MBTA Buses & Infrastructure

So for those wondering why the 72 is still using diesel buses long after the Huron project finished, I'm told there is a wire problem and they are still trying to locate and repair it.
 
HenryAlan said:
And frustratingly, it is morning inbound only. Yes, great, but the outbound evening traffic is worse. And while many might mode shift to bus+OL if the lane is there, many won't if it's only there for one direction. Seems like a missed opportunity to really actually fix things.
Click to expand...

I live in Roslindale and this almost certainly the biggest shortfall of an otherwise positive step. The question is how to create that outbound lane, I don't think they could use the same parking restriction as they do with the morning inbound. The only way to get a two way dedicated bus lane is remove all that on street parking which I doubt the neighborhood would agree to. Would love to hear if anyone has some solutions.
 
OSUPhantom said:
I live in Roslindale and this almost certainly the biggest shortfall of an otherwise positive step. The question is how to create that outbound lane, I don't think they could use the same parking restriction as they do with the morning inbound. The only way to get a two way dedicated bus lane is remove all that on street parking which I doubt the neighborhood would agree to. Would love to hear if anyone has some solutions.
Click to expand...

What would be the easiest way to just switch the lanes for the afternoon/evening? Convert the inbound bus lane into the normal inbound lane, the inbound lane into the outbound lane and the outbound lane into the outbound bus lane.
 
Balerion said:
What would be the easiest way to just switch the lanes for the afternoon/evening? Convert the inbound bus lane into the normal inbound lane, the inbound lane into the outbound lane and the outbound lane into the outbound bus lane.
Click to expand...

I think you could run into a safety issue with the southbound afternoon bus doors opening on the righthand side into traffic and I don't think they'd be handicap accessible.
 
They could just actually switch the lanes and parking bans though to the proper sides of street depending on the rush hour direction - I swear I have seen it work elsewhere.
 
OSUPhantom said:
I think you could run into a safety issue with the southbound afternoon bus doors opening on the righthand side into traffic and I don't think they'd be handicap accessible.
Click to expand...

I interpreted Balerion's idea a bit differently, which was that the afternoon outbound buses would ride in the usual location, with bike and parking lanes between them and the curb. Outbound car traffic would shift to what is normally the inbound lane, and the inbound parking/bus lane would become the inbound car lane. This is problematic for bikes, and would also essentially mean the end to parking on that side of the street for most of the day, but it wouldn't cause the kind of deboarding issue you're describing.

bakgwailo said:
They could just actually switch the lanes and parking bans though to the proper sides of street depending on the rush hour direction - I swear I have seen it work elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm not clear on why this idea isn't under consideration. I've heard rumors that businesses on that side of the street are strongly opposed, but there may be other factors, too.
 
It looks like Proterra and New Flyer are both now supporting SAE J1772 DC plug in charging (for overnight or perhaps mid day use at a bus garage) and SAE J3105 overhead charging. (I'm not sure if the WRTA bus hub next to Worcester Union Station now has one or two Proterra overhead chargers and whether they follow the J3105 standard, but at this point I suspect new buses are likely to get large enough batteries to not need overhead charging.)

The supported standards are now documented at https://www.newflyer.com/leading-the-charge/interoperability/ and https://www.proterra.com/press-rele...h-power-interoperable-ev-charging-technology/
 
Finally a food plan for night service.

Took them just a decade!
 
The hours are probably fine for inbound purposes, but there definitely needs to be an outbound bus lane in the afternoon. I'm thinking baby steps. Get this one established and permanent, it serves as a proof of concept. Then get to work on the other direction, and other high ridership corridors (ie Blue Hill Ave, Hyde Park Ave., Dot Ave., etc.).
 
HenryAlan said:
The hours are probably fine for inbound purposes, but there definitely needs to be an outbound bus lane in the afternoon. I'm thinking baby steps. Get this one established and permanent, it serves as a proof of concept. Then get to work on the other direction, and other high ridership corridors (ie Blue Hill Ave, Hyde Park Ave., Dot Ave., etc.).
Click to expand...

We're struggling with this in Everett too. The afternoon outbound traffic on Upper Broadway is awful, often worse than the morning inbound traffic that has the IB morning peak bus lane. I frequently get off the 104/109 once we get past Sweester Circle, walk home up Broadway and often beat the bus.

Everett says it's harder to do an evening lane because you're stopping parking on that side mid-day rather than extending the overnight parking ban like what happens in the morning on the other side.
 
datadyne007 said:
Everett says it's harder to do an evening lane because you're stopping parking on that side mid-day rather than extending the overnight parking ban like what happens in the morning on the other side.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's probably a valid point. Also, though less valid, there might be some concern about about impact on proximate businesses.
 
datadyne007 said:
Everett says it's harder to do an evening lane because you're stopping parking on that side mid-day rather than extending the overnight parking ban like what happens in the morning on the other side.
Click to expand...

Nothing a tow truck can't fix.
 
