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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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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus4
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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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus 5555
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
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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus6
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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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus 7777
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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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus8
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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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus 9999
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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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus10
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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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus 11111111
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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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus12
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.
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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus 13131313
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.
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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus14
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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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus 15151515
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
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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus16
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
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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus 17171717
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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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus18
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.
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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus 19191919
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.
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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus20
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
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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus 21212121
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
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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus22
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.
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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus 23232323
Appendices
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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus24
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
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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus 25252525
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
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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus26
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
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Next Bus Please: Improving the B61 Bus 27272727
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?
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