Q&A
Operational improvements and benefits of the new Port Authority Bus Terminal
0:47:31
·
5 min
Port Authority representatives discuss the various operational improvements and benefits that the new bus terminal will offer. They highlight sustainability features, improved efficiency, and enhanced passenger experience.
- Introduction of electric charging infrastructure for buses
- Improved ramping system for better traffic flow and incident management
- Enhanced wayfinding and passenger amenities in the new terminal design
Kevin Riley
0:47:31
Okay.
0:47:32
And you spoke about the towers, and you've came in a decision with the city already.
0:47:37
Just 2 more questions, then I'm gonna pass it over to councilman Batra.
0:47:41
How will the bus terminal function differently with the introduction of a new terminal?
0:47:45
Aside from increased capacity, how will operations improve?
Hersh Parekh
0:47:50
So I'm gonna ask, Kirsten to also, jump in here, but a couple of key points that I'll mention.
0:47:56
One is sustainability.
0:47:58
The new bus terminal will be equipped with electric charging infrastructure so that as buses, transition to, electric buses, they'll be able to, charge, in that storage and staging facility while they while they are holding over.
0:48:12
We do anticipate that New Jersey Transit, which is the largest carrier that uses the bus terminal, will be transitioning their buses pursuant to a New Jersey state law that passed very recently.
0:48:22
And we expect other bus carriers will likely follow suit as well because that is sort of something that is critical, in this day and age.
0:48:30
And it will also be a much more efficient operation in in many ways, and we can probably, if we can flip to slide 12, I'll ask Kirsten to sort of speak to some of those benefits in more detail.
Kirsten Jones
0:48:43
Sure.
0:48:44
So I'll start talking through the buses, and then I'll switch to, community and passengers.
0:48:50
So for buses themselves, the development of the new ramping system will be a huge improvement over today.
0:48:56
So our existing ramp system is generally single lane.
0:49:01
So if there's an incident on the ramp, in order to get an emergency response vehicle in there, we have to clear out all of the vehicles behind it, or we have to stop traffic going the other way to send in a contraflow response.
0:49:15
In the future ramping system, we will have bypass capability, and so we will be able to not only get buses around an incident if needed, we will also be able to get an emergency response vehicle to that scene, a tow truck or, maintenance equipment to that disabled bus, for example, to keep things moving.
0:49:35
The benefit of that is that because the ramps are so connected to the Lincoln Tunnel, by keeping the ramps moving, we can keep the Lincoln Tunnel moving so the traffic does not stop for other other vehicles trying to come into the city or vehicles trying to leave the city.
0:49:51
So you're reducing the gridlock and the, idling vehicles that would otherwise be experienced.
0:49:58
The other benefit of the ramping system is that, because it directly connects to the staging storage facility, we will have an ability to queue buses in a way that we currently do not have.
0:50:11
So our ramps today, while they look very daunting and large when you're standing in the area, they don't allow for that many buses to actually queue.
0:50:20
We can queue about 25 buses.
0:50:22
But 25 buses in a bus terminal that serves 800 buses an hour is not very many.
0:50:27
And so, this larger ramping system will allow buses to queue both on the ramping system and in the staging and storage facility if there is an incident on the Lincoln Tunnel, or on the surrounding street grid so that buses do not have to back up into the city street.
0:50:45
The benefit to the community, obviously, would be the improvement in, traffic flow in the area.
0:50:52
We will also be, eliminating bus entrances and exits that that currently exist in the main terminal on the street level.
0:51:01
So those those exits and entrances will be going away, so buses will no longer need to drive on 40th Street or 9th Avenue at all.
0:51:10
And we will be able to make improvements to the pedestrian experience in that area, widening sidewalks and creating a more hospitable environment.
0:51:21
For the bus passengers, the building itself will become much more intuitive.
0:51:25
We will have wayfinding that's a lot clearer.
0:51:27
Right now, the building was built in over time kind of Frankensteined together for lack of a better word.
0:51:35
And in doing so, the wayfinding is not intuitive.
0:51:38
It's not inherently clear where you need to go in order to get into the subway or in order to get to certain gates.
0:51:44
And so this design will make it much more, user friendly for passengers, for regular commuters, and also for people that are visiting the city for the first time.
0:51:55
The queue space will be much cleaner at the gates, so bus passengers will be able to see their bus at the gate and where their need their line needs to be.
0:52:03
The existing terminal lines are usually not next to the bus departure gate, due to a lack of space.
0:52:10
So passengers will have an overall better experience.
0:52:14
There will be more light and, more air space for people to move around.
0:52:19
So the terminal itself will function much cleaner.
Hersh Parekh
0:52:23
And, Chair Riley, I'll just note, if we can flip to slide 62 briefly, part of the the actions in the in the Europe application allow for the full facility to operate as one structure so that the buses can flow easily from the main terminal into the staging and storage facility, into the ramp structure, all without having to touch city streets.
0:52:43
And this diagram gives you a good view of how it will operate as as one unified facility, again, reducing the congestion and the and the gridlock and the pollution on local streets.
Kevin Riley
0:52:54
Okay.
0:52:54
And last question, you spoke about the buses that will be moved into a new terminal.
0:53:00
You could just answer yes or no.
0:53:02
Have the other bus companies agreed to this already?
Hersh Parekh
0:53:07
Yeah.
0:53:07
So there has been extensive coordination with all of the bus carriers, and they are aware of of of the plans that will be in place.
Kevin Riley
0:53:13
Okay.
0:53:13
Thank you.
0:53:15
I will now turn it over to councilman Batcher.