Washington DC has made an art of banning parking in the rush direction. You just have to get merchants comfortable with the idea that most customers after 4pm will arrive by bus.
 
datadyne007 said:
We're struggling with this in Everett too. The afternoon outbound traffic on Upper Broadway is awful, often worse than the morning inbound traffic that has the IB morning peak bus lane. I frequently get off the 104/109 once we get past Sweester Circle, walk home up Broadway and often beat the bus.

Everett says it's harder to do an evening lane because you're stopping parking on that side mid-day rather than extending the overnight parking ban like what happens in the morning on the other side.
Click to expand...

Are people looking at the possibility of having an initial upper Broadway afternoon bus lane exist only from Sweetser Circle to Chelsea St? Google Maps typical traffic seems to show that that segment is generally red in the late afternoon, and nearly all of the rest of Broadway is generally orange. I assume this means the one lane of Broadway north of Chelsea St is getting significant traffic from both Chelsea St, and from the part of Broadway to the south of Chelsea St.

I don't know whether Google Maps' orange translates to good enough or not; IIRC the lower Broadway study was assuming that northbound traffic was flowing well enough that it didn't need a bus lane.

The Sweetser Circle to Chelsea St segment also has 110 (a key route) and 112 in addition to 104 and 109, which means that in addition to the especially slow travel arguing for taking parking, the higher number of bus riders also argues for taking parking.

Is there any great value in having the two on street parking spaces right in front of the Rite Aid parking lot? I'm wondering if a 24/7 northbound bus lane between 2nd St and the north end of the Rite Aid parking lot would make sense.

If the northbound parking were eliminated between the Rite Aid parking lot and Chelsea St, would 110/112 be able to make a tight enough turn to successfully turn right to Chelsea St from the right lane? The Google street view / satellite images for this segment seem to consistently show some parking spaces unused, which makes me wonder if just turning it into a permanent bus / right turn lane would be viable, although if the right turns get their own lane, that might risk feeding more vehicles to the north of Chelsea St part of Broadway and possibly making it flow less quickly.
 
Arlington said:
Washington DC has made an art of banning parking in the rush direction. You just have to get merchants comfortable with the idea that most customers after 4pm will arrive by bus.
Click to expand...

DC goes even further. Some streets become 1-way at certain times of the day.
 
Joel N. Weber II said:
Is there any great value in having the two on street parking spaces right in front of the Rite Aid parking lot? I'm wondering if a 24/7 northbound bus lane between 2nd St and the north end of the Rite Aid parking lot would make sense.
Click to expand...
Jay Monty, Everett's Transportation Engineer and mastermind behind the bus lane, said at our Beer & Transit that the City is about to take those two spots to build a bus platform there. Those two spots wreak havoc on the traffic on Upper Broadway.

And you're right. That portion right after the rotary is a major trunk line. A more surgical approach up to Everett Square might be a good middle ground.
 
datadyne007 said:
Jay Monty, Everett's Transportation Engineer and mastermind behind the bus lane, said at our Beer & Transit that the City is about to take those two spots to build a bus platform there. Those two spots wreak havoc on the traffic on Upper Broadway.
Click to expand...

Are the northbound parking spaces on the street between the north end of the Rite Aid parking lot and Chelsea St allowed to be used as parking during the afternoon rush hour? If they are used as parking, I'd expect them to cause more trouble than the two parking spots right next to the Rite Aid parking lot, at least going from what I can see on Google Maps without actually observing traffic in person.

Also, is the Rite Aid parking lot Rite Aid's private property for Rite Aid customers only, and does it get full? If it doesn't tend to ever get full, and if it is currently signed as exclusive to Rite Aid, finding a way to share that physical space with the businesses between that parking lot and Chelsea St, perhaps with the city buying the land, might be worthwhile to replace the on street parking.

And you're right. That portion right after the rotary is a major trunk line. A more surgical approach up to Everett Square might be a good middle ground.
Click to expand...

It ought to be possible to start by having an afternoon bus lane from Sweetser Circle to Chelsea St, and then once it's in place, evaluate whether to expand it further north. There's a limit to the accuracy of computer models for predicting transportation changes, and if people happen to be using Lyft or similar services to get from Boston proper to Broadway north of Chelsea St now, they might find that a bus lane from Sweetser Circle to Chelsea St might be an incentive to stop contributing to the traffic and take the bus instead, and that might reduce the traffic north of Chelsea St to more tolerable levels.

It might even be worthwhile to add the afternoon bus lane block by block if working with the local businesses to minimize impacts makes that easier.

Does the combined marital arts place have adequate off street parking to the south of their building? How will a bus lane impact the flower shop?
 
Somerville needs some "last 1500 feet" lanes on the AM inbounds to Davis Sq and Lechmere. Who do I contact?

I noticed, for example that innermost College Ave @ Davis ban parking 12mid to 6am. Why not 'til 10am and call it Bus-and-Bike only. Helps the 94 and 96. On Holland you'd speed the 87 88 and a relocated 79 350. All on parking that isn't really needed until 10,am

Into Lechmere traffic is worst from Twin Cities inward
This too should get a bus lane, but I haven't studied the parking
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top