Q101viaSteinway

I support an extension. The politics in Astoria have changed so much that it will get community support. 

On 9/21/2021 at 12:18 AM, Cait Sith said:

I don't think I did. I was never a fan of the fishbowl design primarily because it was a death trap when it came down to collisions.

How so? I didn't know that. 

44 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

That's all well & good for service that existed ~ 30 years ago, but the Q19 at present date has too narrow a service span & quite frankly, I agree with him that there is a need to have it expanded.... The MTA's been treating that route like a bastard stepchild for the longest... The inclination is have everyone that needs service in that general territory after a certain hour is to sardine onto Q66 & hoof it due north (or take some other bus).... They're too stupid to realize potential when it's staring them right in the face.... This kind of shit is what the riding public has to deal with in this city...

IAWTP. I just wanted to point out that Q19 service that late is nothing new and actually existed before.  As another example in fact MTA didn't reinvent the wheel when they add Q103 weekend service as QSC ran Q103 on Saturdays until 1995. MTA just restore service that existed before.

On 9/14/2021 at 4:46 AM, B35 via Church said:

While I agree that the Q49 deserves overnight service, I'm of the belief that the running of the Q32 overnight keeps the MTA from doing so (even though it only dumps people off no further north than Northern).... I'd personally run the Q49 over the Q33 overnights myself....

On 9/14/2021 at 9:03 PM, B35 via Church said:

Hell, I'm of the belief that if the Q33 never ran inside the airport, they would've never had it operating overnights.

Q18 Q23 and Q49 had overnight service until 1990s. Q72 even had overnight service in 1960s. If there was enough non airport ridership, Triboro Coach would run Q33 overnights which MTA would continued doing when they take over. 

On 9/15/2021 at 1:42 PM, NewFlyer 230 said:

I’ve been a strong advocate for a stronger overnight bus network for a while because some of the existing routes that run overnight simply don’t do enough. Take the Q100 for example, it’s a waste having it run limited overnight when it would be far more useful to have it run local overnight along 21 street. 

But in regards to the conversation about the Q33/Q47 and Q49, I’m also in agreement with ”B35” that as long as the Q33 has overnight service the Q49 probably won’t. And I get it, the Q33 is a more direct route and it’s in between the Q47 and Q49. 

I don’t know how popular this idea would be but I would simply have the Q33 and Q47 stop running at midnight to have a late night route (let’s call it the Q87 to make things simple) cover the entire Q33 route and the Q47 route between Jackson Heights to Middle Village. You kill two birds with one stone and I don’t think there will be much issue with the route besides Roosevelt Ave, but buses can run on 35th Ave between 74/75th street to 82nd & 83rd Streets to avoid Roosevelt Ave traffic. 
 

I also feel to better improve connectivity the Q23 should have overnight service because currently the whole eastern sections of Corona, Rego Park and Forest Hills has no bus service. 
I would also add more Q19 service which in my opinion is YEARS overdue. It’s absurd that it runs ever 30 minutes during the weekends and service stops at 8:30/9pm. How does the MTA expect this route to grow if they are being so stingy with service. 

Q19 used to run to midnight in early 1990s. I think they cut the Q19 evening service in 1995 at the same time MTA did their cuts because at same time DOT asked all private companies to make cuts. Q18 Q23 and Q49 also had overnight buses. 

6 hours ago, TomaszSBklyn said:

The above mentioned route 28 still is mentioned listed also as BxM4C, has the most misleading name. It starts in White Plains and runs to Manhattan. It stops in Greensburg and Yonkers, but not in the Bronx. BxM4 is still alive and well. I run on it this summer and indeed a few of its stops overlap with those of BxM4C.

But BxM4C enters the I287 and does not at all stop in the Bronx. Perhaps 'Bx' in its name simply indicates a possibility of a sightseeing tour through the Bronx.

BxM4C is just franchise piggyback of BxM4A and BxM4B. 

4 hours ago, JAzumah said:

The MTA can go right over to the driver store and pluck a few off of the shelf, right?

People are driving because they don't want to be near other people. You can survive on hourly bus service if it is reliable. A lot of NJT turf consists of hourly bus service. If the MTA is dropping overnight runs, that is a big problem. The overnight people are the first to do something different if they can. 

