Tour Buses, Public Safety, and the Quality of Life in Princeton A Report, with recommendations, to Princeton Council from the Ad Hoc Committee on Tour Buses and the Traffic and Transportation Committee June 9, 2015 REVISED - June 17, 2015

Executive Summary At a work session on May 18, 2015, the Princeton Council identified 3 goals when dealing with large tour buses: do nothing to jeopardize citizens’ safety, maintain the current quality of life in Princeton, and minimize the (net) cost to Princeton. Council also identified 12 criteria that should govern selection of locations where tour buses will be permitted to unload/load and park, including (but not limited to) no drop off or pickup on Nassau between Bayard and Moore. Soon thereafter, legal review determined that bus stops in Princeton signed “Reserved for NJ Transit” are not limited to New Jersey Transit buses, and that other omnibuses, such as tour buses, may use these stops. When Council was considering its criteria on May 18 th, that essential piece of information was missing. With it, staff went back to step one, identified and reviewed 10 NJ Transit stops that might serve our purpose, and forwarded 4 to the Ad Hoc Committee for consideration. Given that large tour buses have the legal right to park at any NJ Transit stop, including those on Palmer Square, the Ad Hoc committee included those Palmer Square NJ transit stops in its most recent review. The Ad Hoc Committee on Tour Buses met on June 8, and unanimously agreed on the summary statement found on the following page. Following the meeting Traffic & Transportation Committee on June 15, a revised version of this briefing will be prepared for and discussed with the Princeton Council at its meeting June 22,

3 1.Based on research done by Princeton’s municipal attorney we acknowledge that current state law permits any omnibus to load and unload in spaces on Nassau Street that are signed as a NJ Transit bus stop. 2. We recognize, based on observation, that tour bus operators prefer to load and unload in the Central Business District (CBD) on Nassau Street near shops, restaurants and the University front campus. 3.The Ad Hoc Committee on Tour Buses believes that: a. tour buses should be encouraged to use the NJ Transit stops that they are permitted to use at Palmer Square/PNC Bank (westbound), and in front of FitzRandolph Gate (eastbound) for loading and unloading, b. tour buses should be encouraged to park on Alexander Street between Faculty Road and North Station Drive when they are waiting for their passengers, c. enhanced education and enforcement, along with data collection*, should be focused in the Palmer Square/CBD area d. the ideal circulation pattern is clockwise or counter-clockwise, starting the drop-off locations, using Nassau Street, Washington Road, Faculty Road, and Alexander Street(via University Place). * Data: date, time, registration, and the name of the tour company

Some solutions– over time – to get more control of the tour bus situation Right now – Based on the Council’s criteria, and new information about use of NJ Transit bus stops, identify two designated places for tour buses to load and unload – Begin a trial period (July 15 thru September 30) – Begin education and enforcement, focusing on sites where buses currently load and unload, and at the NJ Transit sites where we would encourage them to unload and load – Encourage use of Alexander Street locations for parking And then – Investigate enacting ordinances: 1 st : create ordinance requiring parking on Alexander Street and, requiring empty buses to use specific circulation patterns – Expand education and enforcement – Create plans for the longer term: Future bus stop locations Registration, permits, and parking fees Scheduling arrivals - ? 4

Additional recommendations 5 1. that, at least initially, bus parking on Alexander should be free, as an enticement to buses to begin to use that area 2. that a trial period, beginning as soon as possible, should continue until September 30, That T & T should report to Council, with evaluation and recommendation for further steps, on or about February 15,

But, what if…… -some buses ignore the rules -enforcement cannot keep up with violations -tour companies do not buy permits -and/or, basically, the system doesn’t work Virtually all of our existing regulations and laws – for motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians – require compliance as well as education and enforcement to be fully effective. Here, we’ve built in a time to evaluate, reassess, and revise….. 6

And if it all comes together….. Regulate and control tour bus movement (to..) … improve safety, decrease pollution, and enhance quality of life in Princeton Create an on-going revenue stream (from permitting, fines, and parking fees)to support the program and its enforcement 7

Members of the Ad Hoc Committee Bob Altman, T & T Committee, Chair Lori Rabon, Princeton Merchants Association, Vice Chair Kristen Appelget, Princeton University Jenny Crumiller, Princeton Council Amner Deleon, T & T Committee Bob Kiser, Princeton Engineering Department Bernie Miller, Princeton Council Sgt. Tom Murray, Princeton Police Department Mimi Omiecinski, Princeton Tour Company Jack West, Princeton Engineering Department Ralph Widener, T & T Committee 8

Princeton Council’s* criteria for use when screening options 1.Reasonable access to cross walks for tourist group’s crossing 2.Sufficient size for pull-in parking 3.Sight lines at intersections are not blocked 4.No pick up/drop off/parking on Nassau between Bayard and Moore (Lisa Maddox checking on NJT stops) 5.Pick up and drop off locations within comfortable walking distance of Nassau Hall 6.Pick up and drop off locations within comfortable walking distance of Nassau Street retailers 7.Minimize disruption of existing businesses (delivery) and church programming (drop off and parking) 8.Bus circulation not to impact residential neighborhoods 9.Pick up/drop off/parking should not take away “premier” parking (= 2 hour or less meters) 10.Avoid pick up/drop off next to outdoor dining 11.Minimize disruption in areas that are already congested 12.Locate pick up/drop off locations so as to encourage walking from one to the other via Nassau Street shopping district A 13 th criterion – encourage parking on Alexander, can be accomplished for any/all locations Council work session, Monday, May 18, 2015 – created before we knew that NJ Transit stops were legally an option Appendix A 9

Other sites (not NJ Transit) considered for bus drop off/pick up A.Mercer extension – north side, at University (meters ME2, 4, 6 and 8) B.Mercer extension – south side, at University (meters 1, 3, 3A, 5 and 7 crossing entry to current parking lot) C.Prospect, south side, east of Washington (meters PR1-PR6) D.Prospect, south side, east of Washington (meters PRA and PR11- PR16) E.Williams, just east of Washington at the former Frick Lab (south side)* _______________________ * While this location may ultimately be appropriate, it is unsafe until current construction on the south side of Williams, which involves crane deliveries at least once a week, is finished. Appendix B 10

Other NJ Transit bus stops considered for bus drop off/pick up Olden (eastbound) in front of 229 Nassau Street Murray (eastbound) in front of the Sunoco station Maple (westbound) northeast corner 4.Nassau between Barsky and Queenston (westbound) 5.Nassau between Evelyn and Harrison (westbound) in front of 330 Nassau 6.Witherspoon, in front of the Library (northbound) Appendix C 11

Using Council’s criteria to evaluate sites Appendix D 12

Number of Stops at Bus Stops on Nassau Steer at Palmer Square Area* With thanks to Kristen Appelget, who provided the data, which was “done quickly and may have misread some of the transit timetables, but … fairly closely captures the total number of buses stopping throughout the day at the north and southbound NJ Transit bus stops on Nassau Street ( to Bob Altman and Bob Kiser, and Kim Jackson, June 4, 2015, 11:48 am). Appendix E 13

Definition of “omnibus” includes “all motor vehicles used for the transportation of passengers for hire, except commuter vans and vehicles used in ridesharing arrangements and school buses, if the same are not otherwise used in the transportation of passengers for hire.” N.J.S.A. 39:1-1.” Appendix F 14

Annual income from parking meters (in descending order of income/meter) Appendix F With appreciation to Bill Moraski for providing the data on which this chart is based. 15