Bus Rapid Transit For Central Ave.

[x635 4,066]

Definetly an interesting idea. Would also like to see the same thing from Tarrytown Train station to White Plains along Route 119 (and maybe Rockland at some point too). It's too bad though- it's not light rail, that, IMO, would be the best way to go-albeit probaly much more expensive.

State officials say bus rapid transit would speed Central Ave. trip

By CAREN HALBFINGER

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: June 27, 2007)

WHITE PLAINS - Bus rapid transit would speed the trip along Central Avenue for the thousands of daily Bee-Line riders last year who had to crawl along the 12-mile corridor as their buses lurched from stop to traffic light to stop, the Department of Transportation told a room of about 45 yesterday at the Westchester County Center.

But what these bus riders wanted to know was why the county couldn't extend the hours, cut the waiting time and speed the trip now by skipping some stops during some runs on this and other bus routes, instead of waiting for the 18-month study to be completed and then bankrolling a bunch of costly improvements with federal and state grants.

"There are these very fluffy goals," said Henry Ferlauto, a software salesman from White Plains. "How much time will it save? It feels like this is all a dog-and-pony show."

Transportation Commissioner Larry Salley said that by the study's completion in August 2008, the county would know how much time it could save, the cost of a menu of bus rapid transit improvements and would have a service plan it could implement. But none of these details were available last night, since the consultant hired by the county, STV Inc. of Manhattan, has been focusing on documenting current conditions before it recommends any changes.

The high concentration of commerce along Central Avenue, combined with the numbers of people who live or work near there -10 percent of all Bee-Line riders-make it a likely candidate for a combination of improvements to buses, stations, roads, rights of way and traffic signals that make up bus rapid transit.

There are 72 bus stops on Central Avenue, from White Plains to the Bronx border, and they come along about every two-tenths of a mile. Combine this with the 44 traffic signals here, spaced about every three-tenths of a mile, and you can understand why it's easy to get nowhere fast. Central Avenue has the busiest bus route, the No. 20, which has about 5,000 weekday riders. It delivered 2.9 million rides last year, or about 10,000 weekday rides, along with another 713,000 annual rides on the BxM4C and Route 21.

Trips have been taking longer on these routes because of traffic congestion, with the Yonkers Raceway slot machines attracting more riders. The county's goals for bus rapid transit here would be to reduce travel time, attract new riders, improve mobility and be more customer-friendly.

Kenneth Lin, a consultant with STV Inc., will develop an operating plan, routes and station locations, and suggest what bells and whistles the plan will have. These can include a dedicated travel lane for part of Central Avenue near the Kohl's shopping center, the ability for buses to jump ahead of other traffic by using a special queue at the approach to intersections, signal-changing technology for buses, aerodynamic bus design, attractive stations, all-door boarding and fare collection at stations.

"This is all good and very wonderful, but how are we going to upgrade the buses for everybody else?" asked Mari DaSilva, a health-care consultant from Yonkers.

Naomi Klein, the DOT's principal planner, said the county would look to duplicate BRT elsewhere if it succeeds on Central Avenue.

Salley said none of these complaints were new. The problem is money, he said, explaining that fares pay for just 40 percent of the cost of running the Bee-Line, while state and local tax dollars make up most of the difference.

"We've known for years the major issue we face is the span of service," Salley said, adding that they continue to make changes within a limited budget. "I could have the buses go 24/7. Give me the money. Each bus costs $125 an hour to operate. The question comes down to how do you pay for it."

Francoise Butrico of Yonkers sang a jingle bemoaning service on the No. 20 and said the bus becomes "choked in traffic in Jerome Avenue" at the end of the route at the Bedford Park subway stop. She wanted to know when the increase in ridership due to MetroCard use would translate into more frequent service.

[helicopper 1,050]

By 2008 the STUDY will be completed? How about a rapid-study plan for the rapid transit?

[SgtGumby311 0]

By the time they study the study, it will be time for another study.

[M' Ave 1,466]

DAMN! You beat me to transit news every time!

Anyway, yes, Light rail would be much better. I hate the short sighted nature of transit planning at times like this. I'm sure that the initial investment would be far more expensive, but how about the long term. Wouldn't a nice fleet of quiet, electric light rail vehicles be much more appealing and better for the pocket book as well as the enviroment? On top of those pluses, I'd think it would be nicer to see a pair of low profile and neatly organized rails down the center of the Ave. than clunky bus lanes with big concrete dividers.

How about capacity as well? I'm sure that one LRV can hold double what a bus can with one operator. I hope they give this broader consideration.

I think it would be a terrific reality if a Light Rail system ran from Woodlawn at the end of the subway all the way to White Plains and beyond on Central Ave.