Phase II: Transportation
Approach and Technology
The Challenge
How will we move?
How will students, faculty and staff move about the three campuses? Where will they park? What travel options are being considered? How will the community cope with such new traffic? How can we transform UB into a world class academic center while minimizing impacts upon the surrounding communities and the environment?
93%
This is the percent of commuters who travel by Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) to get to campus.1 This means competition and high demand for campus parking spaces, localized roadway congestion and high dependency upon fossil fuels, not to mention further tailpipe emissions.
Growing UB by 35% doesn’t necessarily require a 35% increase in new traffic... UB can grow and limit community impacts if we use Smart Growth concepts.
1From the Chance Management Advisors, Inc. Parking and Transportation
The Approach
A larger UB means more students, faculty, staff and visitors at the three campus locations. To enhance mobility options and reduce environmental impacts, we’re proposing a two-pronged planning approach:
- Improving transit supply: By providing more mobility options, we can provide new alternatives to driving.
- Reducing trip making: We can reduce some future trips by implementing Smart Growth concepts that use Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and Travel Demand Management (TDM) concepts. Each auto trip not needed helps us grow greener.
Improving transit supply
Since UB is spread among three campuses, this presents challenges in providing quick, effective links between all three campuses. Today, there is a light rail link between the Downtown and South Campuses, while the larger North Campus is only served by UB’s Stampede bus and specialized shuttle buses.
Alternatives
To better link the North Campus to the South and Downtown Campuses, UB has joined with its regional transportation partners to explore several options:
- Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).
- Using modern streetcars to connect North to South Campus.
- An extension of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) from South to North Campus.
- Improved UB Stampede bus service.
- Phased implementation, e.g., starting with BRT and then graduating to LRT.
Bus Rapid Transit
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a new transportation concept whereby the transit buses incorpo- rate many of the features of Light Rail Transit (LRT) with buses operating on either existing roadways or dedicated lanes. BRT can operate in dedicated roadways or mixed traffic.
At UB, BRT could feature enhanced transit stations; real time BRT arrival message signs and downloads to PDAs/cell phones; signal priority to change traffic lights to green as BRT approaches; queue jumpers to get a headstart on traffic at intersections.
Advantages: Can operate on a mix of dedicated and shared use roadways to reduce construction costs; Multiple routes from various neighborhoods could feed into a single transit spine, providing a one seat ride; Generally quicker to implement than rail modes.
Disadvantages: “Drawing power” for attracting TOD is inconclusive as BRT is not perceived to be as permanent as rail modes; Perception that unguided BRT vehicles and pedestrians don’t mix as well in a campus setting as well as rail, which is guided and defined; Buses emit tailpipe emissions, although alternative fueled and hybrid versions are available.
Modern Streetcar
The modern streetcar is a smaller (some would say cuter) version of LRT. Its smaller scale is designed to fit into a more neighborhood scaled environment. As with LRT, it is electrically powered, clean and quiet. Typically the modern streetcar operates in single car units.
Advantages: Smaller size/mass of vehicle seen as approachable and campus friendly; Modern Streetcars can integrate well in a campus and pedestrian setting; Rails have minimal visual impact; Streetcars are proven to help focus TOD growth along the line.
Disadvantages: Generally more costly to construct than BRT; If used to connect North to South Campus, modern streetcars require customers to transfer at University Station to LRT to go to Downtown Campus or to Downtown Buffalo; Has less capacity per vehicle than LRT and some models of BRT vehicles.
Light Rail Transit
Light Rail Transit (LRT) currently links South Campus to Downtown Campus and Downtown Buffalo. For a North Campus extension, LRT could operate at street level (or underground if financially feasible). With just a pair of rails, LRT can blend very well with the campus and landscaping. Light Rail Vehicles can be coupled to operate with a single train operator; to provide high capacity service, useful for times when there is high demand, such as on game days. LRT is electrically powered and therefore has no tailpipe emissions.
Advantages: LRT can provide one seat ride linking all three UB campuses together, and provide links to Downtown Buffalo; LRT can provide high capacity; Cars can be coupled to form multicar trains operated by one motorman; LRT has been proven to help attract and focus TOD growth along the line.
Disadvantages: LRT can be more costly to construct than BRT or Modern Streetcar (even more so if underground routing is used); LRT can have long funding and construction lead times, compared to BRT and to a lesser extend—the Modern Streetcar.