With so much attention currently focused on the MTA capital program, it’s easy to overlook the challenges and achievements of lesser-known Upstate transit systems. Today, TSTC intern Sandy Johnston presents part two of a two-part feature on the Capital District Transportation Authority.

The Capital District Transportation Authority has been working toward creating a region-wide bus rapid transit system, with one BusPlus line already in place, a second a few years away, and a third coming down the pipeline. But there’s still much that remains to be determined about the exact form that the system will take in the future. If BusPlus is going to become a comprehensive BRT network, its stakeholders, including CDTA, local municipalities and New York State will need to make some key investments. Here are some suggestions:

For municipalities

Improve the pedestrian environment, with a special emphasis on bus corridors. MTR has already covered the need for safer pedestrian design along Central Avenue, which carries the BusPlus Red Line. Many of the same concerns exist on other arterials where BusPlus routes are planned. After all, we’re all pedestrians eventually.

Work with CDTA to implement Transit Signal Priority (TSP) and queue jumps or dedicated lanes where necessary and feasible. In a region with as little traffic congestion as the Capital Region, dedicated bus lanes are desirable but may not be absolutely necessary for high-quality service like they are in New York City. But if BusPlus is ever to be considered true BRT, dedicated lanes are a must. Signal priority and queue jumps exist in some locations today; implementing more of these time-saving measures will be key for the future success of all lines.

Implement a Universal Access Agreement with CDTA instead of building more parking garages. CDTA has had success through its Universal Access Agreements, by which students at most local colleges can use their ID cards to ride fare-free. Up to a quarter of its ridership—and more in the Purple Line corridor—now participates in this program.

As the dominant employer in the region’s best-served area — downtown Albany — New York State would seem like a natural partner for a Universal Access Agreement or a parking cash-out arrangement. Yet the State continues to pursue an outmoded paradigm which provides every employee with guaranteed free parking, to the point where some state employees are now bused from outlying lots to their offices. Spending tens of millions on new parking facilities that eat up would-be productive land in downtown Albany has not solved the state’s parking woes; a new approach that can benefit both workers and CDTA is needed.

For New York State

Assist CDTA and other Upstate systems with their capital and operating needs. It’s no secret that the State has struggled to meet its obligations to transit systems both Upstate and Downstate. But the State has a special stake in the BusPlus system not only because Albany is the capital, but also because the Purple Line runs directly through two State properties, the Harriman office campus and the University at Albany.

For CDTA

Implement off-board fare payment and all-door boarding at BusPlus stations. The biggest weakness of the BusPlus system as currently configured is that riders must still pay their fares at the front door of the bus. To become a true BRT system, off-board fare payment—the ability to swipe a card or pay cash at a kiosk or machine at the stop, then board the bus with proof of payment through any door—is crucial.

The importance of off-board fare payment and all-door boarding can’t be overlooked. Consider New York City’s Select Bus Service: like BusPlus, it doesn’t qualify as true BRT. But the main feature that separates SBS from regular buses is that riders must pay before they board (through any door).

A lack of off-board fare payments plus high ridership (something NYC and the Capital Region both enjoy) equals long dwell times at stops. When San Francisco moved its entire bus network to all-door boarding (with proof-of-payment fares) it saw a 38 percent reduction in dwell times, while fare evasion actually dropped. A recent experiment on one of Los Angeles’ Metro Rapid lines — a bus service similar to BusPlus — provided visual evidence that all-door boarding cut dwell time at a major stop by more than 50 percent:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNIblkXB_tc

CDTA, along with the aforementioned stakeholders, should be doing whatever they can to make sure BusPlus evolves from enhanced limited bus service into true BRT. It won’t just be a benefit to the people who live and work in the Capital Region; it will also serve as an example for how cities and transit agencies in New York and beyond can turn regular bus services into comprehensive rapid transit networks.