ctps study of brookline's route 66 bus line

8/14/2019 CTPS Study of Brookline's Route 66 Bus Line

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MEMORANDUM

DATE: January 15, 2010

TO: Project Files

FROM: Mark Abbott, Eric Howard, and Chen-Yuan WangTraffic Analysis and DesignRobert S. GuptillTransit Service Planning

RE: Key Bus Routes Study: Route 66

MBTA Bus Route 66, running between Harvard Square and Dudley Station, is one of the keybus routes that are being examined for potential improvement measures, especially transit signalpriority (TSP) treatments. This memorandum describes Route 66, summarizes data collectionand field observations that indicate the problems faced by the route, and proposes potentialimprovements for the route. These improvements include various forms of transit signal priority(TSP) as well as stop consolidation, elimination, and relocation.

This memorandum contains four sections. The first section describes the locations of existingstops and traffic signals. The second section examines average speeds by segment on the routebased on MBTA AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location) data and a few on-board field observationson inbound and outbound trips. The third section discusses how proposed stop locations mightpotentially work in combination with dedicated bus-only rights-of-way and TSP at intersectionsto improve the route running time. The final section summarizes the analysis and presentsrecommendations for next steps.

The recommendations contained herein were based on a review of available data, such as AVLdata and CTPS ridership reports, and field observations of the route via a limited number of busand bicycle rides. These recommendations solely represent the thoughts and opinions of theauthors, and receive neither the support nor opposition of MBTA or any other organization.

Route Description

The route has 43 stops in the inbound direction (from Harvard Square to Dudley Station) and 41stops in the outbound direction (from Dudley Station to Harvard Square). Most of these stops arelocated near roadway intersections and maintain a pull-out area for the buses on the outsidetravel or parking lane next to a sidewalk curb. Figures 1 and 2 shows the locations of these stopsin the inbound and in the outbound direction respectively, including the terminal stops.


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Dudley Station

322 Harvard St

JFK St @ Eliot St

opp 175 N Harvard St

Eliot St @ Bennett St

T r e m o

n t S t

@ P a

r k e r S t

T r e m

o n t S

t @ B u

r n e y S

t

T r e m

o n t S

t @ C a r m

e l S

tHarvard St @ Auburn St

Harvard St @ Pierce St

Harvard St @ School St

Harvard St @ Marion St

Harvard St @ Beacon St

Harvard Sq @ Garden St

Cambridge St @ Hano St

T r e m o

n t S t

@ W h i t

n e y S t

M a l c o

l m X B l v

d @ K i n g S

t

Harvard St @ Williams St

Harvard St @ Coolidge St

Harvard St @ Verndale St

N Harvard St @ Hooker St

Brighton Ave @ Cambridge

T r e m

o n t S

t @ C o

l u m b u

s A v e

Washington St @ Walnut St

B r i g h t o n A v e @

A l l s t o n S t

Harvard St @ Washington St

N Harvard St @ Coolidge St

N Harvard St @ Franklin St

N Harvard St @ Western Ave

Brighton Ave @ Harvard Ave

Cambridge St @ Franklin St

H u n t i n g t o

n A v e @ J

a m a i c a w a

y

Cambridge St @ N Harvard St

M a l c o

l m X B

l v d @

S h a w

m u t A

v e

Cambridge St @ opp Linden St

Harvard Ave @ Commonwealth Ave

H u n t i n g t o n

A v e @

o p p F

e n w o

o d R d

N Harvard St @ Harvard Stadium Gate 2

H u n t i

n g t o n

A v e @

M i s s

i o n S t

T r e m o

n t S t

@ o p

p W i g g

l e s w o

r t h S t

H u n t i n g t o n

A v e @ P a r k

e r H i l

l A v e

M a l c o

l m X B

l v d @

o p p M

a d i s o n

P a r k H i

g h S c

h o o l

M a l c o

l m X B

l v d @

o p p O

' B r y a n

t S c h o o

l

SOMERVILLE

CAMBRIDGE

BOSTON

WATERTOWN

BROOKLINE

C O M M O

N W E A

L T H

A V E

M C G R A T H H I G H W A Y

H EA T HS T

M A G A Z

I N E S T

H A M

P D E N

S T

C A

R L

T O

N

S T

S H A W

M U T A

V E

C Y P R E S S S T

E S S E X S T

L O N G W O O D A V E

W A S H I N G T O N S T

H U N T

I N G T O

N A V E

B R A T T L E S

T

P O N D A V E

H A R V A R D A V

E

C H E S T N U T H I L L

A V E

E M B A N K M E N T

R D

B R O O K

L I N E A V

E

M A R K

E T S T

W I N S H I P

S T

E L I

O T S T

F E N W

A Y

N O R T H B E AC O N S T

C E N T R E

S T

C R A I G

I E S T

M O U N T A U B U R N S T

M O N S I G N O R O B R I E N H I G H W A Y

C O N C

O R DAVE

S A I N T P A U L S T

C A R D I N A L M E D E I R O S A V

E

F I R S T S T

I N M A

N S T

B E R K E L E Y

S T

W E B S T E R A V E

C A M B R I D G E S T

S O M E R V I L L E A V E

A L B A

N Y S T

C H A R L E S S T

L A N D

B O U L

E V A R

D

W A V E

R L Y S

T

E X E T E R S T

P L E A

S A N T

S T

S I D

N E Y

S T

S O U T H AM P T O N S T

W A L T H A M S T

K I R K L A N

D S T

H E M

E N W

A Y S T

B O Y L S T O N

S T

C L A R E N D O N S T

H E R E F O

R D S T

S T

P A R K D R

E R I E S T

W E S T N E W T O N

S T

B R O A D W A Y

N E W D U D L E Y S T

S T UA R T S

T

M E M O R I A L D R

B I N N E Y S T

P O R T

L A N D S T

M E D F O

R D S T

B E LV I D E R E S T

M A IN S T

D U D LE Y S T

H A R V A R D S T

G A R D E N S T

H A R R

I S O N A

V E

T R E M

O N T S

T

F R E S H P O N D

P A R K W A Y

C O L U

M B I A

S T

W E S T E R N

A V E

B R I G H T O N AV E

R O X B U R Y S T

P U T N A M A V E

S O L D IE R S F I E L D R D

E X T E N S I O N

R I V E R W A Y

H A M P S H I R E S T

M O U N T F O R T S T

B R O O

K L I N

E S T

W E S T L A N D AV E

T H

I R D S T

R I V E R

S T

C O L U

M B U S

A V E

W A R R E

N S T

D A L T O

N S T

P A R K

P L A Z A

A S P I N W A L L A V E

S A I N T

J A M E S A

V E

A U S

T I N S

T

L E E

S T

R U T H

E R F O

R D A V E

A R L I N G T O N S T

T R O W

B R I D

G E S T

V A S S

A R S T

L S T

P R O S

P E C T

S T

D A R T M

O U T H

S T

M A S S A C H U S E T T S

A V E

MA S O N S

T

N E W B U R

Y S T

H E N R Y S T

H A M P A R K W A Y

L A M B E R T S T

B E A C O N

S T

F O R S Y T H W A Y

M A U R I C

E T O

B I N B

R I D G E

M E L N E A C A S S B O U L E V

A R D

C H A R L ES G AT E O V E R P A S S

A G A S S I Z R D

C H A P

E L S T

C H

A R L

E S T O

W N

A V E

L O N G F E LLO W B R ID G E

A B E R D E E N A V E

S O L D I E R S F I E LD R D

J A M A I C A W A Y

C A M B

R I D G

E P A

R K W A

Y

G R E E

N O U G

H B O U

L E V A

R D

S T O R R O

W D R

L E V E R E T T C O N N E C T O R

MBTA bus stops route 66, inbound

F i g u r e 1F i g u r e 1M B T A B u s R o u t e M B T A B u s R o u t e

S t o p s I n b o u n dS t o p s I n b o u n d

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.80.1Miles

11/18/09

Central Transportation Planning Staff State Transportation Building10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150Boston, MA 02116(617) 973-7100

Data taken from the CTPS MBTA bus routesand stops layer file.

