Metrobus Transit Study.pdf - City of St. John's

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St. John’s Transportation Commission (Metrobus) 2011 Market Assessment and Strategic Directions Study – Part D: Strategic Directions At the Village Shopping Centre, the primary concerns are the inadequate platform size and the excessive queuing/time loss in getting buses back on the road. Three rows of buses are parked at this terminal, with only one row adjacent to a platform. A new design would accommodate all buses on a single platform. The location of the terminal is ideal due to the proximity to the mall entrance and the close proximity to the surrounding arterial road network. Transit signal priority features at the mall exit (at Hamlyn Road) and at Topsail Road should be considered to reduce delays and improve reliability. Since transfer locations are fundamental to system design and the capacity requirements are well understood, it is recommended that Metrobus initiate feasibility studies, in cooperation with the property owners, to establish improvement opportunities at each location. It should be noted that if the prominence of the Avalon Mall as a transfer facility is reduced (as per Section 10.2), the number of bays in the existing facility may be appropriate and the study would focus on circulation and transit priority measures. MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY TERMINAL The Memorial University Terminal is located at the entrance of the University Centre on Arctic Avenue. Buses pull right to the front door of the building, allowing passengers to wait inside the building for their next bus. There are some pedestrian and vehicle conflicts at this location which can slow down buses, however, no incidents were reported by drivers. Consideration, however, should be given to making this a ‘bus only’ location, and to relocate areas for passenger drop off and pick ups. A challenge for Metrobus with this terminal location occurs when outbound buses make a left turn at the intersection of Arctic Avenue and Clinch Crescent. This intersection is a one-way stop, with the freeflow on Clinch Crescent. Buses waiting for a gap in traffic can be delayed for several minutes, particularly during the peak period due to traffic from the Health Sciences Centre. Consideration should be given to signalize this intersection or put a transit priority measure in place to reduce overall bus delay. It is therefore recommended that Metrobus work with the University on restricting vehicle access to the terminal and work with the City on potential transit priority measures at Clinch Crescent. Such improvements will be even more critical if the proposed U-Pass initiative is implemented. If the Memorial University node is determined to be a more effective transfer point than the Avalon Mall, Metrobus should work with the University on assessing a suitable location for a transfer facility in the 2-3 year time frame, or at such time that a U-Pass agreement with the University is initiated. DOWNTOWN TERMINALS Downtown St. John’s has three major transfer points. These are Military & Forest, Freshwater & LeMarchant, and St. John’s Convention Centre (Water Street and Waldegrave Street). A number of stakeholders and members of the public consulted during this study indicated some confusion about where to access a bus in the downtown. Each terminal is located near the edge of the downtown. While seven routes access the downtown area, only three of these routes traverse through the heart of the downtown area (Routes 3, 6 and 10). This creates the potential need for an additional transfer or a longer walk than many passengers are willing to take (particularly during inclement weather conditions). The challenge with the downtown is that there are few opportunities to build a more centralized terminal due to the limited land availability. The streets within the downtown are also fairly narrow Dillon Consulting Limited Page 74
St. John’s Transportation Commission (Metrobus) 2011 Market Assessment and Strategic Directions Study – Part D: Strategic Directions and can become congested during peak periods, increasing overall travel time. Nonetheless, to make transit a more attractive option to access the downtown, there is a need to better centralize the service and reduce passenger confusion of where to access the bus. Addressing the downtown terminal issue would require a more detailed effort and a separate terminal study should be initiated to address the feasibility of a new downtown terminal location. A study would look at boardings/alightings at each current terminal, travel patterns of users within the downtown, availability of land or servicing options to move people within the downtown (i.e. a high frequency shuttle connecting the three terminals). This study should involve participation from the Downtown Development Commission and the City’s Engineering Department as it impacts employment and parking issues. 12.2 Bus Stops At a lower level but equally important is the need for Metrobus to follow up on previous recommendations for upgrading bus stops and improving year round access to all transit stops. The topography and climate in St. John’s presents some unique challenges and particularly with an aging population, the ability for passengers to access the stops and have some minimal level of shelter while waiting for service is essential to grow the ridership. This is particularly important during inclement weather conditions. The optimal location of curb-side bus stops was also identified as an issue that should be addressed. There are three options for curb-side bus stops (illustrated in Figure 22 below): far-side – bus stop located immediately after an intersection; near-side – bus stop located immediately before an intersection; and mid-block – bus stop located in the middle of a block between intersections. Figure 22 – Bus Stop Location Options *Source: Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual – 2 nd Edition, Transportation Research Board, 2003 The advantages and disadvantages of the location of each stop are illustrated in Table 16. Dillon Consulting Limited Page 75
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Page 132: APPENDIX A Online Questionnaire Sam
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3. Which of the following, if any,
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Transit Users 1. How long have you
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Transit Users 1. In the past 12 mon
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6. What is your primary purpose for
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2007 Service Change 1. Did you ride
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Contact Information 1. Please fill
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4. How many vehicles are available
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APPENDIX B CNA Student Survey and R
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Student Profile/Transit Use 1. Are
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Non Transit Users Off Campus 1. How
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Non Transit Users On Campus 1. What
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3. How do you normally pay for your
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Transit Users 1. What other trips d
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Universal Student Transit Pass One
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Introduction Metrobus is evaluating
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Student Profile/Transit Use 1. What
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Non Transit Users Off Campus 1. How
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Non Transit Users On Campus 1. What
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3. How do you normally pay for your
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Transit Users 1. What other trips d
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Universal Student Transit Pass One
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Introduction Metrobus is evaluating
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2. Main type of business activity:
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Relationship to Transit 1. Does you
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8. Would you CONSIDER participating
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Survey Completion Thank you for you
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APPENDIX E Onboard Passenger Survey
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APPENDIX F Peer Review Municipaliti
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APPENDIX G Off-Street Terminal Desi
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Metrobus Transit Study.pdf - City of St. John's

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