As driving becomes more painful, people will return to mass transit, but the schedule cannot be aspirational. I am sure that the MTA has some ramping up to do with regards to doing training and other things in this environment. It can easily take 8-12 weeks to get going with new drivers. It is not an overnight thing.

MTA has very long lists of people who want to be drivers. There are people desperate for jobs right now. 

14 hours ago, R10 2952 said:

The general mentality at 2 Broadway makes me think that given the choice, they would much rather be some property-leasing conglomerate that doesn't even do public transit, much like what Penn Central became after they quit the railroad business (a holding company with controlling stakes in Madison Square Garden and Grand Central Terminal).

Because when faced with their main task, getting people from Point A to Point B, they only seem to do it with the utmost reluctance.

That's what Triboro Coach, Green Lines and Jamaica Bus is today. The GTJ REIT. The GTJ REIT make more money as a real estate company than as bus company, they bought more properties and have more income now then they did when they were running the buses. 

10 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

All crosstowns north of Houston, except the M14, had different numbers. There was no rhyme or reason to the numbering scheme, although it may be based on when the routes began service or when they were labeled as such (someone else might know more about that). They were renumbered in the 1980s.

 

On corridors with two services or branches, one of them retained their former number. This is why routes like the M27 and M50 were numbered the way they were (both eliminated in 2010), as well as the M16, which was the last crosstown north of Houston with it's original number. The one exception to this is the existing M31, which was extended across 57th Street after the renumbering to replace another crosstown route. 

Manhattan bus routes before MABSTOA had both a franchise number and route number given to them by Fifth Avenue Coach Company and NYC Omnibus.  NYC Omnibus route were numbered in the order that their streetcar line was dismantled for a bus line in the 1930s and the franchise number wasn't used. Fifth Avenue Coach routes had more than one official franchise number. After MABSTOA took over the private bus lines in Manhattan, the MTA did a renumbering of all Manhattan bus route in 1974. In the 1980s the MTA renumbered crosstown bus route again to coincide with street numbers. 

11 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Yeah, LIRR LIC & LIRR Hunterspoint are in terrible locales to take advantage of any future growth that LIC will undergo.... The areas in LIC immediately proximate to both those LIRR stations are becoming much more residential than commercial anyway & the areas in LIC that will undergo future commercial growth is more proximate to Queens Plaza.... The amount of folks commuting from areas due east (by way of the LIRR) to ultimately get to Oueens Plaza/QBP for employment purposes & what not, will not be all that high.... Quite frankly, it's a PITA to commute from [LIRR LIC or LIRR Hunterspoint] to QBP - Whether that be by way of either [getting from platform level to street level from off the ], [putting up with the regressively unreliable B62], or [the inadequate frequencies of the Q67]..... It's why there are as many different company provided or bldg. complex provided shuttles in LIC as it is....

In laymens, whatever growth will end up transpiring from the completion of LIC's transformation, I don't see as being near as grand as some tend to talk about it like it'll be... Most certainly not to the extent that LIC be serviced by the LIRR with (like, say, an Atlantic Terminal or something)....

Even with the development, I wouldn't bother with anymore trains to that area than there already are.... Wouldn't be worth it IMO.

Anyway, if they end up discontinuing LIRR service out there before ESA comes to fruition, then usage on the from TSQ (towards GCT) will simply increase.... Almost everybody that gets off at LIRR Hunterspoint descends down to the subway... Much of nobody walks past the subway steps along 49th (towards 21st)....

I know someone who commutes from Long Island to Long Island City and they take LIRR to Jamaica then transfer to  instead of going to Hunterspoint and transferring to  . They also save money by only going to zone 3.

On 11/4/2020 at 11:30 AM, trainfan22 said:

I know the PBL did full wraps... perhaps that photo was taken right after the takeover and the MTA didn't bother to remove the wrap right away.

When the MTA takeover happened, the MTA honored all existing PBL bus wrap contracts. When those contracts finished, they stopped with all full wraps. 

