway,

and many smaller industrial and arsan businesses. With

no subway lines directly serving Red Hook, and many localsdependent 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.

Cb S W

The Columbia Street Waterfront area is located between

the East River/Buermilk Channel, the Brooklyn-Queens

Expressway and Atlanc Avenue. This area contains a

mix of residenal and light industrial uses with working

waterfront acvies along its western edge. The areais experiencing a recent revival, with new restaurants,

art galleries, and residenal development. At the same

me, the arrival of Phoenix Beverages to the Red Hook

Container Terminal has brought new acvity to the

port. Columbia Street, the main thoroughfare in the

neighborhood, contains a number of small shops on the

ground oor of three- or four-story residenal 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 Citys third largest centra

business district (CBD) aer Midtown and DowntownManhaan, and is a government center. Numerous city,

state, and federal instuons are located here, including

the U.S. Federal Courthouse, Brooklyn Criminal Court,

Brooklyn Family Court, the New York State Supreme Cour

and the New York City Housing Court. It is also a major

transfer point for B61 riders to the subway, parcularly at

the Jay Street-Metrotech A/C/F/R and Borough Hall Cou

St 2/3/4/5/R complexes.


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Study MethodologyVolunteers collected data on 701 individual bus runs over

64 total shis 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

shi during rush hours. The main data analysis is derivedfrom observaons of bus arrival mes and counts of

riders boarding, de-boarding and an esmated count of

riders that remain on the bus. Addional data came from

volunteers surveying bus passengers about their origin,

desnaon and purpose of trip and from volunteers who

rode the enrety of the bus route, recording the number

of boarding and de-boarding passengers and arrival

me. Data collecon instruments used appear in the

Appendices.

Volunteers collected data via the following methods:

1) Bus stop monitoring

Volunteers collected data in minimum two hour shis

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, Atlanc

Ave/Hicks, Columbia/Union, and Ikea bus stops. Please see

Appendix A for the eld instrument.

2) Riding the B61 Route

To help us know more about B61 ridership characteriscs,volunteers rode the enre bus route and lled out eld

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

eld instrument.

3) P S

In order to determine the general transportaon

needs within the study area, we conducted a survey ofpassengers who boarded the B61 in both direcons 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.


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Data AnalysisThe following analysis presents data volunteers

collected on the performance of the B61 bus. It includes

performance in terms of headway me (the me between

each bus), performance of specic bus runs, frequency

of buses too full to accept more passengers, perceponsof 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 me period under study.11

Only 43% of all B61 buses during peak hours arrive withintheir acceptable headway me, meaning that only 43%

of buses arrive within 3 minutes of the scheduled me

between buses. This compares unfavorably to a Novemb

23, 2010 review of B61 performance by NYCT that found

that 64% of B61 buses arrived within their acceptable

headway me. While the NYCT measure was based on al

bus mes, this strongly suggests that the regularity of the

B61 bus has signicantly decreased since November 2010

11 We obtained the most recent internal schedule for the B61 bus from

NYCT, which was put into eect on July 5, 2011.

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I Pb Sp R

Looking more closely at the direcons and mes in

which the B61 runs outside its scheduled headways, we

found that Downtown Brooklyn-bound (northbound)

buses deviate from their scheduled headway me moreoen than Park Slope-bound buses (southbound). And

aernoon/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 me at all observed bus stops,

compared to morning southbound B61 buses, which arrive

on their scheduled headway 56% of the me (see above

graph).

Examining B61 performance at specic stops (see tableat right), we found that northbound buses performed

worse on the end of their route, with the excepon 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

B SpDowntown

Brooklyn Pk Sp

4th Ave/9th St 47% 56%

Lorraine/Columbia 73% 46%

Ikea-Beard/Otsego St 59% 47%

Van Brunt/Wolco &

Van Brunt/Dikeman47% 63%

Van Brunt/Hamilton 60% 54%

Columbia/Union 58% 50%

Atlanc/Hicks 64% 65%

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17/34


Explaining Bus Headways

To make the discussion of headways more intelligible,

we provide a histogram (below) of actual headway mes

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 acceptableheadway 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 me 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 ve 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 togetherless than ve minutes

apartor, 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 signicant

number of buses that arrived between 20 and 30 minutes

aer the previous one a wait that would be quitedisrupve to a commute during peak hours.

