Casey Arborway – School Bus Operations/Upper Bus-Ways FAQ
Throughout the Casey Arborway concept design and design processes, members of the Working Advisory Group,
Design Advisory Group and general public have frequently commented that the operation of school buses from
curbside on New Washington Street triggers traffic congestion and presents safety risks to boarding and alighting
students. Through conversations with both the Boston Public Schools and METCO, MassDOT’s design team
developed a plan to create an off-street school bus pick-up/drop-off area in the MBTA parking lot across Hyde Park
Avenue from Woodlawn Street and Weld Hill Street. Hereinafter, this school bus pick-up/drop-off area will be
known as the “school bus-way” for ease of reference. The Casey Arborway project will also expand the upper busway at Forest Hills Station to accommodate the Route 39 bus.
The following questions and corresponding answers were prepared in response to inquiries made by residents of
the Weld Hill neighborhood during the early spring of 2014. While data about school bus operations had been
gathered prior to this particular set of inquiries, additional observations of school bus operations were made
during the weeks of February 24, 2014 and March 17, 2014 when school was in session and not impacted by snow
emergencies. All data referred to in this document is based on these most recent observations.
Q:
If middle school students are given T passes, what type of potential will there be to have more traffic on
Hyde Park Avenue at the intersection of Woodlawn Street and the adjacent entrance of the school busway? How will the traffic function as a result of the potential increase of users at the Forest Hills Station?
A:
The Casey Arborway project has been designed to handle projected 2035 traffic volumes. Those volumes
were calculated based on new local construction permitted by the BRA and on the regional model held by
the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). For this reason, the project team feels confident
that the new roadway system would be able to handle an influx in traffic based on middle school students
receiving T passes.
If middle school students are arriving at Forest Hills Station seeking MBTA bus service, they are either
being dropped off by a parent or entering the station on an MBTA bus or train. If a train is used, no traffic
impact is expected. If the students use an MBTA bus, those vehicles will continue to operate in their
dedicated bus-ways as they do today. If students are being dropped off by parents, there are designated
pick-up/drop-off locations along curbsides surrounding Forest Hills station. While some parents may
choose to pull into the school bus loading area, others will drop their students at points around the
station property and allow them to walk from there to the school bus-way. It should be noted that during
the two 30 minute periods when the buses are in the school bus-way, passenger vehicles will be allowed
to pick up and drop off only. Standing curbside will not be permitted. In this case, pick-ups and drop-offs
may occur at designated curbside locations surrounding Forest Hills station. As such, not all middle school
pick-up and drop-off activity would occur on Hyde Park Avenue.
Q:
How many school buses are expected to use the new school bus-way at Forest Hills Station? What will be
the impact on traffic on Hyde Park Avenue?
A:
It is currently anticipated that the school bus-way will be used by the eight school buses which transport
high school students from Forest Hills to West Roxbury Academy. These buses currently operate from
New Washington Street where they cause substantial congestion despite there being relatively few of
them in the larger scheme of traffic operations. Observations showed that approximately 70% of high
school students connected with their school bus from Forest Hills Station, the Orange Line or Commuter
Rail, 20% connected via the Route 39 bus, and with the final 10% walking to their bus from the Southwest
Corridor linear park. During observations, only one high school student was picked up by a waiting parent
in a vehicle. The exact number of waiting parents will likely vary from day to day depending on time of
year, weather conditions etc., but observations predict that the number of parent vehicles will be
relatively low and well within the capabilities of the new Casey Arborway roadway system. Direct
impacts to Hyde Park Avenue should likewise be minor. The eight school buses, arriving and departing
twice during the day and partially-to-fully, depending on whether it is morning or afternoon, out of
alignment with “adult” commuter peaks should not have a noticeable impact on Hyde Park Avenue
traffic.
Q:
When parents drive to Forest Hill Station to pick up their children from school, where will they park?
What types of enforcement will prevent parents from double and triple parking on Hyde Park Avenue and
other nearby streets?