CTP


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Dudley Station

JFK St @ Eliot St

Harvard St @ Kent St


Harvard St @ Beals St



Harvard St @ Linden St

T r e m o

n t S t

@ P a

r k e r S t

Harvard St @ Babcock St

N Harvard St @ Oxford St

N Harvard St @ Empire St

Harvard St @ Coolidge St

W a s h i n g t

o n S t @ P

e a r l S t

Cambridge St @ Linden St

Harvard St @ Brighton Ave

Harvard St @ Aspinwall St

H u n t i n g t

o n A v e @

R i v e r w a

y

N Harvard St @ Western Ave

N Harvard St @ Kingsley St

Harvard St @ opp Vernon St

Harvard St @ opp Auburn St

Cambridge St @ Harvard Ave

B r i g h t o n A

v e @ C r a

f t s m a n S

t

B r i g h t o

n A v e

@ o p p

Q u i n t

S t

T r e m o

n t S t

@ W o r t h i n

g t o n S

t

T r e m o

n t S t @

H u n t i n g

t o n A v e

H u n t i

n g t o n

A v e @

F e n w

o o d R

d

M a l c o

l m X B l

v d @ T r

e m o n t S

t

Harvard St @ opp Verndale St

M a l c o

l m X B l

v d @ S h

a w m u t A

v e

Harvard Ave @ Commonwealth Ave

Massachusetts Ave @ Johnston Gate

N Harvard St @ opp Harvard Stadium Gate 2

T r e m

o n t S

t @ o p p R

o x b u r y

C r o s s i n

g S t a t

i o n

Cambridge St @ Craftsman St

T r e m o

n t S t

@ M i

s s i o n C

h u r c h

T r e m

o n t S

t @ T o b i n

C o m m

u n i t y

C e n t e

r

H u n t i n g

t o n A v

e @ o p

p P a r k

e r H i l l A

v e

M a l c o

l m X B l v d

@ O ' B r

y a n t S

c h o o l

M a l c o

l m X B l

v d @ M a d i s o

n P a r k H

i g h S c h o

o l

SOMERVILLE

CAMBRIDGE

BOSTON

WATERTOWN

BROOKLINE

M C G R A T H H I G H W A Y

M A G A

Z I N E S

T H

A M

P D E

N S

T

C A R L T O

N S T

S H A W M

U T A V

E

C Y P R E S S S T

E S S E X S T

N O

R T H H A R V A R D

S T

L O N G W O O D A V E

W A S H I N G T O N S T

B R A T T L E S T

P O N D A V E

H A R V A R D A V E

C H E S T N

U T H I L L

A V E

E M B A N

K M E N T

R D

B R O O K L

I N E

A V E

M A R K E

T S T

W I N S H I P S T

E L I O T S T

F E N W

A Y


C E N T R E

S T

C R A I G

I E S T

M O U N T A U B U R N S T

M O N S I G N O R O B R I E N H I G H W A Y

C O N C O R D A

VE

S A I N T P A U L S T

C A R D I N A L

M E D E I R O

S A V E

F I R S T S T

I N M A N

S T

B E R K E L E Y

S T

B E LV I D E R E S T

W E B S T E R A V E

C A M B R I D G E S T


A L B A

N Y S T

C H A

R L E S

S T

L A N D

B O U L

E V A R

D

W A V E

R L Y S

T

E X E T E R

S T

P L E A

S A N T

S T

S I D N E

Y S T

W A L T H A M

S T

K I R K L A N

D S T

H E M

E N W A

Y S T

B O Y L S T O

N S T

C L A R E N

D O N S T

H E R E F

O R D S T

T S T

P A

R K D R

E R I E S T

W E S T N E W T O N

S T

B R O A D W A Y

H U N T

I N G T O N AV E

N E W D U D L E Y S T

M E M O R I A L D R

B I N N E Y S T

P O R T L A N D S T

M E D F O R D S T

M A IN S T

D U D LE Y S T

H A R

V A

R D S T

H A R R

I S O N A

V E

T R E M

O N T S

T

F R E S H P O N D

P A R K W A Y

C O L U M B I A S T

H E A T H S T

W E S T E R N

A V E


R O X B U R Y S T

H U R O N

A V E

P U T N A M A V E

S O L D I E R S F I E L D R D E X T E N S I O

N

RI V

E R W A Y


M O U N T F O R T S T

B R O O

K L I N E

S T

W E S T L A N D AV E

T H I R D S T

R I V E R

S T

C O L U

M B U

S A V

E

W A R R E

N S T

D A L T O

N S T

S T U A R

T S T S

A I N T J A M

E S A V E

R U T H

E R F O

R D A V E


T R O W

B R I D G E

S T

V A S

S A R S

T

S T

C O M M O N W E A L T H

A V E

P R O S

P E C T

S T

D A R T M O U T H S T

M A S S A C H U S E

T T S A V E

MA S O N S

T

F R A N C I S S T

N E W B U R

Y S T

H E N R Y S T

H A M PA R K

WA Y

L E E S T

L A M B E R T

S T

B EA C O N S

T

M A

U R

I C E T O

B I N

B R I D

G E

M E L N E A C A S S B O U L E

V A R D

C H A R

L E S G

A T E O

V E R P

A S S

S C H O O

L S T

A G A S SI Z R D

C H A P E L

S T

C H A R

L E S T

O W N A V

E

L O N G F E LLO W B R I D G E


A L L S

T O N T O

L L P L A

Z A

S O L D I E R S F I E L D R D

J A M A I C A W A Y

C A M B

R I D G

E P A

R K W A

Y

G R E E

N O U G

H B O

U L E V

A R D

S T O R R O

W D R

L E V E R E T T

C O N N E C T O R

MBTA bus stops route 66, outbound

F i g u r e 2F i g u r e 2M B T A B u s R o u t e 6M B T A B u s R o u t e 6

S t o p s O u t b o u n dS t o p s O u t b o u n d

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.80.1Miles

11/18/09


Data taken from the CTPS MBTA bus routesand stops layer file.

CT


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Bus Route 66 4 January 15, 2010

The route goes through 39 traffic signals in the inbound direction from Cambridge to Roxbury.Table 1 lists these signals sequentially with a notation of whether a bus stop is located at the nearside or far side of the traffic signal (near side refers to the approach to an intersection whilefar side refers to the departure). Note that no stop is noted for signalized intersections withouta nearby stop. Two exceptions are the stops located mid-block at the Madson Park High School

and the John D. OBryant School. Most signals are equipped with pedestrian signal heads andpush buttons. Four signals are intended solely for pedestrian crossings. They are located onNorth Harvard Street about 100 feet north of Coolidge Road, on Huntington Avenue atFernwood Road, on Tremont Street at Carmel Street, and on New Dudley Street about 200 feetwest of Roxbury Street.

