A few key changes, including a focus on the Buckland commuter lot, could lead to big improvements in bus service in Manchester, planners said Tuesday.
Capitol Region Council of Governments staff on Tuesday presented preliminary results of a CTtransit feasibility study at the Whiton Library. While the study’s findings are preliminary, Cara Radzins, a principal transportation planner for CRCOG and lead planner on the project, said the findings could lead to a improvements in bus service in the area east of the Connecticut River.
The two-year study focused on the strengths and weaknesses of the current transit system and best means to improve ridership numbers and passenger satisfaction. Rider surveys found users preferred simple, regular services with direct routes and symmetrical routes for ease of travel.
A chief concern, Radzins said, is the park-and-ride lot across from the Plaza at Buckland Hills. The study found that the parking lot is underused, but she said it could become a core component of transportation in the area.
Suggested changes — which require approval by the Department of Transportation — include shelter improvements and scheduling adjustments, she said.
Such changes could increase bus ridership and help curb congestion, Radzins continued, especially during the busy holiday season.
Burnside Avenue in East Hartford was another focus of the study, as it was cited as a potential “transit corridor.”
Adjusting bus lines to feed into these “corridors,” which were determined by studying areas of highest population density near existing transit lines, could positively impact many riders, planners said.
Boosting the efficiency and services of these lines, while adding connections to other local services to ensure riders can still reach all destinations, would make CTtransit a more valuable option for riders in years to come, officials said.
Boris Palchik, senior associate with Nelson Nygaard Consulting Associates of Boston, a firm working with CRCOG, said the short-term focus would be to increase the frequency of buses; long-term options would involve more in-depth infrastructure improvements.
Also presented Tuesday were recommended changes to local bus lines. The new routes have been in design stages for at least a year and focus on streamlining service to areas with highest potential ridership.
These lines looked at variables including population and employment density to track potential demand, socioeconomics to see what demographics are most likely to ride, and regional travel flow.
Planners call for focusing on high-population areas, such as Sullivan Avenue in South Windsor, and large apartment complexes in Manchester, East Hartford, and South Windsor. Proposals bus lines stretched from Hartford to Windsor, Vernon to Buckland, Hartford to Manchester Community College to Buckland, and connect several additional towns to the retail area.
Additional plans included an extension from Buckland Hills to the Vernon park-and-ride lot, which would allow for an eventual service connection to the University of Connecticut and adding north-south travel in Manchester, using Broad Street as a connector between MCC and Buckland Hills. Documents and maps with some proposed changes and survey results can be found at
www.hartfordtransitstudy.com
