Some bus commuters, who sit in traffic whenever the Xclusive Bus Lane backs up to the Lincoln Tunnel, say it’s time to add a second bus lane to reduce delays and long travel times.
But Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials say there may be a different answer, one that uses the same technology that is leading to self-driving vehicles as a way to move more buses, without taking a lane away from cars and trucks.
The Port Authority’s 2016 Trans-Hudson study proposed adding a second New York-bound bus lane on Route 495 east to the Lincoln Tunnel in the mornings. Commuters who read the report, probably while sitting in traffic, said now is the time to open a second Xclusive Bus Lane. But the same report also recommended studying autonomous vehicle technology on buses to make the existing XBL run more efficiently and add bus capacity.
Why not have two bus lanes?
On weekday mornings, Route 495 has an eastbound bus lane to the Lincoln Tunnel that’s created from one of the highway’s westbound lanes. The Trans-Hudson study proposed creating a second Xclusive Bus Lane from one of the existing Route 495 eastbound lanes.
That builds on an idea thats been around since 2006, to create a Route 495 High Occupancy Toll lane to the tunnel, where car drivers would pay a premium toll for a faster ride with less traffic to the tunnel. A second 2009 study proposed funneling buses from Route 3 east into the “HOT” lane.
The premium toll paid by car drivers using a HOT lane also could be additional revenue, the study said. Buses would not be charged a premium toll to use it. Bridge and Tunnel tolls are the Port Authority’s second highest money earner after airports.
There would be drawbacks to another bus lane
When there is a crash, a disabled bus or other problem in the XBL, it brings bus traffic to a halt, causing cascading delays, commuters said. To add to the frustration, while buses are stopped, commuters said they often have to sit and watch traffic moving in the other lanes.
In the first three months of 2019, a total of 520,847 buses used the Lincoln Tunnel, according to Authority statistics. But more bus traffic is coming. The number of buses forecast to use the Port Authority Bus Terminal in 2040 is predicted to increase by 15% from 7,800 a day to 9,100, according to the authority.
The 2009 study said adding a second bus lane and High Occupancy Toll lane comes with a cost. Displaced car and truck traffic could divert to other congested Hudson River crossings. Loss of a lane could cause additional delays in the remaining lanes, at the entrance to Route 495 from the New Jersey Turnpike and at the Lincoln Tunnel toll plazas, the report said.
“There are still a finite number of Lincoln Tunnel lanes going into NYC. A second XBL would have to ultimately merge with either the existing XBL or the (other) local bus lanes before going through the tunnel and that could result in congestion and reduced efficiency,” said Steve Coleman, a Port Authority spokesman.
While the current XBL is over capacity, studies said there is “insufficient volume” to fill a second XBL, he said. If a second bus lane were created from another lane of Route 495 west, that would reduce traffic to one lane in that direction.
That "could create a congestion issue for vehicles traveling west during the a.m. rush,” Coleman said.
Without a steady flow of buses in a second bus lane, it could cause westbound vehicles (cars) to use it, "resulting in an unsafe situation,” Coleman said.
How does a new bus terminal fit in?
A second subsequent study said improving capacity in the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan was the only way to improve bus flow, which is why the Authority has made a new terminal a top priority, agency officials said.
Last week, officials announced the process is starting to evaluate three options to replace or rebuild the aging Port Authority Bus Terminal. The mid-town Manhattan bus terminal is over capacity and needs rehabilitation.
The added bus traffic from a possible second bus lane needs to be considered in the design of the new Port Authority Bus Terminal, said Nat Bottigheimer, the director of Regional Plan Association New Jersey.
“It’s a great question to be asked, given the experience of so many commuters and the risk we face with the deterioration of the Hudson River rail tunnels,” Bottigheimer said. “It would be responsible disaster planning to look at a second XBL.”
But, he said, there are other considerations.
“There are other questions to ask. With improvements in vehicle autonomy, is it possible to increase capacity in existing lanes?”
Are autonomous buses the answer?
Technology that’s made self-driving cars and trucks possible could be applied to buses with a system that is similar to truck platooning -- where several trucks are driving close together in a line. The lead truck communicates distance, speed and braking information with the following trucks. The trucks can react quickly to road and traffic conditions or give control back to the driver.
The technology is currently being tested in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
It’s counterpart, called “bus platooning” is being studied by the Port Authority as a way to improve capacity in the existing XBL, officials said. The installation of autonomous vehicle technology on buses could increase the carrying capacity of the XBL by 30 percent, officials said.
Study results are expected in the second quarter of 2020, however the agency plans to meet with bus carriers first about the results to get their “buy in” before anything is made public, officials said.
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