Table 1 Locations of Traffic Signals and Adjacent Bus Stops (Inbound)

In the outbound direction from Roxbury to Cambridge, the route goes through 38 traffic signals.Table 2 lists these signals sequentially with the notation of their adjacent bus stops. Note that nostop is noted for signalized intersections without a nearby stop. The locations of the signals are


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the same as the inbound route, except that the outbound route does not go through theintersections of Dudley Street at Warren Street in Roxbury and Eliot Street at Bennett Street inCambridge but does go through the signal on J. F. Kennedy Street at Mount Auburn Street.

Table 2 Locations of Traffic Signals and Adjacent Bus Stops (Outbound)

The location of adjacent bus stops is one of the factors in considering the potential for queue-

jump or other TSP operations. For TSP applications that advance or extend the green light forbuses as they approach a traffic signal, the only stop location that would be inadvisable would bethe near side of the intersection, as this would prevent buses from utilizing TSP. For queue jumps,however, it is desirable for a bus to stop at the near side of a traffic signal. This allows buses toserve a stop, pull forward, and activate the exclusive advance signal for the queue-jump lane.Another application of the queue-jump concept involves the conversion of the parking lane to ashared right-turn/bus lane without the use of an exclusive advance signal. Under thisarrangement, the stop location would be at the far side of the intersection. Buses would use theshared lane to advance to the front of the queue at the intersection. All vehicles would depart theintersection at the same time using the same signal. Buses would stay in the right-hand lane to


6/34


serve a stop at the far side of the intersection before merging back into traffic. In the absence of TSP applications, far-side or mid-block stop locations are generally recognized as preferable, asbuses can more easily merge back into traffic from a curbside stop. Bus stop locations are alsooften based on other factors including traffic patterns, the proximity to major trip generators, andphysical limitations such as sufficient shelter space and ADA considerations.

Problem Description

AVL Data

Based on the recent bus travel time data from the MBTA AVL system, CTPS estimated averagespeed along the route between mid-route timepoints. The list of timepoints and their AVLsample size are provided in Table 3.

Table 3 Locations and Sample Sizes of AVL Timepoints

Figures 3 through 6 are based on Route 66 AVL data for the entire month of May 2009. Thefigures represent, by route segment, the average speed for inbound and outbound trips by AMand PM peak period. Peak period represents the time period with the greatest amount of travel.

Average speed includes both the travel time and the dwell time (the respective times when busesare traveling between stops and when buses are stationary and serving a stop). Red indicatesaverage speeds between 0 and 10 miles per hour (mph). Yellow indicates average speedsbetween 10 mph and 20 mph, and green indicates average speeds greater than 20 mph.

Figure 3 shows the average speed by route segment in the AM peak period (6:00-10:00) in theinbound direction. The slowest speeds occurred upon leaving Union Square to Harvard Avenueat Commonwealth Avenue and between Coolidge Corner and Brigham Circle. The averageinbound speed for the entire route in the AM peak period was 11.73 mph.


7/34


Figure 4 shows the average speed by route segment in the AM peak period in the outbounddirection. The slowest speeds occurred on Tremont Street between Roxbury Crossing Station andBrigham Circle and north of Union Square to Harvard Square. The average outbound speed forthe entire route in the AM peak period was 10.01 mph.

Figure 5 shows the average speed by route segment in the PM peak period (3:00-7:00) in theinbound direction. As in the AM peak period, the slowest speeds occurred upon leaving UnionSquare to Harvard Avenue at Commonwealth Avenue and between Coolidge Corner andBrigham Circle. Average speeds below 10 mph also occurred from Brigham Circle to DudleyStation. The average inbound speed for the entire route in the PM peak period was 5.87 mph.

Figure 6 shows the average speed by route segment in the PM peak period in the outbounddirection. All route segments have average speeds below 10 mph, with the slowest occurring inthe first half of Route 66 before Coolidge Corner, particularly between Dudley and RoxburyCrossing Stations. The average outbound speed for the entire route in the PM peak period was6.85 mph.

In summary, Route 66 experienced significantly slower travel speeds in the PM peak periodcompared to the AM peak period and slightly slower travel speeds in the outbound directioncompared to the inbound direction in the AM peak period with the reverse being true in the PMpeak period. Segments in and around the Union Square commercial district consistently hadsome of the slowest travel speeds of any route segment in both directions and peak periods. Eachroute segment between Roxbury Crossing Station and Coolidge Corner also had relatively slowspeeds.

Bus Travel Time Runs

To sample delays potentially related to traffic signals, CTPS performed on-board manual traveltime runs. Although observations were made on only two days, they provide a general idea of thetypes of problems buses encounter on this route. Along the route, the times were recorded whenthe bus arrived at the stop line of a traffic signal and when the bus passed that stop line. If atraffic queue was formed at a signal, the arrival time was recorded when the bus reached thequeue. The number of vehicles in the queue was also recorded.

Table 4 shows the average recorded number of queuing vehicles and duration of the queue at thesignal locations from two inbound rides the mornings of September 17, 2009, and September 22,2009. The inbound recording started when the bus left Dawes Island (Cambridge Common) andended when the bus passed the signal on Dudley Street at Warren Street. In the first of these runsfrom 8:05 to 8:52, it was observed that the section of Route 9 (Boylston Street/HuntingtonAvenue) between Washington Street and South Huntington Avenue was congested, with signaldelays at Brookline Avenue and at South Huntington Avenue (about three minutes of delay). Inaddition, noticeable signal delays (delay over one minute) were observed at the intersections of Harvard Street at Brighton Avenue and at Commonwealth Avenue. At these two locations,queuing vehicles and on-street parked vehicles delay buses from accessing stops at the near sideof the intersection.


8/34


9/34

Estimated Travel Speed: 13.67mph (N=835)

Estimated Travel Speed: 8.08mph (N =741)







BOSTON

WATERTOWN

BROOKLINE

SOMERVILLE

CAMBRIDGE

N E W R U T H E R F

O R D A V E

A L L S T O N T

O L L P

L A Z A


P R O S P E

C T

S T

H E R ALD S T

C O N C O R D A V E

T R E M

O N T S

T

E L I

O T

S T


B R A T T L E S

T

M O UN T A U B U R N S T

C A M B

R I D G

E P A

R K W A

Y

F I R S T S T

H A R V A R D S

T

B E R K E L E Y S T

F E N WA Y

C H A R L E S

S T

L A N D

B O U L

E V A R

D


B R O A D W A Y

R U T H

E R F O R D A V E

H A R V A R D A V E

N T S T

P A R K

D R

S T UA R T

S T

J O H N

F K E

N N E D

Y S T

C A M B

R I D G E S T


H U R O

N A V E

B R O O

K L I N

E A V

E

S I D N

E Y S T

MA I N S T

B R O O

K L I N

E S T

R I V E R

S T

E A S T B E R K E L E Y S T

W A S H

I N G T

O N S T

H U N T I N

G T O N

A V E

B E A C O N S

T

P A R K P

L A Z A

S O L D

I E R S

F I E L

D R D

W E S T E R NA V E

S A I N T J

A M E S A V

E

C O M M O N

W E A L

T H A V

E

G A R D E N S T

A U S T

I N S T

C O L U

M B U S

A V E


P E A B O D Y

S T

H E N R Y S T


M E L N E A C AS S B O U L E V A R

D

B O Y L S T O

N S T

M A S S A C H U S E T T S A V E

C H

A R L

E S T O

W N

A V E


North Harvard & Western

Harvard & Comm Ave

Union Square

Coolidge Corner

Brookline Village

Brigham Circle

Roxbury Crossing

Dudley Station

Harvard Square

Timepoints

Route 66 outbound travel speeds, AM peak

0 - 10mph

10 - 20mph

> 20mph


T r a v e l S p e e d sT r a v e l S p e e d s

O u t b o u n d A M P e a k P e r i o dO u t b o u n d A M P e a k P e r i o d( 6 a m t o 1 0 a m )( 6 a m t o 1 0 a m )

0 0.3 0.6 0.90.1512/10/09


Travel speed data estimated from the delaydata provided by the MBTA AVL System for May 1st through May 30th 2009.