A:
As noted earlier in this document, the majority of high school students transiting the Forest Hills area do
not have a parental vehicle associated with them. There will be adequate space as shown by the
AutoTURN graphics in the attached memo, for any parent vehicle to pull into the school bus-way, make a
drop-off or pick-up and keep going. The flow of traffic on Hyde Park Avenue is significant during the peak
hours. Double parking would reduce the roadway capacity available. Triple parking, not generally seen,
but suggested by community members as possible would in essence stop all traffic in the triple parker’s
direction of travel. Any motorist engaging in either behavior would likely be moved along by the ire of
their fellow drivers or local police.
Q:
The existing school bus pick-up and drop-off space is highly used on a daily basis. Will there continue to
be adequate space provided for vehicles at the new school bus-way?
A:
Yes. AutoTURN shows that vehicles picking-up and dropping-off patrons unassociated with a school bus
in any way will continue to be able to use the turn-around space in the parking lot adjacent to Hyde Park
Avenue as they do today. If a school bus were at curbside, a private car would have adequate room to get
around it. Incidentally, AutoTURN likewise shows that another school bus would be able to make the
same move. Based on observations taken during the weeks of February 24, 2014 and March 17, 2014 it is
anticipated that the dwell time of any given school buses would be approximately 3 minutes in the
morning and as little as 1 minute in the afternoon. It is also worth noting that major school bus activity
happens between 6:30-7:30AM and 2:30-3:00PM, both of which times are partially-to-fully out of the
alignment with the “adult commuter peak” in the Casey Arborway corridor of 7:15-8:15AM and 5:006:00PM. Based on the conducted observations and AutoTURN modeling, school buses and existing
commuters will be able to share the space.
Q:
The expanded upper bus-way creates a covered space above a portion of the school bus-way and parking
lot. What type of lighting will be provided in order to ensure this space remains safe at night?
A:
LED lights will be installed on the underside of the expanded upper bus-way deck. LED lights have been
specifically chosen because of their brightness and energy efficiency. The LED fixtures will be flush with
the girders supporting the bus-way deck. This will in effect confine the light provided to the area for
which it is meant and prevent the introduction of new glare to the surrounding area. As today, the lower
bus-way, parking area and new school bus-way will all be patrolled by MBTA police. The booth for the
parking lot attendant will also be immediately adjacent to this space, putting another set of eyes on it.
This area will remain highly visible from the street lowering the potential for crime, loitering and other
bothersome activities.
Q:
Concern has been raised by the abutters that the space below the expanded upper bus-way will act as a
resonating cavity, amplifying the noise of buses on the deck above. What type of noise mitigation
measures will be taken to ensure this space does not act like a megaphone?
A:
As noted in the State Laboratory meeting in February, the changes to the upper bus-way will have
minimal sound impacts on the surrounding area. Additional noise from the introduction of the 39 bus will
be lower than is perceptible by the human ear according to a sound study conducted earlier in the
project. From a qualitative standpoint, the space under the expanded upper bus-way will have a top, the
bus-way deck, a bottom, the parking lot, but no sides. If you think of resonating instrument such as a
violin or cello, these all have a top, bottom, and sides to maximize resonance and sound production.
Without the sides, the “megaphone” effect is unlikely. It should also be noted that the tree line along
Hyde Park Avenue will remain intact as a sound buffer and the noise attenuation offered by the space of
Hyde Park Avenue will remain what it traditionally has been.
Q:
The upper bus-way expansion on the Hyde Park Avenue side of Forest Hills Station appears to be
completely made of concrete. Are there any plans or alternatives to beautify the structure?
A:
Although the new upper bus-way canopy will be longer than the existing structure, it will also be lower,
causing the structure to be less visible. As the point of view moves up Weld Hill Street towards Wenham
Street and Wachusett Street the visual impacts of the upper bus-way will recede. For residents looking
out their windows on Wenham and Wachusett Street, the viewpoint will look over the structure. As
previously noted, the trees along Hyde Park Avenue will remain in place helping the overall effort of
blending the expanded bus-way with the existing station as much as possible rather than calling attention
to it with a contrasting architectural treatment.