Transportation in New York is difficult: Private shuttle services can help

Transportation can make or break a new development. Fortunately, New York is blessed with an incredibly robust transit network, pedestrian-friendly (and increasingly bike-able) streets, and dense land uses that obviate the need to own or drive a car. However, there are still places in the city that lack some of these benefits - parts of Queens and Staten Island and even the far west and east sides of Manhattan. Sometimes even a 15 block walk to the nearest subway station can create real challenges to attracting residential or retail tenants. Institutions such as hospitals and schools also struggle to provide convenient transportation to connect buildings and campuses. This is where private shuttle services can provide an invaluable service. Sam Schwartz Engineering (SSE) has helped public and private sector clients procure shuttle bus vendors, develop service schedules, identify routes and secure pick up/drop off zones. Shuttle buses can connect developments to transit centers and actually increase transit usage. For example, SSE proposed that the Brooklyn IKEA store add a shuttle service to provide access to the nearby Smith/Ninth Street subway station and Borough Hall transit hub. The well-used shuttle service - along with similarly popular (and SSE-recommended) NY Water Taxi service and city bus extensions - has eliminated the traffic nightmare that store opponents predicted during the environmental review process. SSE's director of transit services, Harris Schechtman, led the shuttle planning process. With over 40 years transit experience, including the management of bus scheduling for the entire bus system at New York City Transit, Schechtman lends a rare insight into the nuances and details of scheduling and planning bus routes. SSE has also provided similar service for public clients, such as the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. When the Conservancy needed shuttle service to bring visitors to the Floating Pool at Brooklyn Bridge Park Beach in the summer of 2007, SSE managed the vendor procurement process to ensure consistency with state requirement and developed routes and schedules. Working with the City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), SSE was even able to install shuttle bus riders on existing New York City Transit sign posts. SSE staff even designed graphic signs which were posted on the sides of the bus to advertise the service. In its two months of operation, approximately 19,000 visitors used the shuttle service. The success of a shuttle service depends on providing convenient, reliable service. When developing shuttle routes, SSE ensures that routes do not overlap with existing city bus routes. Routes are planned to be long enough to provide an alternative to the 20-minute walk, but short enough to ensure reliability by minimizing exposure to traffic delays. Bus frequencies are also critical to a well-used service. Impatient New Yorkers will likely hike a mile rather than wait 20 minutes for a bus. Finally, SSE is familiar with the relatively short list of shuttle vendors that operate in the city. SSE can assist clients with making procurement decisions based on previous experience working with many of these vendors. Jee Mee is vice president, director of planning for Sam Schwartz Engineering, New York, N.Y.