CTPS


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N E W R U T H E R F

O R D A V E

A L L S T O N T

O L L P

L A Z A


P R O S P E

C T

S T

H E R ALD S T

C O N C O R D A V E

T R E M

O N T S

T

E L I

O T

S T


B R A T T L E S

T


C A M B

R I D G

E P A

R K W A

Y

F I R S T S T

H A R V A R D S

T

B E R K E L E Y S T

F E N WA Y

C H A R L E S

S T

L A N D

B O U L

E V A R

D


B R O A D W A Y

R U T H

E R F O R D A V E

H A R V A R D A V E

N T S T

P A R K

D R

S T UA R T

S T

J O H N

F K E

N N E D

Y S T

C A M B

R I D G E S T


H U R O

N A V E

B R O O

K L I N

E A V

E

S I D N

E Y S T

MA I N S T

B R O O

K L I N

E S T

R I V E R

S T


W A S H

I N G T

O N S T

H U N T I N

G T O N

A V E

B E A C O N S

T

P A R K P

L A Z A

S O L D

I E R S

F I E L

D R D

W E S T E R NA V E

S A I N T J

A M E S A V

E

C O M M O N

W E A L

T H A V

E

G A R D E N S T

A U S T

I N S T

C O L U

M B U S

A V E


P E A B O D Y

S T

H E N R Y S T



V A R D

B O Y L S T O

N S T


C H

A R L

E S T O

W N

A V E


Harvard & Comm Ave

Union Square

Coolidge Corner

Brookline Village

Brigham Circle

Roxbury Crossing

Dudley Station

Harvard Square

SOMERVILLE

CAMBRIDGE

BOSTON

WATERTOWN

BROOKLINE

Timepoints

Route 66 inbound travel speeds, PM peak

0 - 10mph

10 - 20mph

> 20mph



I n b o u n d P M P e a k P e r i o dI n b o u n d P M P e a k P e r i o d( 3 p m t o 7 p m )( 3 p m t o 7 p m )

0 0.3 0.6 0.90.1512/10/09



CTPS


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SOMERVILLE

CAMBRIDGE

BOSTON

WATERTOWN

BROOKLINE

Harvard Square


Harvard & Comm Ave

Union Square

Coolidge Corner

Brookline Village

Brigham Circle

Roxbury Crossing

Dudley Station


P R O S P E

C T

S T

H E R ALD S T

C O N C O R D A V E

T R E M

O N T S

T

E L I

O T

S T


B R A T T L E S

T


F I R S T S T

H A R V A R D S

T

B E R K E L E Y S T

F E N WA Y

C H A R L E S

S T

L A N D

B O U L

E V A R

D


B R O A D W A Y

R U T H

E R F O R D A V E

H A R V A R D A V E

N T S T

P A R K

D R

S T UA R T

S T

C A M B

R I D G E S T


H U R O

N A V E

B R O O

K L I N

E A V

E

S I D N

E Y S T

MA I N S T

B R O O

K L I N

E S T

R I V E R

S T


W A S H

I N G T

O N S T

H U N T I

N G T O

N A V E

B E A C O N S

T

P A R K P

L A Z A

S O L D

I E R S

F I E L

D R D

W E S T E R NA V E

S A I N T J

A M E S A V

E

C O M M O N

W E A L

T H A V

E

G A R D E N S T

A U S T

I N S T

C O L U

M B U S

A V E


P E A B O D Y

S T

H E N R Y S T



V A R D

B O Y L S T O

N S T


C H

A R L

E S T O

W N

A V E


N E W R U T H E

R F O R D

A V E

A L L S T O N T

O L L P

L A Z A

C A M B

R I D G

E P A

R K W A

YTimepoints

Route 66 outbound travel speeds, PM peak

0 - 10mph

10 - 20mph

> 20mph



O u t b o u n d P M P e a k P e r i o dO u t b o u n d P M P e a k P e r i o d( 3 p m t o 7 p m )( 3 p m t o 7 p m )

0 0.3 0.6 0.90.1512/10/09



CTPS


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The second run from 7:45 to 8:27 was performed in a somewhat less congested period than theprevious run. The bus encountered noticeable delays at the intersections of North Harvard Streetat Western Avenue, Cambridge Street at Brighton Avenue/North Beacon Street, Harvard Streetat Beacon Street (Coolidge Corner), Washington Street at Harvard Street/Kent Street, BoylstonStreet at Washington Street/High Street, Huntington Avenue at Tremont Street/Francis Street,

and New Dudley Street at Shawmut Avenue. No extensive delays at traffic signals wereobserved in this run.

Table 4 Sample Average AM Inbound Traffic Signal Delays


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Table 5 shows the average recorded number of queuing vehicles and duration of the queue at thesignal locations from two outbound rides the evenings of October 14, 2009, and October 15,2009. The outbound recording started when the bus left Dudley Station and ended when the busstopped at Johnson Gate on Massachusetts Avenue before Garden Street. In the first of these runsfrom 3:20 to 4:10, no extensive delays at signals were observed. The noticeable delays (delay

over one minute) the bus encountered were at the intersections of Harvard Avenue atCommonwealth Avenue, Harvard Avenue at Brighton Avenue, Brighton Avenue at CambridgeStreet/North Beacon Street, and Cambridge Street at North Harvard Street.

Table 5 Sample Average PM Outbound Traffic Signal Delays


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The second run from 4:15 to 5:15 was performed in more congested conditions than the previousrun. The bus encountered nearly two minutes of delay at the intersection of Tremont Street atHuntington Avenue and over two minutes of delay at the intersection of Cambridge Street atNorth Harvard Street. The bus also encountered noticeable delays at the intersections of Huntington Avenue at Parker Hill Avenue, Huntington Avenue at South Huntington Avenue,

Washington Street at Brookline Street, Harvard Avenue at Commonwealth Avenue, and J. F.Kennedy Street at Memorial Drive.

These few bus travel time runs are quick samples of the existing conditions. Due to limited timeand resources, inbound travel time runs were not performed in the evening and outbound traveltime runs were not performed in the morning.

Overall, these runs indicate that traffic in the periods was congested on all the streets fromBrigham Circle to Commonwealth Avenue and in the narrow section of Cambridge Street fromBrighton Avenue to Harvard Avenue. However, extensive signal delays were observed at only afew locations. Onboard observations indicate that frequent bus stops also increased the bus

running time. Each stop is a sequence of operations for the buses, including slowing down,moving into the stop, waiting for passenger alighting and boarding, moving out of the stop, andreturning to traffic stream. Such a sequence could easily take from a half to over one minute,depending on the number of passengers and the prevailing traffic conditions.

Improvement Concepts

This section presents a conceptual vision for improved Route 66 bus service. It includesrecommendations for stop consolidation, elimination, and relocation. It also recommendspotential applications of TSP treatments through red truncation and green extension or queue

jumps at traffic signals. The concepts presented in this section attempt to respond to the problemsidentified in the previous section of bus delay, long travel times, and poor schedule adherence.