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18/34


Bus Performance by Run Number - Northbound Route

Run NumberAverage

Arrival Time

Average

Headway

(mm:ss)

% Outside

Acceptable

Headway

# of

Ob

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% 1416 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

Ex P Sp B R B61 L

The table below shows the regularity of specic buses on the B61 line. There is great variability in which buses arrived

outside their acceptable headway mes. Buses which ran more than 50% of the me outside their acceptable headway

are highlighted below. We observed that runs #7, #14 and #16 arrived most frequently outside their acceptable

headway me in both direcons. Bus run #8 arrives outside its acceptable headway me 64% of the me on its

southbound runs but only 21% on its northbound runs.


19/34


B P b R Nb - Sb R

Run NumberAverage

Arrival Time

Average

Headway

(mm:ss)

% Outside

Acceptable

Headway

# of

Ob

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% 159 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% 1917 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 mulple buses on any given route, run numbers are used to dispatch and track buses by NYCT.

These numbers are observable on the boom le side of the windshield of a bus when looking at the front of the bus

from the outside. Somemes, the run number is shown incorrectly because of dispatching changes or switching buses

between lines and therefore, only runs with more than ve observaons are shown in this table to exclude observed bu

runs that cannot be matched to a run on the NYCT internal schedule.


20/34


B61 B O Skp Sp B T A T F

42% b B61 b Dww

Brooklyn bypass the Columbia/Union bus stop in the

8-9 AM p b k

p. In addion, 12% of the full buses during this

period are the second consecuve bus at the same stop to

not take passengers.13

We found that 23% of buses arriving at the Columbia/Unionbus stop in the 56 PM me period were the second bus

not accepng 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 t behind the white line)

or when directed by supervision. For purposes of measuring the number

of passengers for bus capacity study, we conservavely esmated this

amount to be 68 passengers based on observaon.

B61 Line Does Not Have Enough Buses in Peak Hours

TheB61 b 89 AM

56 PM p

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. Calculaons of bus

capacity ulizaonor, how crowded the buses arebased

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.

T w B61 b

b 89 AM 56 PM

pb b MTA pk .

This indicates that a review of the B61 during these periods

should be conducted in order to increase the number ofbuses during peak hours.

14 This is derived from the total seated capacity on the B61 bus 3640

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 opon

but not one that I want to take. B61 rider emailto Council Member Lander on October 27, 2011.

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21/34


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

1/2 hour

period(

)

A/Hk Columbia/Union

Observaons Passenger Load@ Departure

Observaons 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 18 326:00 PM - - 12 36

6:30 PM - - 5 52

Pk Sp-b (Sb) BAverage Passenger Load Per Bus at or Near Maximum Load Point

1/2 hourperiod

(

)

A/Hk Columbia/Union

ObservaonsPassenger Load

@ DepartureObservaons

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 16 305:00 PM 9 32 17 29

5:30 PM 8 40 16 28

6:00 PM 10 41 15 32

6:30 PM - - 6 31


22/34


P S F

We surveyed 140 bus riders at mulple stops in Red Hook

and Park Slope to determine the general transportaon

needs of B61 bus riders.

W 75% p w B61

4

th

Ave/9

th

S p b p b S-9 S bw .

The following are selected comments made by those who

are aected by the closure of the Smith-9th St subway

staon:

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

Its a big inconvenience because it's more work

and traveling me you have

-Rider at Lorraine/Columbia, traveling to Suer 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 beer

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 Manhaan


23/34


The graphs below show the dierent 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

commung 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 northboundB61 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

Manhaan and 5% did not give a locaon.

