Agenda Welcome and introductions Safety briefing/Accommodations - - PDF document

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MBTA Key Bus Route Improvement Program

Community Meeting Route 73

June 7, 2012 Beech Street Center Belmont

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Welcome and introductions Safety briefing/Accommodations Key Bus Route Program overview Existing conditions Recommendations Next Steps Discussion

Agenda

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Introduction

Enhancements to 15 Key Bus Routes Funded by $10 million ARRA grant

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Coordination with municipalities Development of initial concepts Community meeting Incorporation of public comments Refinement of concepts Design and construction

Implementation Process

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Key Bus Route Goals

Reliability

less bus bunching, improved on-time performance

Faster service

Less stops, shorter trip times, fewer delays

Improved accessibility

for seniors and persons with disabilities

Passenger amenities

Shelters, benches, signage, trash receptacles

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Ongoing project initiated by Town of Belmont to improve Trapelo Rd/Belmont St corridor Full-depth reconstruction & streetscape improvements Project tentatively scheduled to be advertised for construction bids this year; construction would begin in early 2013 and last 2 years Many improvements to Route 73 will be made in coordination with the project

Town of Belmont/MassDOT Trapelo Road & Belmont Street Roadway Reconstruction

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Bus stop too short Bus stops too close Signage issues Poorly located boarding area

Typical Conditions

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Improved Accessibility

Legal Mandate

All bus doors must open at curb Deter cars from parking in stops

Providing accessible curb access requires longer bus stops

Bus Stops must meet current guidelines for 40’ & 60’ buses

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Farside – 60-65ft Nearside – 90-100ft Midblock (or after left hand turn) – 100-110ft

Required Bus Stop Lengths

40’ bus

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Reliability Issues

Bus ‘bunching’ Overcrowding On-time performance

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Appropriate distance between stops Sufficient length to allow buses to pull to the curb Clear boarding/alighting area Not blocking crosswalks or driveways Considerate of adjacent traffic and parking

Preferred Bus Stop Locations

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Ridership – customer boardings and alightings Proximity to schools, medical centers etc Reducing traffic congestion Parking impacts Potential to add amenities – shelters, benches etc. Distance to adjacent stops

Reliability and Faster Service: Stop Location Considerations

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Optimized Bus Stop Spacing

Ideal spacing is one stop every 750-1,320 ft (4-7/mi) Resulting walk time: 4-6 min Route 73 has an average of approximately 700 ft Some stops as close as 400 ft

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Benefits Shortens bus trip times Improves service reliability Minimizes “stop & go” experience Provides additional parking spaces Ability to provide better stop amenities

Bus Stop Consolidation

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Improved Amenities

Shelters Benches Pavement markings Trash receptacles

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Bus Arrival Times

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Route 73: Overview

Harvard Sq. to Waverley Sq. Connects to:

MBTA Red Line MBTA Bus Routes 554, 66, & others

MBTA’s 13th busiest route

Over 6,000 avg. daily boardings

Approximately 3.9 miles long

• Rt. 73 Stops

(not including overlap with Rt. 71) 19 IB (toward Harvard) 17 OB (toward Waverley) Peak hour headways every 5-10 minutes On-time performance 83% Weekday

Source: MBTA Service Planning, May 2012

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Proposed Recommendations Route 73

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Explanation of Maps

Existing Existing Proposed Proposed

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Trapelo @ Church IB Add shelter behind sidewalk.

2099

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Trapelo @ Hawthorne OB Remove stop to improve stop spacing and due to insufficient length ‐ 500’ to next stop at

• Waverley. Reinstate 3 parking spaces.

2132

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Trapelo @ Beech IB Add shelter with curb extension.

2102

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Trapelo @ Bartlett IB Relocate to nearside of Harding and investigate

• shelter. Remove 3 parking spaces; no parking gain

at existing stop.

2102

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Trapelo @ Poplar IB Remove stop to improve stop spacing and due to insufficient stop length – 450’ to next stop at

• Williston. Reinstate 4 parking spaces.

2105

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Trapelo @ Common IB (Cushing Sq)

Relocate stop to proposed curb extension nearside

• f Williston, to improve traffic flow and commercial

parking availability. Add shelter. Remove 2 parking spaces, and reinstate 2 spaces at existing stop.

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Trapelo @ Common OB (Cushing Sq)

Relocate stop to opposite Williston to improve traffic flow and commercial parking availability. Remove 2 parking spaces. Reinstate loading zone at existing stop.

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Trapelo @ Oak OB Relocate stop to midblock before Willow to improve stop spacing. Remove 5 parking spaces. Reinstate 2 parking spaces at existing stop.

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Belmont @ Oakley OB Relocate stop to farside of Oakley. Remove 2 parking spaces, and reinstate 4 spaces at existing stop.

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Belmont opp Oakley IB Remove stop due to low ridership, improve stop spacing and insufficient length – 600’ to closest stop. Reinstate 1 parking space.

2109

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Belmont opp Payson IB Add shelter with curb extension.

2110

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2111

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Belmont @ Carver IB Remove stop to improve stop spacing – 500’ to closest stop. Maintain no parking.

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Belmont @ Winsor IB Relocate stop to nearside Langdon to provide bus door access to curb. No parking impact.

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Belmont @ Woodleigh IB Relocate stop to nearside Woodleigh to provide bus door access to curb. Remove 2 parking spaces, and reinstate 1 space at existing stop.

2113

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Belmont @ Falmouth OB Relocate stop to farside of Falmouth due to insufficient stop length and driveway. Remove 2 parking spaces. No parking gain due to crosswalk curb extension.

2122

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Belmont @ Templeton IB

Remove stop to improve traffic flow and stop spacing – 400’ to previous stop at Woodleigh. Maintain no parking.

2114

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Belmont @ Marion OB Relocate stop to farside of Marlboro to provide bus doors access to curb. No parking impact.

2121

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Belmont @ Oxford OB

Remove stop to improve stop spacing – 400’ to

• Marlboro. No parking gain due to crosswalk curb

extension.

2120

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Belmont @ Prentiss IB Add shelter with curb extension.

2115

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Belmont @ Brimmer IB

Remove stop due to low ridership and to improve stop spacing. Reinstate 1 parking space. Distance to Prentiss 500’.

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Belmont opp Cushing IB

Relocate stop to farside of St. Mary’s to improve stop

• spacing. Remove 2 parking spaces and reinstate 2‐3

spaces at existing stop. Add narrow shelter.

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Summary of Recommendations – Route 73

Add shelters, benches, trash receptacles Lengthen stops for accessibility Relocate stops Consolidate stops

Current Stop Plan 19 IB/17 OB Proposed Stop Plan 14 IB/15 OB

Sidewalk improvements

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Summary of Proposed Recommendations

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IB OB Total Total Stops 19 17 36 Existing stops lengthened 9 7 16 Proposed stops relocated 5 5 10 Proposed stops eliminated 5 2 7 Proposed curb extensions 3 1 4 Proposed shelters 7 7 Proposed benches 6 6

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Public Outreach

Community meetings for each route Flyers, e-mail blasts, mailings, newspaper ads Outreach to public and elected officials Key Bus Route project website

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Comments and Next Steps

Project Updates at www.mbta.com/keybusroutes Mail to MBTA Operations and Service Development, 45 High St, Boston, MA 02110 Email to keybusroutes@mbta.com Submit comments by Thursday, June 21, 2012 Discussion

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