Stop Consolidation, Elimination, and Relocation

Stops targeted for elimination are typically those that lie within one-fifth of a mile from anotherstop and have lower daily boarding and alighting totals. Stops targeted for consolidation typicallyinclude two subsequent stops that both lie less within one-fifth of a mile from another stop butfor which the elimination of both would result in too large a distance between stops. Generally, anew consolidated stop location somewhere between the two subsequent stops is chosen. Stopsmay be targeted for relocation to balance the distance between stops or to improve the ability of buses to access the curb. For instance, under current conditions, bus stops located on the nearside of a major intersection are often characterized by buses being unable to access the stop inone traffic signal cycle due to queuing at the intersection. Another difficult location for a bus is astop at the near side of a major intersection followed by a left turn at the subsequent intersection.This situation often requires buses to quickly maneuver through one or two lanes of traffic intothe left-turn lane in order to turn left.

It should also be noted that all stops are recommended for general improvements such as stripingthe pavement to indicate a dedicated bus-only area, providing more substantial shelters orstations, allowing passengers to pre-pay their fares off-board either through fare vending


15/34


machines, retail sales terminals, or fare validators, and lengthening stops to allow buses to pullup flush with the curb.

Tables 6 and 7 list for the inbound and outbound directions, respectively, the existing location interms of both the stop name and the location relative to the nearest intersection (near-side, far-

side, or mid-block), the distance to the next stop, and weekday boardings and alightings by stopfor Route 66. Note that these tables are organized by stop location, and not signalizedintersection, unlike previous tables. The BOL Dummy stop name represents the number of passengers on the bus before the first listed stop while the EOL Dummy stop name representsthe number of passengers on the bus after the last listed stop. Stops with strikethrough text arethose recommended for elimination. Stops with bold and italicized text are those recommendedfor relocation. Stops with bold and italicized text are those recommended for consolidation.

The following section will show the new proposed stop locations in the context of potential TSPtreatments.

TSP Applications

In a common application of TSP, as a bus approaches an intersection, the signal registers thatapproach through a sensor placed before the intersection (the placement depends on the assumedspeed of the bus and the distance to the intersection) and grants directional priority by advancingor extending the green light. Based on various set TSP strategies, a truncated red or greenextension of the signal phase is provided in the direction of the approaching bus, therebypermitting it through the intersection with little or no delay. Another method of grantingdirectional priority uses radio signals and CAD/AVL (computer-aided dispatching/automaticvehicle location) technology on buses to remotely trigger the signal priority as the busapproaches the intersection.

These applications also serve to improve general traffic flow in the direction of the buses.However, the potential application of TSP must also consider the effect on side-street trafficflows. Note that priority differs from preemption. Whereas the former attempts to allocate thegreen light to the selected direction given the traffic conditions of the cross street and the stage inthe signal phasing, the latter grants the green light regardless of other conditions. In addition,existing TSP applications grant priority only to vehicles that are running behind schedule, sincemaking an early bus even earlier is a detriment to service rather than an improvement. Becausethis technology can be targeted at buses running behind schedule, TSP can be seen as a tool toimprove reliability as much as a tool to make service faster.

Implementing a TSP strategy of directional priority for buses would require significant inter-agency coordination. The City of Boston already has a priority system in place for the SilverLine Washington Street. Adding other bus routes to this system would necessitate a similar levelof investment. This would involve upgrades to traffic signal priority controllers and intersectionsignals. However, once a central link between the MBTA and the Boston TransportationDepartment (BTD) traffic control center is established, many of Bostons intersections will becandidates for TSP at low to moderate cost since no additional hardware would be required onthe buses or at the intersections. Buses request TSP through the MBTAs existing radio andCAD/AVL system for intersections that are connected to BTDs traffic control center.Intersections not connected would not be candidates for TSP. If the City and the MBTA agreed


16/34


on a plan, the following work would be required: conducting traffic studies to set parameters thatbalance the transit benefit and auto impact of TSP at each intersection; calibrating TSP to ensurethat the buses made and cancelled their requests at the right time as they approach and depart theintersection; and moving some bus stops from one side of an intersection to another so theywould not interfere with TSP. Expansion to other municipalities would require inter-agency

coordination to allow additional connections to their traffic control centers and/or work at theirintersections, depending on how their traffic signals are operated.

Signal priority can also be used in conjunction with segregated rights-of-way such as queue- jump lanes. As a large portion of travel delay often occurs in the queue leading to an intersection,queue-jump lanes can be dedicated to buses, allowing them to advance to the front of the queue.Queue jumps can be interspersed with parking using the same lane, thus reducing the requiredroadway width. The queue jump is used to both avoid intersection queues and put the bus at thefront of a vehicle cohort leaving an intersection, such that it will be the first to arrive at thesubsequent intersection.

The desirable length for a queue jump lane varies depending on the traffic volume of the crossstreet. Queue-jump lanes of 200 feet (about double the length of bus stops) are likely adequatefor intersections with smaller cross streets. Lengths of 300 feet would generally ensure that a busis not prevented from entering the queue-jump lane by a long queue in the general traffic lane. Agreater queue-jump distance is desirable when high traffic volume on the cross street demandssignificant green time, thus leading to longer queues on the primary street. Greater queue-jumplengths result in greater losses in parking capacity.

After the queue jump ushers a bus to the front of the queue at an intersection, sensors register thebuss arrival at the intersection and grant lane priority. Priority is given to an exclusive signal forthe bus lane, turning the signal green several seconds in advance of the other lanes when all lanesare queued with vehicles waiting for a green light. This ensures that the bus can cross back intothe general-traffic lane without conflict and at the front of the cohort of vehicles departing theintersection.

General traffic lane General traffic lane

ParkingParking Stop Location Queue Jump

Cross Street


17/34


Table 6 Inbound Stops and Load Profiles


18/34


Table 7 Outbound Stops and Load Profiles


19/34


Another application of the queue-jump concept involves the use of the queue-jump lane as ashared right-turn/bus lane without the use of an exclusive advance signal. Under thisarrangement, the stop location would be at the far side of the intersection. Buses would use theshared lane to advance to the front of the queue at the intersection, and all vehicles would departthe intersection at the same time using the same signal. Buses would stay in the right-hand lane

to serve a stop at the far side of the intersection before merging back into traffic. This applicationhas the benefit of requiring significantly less capital cost, and while it does assist buses inadvancing to the front of a queue at the intersection, the location of the bus stop at the far side of the intersection means that, unlike the concept with near-side stops, buses will not leave theintersection before the vehicle cohort in the queue. Indeed, buses will repeatedly fall behind thesame cohort of vehicles at the queue at the following intersection since buses need to stop andserve the far-side stop and wait until traffic clears before merging back into the travel lane.

Different applications of TSP can complement one another. For instance, a bus enters a queue- jump lane, moves to the front of the queue at a red light, and is released from the intersectionseveral seconds before the rest of the vehicle cohort. This allows the bus to easily pull back into

the general-traffic lane. As the bus travels in this lane, it triggers a sensor midway through theblock that alerts the upcoming signal to prioritize green in the buss direction, thus allowing thebus and the cohort of vehicles traveling with the bus to pass through this intersection withoutstopping.

Tables 8 and 9 summarize the proposed location, distance to the next stop, and assumed weekdayboardings and alightings by stop by direction resulting from the recommendations for stopelimination or relocation and TSP treatments. Stops where a queue-jump treatment isrecommended are highlighted in gray. Stops with bold and italicized text are those recommendedfor relocation. Stop with underlined and italicized text are those recommended for consolidation.

