Abstract: The MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) is a public authority in New York State that operates public transportation in New York City. The NYCT Department of Buses manages an extensive bus network serving all five boroughs.
One of the unique challenges facing buses is that they operate on crowded city streets where they share space with a growing number of other users. There is currently limited information on how recent and ongoing changes to shared public streets affect bus service. MTA NYCT Buses enlisted a Capstone team to analyze how streetscape changes in the past five years impacted the speed and reliability of bus service.
The team selected twenty locations to study citywide based on a menu of streetscape changes such as bike lanes, turn restrictions, and traffic calming treatments. The team analyzed bus performance and safety data, researched best practices in other cities, and conducted interviews with select MTA NYCT staff and external stakeholders.
Based on the collected and analyzed data, the team compiled a comprehensive report with recommendations for public street changes that enhance bus service.
