DOT to speed up installation of transit signal priority system to reduce bus travel time
New York City bus ridership is falling, but there may soon be a reason to get back on board.
Since 2012, the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) has installed a system called transit signal priority on five buses as part of a pilot program to speed up people’s commutes. These test buses decreased their travel times by an average of 18 percent, according to the DOT. Now, the agency plans to add the system to five more bus routes by the end of the year.
Transit signal priority (TSP) reduces the time buses are stopped at red lights. TSP allows buses to communicate with the signal controllers on traffic lights to extend a green light or shorten a red light. The bus sends a request to the DOT’s traffic management center, which then sends a message over WiFi to traffic signal controllers. In July, the MTA Board approved a nearly $10 million contract to purchase and install the TSP application on 6,000 more buses.
Armando Serrano, a TWU Local 100 officer who represents Brooklyn bus drivers, said the system will help drivers stay on schedule.
“It’ll take stress off our operators,” said Armando Serrano, a TWU Local 100 officer who represents Brooklyn bus drivers. Serrano said TSP will help drivers stay on schedule.
On the M15 Select Bus Service, morning riders saved about three minutes of travel time between South Ferry and East Houston Street. S79 Select Bus Service riders saved up to 16 minutes on their evening commute. Buses spend about 21 percent of their time at a red light, the DOT reported in July.
The DOT plans to add TSP to 10 new routes by the end of 2020. But the Bus Turnaround Coalition, a group of four transportation advocacy organizations, is pushing the DOT and MTA to install TSP even faster. TransitCenter, the Riders Alliance, the Straphangers Campaign and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign are members of the coalition.
Before adding TSP, the DOT does a detailed traffic study of the bus route to ensure safe travel and well-coordinated traffic signals, according to a DOT spokesperson. In the July report, the DOT found TSP works best on two-way streets with bus lanes. No new signal hardware is necessary to activate TSP, but the MTA has to install some additional software on buses. Once this technology is ready, the DOT can speed up its TSP implementation.
Jaqi Cohen, a coordinator for the Straphangers Campaign, said she wants TSP added to 20 new bus routes each year. Cohen said additional reforms like redesigning indirect bus routes and all-door boarding would further improve bus travel.
“There’s no one silver bullet to improving bus speed,” Cohen said.
The DOT plans to add TSP to the M60, Q44, B46, S62/92, Q25 and Q43 — all select bus services — by the end of the year.
