TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD

Fast-Tracked: A tactical
transit study

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

2:00-3:30 PM ET
Learning Objectives
At the end of this webinar, you will be able to:

• Define tactical urbanism

• Identify practices from case studies around
the country
FAST-TRACKED Dana Wall | Street Plans

Quick-Build Transit Research + Case Studies

Agenda

TACTICAL URBANISM OVERVIEW

FAST-TRACKED REPORT FINDINGS

FAST-TRACKED REPORT CASE STUDIES

KEY TAKEAWAYS

KEY TAKEAWAYS + FURTHER RESEARCH

CONSIDERATIONS
Better Streets, Better Places

Transportation Planning

Placemaking + Tactical Urbanism

Architecture + Urban Design

Public Outreach

Training + Workshops

Research + Best Practices Guides

North America (2011) North America (2012) South America (2013) Australia / NZ (2014) Island Press (2015)

North America (2016) North America (2016) Italy (2017) Russia (2019)

FAST-TRACKED
A TACTICAL TRANSIT STUDY

TACTICAL URBANIST'S
URBANIST’S GUIDE
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TO MATERIALS
TO MATERIALSAND DESIGN| | VERSION
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JANUARY 2020
JANUARY 2020 || CREATED
CreatedBY
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North America (2019) North America (2019) Japan (2019) North America (2020) - DRAFT
Visualizing Transit Corridors
Great! Now what...?
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reinforcing citizen frustration with government.

Slow + expensive

(Too) large-scale, aka.

“Silver Bullet”

Lacks transparency

One-way/static input

Inflexible/(too) results-oriented
Iterative project delivery is...

We expect software and products will always get better.

We are willing to tolerate/expect imperfections.

Lessons in Iterative Design

2009 - 3-day pop-up plaza w/ lawn chairs

2010 - pilot plaza w/ paint and temporary materials
2012 - design development begins
2014 - permanent plaza construction begins
2016 - project complete!
What is Tactical Urbanism?

Tactical Urbanism is an approach

to neighborhood building that
uses short-term, low-cost,
and scalable interventions and
policies to catalyze long-term
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Why Tactical Urbanism?

1 Expedites delivery of public benefits at a low cost.

2 Temporary, iterative nature allows for evaluation and making

adjustments.

3 Based on existing master plans, action-focused.

4 People-driven, people-centered.
Tactical Urbanism Evolution
Guerrilla/DIY Sanctioned Standardized

Worldwide Times Square, NYC Burlington Quick Build Program

• started as a response • three iterations • creation and adoption

to frustration with slow (demonstration, pilot, of programs for ease
conventional project interim design) of implementing pilot
delivery projects worldwide
• became notable
• more “subversive” in best practice for the • standardization of the
nature movement methodology
“Let’s not hire a consultant to
tell us what we already know;
let’s just do this.”
Senior Planner, Metro Transit
Research Overview

• First study of its kind, to

incentivize further research
• Tactical Transit growing Los Angeles Boarding Platforms

application of Quick-Build
methodology
• Collection of case studies
and takeaways to encourage
growth in the movement

Go Ave 26
What is Tactical Transit?

• Implemented in 2 years
or less (from inception to
implementation)
• Executed under $100,000-ish
King St Transit Pilot

• Uses temporary materials,

anticipates flexibility
• Can be operational or
infrastructure based
• May be a test

Solano Ave Bus Parklet

What is Tactical Transit?
Infrastructure Operational
• Dedicated bus lanes • Split local/express service
• Modular boarding platforms • Stop consolidations
• Signage • Prepaid boarding areas
• Queue jump lanes • Signal timing adjustments
• Road diets • Motor vehicle restrictions
• Separated bike lanes
• Curb extensions, ped. crossings
• Seating & other amenities
Methodology
• 36 interviews, plus online
investigation
• Projects span 11 states, five
regions of North America
Bancroft West Pilot Project
• Variations in community size
and local government structure
• 20 projects across three
categories
• Speed + Reliability
• Access + Safety
• Rider Experience
Denver Moves Broadway
Findings: Speed + Reliability

• Travel time savings from 20%-

50%, with the most common
savings being 20%-30%
• Projects were shown to improve
both transit and car travel times Broadway Bus Lane

• 50% reduction in boarding times

• Most transit lanes piloted were
under one mile in length, yet saw
significant improvements in travel
times
CTA Prepaid Bus Boarding
Findings: Access + Safety

