Why hundreds of New Orleans RTA bus stops are missing signs | News

At the busy intersection of Elysian Fields Avenue and Gentilly Boulevard, small crowds of bus riders gather each day near a bare pole, waiting to catch the bus.

There is nowhere to sit while they wait, nor is there a sign on the pole telling everyone that it is a bus stop.

“You just need to know,” Miles West said on a recent Monday as he waited on the bus to go to a grass-cutting job.

It's one of hundreds of bus stops that have gone unsigned and have been waiting for new signs for more than a year and a half – ever since the Regional Transit Authority redesigned its route system and decided to replace all bus and tram signs.

For tourists and workers who rely on New Orleans public transportation, the lack of bus shelters and updated signage is a major problem, compounded by the transit agency's ongoing shortage of buses.

“People literally lost their jobs because the infrastructure at the stops was not sufficient for them to get to work on time using public transportation,” said Nellie Catzen, executive director of the Committee. for a Better New Orleans, a nonprofit advocacy group.

Missing signs

Most of the city's more than 2,000 bus stops have not had permanent signage indicating bus numbers and stop locations since September 2022, when the RTA implemented a transit overhaul project .

The redesign, called New Links, was supposed to shorten the average commute and make it easier to get to Jefferson Parish. It also included the redesign and replacement of every bus and tram stop sign.

Finding stops can be simple for those who take the same route every day, but when West's daily routine changed recently, he found himself in an unfamiliar part of town, unsure where he would be picked up and which bus would arrive.

“I am 62 years old. I used to know about it, but so much has changed. The street names have changed. Some bus lines no longer run,” he said.

Sam Buckley of RIDE New Orleans said the signs were removed during the redesign as RTA worked to redesign them from scratch.

Buckley also said the new stops added during the redesign project further confused riders.

“There are many bus stops today that did not exist a few years ago. People don’t know the place,” Buckley said. “If you're a bus rider, you just have to guess because there's no infrastructure or anything that would tell you there's supposed to be a bus stop there.”

Riders can see bus stops using RTA's official “The Pass” transit app, but Buckley said people can still get confused when looking for stops that aren't there .

Contract issues

An RTA spokesperson said it was awarded a printing contract with Newman Signs in 2022, but this fell through months later when the company claimed the scope of work was greater than expected. she had originally planned and fixed.

Meanwhile, RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins said at a January board meeting that she had installed temporary plastic signage.

In March, the project was re-tendered, a process that can take up to 90 days.

According to agency records, 19 companies responded by the April 2 deadline.

An RTA spokesperson said the agency is currently reviewing bids and hopes to award a contract by July. The RTA plans to complete the first phase of signage by the end of the year, but it's unclear exactly how many signs that will include until a new contract is signed.

More shelters needed

In addition to the signs, transit advocates say about 200 bus shelters are needed to protect riders from the elements, like extreme heat and heavy rain.

“It's not just a question of comfort, it's really a question of safety to have shade in place for users so that they don't feel the effects of the summer heat all the time while people are waiting for the bus,” said the RIDE executive director. » said Courtney Jackson.

The problem is compounded when buses fail to stop on time or are removed from the route after a breakdown – a consistent problem in recent years as RTA deals with an aging fleet of buses purchased shortly after the hurricane Katrina.

Driver Eduardo Alvelo catches the No. 32 almost every day to his stall at the French Market where he sells art and photos.

“Sometimes the bus comes on time, sometimes it doesn’t and you just stand there waiting and waiting,” Alvelo said.

RTA said it is working to add bus shelters by allocating $500,000 each year to expand and improve bus shelters. They also installed 11 new shelters in 2024.