MADISON AVENUE DUAL EXCLUSIVE BUS LANE DEMONSTRATION--NEW YORK CITY

In May 1981, the New York City Department of Transportation implemented a dual exclusive bus lane facility on Madison Avenue in midtown Manhattan, between 42nd and 59th Streets. The project was sponsored for one year as a demonstration by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration under the Service and Methods Demonstration Program, and has since been maintained locally as a permanent facility. The bus lane was implemented as a traffic management action to improve bus operations and reliability on this busy artery. During the evening peak period, the five northbound lanes of Madison Avenue accommodate over 1,400 vehicles per hour; during the 5-6 p.m. peak hour, over 200 of these vehicles are buses, which are forced to mix with other traffic resulting in major conflicts and inefficiency. The dual bus lane facility was implemented in conjunction with a set of traffic management measures, including a stringent parking ban and right turn restrictions. Together, these measures produced a 42 percent decline in peak hour travel time for express bus travel on Madison, andd a 34 percent decline in local bus travel time. Major impacts on non-bus traffic were not detected. The Madison Avenue bus lane does not entail permanent physical barriers. It operates between 2 and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and is available for general use at all other times. Enforcement of the lane is accomplished through pavement striping; pavement, overhead, and "roll-out" signs; and patrol by a special squad of enforcement agents. This report discusses the bus lane project in terms of its planning and development, including the public involvement and numerous alterations necessary to make the project viable. Impact analysis covers level of service effects, bus ridership, and costs.

• Corporate Authors:

  Comsis Corporation

  11501 Georgia Avenue
  Wheaton, MD  United States  20902

  Urban Mass Transportation Administration

  Office of Technical Assistance & Safety, 400 7th Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Kuzmyak, J R
• Publication Date: 1984-5

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 150 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bus lanes; Bus priority; Bus transit; Parking regulations; Reliability; Road markings; Traffic restraint; Transportation system management
• Geographic Terms: New York (New York)
• Old TRIS Terms: Bus services
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00389890
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTA-MA-06-0049-84-4Final Rpt., DOT-TSC-UMTA-84-18
• Contract Numbers: DOT-TSC-1753
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Oct 30 1984 12:00AM