With the recommendations, the average distance between stops in the inbound directionincreases from 0.147 miles to 0.213 miles and the average distance between stops in theoutbound direction increases from 0.154 miles to 0.205 miles.


20/34


Table 8 Proposed Locations for Inbound Stops


21/34


Table 9 Proposed Locations for Outbound Stops


22/34


Recommendations

Improvements in bus operations, as measured by better schedule reliability, faster average speeds,and fewer stopping opportunities, are the primary object of the analysis on which the followingrecommendations are based. Other issues, such as ease of boarding, neighborhood accessibility,

and road capacity and parking impacts, will be considered in a subsequent detailed technicalanalysis.

The proposed improvement concepts are described below by the route section and direction.They include a discussion of general bus stop improvements; stop consolidation, elimination, andrelocation; and possible TSP applications.

Roxbury Crossing Station Shawmut Avenue

Inbound

The stop at the Roxbury Crossing Station could be painted between the end of the parking lane tothe curb cut (approximately 125 feet) to indicate a bus-only area. At King Street, the stop couldbe painted and lengthened an additional 60 feet so that buses do not block the intersection.Opposite the Madison Park and OBryant High Schools, the two stops could be consolidatedwith the new stop located to the far side of the crosswalk. Approaching Shawmut Avenue, thestop could be painted and lengthened to 200 feet and a dedicated queue-jump signal could beinstalled to allow buses advanced access into the intersection.

Outbound

The existing stop location just past Shawmut Avenue is sufficient. The stop at OBryant HighSchool could be eliminated, as the existing stop at Madison Park High School serves bothlocations sufficiently. The stop at Tremont Street could be painted for the approximate 200-footlength. Similarly, the stop opposite Roxbury Crossing Station could also be painted for its entirelength.

Huntington Avenue Roxbury Crossing Station

Inbound

The stop after Huntington Avenue on Tremont Street opposite Wigglesworth Street could bepainted to indicate a bus-only area. The next stop at Whitney Street is recommended forelimination as it lies 0.114 miles from the previous stop. The existing stop location at CarmelStreet is satisfactory, though it could be painted and lengthened to include the entire block between Pontiac Street and Carmel Street. This lane could also be turned into a queue jump. Thefollowing two stops at Burney Street and Parker Street are recommended for elimination due tolow ridership and small distances between stops. The resulting distance between the stops atCarmel Street and Roxbury Crossing Station would be 0.246 miles. TSP treatment through redtruncation and green extension is recommended for the signal at Parker Street.


23/34


Outbound

Similar to the inbound direction, the stops at Parker Street and the Tobin Community Center arerecommended for elimination due to low rider volume and the small distances between stops,and TSP treatment through red truncation and green extension is recommended for the signal at

Parker Street. It is recommended that the stop at Mission Church be moved back slightly to theentrance of the playground. The parking in front of the playground would be moved to the frontof Mission Church, the bus stop could be painted and lengthened to about 100 feet, and adedicated bus light for queue jumps could be installed at the traffic signal.

The next two stops at Worthington Street and Huntington Avenue are recommended forconsolidation. The stop at Worthington Street has a low volume of daily passengers, the twostops are separated by approximately one-tenth of a mile, and the stop at Huntington Avenue isdifficult to serve in its current location. Queues often extend back from Huntington Avenuebeyond the parking lane, limiting the capacity of Tremont Street, preventing right-turningvehicles from accessing the right-turn lane, and preventing buses from easily accessing the stop

at the corner. It often takes one or sometimes multiple signal cycles before enough of the queueclears to allow the bus to access the stop. Buses then usually lose another cycle as riders boardand alight. The consolidated stop could be located at the far side of Wigglesworth Street andlengthened to approximately 150 feet. All the parking between Wigglesworth Street andHuntington Avenue could be eliminated if this recommendation were implemented.Consolidating these stops and permitting all vehicles to use the resulting available road capacityon Tremont Street at Huntington Avenue could improve the intersection performance whilemoving buses through the intersection much more quickly.

Another alternative could be to insert a queue-jump lane at the existing stop on Tremont Street atHuntington Avenue. This alternative would similarly necessitate the elimination of parking forthe entire block to ensure that vehicle queues would not block the entry to the queue-jump lane.However, this alternative is not recommended as it would reduce the capacity of Tremont Streetdown to one lane. In addition, since buses are turning left onto Huntington Avenue, the queue-

jump signal would need to be extended to allow for the additional time required for buses to turnleft and cross the entire intersection. This would reduce the vehicle processing capacity of theintersection.

Riverway/Jamaicaway Tremont Street

Inbound

The recommendations for this section generally call for bus service to mirror Green Line Eservice. Therefore, the existing stop at Mission Street, due to low rider volume, a small distanceto the next stop, and the absence of a Green Line stop, is recommended for elimination. The stopunderneath the overpass at the Jamaicaway could be clearly marked, as could the general trafficlanes under the overpass. The stops at Parker Hill Avenue and opposite Fenwood Road areappropriate for queue jumps. The elimination of parking between the bus stop opposite FenwoodRoad and Calumet Street for use as a dedicated bus-only queue-jump lane could also beconsidered. Such a queue jump would dramatically assist inbound buses on Routes 66 and 39 inpassing through Brigham Circle in a timely fashion.


24/34


Outbound

As in the inbound direction, the elimination of parking between Francis Street and FenwoodRoad for use as a dedicated bus-only lane could expedite bus travel through Brigham Circle forRoutes 66 and 39. The current stop location on the far side of Fenwood Road is likely

appropriate, as the Route 39 stop for Brigham Circle lies just to the near side of the intersectionwith Tremont Street. The stop opposite Parker Hill Avenue could be appropriate for a queue jump. The Riverway stop underneath the overpass and the general traffic lanes, as with theinbound direction, could be clearly marked.

Coolidge Corner Brookline Village

Inbound

The stop on Harvard Street at Coolidge Corner presents one of the traditional difficulties withnear-side stops at busy intersections. The queue from Beacon Street often backs up well beyond

the entrance to the bus stop, causing buses to wait in the queue through one or sometimesmultiple signal cycles. Buses also usually lose an additional signal cycle waiting for passengersto board and alight once they finally reach the stop. However, the more important issue is gettingbuses to the stop without having to wait in the general traffic queue. As such, it is recommendedthat the taxi lane between Beacon Street and opposite Green Street be moved back to beforeGreen Street in order to allow the conversion of that lane to a dedicated bus lane. Given thelength of Beacon Street, buses should be able to merge back into the travel lane before the end of the intersection without the assistance of a queue-jump light.

Between Coolidge Corner and Brookline Village, there are several opportunities for stopelimination or consolidation, given the small distances between stops. The stop at Marion Streethas a total daily passenger volume of less than 100 and lies 0.185 miles from the stop at the nearside of Beacon Street. Eliminating this stop entirely would result in a distance of 0.372 miles tothe next stop at Auburn Street. However, consolidating the two stops to a point in between wouldresult in consistent distances between stops. Locating the stop opposite Alton Place just beforeFoster Street would result in a distance from Beacon Street of 0.233 miles. The distance betweenthe new stop and the existing stop at School Street would then be 0.232 miles. The next stop atPierce Street lies 0.133 miles from School Street. Eliminating the Pierce Street stop would resultin a distance of 0.238 miles to the next stop at Washington Street. The following stop at WalnutStreet lies 0.186 miles from Washington Street and both of these stop have total daily passengervolumes above 200. The stops at Alton Place and Walnut Street are not close to any trafficsignals, so clearly marking the bus stops are likely all that is needed. However, the stops atSchool Street and Washington Street are both close to signals and would be appropriate forqueue jumps.