On 9/24/2020 at 1:21 AM, B35 via Church said:

For whatever the reason, I find that the riding public is more receptive to a c/r's announcement than they are a b/o's announcement.... It may as well be white noise to most bus riders IMO... Perfect example of this is when a b/o announces a detour.... B/o commences deviating off course due to (whatever); a parade, police activity, construction, etc... Whilst mid-route along the deviated course, then all of a sudden, a passenger starts copping all sorts of attitudes.... Experienced this so many times & I'm like, didn't you just hear him/her make the announcement.... I understand that nobody likes their commute getting interrupted/exacerbated, but I find that FAR too many people utilize public transportation with unrealistic expectations....

The situation with the n22 & n24 is that trips on both those routes have been split throughout most of the day (the first & last couple trips of the day still do the full gambit b/w Jamaica & Hicksville)..... n22's run b/w Jamaica & Mineola, then there are n22's that run b/w Mineola & Hicksville..... Same idea for the n24, except for the split point is RFM (Roosevelt Field mall)..... So what I was speaking on with the n22 in that last post, were of pax. cursing the b/o out for/along/on a scheduled short turn trip (in this case, the Jamaica - Mineola trips).... I laugh because these idiots commence cursing out the drivers, full knowing the bus is a short turn trip.

What you're more speaking to, is an unscheduled short turn - and as a passenger, I actually dread when that happens too, because I find that pax. are more volatile when that happens.... Happened enough times on the B12, where buses, mid-route, would turn into a trip ending at New York av..... Like you said, (them old ass ladies) sucking their teeth, the can I get a xfer & all that good stuff..... I was on a B12 one time, where this dude threw whatever he was eating (looked like a piece of a sandwich from my vantage point) in the b/o's direction, but it didn't hit him.... Even though I get off before NY av, I still got off that bus b/c the b/o got up to confront the dude (this was at Utica).... Luckily for me, a dollar van (well, minibus) was already at the corner, so I hopped in that mahf***a & went about my business....

Being that I know the bus system within NYC, and buses are frequent enough (all things considered) I never really panic/fret when I'm on a bus that short turns unexpectedly.... When I'm in other jurisdictions/states however, I'm like, oh great - now how am I gonna parlay/spare the rest of this itinerary & excursion.....

I think that the reason why ppl are more receptive to a c/r's announcement is that the public thinks that all c/r's do is make announcements and open/close the door, while the b/o actually drives the bus and can take other routes that are not authorized without management's permission.

My subway service cut proposal

A division

 Late night and weekend service operates between 242 Street and New Lots Avenue. 

 the same

 weekdays only

 Operates only between Woodlawn and Bowling Green on weekends and late nights. 

 All service to Nostrand Junction discontinued. 

 late night service runs only between PBP and 125 Street. 

 the same

 discontinued 

B division

 Local service in Brooklyn and Queens on weekends and late nights when  is not running. No Rockaway Park service. 

 Discontinued 

 Weekdays only.  replaces  in Brooklyn on weekends and late nights.  replaces  along CPW on weekends and late nights. 

 Weekend and late night service runs only to 34th Street-Herald Square and operates local along CPW replacing  service. 

 Queens Boulevard local on late nights and weekends 

 Queens Boulevard local on late night and weekends

 the same

 Jamaica Center - Bay Ridge 95th Street at all times. 

 Weekends and late nights operates between Middle Village and Coney Island via Montague Tunnel and via West End. 

 Local in Manhattan and express in Brooklyn via Tunnel and stopping at DeKalb at all times. 

 the same 

 Discontinued

 Discontinued

I think that the  would be eliminated fully. I can also see them eliminating  and  service and also cutting the  to 96/2 at all times.  I think that MTA has gotten so far along East Side Access that they have to finish it. I'm not sure Metro-North goes to Penn Station ever.

A new Q100 stop on 21 Street and 24 Avenue?

https://bustime.mta.info/m/?q=Q100

17 hours ago, bobtehpanda said:

Railfans arguing for service cuts? You gotta be kidding me.

Is the current system broke? Hell no! Don't "fix" it.

Just because SEPTA cut service doesn't mean MTA must do the same! NYC is much bigger metro area than Philadelphia! 

