EPA press release on WTC cleaning hotline launch, June 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

E 3 tours as frequently as every fifteen minutes during the peak season add another significant layer of congestion.

In addition to gathering data on existing tour and charter bus activity in Lower Manhattan, the bus study examined projections prepared for the Port Authority of potential volumes of visitors to the WTC memorial, as well as estimates of the share likely to use tour or charter buses. Even with excellent subway and PATH service directly at the site, it is forecasted that 15 to 25 percent of aU visitors to the memorial will arrive by charter and tour buses. This quantity of buses is so significant that, were the buses to drop off their passengers around the periphery of the World Trade Center site and park on the adjacent surface streets while waiting to pick them up at the end of their visit, the memorial and the site might be ringed by buses at times of peak demand. Since such a situation would seriously detract from the dignity and character of the memorial and would hinder pedestrian and vehicular access to and from the remainder of the site, the Port Authority has identified the need for a secure facility (location to be determined) for the storage of tour and charter buses. This facility would be expected to accommodate between 75 and 150 buses. A bus management plan will be required to ensure the smooth operation of the facility.

Commuter Buses Commuter buses each day bring over 31,000 passengers to Lower Manhattan. During morning rush hour, over 450 buses travel through the streets of Lower Manhattan. Buses from Staten Island account for 43% of the volume, followed by Brooklyn buses which account for 25%. Eight percent arrive from Ocean, Monmouth, and Middlesex counties in New Jersey. The PA and LMDC bus study concluded that gradual growth in commuter bus volumes is likely. The buses utilize Broadway for southbound travel and Church and West Streets for northbound travel. Bus staging is haphazard, random and disruptive to general traffic flow and pedestrian safety. Certain express buses park on the street all day between the morning and evening commutes. With nar­ row streets, limited loading zones, no terminal and minimal space for storage or queuing. Lower Manhattan's streets and pedestrian zones are easily congested by these services. Indeed, 52% of residents of Lower Manhattan's Community Board 1 cite traffic congestion and pollution as a high priority problem.

The interagency bus study specifically examined two concepts for improved commuter-bus man­ agement. The first was an enhanced on-street operations scenario. This approach would involve further development of priority-lane and curbside treatments, especially on Church Street, including sheltered waiting areas for passengers, information Idosks, and other amenities. This concept preserves the local drop-off and pick-up service that makes commuter buses attractive,

Chapter 1: Restoring and Renewing Lower Manhattan’s Transportation Infrastructure 37

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