Outbound

The stop at Pearl Street, serving the Brookline Village Green Line D station, already acts as abus-only lane. The next stop at Kent Street could be moved to the near side and the block between Kent Street and Andem Place turned into a queue-jump lane. The following stop atLinden Street is recommended for elimination, resulting in a total distance between Kent Streetand Aspinwall Avenue of 0.233 miles. The following two stops opposite Auburn Street and


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opposite Vernon Street are very close. The one opposite Vernon Street in front the Stop & Shopentrance is appropriately designed and situated in a comfortable wide sidewalk area, whichshould be preserved. The one opposite Auburn Street is recommended for elimination.

As in the inbound direction, the near side stop at Beacon Street creates significant delays for

buses. Due to the limited space at the approach, the bus stop has to share the right-side lane withgeneral traffic. In the PM peak period, stopped buses affect the intersection performance as allgeneral traffic vehicles are forced into the only available left-side travel lane, or they must queuebehind the bus. In addition, buses often themselves face delays accessing the stop when generaltraffic completely occupies the right-side lane.

Moving the outbound stop to the far side of the intersection could improve intersectionperformance. The far side stop could replace the taxi lane as well as eliminate several parkingspaces. The taxi lane could be moved further up Harvard Street between the bus stop and JohnStreet. The resulting distance between a new proposed stop at Sewall Avenue and the movedstop at Beacon Street would be approximately 0.128 miles. The new Beacon Street stop would

require the elimination of several on-street parking spaces as the taxi lane is moved north.Moreover, moving the stop location from the near side to the far side of the intersection mightinconvenience passengers wishing to travel to attractions south of Beacon Street. Adding a newstop at Sewall Avenue could serve some of these passengers.

Commonwealth Avenue Coolidge Corner

Inbound

The existing near side stop on Harvard Avenue at Commonwealth Avenue suffers the sameproblems as the near side stop on Harvard Street at Beacon Street. Specifically, several signalcycles often pass while buses are stuck in the general traffic queue and as passengers board andalight at the stop once buses finally reach it. Similar to the recommendation for Beacon Street,therefore, the recommendation for Commonwealth Avenue is to eliminate parking betweenGlenville Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue for use as a dedicated bus-only lane. If removingall the parking is not possible, an alternative is to remove three parking spaces from the mid-block driveway to the bus stop and designate the section as a bus-only travel lane. Given thelength of Commonwealth Avenue, buses should be able to merge back into the travel lane beforethe end of the intersection without the assistance of a queue-jump light.

South of Commonwealth Avenue, the existing stops at Verndale Street and Coolidge Street lie atsufficient distances from each other. The yield sign at Verndale Street could be made moreprominent. The stops at Coolidge Street and the following street, Williams Street, both have totaldaily ridership volumes below 100. The stop at Williams Street also lies 0.153 miles from thestop at Coolidge Street. In addition, the next stop at 322 Harvard Street lies 0.132 miles from thestop at Williams Street. This stop also only lies 0.117 miles from the stop at Beacon Street. Assuch, it is recommended that the stops at Williams Street and 322 Harvard Street be consolidated.The proposed new stop would be located to the far side of Shailer Street, a 0.220-mile distancefrom Coolidge Street and a 0.182-mile distance to Beacon Street.


26/34


Outbound

North of Beacon Street, the stops at Babcock Street and Beals Street, as in the inbound direction,are recommended for consolidation with the proposed new stop location opposite Shailer Street.This stop would lie 0.197 miles from Beacon Street and 0.194 miles to the next stop at Coolidge

Street. The locations of the stops at Coolidge Street and Verndale Street are appropriate. Theonly recommended change is to lengthen the stops.

On-street parking between the Dunkin Donuts on Harvard Street and Commonwealth Avenuecould be eliminated. This would prevent traffic queues from hindering bus access to the stop atthe corner and the resulting space could be used as a queue-jump lane or a shared traffic lanepending further traffic analysis.

North Harvard Street Commonwealth Avenue

Inbound

The inbound stop on Cambridge Street just after the turn from North Harvard Street could belengthened and striped, and a shelter could be added at this location. TSP could also be appliedto this signal to grant buses red truncation and green extension priority. The next inbound stopopposite Linden Street is very lightly used (a daily passenger volume of less than 50) and lies inan extremely inhospitable location for a bus stop. Despite the fact that it lies 0.264 miles fromthe stop at North Harvard Street, it lies only 0.081 miles from the next stop at Franklin Street.Given the Linden Street stops poor location and low ridership, it is recommended that this stopbe eliminated. Moreover, the stop at Franklin Street, which currently lies to the near side of theintersection with Harvard Avenue in another inhospitable location, could be moved to the farside of that intersection, replacing the parking there for approximately 100 feet.

Another alternative is to construct a queue jump at the existing near-side location for the stop atFranklin Street. The dedicated bus light could work in concert with the westbound left-turntraffic light. However, as the intersection is tight, one or two on-street parking spaces on the farside might need to be removed to facilitate the bus return to the general-travel lane.

Union Square has several bus stops within close proximity to each other. The next stop at HanoStreet lies 0.227 miles from Franklin Street, and the following stop lies 0.141 miles away indriving distance (but less in walking distance) on the other side of the intersection, after the busturns onto Brighton Avenue. The stop at Hano Street is also problematic for Route 66 buses as,after serving the stop, buses have approximately 200 feet to quickly navigate over to the left-turnlane. It is recommended, therefore, that the stop at Hano Street be relocated to the near side of Emery Street. The resulting distance from Franklin Street would then be 0.156 miles and thedistance to the next stop on Brighton Avenue just after Cambridge Street would be 0.195 miles.The following stop at Allston Street lies less than one-tenth of a mile from the Cambridge Streetstop and thus could be eliminated. The resulting distance between the stops at Cambridge Streetand Harvard Avenue would be 0.188 miles. TSP through red truncation and green extensioncould be applied to the intersection of Cambridge Street and Brighton Avenue.

At the approach to Harvard Avenue on Brighton Avenue, the parking lane between ParkvaleAvenue and Harvard Street (approximately 280 feet) could be replaced by a bus-only queue-


27/34


jump lane. If that is not possible, removing two to three parking spaces near the stop during theAM and PM peak periods would be highly beneficial for bus operations.

Outbound

The near side stop on Harvard Avenue at Brighton Avenue is a difficult location for busoperations, as they must turn left onto Brighton Avenue after picking up and dropping off passengers on Harvard Avenue. As such, it is recommended that this stop be moved to the farside of Brighton Avenue and replace parking there. This would free up capacity for motorvehicles coming north on Harvard Avenue by freeing the right-hand lane of stopped buses andeliminating bus left-turn movements from the right-hand lane.

Another potential idea could be to construct a queue-jump lane on Harvard Avenue, eliminateseveral parking spaces, and provide a dedicated left-turn bus-only signal. Such a signal wouldneed to be several seconds greater than other queue-jump applications, as it would take buseslonger to turn left across the intersection than going straight. In addition to the dedicated light, a

practical improvement measure is to strongly enforce parking prohibition during the peak hoursnear the stop.

