Transit Center Study

At transit centers, many bus routes come together so passengers can easily make transfers.

Transit centers are also critical to operations; routes end at transit centers so drivers can take breaks. A well-designed transit center is key to maintaining service reliability.

At the transit center, you usually find: 

• A sheltered waiting area  
• Good pedestrian access to nearby employment and services 
• Information about the transit system  
• Customer service offices 
• Break facilities for transit operators 

Transit centers are a good place to provide rider services (such as  travel training ) and can be an efficient place to provide other public or private services. 

The existing transit center is located on 6th Avenue between H and G Streets. Ten bus routes all serve the transit center, bringing riders from all over Anchorage.

The transit center includes space for eight buses, where passengers get on and off the buses, and nine layover spaces, where bus drivers can park their vehicles during breaks between runs. 

The offices in the 6th Avenue parking garage are currently closed and the property is planned for redevelopment. People Mover’s customer service office is temporarily located at 517 W 7th Avenue, a few blocks away from the transit center. This study assumes that the future customer service offices will be located at the same place as the transit center. 

Similarly, there is currently no indoor waiting area at the transit center; this plan assumes that the future transit center will include an indoor waiting area. 

The existing transit center is an example of an on-street facility, where the buses interact with traffic on 6th Avenue as they enter and exit the transit center bus stops. 

Typically, in an on-street transit center:

• Bus stop signage and passenger boarding areas take up space in the sidewalk. 
• Passenger waiting areas, customer service offices, and other amenities are housed in adjacent buildings. 

Advantages: 

• Highly visible, making the transit center easy to find. 
• Pedestrians walking along the sidewalk through the transit center zone provide “eyes on the street”, improving security. 
• Mostly uses the public right-of-way, which preserves adjacent land for other uses. 

Disadvantages: 

• Buses pulling in and out of traffic.
• Displaces on-street parking. 
• Pollution from idling buses is visible. 
• Passengers waiting to board a bus can create congestion for pedestrians walking along the sidewalk. 
• Limited opportunities for shelter for waiting passengers. 
• Transferring from one bus to another may require crossing a street. 

 _{Image: The Plaza (Spokane, Washington) is on on-street transit center. The bus bays wrap around the 1.4 acre (200 by 300 foot) city block. The indoor waiting area is co-located with other businesses and there is indoor space for community events. Note the covered walkway to buildings across the street.} 

In an off-street transit center bus stop signage, passenger boarding areas, waiting areas, customer service offices, and other amenities are all located away from the street.

Advantages: 

• Less interaction between buses and car traffic. 
• Transferring from one bus to another never requires crossing a street. 
• Preserves the public right-of-way for other uses.

Disadvantages: 

•  Has fewer “eyes on the street,” making security more of a challenge. However, with thoughtful design this can be overcome.
• Requires more dedicated land. 

 _{Image: Eugene Station (Eugene, Oregon) is an off-street transit center with 18 off-street bus bays and 2 bus stops on adjacent streets. The site sits on a 3.7 acre lot (400 by 400 feet). Amenities include an indoor waiting area, operator break room, customer service offices. A convenience store and other businesses are also located on site. Note that snow storage is not a consideration.} 

Some off-street transit centers are located under a building with parking, retail, offices, or housing.

Advantages: 

• Less interaction between buses and car traffic. 
• Transferring from one bus to another never requires crossing a street.
• Provides a climate-controlled environment for both passengers and buses. 
• Preserves opportunities for other land uses at street level. 
• Public access can be controlled.

Disadvantages: 

• Has no "eyes on the street," making security more of a challenge. However, with thoughtful design much of this can be overcome.
• Can be expensive to develop.

 _{Image: Main Street Station (Boise, Idaho) is an underground transit center that serves 9 bus routes. An additional 5 routes stop on-street at the surface level. Amenities include an indoor waiting area, customer help desk, bike storage, and a variety of other services. Photos by  SounderBruce  /  CC BY 2.0}  

A good transit center needs to be located somewhere:

• With plenty of space 
• Near people and jobs 
• Safe and accessible by bus and by walking 
• Supported by the community 

The transit center will need room for:  

• bus stops 
• bus parking (or layover) spots 
• indoor waiting area 
• informational kiosks 
• customer service offices 
• bus operator break areas 

The transit center must have room for at least the same number of bus stops and layover spaces as at the existing location. Additional space for bus stops and layover spots would allow for future system expansions or operational improvements.

 _{Image: Customer service and security desk inside the Transit Center in Spokane, WA} 

A transit center should be located close to high activity areas with mixes of uses that are active throughout the day and across the week.  

We can identify areas with high activity by looking at employment, walkability, and access to transit.

Three areas in the Anchorage Bowl stand out as locations with high activity. 

 _{Image: A map highlighting jobs within a 10 minute walk in Anchorage, AK. The darkest blue represents the highest density of jobs.} 

 _{You can zoom in and out of the maps using the + and - keys and the (House) key will bring you back to original zoom factor. You can view the legend by clicking on the legend icon in the lower left corner.} 

The downtown core has high levels of activity throughout the day and across the week. The traditional street grid, extensive sidewalks and safe crossings allow people to easily walk to and from the transit center. Downtown Anchorage also has some of the highest levels of transit access to jobs and opportunities in the system.

While not as concentrated as the downtown core, Midtown has relatively high levels of daily activity, with the number of jobs reachable in a 10 minute walk similar to downtown. Walking in Midtown can be a challenge due to poor and incomplete sidewalks. Midtown has high levels of transit access to jobs.

Job densities are high in the area; however, there are fewer jobs reachable in 10 minutes of walking. While the area has many off-street pathways and sidewalks, the road network is not complete, requiring meandering bus routes.

Locating the transit center near destinations that attract people throughout most of the day and on both weekdays and weekends can improve transit riders’ feelings of security. 

People who use transit walk or roll from the bus to their jobs, shopping, and other services. Thus, the transit center needs to be easy to access on foot. 

The transit center must be easy for buses to get to and from. If the bus has to travel an extra distance to reach the transit center, the schedule has to accommodate this extra time, which can make the bus system less efficient, less reliable, and more expensive to operate.