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24/34


RecommendationsOur analysis shows that there are key mes 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 me, and many exceed their guideline capacity,

leaving passengers behind and waing for the next bus.

We also observed a sizable number of cases where two

consecuve 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 beer rider experience

by improving key stops and giving riders informaon

about bus arrival mes. We believe NYCT can meet this

demand under current policies and with a relavely

limited set of resources. We provide nine dierent cost-

eecve recommendaons for NYCT/DOT to improve the

experience of riders of the B61 bus.

P C B61 L

1. Ip pk B61 to accommodate the higher ridership that has

been observed by this study and bring service in line

w NYCT -w .

Given the eliminaon of the B71 and the temporary closing

of the Smith-9th St staon, it is no surprise that addional

peak hour service is needed in order to accommodate

the higher ridership levels observed here. NYCT needs to

immediately add addional 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. Ip p pk

of service along the B61 bus route to help riders get

bw p qk.

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-trac lines in the city, would stop only at the mostpopular 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 staon could increase ridership of the line to the

point where it would be feasible and sll be within NYCT

guidelines.16 This would potenally 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. Wk w DOT p w

B61 BQE,

w p wk Bk S

Fb S.

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-roung 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 trac ow on a very short and lile-used block of

Garnet Street between Hamilton Avenue and Court Street

and adding a trac signal. This would also allow for the

creaon of a safe pedestrian crossing of Hamilton Avenue

where one does not currently exist. As this change would

reduce the B61s travel me by as much as two to three

minutes, this change should be quickly implemented by

DOT & NYCT aer formal community consultaon 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 me of 12 minutes per route,

so a bus needs a six minute headway in order to be feasibly split into

limited and local routes.


25/34


4. Minimize 9th S b- w

b p.

Operaon of the 9th Street li-bridge somemes slows

down the B61 route, causing a 5-15 minute delay. At the

same me, the 9th Street Bridge, along with the Hamilton

Avenue drawbridge, is a key connecon for waterborne

freight serving the Gowanus Canal and federal navigaonlaw requires the bridge to open when a vessel needs to

access the canal. DOT operates the bridge and recently

added NYCT to its nocaon list for bridge operaon.

NYCT should put in place a standard operaonal

procedure, including an alternate route to take, when

noed 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. F p pz b p p

where stops are too close together and ridership

w, p p p b,

w .

There are several places along the route where bus

stops are located quite close to one another, which can

reduce bus speeds. Our research idened nine bus

stop pairs that could be considered for merging because

they are signicantly under DOTs guideline of 750 feet.We recognize that merging bus stops may be seen as an

eliminaon 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 onl

be done with the service improvements advocated for

elsewhere in the report, aer a closer look at where the

lowest levels of ridership occur along the B61 route and

in consultaon with riders and the community at large.

The pairs of bus stops signicantly less than 750 feet apa

are shown in the table below. These stops should be

evaluated with ridership levels and community input.

B Sp P C T T NYCT 750 S

Sp 1 Avg

Ridership*

Sp 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 390Van Brunt St/Sullivan St 3 Van Brunt St/Verona St 3 469

Atlanc Ave/Hicks St 5 Atlanc Ave/Henry St 2 400

* Average of riders boarding plus riders exing on ve trips along the whole B61 route

** NYCT is currently considering merging the Lorraine St/Henry St bus stop

*** Northbound only

Improve the B61 Rider Experience

6. Eqp B61 b w MTA B T 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 k .

Working with OpenPlans, a non-prot technology

organizaon, the MTA has shown that installing GPS

devices in buses can be a simple and relavely cheap

way to help bus riders plan their trips. This would allow

passengers to see real-me updates about when the next

buses will arrive and enable other improvements to bus

service. NYCT is in the process of ouing every city bus

with BusTime equipment piloted on the nearby B63 line

which will allow bus arrival informaon to be transmied

for the enre NYCT bus eet. In October 2011, NYCT

commied to ouing the enre eet 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.