In moving this stop to Brighton Avenue, the next stop opposite Quint Avenue, which would lieapproximately 375 feet from the new proposed stop, could be eliminated, resulting in a distanceof 0.188 miles to the stop on the far side of Craftsman Street. The following stop in the outbounddirection lies on the other side of the block, after Route 66 turns right onto Cambridge Street.However, this stop also serves Route 64 and provides access to the east side of Union Square. Assuch, despite the small distance between the two stops on each end of Craftsman Street, it isrecommended that both stops remain in their current location.

The next outbound stop at Harvard Avenue could be moved to the near side of the intersection,painted, and lengthened slightly so that queues do not prevent buses from accessing the stop.Currently, the stop sits opposite Wilton Street with parking between the end of the bus stop andthe intersection. This forces buses to merge back into the one general traffic lane. Buses couldthen receive an advance signal at the traffic light to jump the queue.

The next stop at Linden Street lies only 0.087 miles from Harvard Avenue and could beeliminated. Outbound Route 66 buses then would not stop until the turn onto North HarvardStreet at Empire Street.

Cambridge Street Harvard Square

Inbound

There is likely little that could be done with the stops in Harvard Square besides painting them todistinguish bus-only stopping areas. A similar treatment is recommended for the stops alongNorth Harvard Street between Soldiers Field Road and Western Avenue. The only majorrecommended change would be the elimination of the stop opposite 175 North Harvard Street.The daily passenger volume at this stop is less than 100 and the distance between this stop andthe subsequent stop at Western Avenue is only 0.108 miles.


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Between Western Avenue and Cambridge Street, stops in the inbound direction lie at an averagedistance of 0.116 miles from each other. Therefore, it is recommended that the stops at FranklinStreet and Coolidge Street be consolidated, with the proposed new location on the far side of Bayard Street. In addition, given the 0.073-mile distance between the stops at Hooker Street andthe first stop on Cambridge Street, it is recommended that the stop at Hooker Street be

eliminated. The resulting distances from Western Avenue to Bayard Street and from BayardStreet to Cambridge Street would be 0.186 miles and 0.278 miles, respectively.

Outbound

The recommendations in the outbound direction for this segment of Route 66 mirror those of theinbound direction. Specifically, the two stops at Oxford Street and Kingsley Street arerecommended for consolidation with the proposed new location on the near side of Rena Street.This new stop would lie approximately 0.238 miles from the stop at Empire Street. The distanceto the next stop at Western Avenue would be approximately 0.213 miles. As with the inbounddirection, the stop opposite 175 North Harvard Street is recommended for elimination. The daily

passenger volume is less than 100 and the stop lies 0.110 miles from the stop at Western Avenue.The remaining stops could be painted and perhaps lengthened.

One potential recommendation in Cambridge would be addition of a dedicated bus-only lane infront of the Kirkland House in the approach to South Street. The stop at Eliot Street could bemoved back to the near side of the intersection and a queue-jump signal could be used. The bus-only lane would improve bus travel times into Harvard Square. However, it would reduceintersection capacity for general traffic in the already congested approach and is not highlyrecommended.

Summary of TSP Recommendations

As discussed above, TSP operations are an effective option to improve the bus running time.This bus route serves many high-density neighborhoods via several major streets, including StateRoutes 9 and 20, such that traffic is highly congested during peak periods. A smooth traffic flowon these streets is most beneficial to bus operations. In addition, TSP operations would assistbuses in passing congested intersections faster than other vehicles.

Based on recommendations from the previous section, the following locations in the inbounddirection are considered potential for TSP operations:

North Harvard Street at Cambridge Street (red truncation/green extension)

Cambridge Street at Harvard Avenue (queue jump) Cambridge Street at Brighton Avenue/North Beacon Street (red truncation/greenextension)

Brighton Avenue at Harvard Avenue (queue jump) Harvard Avenue at Commonwealth Avenue (queue jump) Harvard Street at Beacon Street (queue jump) Harvard Street at School Street/Aspinwall Street (queue jump) Harvard Street at Washington Street/Kent Street (queue jump) Huntington Avenue at Parker Hill Avenue (queue jump)


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Huntington Avenue at Fernwood Street (queue jump) Huntington Avenue at Tremont Street (queue jump) Tremont Street at Carmel Street (queue jump) Tremont Street at Parker Street (red truncation/green extension) New Dudley Street at Shawmut Avenue (queue jump)

Table 10 shows the potential inbound locations for TSP operations with a quick qualitativeassessment of potential benefit to bus operations and potential impact to other traffic.

Table 10 Potential TSP Treatments and Impacts for Inbound Intersections


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Queue jumps are indicated by Q-Jump and red truncation/green extension is indicated by G-Ext. All the signalized locations on the inbound route are listed for easy references. Presumably,all the selected locations would not need any major expansion or modifications. Figure 7presents a graphical summary of the various recommendations for TSP and stop location.

In the outbound direction, the following locations are considered potential for TSP operations: Tremont Street at Parker Street (red truncation/green extension) Tremont Street at Carmel Street (queue jump) Huntington Avenue at Parker Hill Avenue (queue jump) Washington Street at Harvard Street/Kent Street (queue jump) Harvard Avenue at Commonwealth Avenue (queue jump) Cambridge Street at Harvard Avenue (queue jump) Cambridge Street at North Harvard Street (red truncation/green extension) J. F. Kennedy Street at Eliot Street (queue jump)

Table 11 shows the potential outbound locations for TSP operations with a quick qualitativeassessment of potential benefit to bus operations and potential impact to other traffic. Queue

jumps are indicated by Q-Jump and red truncation/green extension is indicated by G-Ext. Allthe signalized locations on the outbound route are listed for easy references. All the selectedlocations would not need any major expansion or modifications. However, the stops at TremontStreet and Mission Church, Washington Street and Kent Street, at Harvard Street and Eliot Streetwould need to be moved to the near side of the intersections. Figure 8 presents a graphicalsummary of the various recommendations for TSP and stop location.

It should be noted that these selections are based on brief field observations and review of intersection layouts. They need to be further examined under the prevailing traffic patterns and

volumes with the existing and potential traffic signal settings.

Conclusion and Next Steps

As mentioned earlier, the purpose of this analysis is to examine at a conceptual level where stopelimination or relocation, bus route improvements, and bus priority treatments at signalizedintersections may be appropriate to implement in order to improve travel time and reduce delaysfor buses. To accurately determine the type of treatment by intersection location and theassociated benefits, costs, and other impacts, this analysis level should be followed by a thoroughtechnical analysis at each location. Regardless of the priority strategy queue jump, redtruncation, or green extension such an analysis would determine queue impacts on side streets

and other approaches, traffic signal phase design, the necessary length of the queue-jump lane,and parking impacts. Other opportunities for improved operational efficiencies at the trafficsignals, not associated with bus priority strategies, would also be identified as part of thisanalysis, in order to mitigate potential inefficiencies that may conflict or impede priority.

Apart from this technical analysis, and perhaps more important, is the early interaction betweenthe implementing agency, MassDOT or the MBTA, and the city or town where the route islocated. There has already been a positive example of such coordination between the MBTA andthe City of Boston on the priority system in place for the Silver Line along Washington Street. In


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Dudley Station

322 Harvard St

JFK St @ Eliot St


Eliot St @ Bennett St

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S tHarvard St @ Auburn St

Harvard St @ Pierce St

Harvard St @ School St

Harvard St @ Marion St



Cambridge St @ Hano St

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ctps study of brookline's route 66 bus line

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