• Projects documented 40%-65%

reductions in collisions, and
reductions in pedestrian fatalities
• Projects showed increases in NYC Boarding Platforms

ridership of up to 17%
• Projects documented increases in
bicycle travel from 40-400%

Nolensville Crossing
Findings: Rider Experience

• Three projects resulted in

proposals for dedicated permits
or design guidelines to guide
future similar projects
• Most of the work was led by Solano Ave. Bus Parklet

advocacy groups, foundations, or

nonprofits
• Where transit agencies supported
their efforts, impacts were
significantly amplified

King St Transit Pilot

Case Study: Massachusetts Ave. Bus Lane
Massachusetts Avenue | Arlington, MA
Preliminary
.25 mile, Eastbound MBTA
| Oct. to Nov. 2018 Data
• Years of attempts to alleviate
• Pilotacquired
congestion, Data – 10/9 – 10/24

BostonBRT program
• Pre-Data – 9/10 -funding
10/5

for pilot• BRT elements

Measured from 260 Mass
Ave to one stop past Alewife
• AM peak-hour,
Brook Parkwayshared bus-
bike lane•• demarcated
Ret 79/350 - Alewife with
Rte 77 – Magoun Street

cones
• Combination of
infrastructure and
operational strategies MOST POSITIVE OUTCOME
Results
• 73% of survey respondents (mostly
riders) said they wanted the lane to
be made permanent.
• No traffic violations or compliance
issues during the test.
• No significant negative impacts to
parking.
• Evaluation revealed a 50% reduction
in avg. trip travel time (5-6 minute
savings), 40% reduction in variability
of travel times, 10+ minute savings on
typical delayed trip.
What’s Next?

• Operational interventions remained

after conclusion of pilot.
• Permanent bus lane operational one
year later, approved three months
after pilot.
• If not for the Quick Build approach,
Town wouldn’t have been able to
test multiple interventions at once.
• Quick Build approach made staff
and political officials comfortable
that they wouldn’t be “wasting
resources”.
Case Study: Main St. Bus Lane
Main Street | Cincinnati, OH
.42 mile, Northbound | Nov. 2018

• Lane had been in the making

for years, initially proposed by
advocacy group Better Bus
Coalition
• AM/PM peak-hour, dedicated bus
lane demarcated with thick stripe
and markings
• $55,000 in total using funds from
existing Dept. of Transportation &
Engineering capital program
ADVOCACY INITIATION
Results
• 20% travel time savings.
• 43 traffic violations given in
one month.
• City put down pavement
markings two months later,
bus lane remains.
• City has created a matrix for
identifying where to use test
methodology next.
• Key to success of project was
strong political champion.
Key Takeaways
1 Designing the Project
• It’s not just one thing; most projects
had multiple small moves that made
a big impact.
• Don’t overlook operational Washington St Bus Lane
strategies and intersection
treatments.
• Removal of bump-outs may be
required.
• Don’t forget signals!
• Start with the bare minimum. Don’t
overdesign things.
Streets for People
Key Takeaways
2 Establishing Metrics
• Projects may not show raw
improvements to primary
metrics. Go Ave 26

• There are other ways of

measuring success.
• Consider more, and a wider
variety of, metrics that can
communicate a successful
project.

Mt Auburn St Bus Lane

Key Takeaways
3 Public Support
• Don’t expect people to come to
you.
• Recommended six months for Hands on Exchange

traffic patterns to normalize.

• Communicating that there will
be an adjustment up front is
crucial, don’t give up too early!

Streets for People

Considerations + Further Research
Tactical Transit Lanes: Costs and timing; build on UCLA research; when
does it make sense to jump to permanant?
Route Alignments/Stop Consolidation: A definitive study on the benefits
of realignments, express/local service and the methods used to develop
these models.
Materials: What materials are used for tactical projects, what is their
durability and ideal use case scenario? Paint, modular platforms, and others.
Costs/Funding: How can we measure the cost/benefit of these projects?
How can cities creatively leverage funding? At what point do you make a
project permanent?
Transportation Choices: How well are these projects advancing permanent
projects in transit, bike, and pedestrian infrastructure, compared to roads?
 Thanks!
dana@streetplans.org

@street_plans
www.street-plans.com
Fast-Tracked: Tactical Transit in NYC
TRB Webinar
March 4, 2020