LIRR riders can be more snooty then express bus riders. I am staying with my brother who lives in Wantagh this week and took morning express LIRR train from Wantagh. I take my seat and another passenger told me to move to another seat in another part of the train car as there is a regular customer who always sit every day in the seat I was sitting in. That rider then tells me that all the riders in the part of the car I was in usually have the same seat every day and other LIRR riders in the area I was sitting then interject and tell me that they themselves would move and if I don't move I will have a big problem. I get up and move to another part of the train car that is close to them and hear those regular LIRR riders make nasty comments and hear them laughing about me.  I told my brother what happened and he told me that if he needs to go into the city, he drives to CitiField for the 7 train on days that he needs to go to Manhattan and the LIRR is too expensive and not worth the headache. 

8 minutes ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

Unfortunately for the QM10, the demographics changed drastically. IIRC, when service started on the QM10 and QM12, LeFrak City, Rego Park, and Forest Hills were heavily Jewish, IIRC. While Forest Hills and Rego Park still have a large Jewish Population, the same cannot be said of LeFrak City, which is now mixed with Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians, who cannot usually afford the fare. 

LeFrak has (and is still) trying to appeal to new buyers, trying to paint LeFrak City is "new", but it just isn't working. Makes me laugh to see LeFrak City ads in Downtown Brooklyn.

 

When BM2 and BQM1 start Canarsie was heavily white and it eventually changed over. Demographics change on a lot of bus routes over time. 

6 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

The Q103 didn't have weekend service until a few years ago (in 2010 it was a weekday-only route). Weekend service started in 2014 (about a year after the B32 started, when they were on that kick of "expanding service to developing neighborhoods" and all that). 

The Q103 had Saturday bus service until the 1995 service cut when DOT told Queens Surface to cut it. 

I know you got those talking points about the Q77 (about it being a heavy schoolkid route & it not being all that useful for other SE Queens commuters heading to Jamaica, because there are other routes it connects to that do so more efficiency) from me.... That is not saying the route is useless.... That's the faulty conclusion emanating from you that's being dissented here....

 

My stance on the Q77 is to simply let it remain the grossly indirect route that it is..... It's needed for network coverage...

Extending the Q26 to SE Queens to possibly help out the Q27 is a] more redundant than the Q77 is, and b] does nothing for the Q77 riders that there are - unless your end goal is to force that many xfers for as high a percentage of those that take the Q77 west of Francis Lewis/Hillside......

 

The person you're basing/parroting ideas off of as if he's some messiah (who was really a pariah) is making you look quite bad right now.... Please stop piggybacking ideas spewed from an outright fool.... I hope that would be a lesson learned from someone living & letting go.....

I have more idea coming up because we need to change every route we can to have more speed on every bus route just like what qjtransitmaster say (just kidding). In any case, MTA likely wouldn't even consider any of our ideas in first place and I did not take my ideas too seriously. 

Example: The little old ladies going to church on sundays.... I've seen a lot of that over the years on the Q77 (which is still the case), on top of the very high schoolkid (compared to other commuters) usage on the route....

 

What made me come out with that latest reply to him, was the fact that he stated that he learned what the Q77 was - but beforehand, goes & says that it seems like a useless route...... Like, wait... What?

 

Don't just say that the Q77 seems useless because you want to use the Q26 to replace the Francis Lewis portion (as if that would make those that use the Q77 use it, more!).... I really don't see where some think it's a good idea anyway to have a route running clear along Francis Lewis through Hillside.... The Q76 & the Q77 turning off at Hillside to serve Jamaica, the MTA has right ([conceptually] & [as far as the accurate & realistic reflection of ridership patterns are concerned])..... It's not like the Q27 where you have far more SE Queens patrons seeking areas north of Hillside....

 

Between almost choking & spitting out drinks, I tend to have that effect on some people with what I say... It's never intentional... Lol.

It goes back to what you said a long time ago about displaying my (typed) message as if I was talking to them in person (I never forgot that comment btw)..... That's the intentional part

 

And thanks, bro!

My thinking originally was that Q77 is a useless route because it is not useful to actual non schoolkid commuters. I wanted to extend Q26 because I thought that it may actually help Q27 route as Q27 is a very busy route. But being the humble person I am (it was you that point out that in a post years ago), I live and I learn as I go. 

My opinion of Q77 is formed based off of learning that most of Q77 usefulness is with schoolkids and that there are other routes such as Q2, Q4, Q83, Q110 that intersect with Q77 and provide service to Jamaica at much more frequent level. 