26/34


6a) Install bus countdown clocks in bus shelters to

w w b w .

The benets of installing BusTime go beyond riders

being able to use cell phones and computers to nd out

when buses are actually arriving. The program can be

used to install countdown clocks real me bus arrival

informaon displays in bus shelters. Elected ocialscan 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 obligaon

to provide.

6b) Ip T S P

B61 b k .

BusTime would also allow the implementaon of transit

signal priority for a few key intersecons where the B61 is

oen delayed, such as Atlanc/Hicks, Hamilton/Van Brunt,

Smith Street and 3rd Avenue. This funconality requires

the latest trac signal controllers to be installed at these

intersecons (if they are not already there), which DOT is

currently in the process of doing citywide. It also requires

addional work to coordinate the systems, but the

precondion of the new signal boxes and BusTime appearto be sucient for this arrangement to be in place.

Improving the technological services of the B61, including

me-arrival technology, would allow passengers to see

real-me updates about when the next buses will arrive.

Knowing when the next bus is due to arrive, either by a

me-arrival sign at the bus stop, a mobile text message,

or a smart phone applicaon would benet many riders.

Therefore we recommend that the B61 be considered a

high priority for MTA BusTime implementaon.

4th Ave and 9th S B Sp W Nw S & B Cw Ck


27/34


7. Mk p S-9th S 4th Ave-9th

S b p b b , b

p w pb wk .

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, thearea under the subway viaduct is quite dark and needs

addional sidewalk lighng. Such improvements could

include a new bus shelter with a countdown clock at

4th Ave-9th Street, and bike share staons, benches and

improved street lighng 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 exisng DOT/Cemusa

and NYC Department of Parks & Recreaon resources, such

as the street furniture and trees, respecvely, and otherwork could be done either through discreonary funding

from elected ocials and private funding, such as the

countdown clocks.

Ip S-9thS I

Nw b

Cw k

Bk

Nw "CB"

L tracks

S


28/34


Change Nearby Bus Lines to

P M Op

8. Ex B57 b

R Hk L S

S-9 S S p Dww

Bk.

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 staon.

On top of that, Red Hook is now serviced by just one

public transit routethe B61 bus. Extending the recently

rerouted B57 bus into Red Hook along Lorraine Street

would provide passengers with a second opon to travel

to Downtown Brooklyn, thereby migang overcrowding

on the B61 bus. By using the same street that the B61 runsdown, this would help create a transit corridor along the

most dense residenal area in Red Hook.

Currently the B57 has excess recovery me at the

turnaround point on its route, which means that

potenally 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 opon to get to downtown Brooklyn, thus

potenally making the route extension cost-eecve once

revenue is taken into account. The proposed route changeis shown here in the map as the doed extension of the

exisng B57 route.

9. P p B61 B103

at 3rd Avenue and 9th S

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 alternave 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 B61can 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 greatlyimproved. With a set of cost-ecient steps adding bus

runs at peak hours, laying the groundwork for a limited bus

service, adding exisng technology and upgrading major

bus stops to help riders, and making some common-sense

route adjustments the B61 can become a much beer

bus line for a set of isolated communies.

We look forward to working with NYCT and NYC DOT to

move these recommendaons forward as soon as possible.


29/34


Appendices


30/34


Appendix A

Surveyors 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


31/34


Appendix B

NORTHBOUND B61

Date: ____________

Surveyors 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


32/34


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/Atlanc Ave

Atlanc Ave/Hicks St

Atlanc Ave/Henry St

Atlanc Ave/ Clinton St

Atlanc Ave/Court St

Smith St/Atlanc Ave

Smith St/Livingston St


33/34


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 in4)

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 the9) Smith/9th F-G Station impacted transit service?


34/34

Documents

Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Report