1
 Agenda

1. Overview of Transit in New York City

2. Better Buses Action Plan and Tactical Toolkit
3. Protected Bus Lane
4. Bus Boarders

nyc.gov/dot 2
 Overview of Transit in NYC

nyc.gov/dot
1 3
 MTA New York City Transit & MTA Bus
Primary Transit Provider for New York City

• 5.4 million subway and

2.2 million bus riders
carried daily (2018)
• Operates NYC’s subway
system of 665 miles over
27 lines and 472 stations
• 5,706 buses operating
on 317 bus routes
• 50,000 employees

nyc.gov/dot 4
 NYC Department of Transportation
Owns NYC’s Street Infrastructure
• 6,000 miles of streets with
200 million linear feet of
markings
• 794 (free) bridges and
tunnels
• 12,700 traffic signals and
315,000 street lights
• Over 15,000 bus stops
• Operation of Staten Island
Ferry
• 5,000 employees

nyc.gov/dot 5
 We’re #1! (in slowest buses)
New York City has the slowest
buses in the U.S.
Other Delays
3%

Source: NTD, TransitCenter

nyc.gov/dot 6
 NYC Issues and Challenges

Double parking Blocked bus stops Crowded stops/sidewalks

Long traffic queues Bus merge/turn issues Narrow roadways

nyc.gov/dot 7
 Better Buses Action Plan and

2
Tactical Toolkit

nyc.gov/dot 8
 Better Buses Action Plan
Released by Mayor de Blasio on April 19, 2019

Goals to Improve Bus Speeds by through 2020

• Improve 5 miles of existing bus lane per year
• Install 10-15 miles of new bus lane per year
• Pilot up to 2 miles of physically separated bus
lanes in 2019
• Add 300 TSP intersections per year
• Evaluate and improve bus stops

nyc.gov/dot 9
 Better Buses 2019 Projects
29 bus priority projects in all 5 boroughs,
applying a variety of treatments

Need to implement projects fast!

No time for capital work

nyc.gov/dot 10
 Tactical Transit Street Design Toolkit
Bus Lanes
• Curbside bus lanes
• Offset bus lanes
• Physical protection materials
Bus Stops
• Bus boarders
• Bus boarding islands

nyc.gov/dot 11
 Tactical Transit Street Design Toolkit
Curbside Bus Lane

• Adjacent to curb
• Usually only in effect
peak hours
• Minimal thermoplastic

nyc.gov/dot 12
 Tactical Street Design Toolkit
Offset Bus Lane

• One lane away from

curb
• Accommodates
parking/loading
• Thermoplastic + red
paint (MMA, Ruby
Glass, Epoxy)

nyc.gov/dot 13
 Tactical Transit Street Design Toolkit
Protected Bus Lane

• Physically separates
bus lane to prevent
vehicle intrusions

nyc.gov/dot 14
 Tactical Transit Street Design Toolkit
Bus Boarder

• Bus stays in lane

• No need to pull in and out
of traffic
• More pedestrian space

nyc.gov/dot 15
 Tactical Transit
Street Design Toolkit
Bus Boarding Island

• Bus stays in lane

• No need to pull in
and out of traffic
• Separates bus
boarding from traffic
or protected bike
lane
• Can be built without
capital project

nyc.gov/dot 16
 Protected Bus Lane

nyc.gov/dot
3 17
 Background

• Archer Ave, Queens is a

major transit hub
connecting buses to LIRR
and 3 subway lines
• Bus lane chronically
blocked

nyc.gov/dot 18
 Treatment Tuff Curb

• Pilot continuous physical

barriers
• Use existing materials on
hand:
• Qwick Curb
• Tuff Curb
• Rubber speed bumps

Rubber
Qwick
Speed Bump
Curb

nyc.gov/dot 19
 Installation
• Use in-house crews
• Install took 2 days
• Mix of Tuff Curb and rubber speed bumps

nyc.gov/dot 20
 Evaluation
• Initial install successful
• Yet, product deteriorated quickly
• Product failure, but lessons learned

October 2019 – delineators displaced

September 2019 – initial install

nyc.gov/dot 21
December 2019 – full product displaced
 Next Steps

• Lessons learned from pilot

• Plan to pilot additional blocks with
different materials next year
Deteriorating product from pilot