My opinion of Q34 proposal was that Whitestone resident in the news were looking for alternative to Q15A routing and wanted Q14 restored as that was better for them then the Q15A route. In the beginning there were also article out there complaining about Q34 layover in whitestone before extension of Q34 was proposed in the news.

No intention of being qjtransitmaster 2.0 here with my ideas.

Q101viaSteinway eastern Queens ideas

Q12: Create limited stop route which would run between Flushing and Great Neck LIRR. Q12 limited stop route would be extend to Great Neck LIRR via the new n20G route. Q12 local route would continue to run same route as today exept overnight when Q12 local would extend to Great Neck LIRR. 

Q26: Extend route to Springfield Blvd and 119 Avenue via Francis Lewis Blvd. Route would run 7 days a week with Q77 service hours.

Q27: Extend route to Springfield Blvd and 145 Road. 

Q34: Make Flushing to Jamaica part of route a Q25 short route. Flushing to Whitestone portion would then be extended to 7 Avenue and Clintonville Street via old Q14 route between 7 Avenue and Clintonville Street and Willets Point Blvd and 149 Street. Q15A would no longer exist and all Q15A trip become Q15 trip. This will address community concern about Q15A routing on 10 Avenue and Q34 layover on Willets Point Blvd and 149 Street. 

Q46: Eliminate Q46 Glen Oak branch and create new Q45 bus which will run via Q46 route between Kew Gardens and Union Tpke and 188 Street, then run via QM5 regular rush hour route between Union Tpke and 188 Street and Union Tpke and 260 Street. This Q45 would run 7 day a week and supplement other bus route in area. All current Q46 Glen Oak bus will run regular Q46 route to LIJ. I would also have another new route Q51 which would run via Q46 route between Kew Gardens and Union Turnpike and 188 Street, then run via 188 Street to 64 Avenue and would be short turn version of Q46 and supplement other bus route in area. 

Q77: Elminiate. Q77 seems like not very useful route to me which function can be done by other route. 

I would decrease Q18 headway from 20 minute to 15 minute on weekend and midday hour and decrease headway from 12 minute to 10 minute during PM rush hour and decrease headway from 8 minute to 6 minute during AM rush hour. Q18 used to have this many buses on the route on midday and weekend and Astoria is a growing community that needs better bus service on higher ridership routes. If ridership grow then service can positively be increased to more than this. I also think that Q18 is the stronger link in Astoria when comparing the Q18 and Q102 together and Q18 must be made into strong route. The most crowd I ever see on Q102 bus is on Roosevelt Island for people looking to take tram or F train and RIOC bus not show up. 

In regard to Q18A/B proposal I would increase Q18 service so there would not be infrequent service on 65 Place or 69 Street in Maspeth. Astoria is growing neighborhood with increase in people riding bus and increase service will benefit them too. We can even be able to increase Q102 headway so that there is less trip on a low ridership route like Q102 and encourage people going between 2 Street and 31 Street to use Q18 instead. 

Reason why Q48 needs be taking out of LGA is because LGA ridership is very low on Q48. 

Q101viaSteinway western Queens bus proposal 

Q18- Extend route to Fresh Pond Road and Metropolitan Avenue via 69 Street and Metropolitan Avenue. Split Q18 route into 2 route in Maspeth, Q18A and Q18B. Q18A run via 69 Street between Grand Avenue and Woodside Avenue, Q18B run via Hamilton Place/65 Place between Grand Avenue and Woodside Avenue. This will make for better bus service in Maspeth. 

Q29- Extend to 74 Street terminal via Roosevelt Avenue. 

Q32/Q33- Reroute bus off 81 Street onto 83 Street and combine with Q33. There will still be short turn that run between 23 Avenue and 94 Street and 74 Street terminal for service reliability purposes and crowd control. 

Q48- Get rid of all lga airport service and instead extend Q48 bus via 23 Avenue, 82 Street, and Ditmars Bolvard to the subway at 31 Street. currently Q69 is a very unreliable bus and is not effective in providing good bus service on Ditmars Bolvard between Jackson Heights and 31 Street. 

Q67- Cut bus route so that Q67 bus run only between Queens Plaza and 69 Street and Grand Avenue.