Example of different material

Pre-cast concrete in Winnipeg

nyc.gov/dot 22
Initial product installation
 Bus Boarders

nyc.gov/dot
4 23
 Background

• Bus bulbs are an important

tool for improving bus
speeds, accessibility, and
rider experience
• Typically require capital
project, which is expensive
and long

nyc.gov/dot 24
 Treatment
Bus Boarder

• Bus bulb made of recycled

plastic
• Piloted on Utica Ave in
Brooklyn in July 2016
• Wanted to see if bus
boarders could be used as
a temporary material while
waiting for capital bus bulb

nyc.gov/dot 25
 Installation

• Initial installation took

2.5 days
• Before install, roadway
needed to be
smoothed out so
platform could sit flush

nyc.gov/dot 26
 Evaluation

• 94% of bus customers

surveyed satisfied with
project
• “It adds prestige to my
neighborhood”
• Held up well through winter

nyc.gov/dot 27
 Relocation
• Removed and relocated to
125th St, Manhattan
New concrete bulb, Utica Av & Avenue N, Brooklyn

Disassembly, Utica Av & Avenue N Reinstallation, 125th St & Lenox Av, Manhattan
nyc.gov/dot 28
 72nd Av & 42nd St, Manhattan
sidewalk widening 23rd St & 2nd Ave Lenox Av, Manhattan
bus bulb

Cypress Hills St, Queens 14th Street Transit and Truck Priority
nyc.gov/dot bus bulb for transitway
bus stop ADA improvement
 Summary
• Tactical transit tools are
useful for quick
implementation
• Allow for project phasing
• Placeholder for capital
projects

nyc.gov/dot 30
 THANK YOU!
Questions?

NYC DOT NYC DOT nyc_dot NYC DOT

nyc.gov/dot 31
 TACTICAL TRANSIT:
Using Pilot Projects as Tool for
Transformation

Jay Monty
Transportation
Planner

Everett,
Massachusetts

Photo: Boston Globe

CITY OF EVERETT SNAPSHOT
3 miles from downtown Boston
Population: 45,000-50,000 (approx.)
Large Transit Dependent Population
Transit:
• 7 Bus Routes
• 15,000 Daily Boardings & Alightings
• No Rapid Transit or “Key” Bus Routes
TRANSIT AND GOVERNANCE
• MBTA provides regional transit
ser vices (subway, trolley, rail, bus)
• Cities and towns own most roadway
infrastructure.
• Weak regional planning structure
• Var ying forms of municipal governance
FROM STUDY TO ACTION
 THE “PILOT”
• Intended as a discreet 4-day test to
inform a longer-term pilot program.
• No formal outreach process
• 1 week notice to abutters and riders
• Mayor announces indefinite extension
of pilot on 3 rd day.
COORDINATION AND LOGISTICS
• Everett DPW and Parking Enforcement
• 200 parking spaces removed
• 300 cones placed and picked up
• MBTA/MassDOT
• Driver Training and Rider Notification

Photo: Boston Globe

COORDINATION AND LOGISTICS
• PRESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
 FROM PILOT TO PERMANENT

Photos: City of Everett

 BOSTON BRT PILOTS:
• Funded by the Barr Foundation through an RFP process
• Three projects in four communities
• Demonstrated elements of Bus Rapid Transit

Photos: Ad Hoc Industries

 BOSTON BRT PILOTS:
• Technical Elements (lanes, platforms, signals)
 BOSTON BRT PILOTS:
• Public Engagement (local ar tists, flower bomb)

Photos: Ad Hoc Industries

 BOSTON BRT PILOTS:
• Public Engagement (local ar tists, flower bomb)

Photos: Ad Hoc Industries

 BOSTON BRT PILOTS:
• Public Dialogue and Press Events

Photos: Ad Hoc Industries

 KEEPING THE MOMENTUM:
• New Permanent Level Boarding Stations
• Real-time Arrival Info and Bike Sharing at Key Stations
 WHY DO A PILOT PROJECT?
• Creates a real-time public process that can
inform a larger transformational project or
policy.
 WHY DO A PILOT PROJECT?
• Public Perception and Accountability
 TAKEAWAYS

• Pilot as a Public Process

• Utilizing Existing Practices
• Perception is as Important as Reality
• Fringe Benefits to Other Modes
• Don’t Expect Perfection
• Steady Incremental Change Leads to
Transformation
 Jay Monty
Transpor tation Planner
City of Everett, Massachusetts

Jay.monty@ci.everett.ma.us
 Today’s Speakers
• Dana Wall, dana@streetplans.org
• Kyle Gabhart,
kgebhart@dot.nyc.gov
• Jay Monty,
Jay.Monty@ci.everett.ma.us
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