aemoreira81

On 1/18/2020 at 9:37 AM, Q43LTD said:

This is interesting. I always thought the B6 would get articulateds before the B1. It's not the B6 doesn't have draws too on the route. And then there's the Brooklyn Redesign...

The B6 is a route that needs frequency more than capacity; that may be a major determinant as to what gets artics or not. As for where I see the buses coming from...I'll go out on a limb and say LaGuardia and JFK, with the B1 and B44 sharing a fleet at Flatbush (I see the B1 shifting to Flatbush). That extra 53-bus order for MTA Bus is nearly complete, freeing up those remaining 6000s and 6100s to be moved.

As for routes---this is what would make the most sense:

B1 -- Ulmer Park to Flatbush

B46 (SBS only) -- Flatbush to East New York (common fleet with B82 SBS)

B82 (Local only) -- East New York to Ulmer Park

This would give the B46 Local and SBS and B82 Local and SBS different garage assignments, but the M15 Local and SBS are already that way (M15 SBS from Mother Hale, M15 Local from Tuskegee Airmen). The B46 SBS run-on and run-offs would shift to the Bed Stuy end, while the B82 Local shifts its run-ons and run-offs from Spring Creek Towers to Coney Island/Bensonhurst.

To put the B1 at Gleason would require a lot more complex moves likely leaving Bronx Division short on articulated buses.

(Related question: are the B1 and B49 allowed to use the Belt for run-ons and run-offs?)

That Q53 issue is going to be a major issue. I would be surprised if that route isn't left untouched in the end. What is needed is simply more short turns terminating at 163 Avenue.

RE: post 186, I mean shorten the Q53---clicked Post too soon.

I intend to speak out on the Q53 issue as well. I can't see that cut remaining in the final plan, although I could see it cut back to Victor Moore terminal.  If anything, there should be short-turns only operating Queens Center to 163 Avenue, with run-ons and run-offs to and from JFK at that point (the existing Q52 SBS operation is inefficient, with run-ons and run-offs around 30 minutes long). A lot of people from south of Queens Center rely on the Q53 to reach Elmhurst Hospital.

As for the Q52, I would have only every other bus go to Arverne. The trunk between Queens Center Mall and Howard Beach needs the most service.  (Remember that the Q52 was a compromise for eliminating the Q21 to the Rockaways.)

Off the bat, I see it as a bad idea to end all routes on Woodhaven short of Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue. The proposed headways north of there are not sufficient to handle the crowds, and the subway alternative is not ADA compliant. I would be surprised if this remains in the final form. If anything, I would propose swapping the Q52 and Q53 terminals on the south end (and also shorten the Q. The only "slow" portion of the route is north of Whitney. The proposed QT63 would be swamped with transfer traffic as the subway is not an option for Elmhurst Hospital for many bus riders, nor can the Q63 in proposed headways even come close to handling transfer traffic. Those Q53 buses are arriving with a full-seated load into Elmhurst Hospital due south.

I also see no bus service to the central terminal area as a bad idea, given that I don't see the PANYNJ increasing bus services to compensate for the loss of all MTA services to T5. On weekends when the AirTrain is scheduled for a total shutdown, those shuttle buses sometimes cannot be accessed because of crowds.

Also, there should be a Little Neck Parkway service at least for network coverage. The n6 would also need to become open-door along Hempstead Avenue to make up for removed Hempstead Avenue local service.

The Metro E order would have been likely a candidate for early scrapping as an orphan order, ahead of any Orion buses.

As for that D60HF order...that left bad blood with the MTA for a good while as the line was still closed while the MTA still had options for the model. The MTA jumped on LFS artics once the model became available, and some will come up for replacement within the next few years.

As for DesignLine, that could have also seen an early retirement as well because of the financial troubles of the company. New Jersey Transit briefly operated some DesignLine buses but early-retired them.

The O7 3G CNG order was also moved to New Flyer as part of the orderly closure of Orion.

7 minutes ago, darkstar8983 said:

And on top of that, you have the  taking 30 minutes going thru the 60 St tunnel due to signal problems at Queensboro Plaza and some  trains going to 96 St. Not a good day to ride on the . 
 

why can’t the trains end at 59 St like they did when Sea Beach was closed for sandy Flood restoration right after the hurricane or run thru West End to Bay Parkway

Probably an issue of where the power had to be cut. I'm surprised that some  trains didn't go to Bay Parkway (West End).

12-9 at 20 Avenue  in Bensonhurst has FUBARed the line. N trains are being turned at 9 Avenue , Whitehall Street-South Ferry , or Bay Ridge-95 Street . Alternate service via the B9 (8 Avenue to 20 Avenue) or crosstown buses from the  or .

Is the MTA planning on converting the B46 SBS to articulated service and move 7615-48 and 7650-2 to local service? I would presume that Flatbush has more than enough blue-and-yellow buses for the B44 SBS.

Curious as to why 4950 has not yet seen service.

1 hour ago, N6 Limited said:

But enough to say no trains are running, exit the station? lol

The station was getting way too crowded for safety, with multiple trains dumping. Shuttle bus service actually ended up starting early.

On 9/11/2019 at 12:29 PM, P3F said:

Ironically, that's where a 24/7 bus lane makes almost no sense. It should have proper hours like most bus lanes in the city.

The bus lanes through Spring Creek Towers are also 24/7.

As for a special livery, I feel that it should be ended, especially since the MTA Bus XD60s for the Q53 SBS (6234 and higher) are/will not be wrapped at all.

On 10/21/2019 at 9:32 PM, Cait Sith said:

Not yet.

 

So Prevost lowballed the order by 13 million....which might not sound like a lot, but when it comes down to quality assurance, that's a bit worrysome, especially with how bad the 2500-2700 batch has deteriorated in a short amount of time.

Prevost is owned by Volvo of Sweden...but even without that to consider, Plattsburgh is a hell of a lot closer than Pembina.

As I see it, the MTA needs a top-up order of articulated buses, primarily for Brooklyn Division. This will cross over into route changes, but the Q58 would be the prime local bus needing artics, as at the "peak of the peak" in the morning, there can be buses as frequently as 4 minutes, and there are problems with over-crowding, especially between Ridgewood and Queens Boulevard.

As for problems with turns, I see that as being resolved by modifying the Ridgewood end as follows:

To Ridgewood Terminal, via Myrtle...no turn onto Putnam Avenue. Instead...remain on Myrtle, with the last stop being on the far side of Wyckoff, near Gates. (An additional stop would be added on the near side of Cypress Avenue, and then on the far side of St. Nicholas.) Then, left on Gates, left on Irving, and left on Palmetto to stand. (This would avoid the narrow Ridgewood Place for the Q58, but not the B26.) As for through traffic, it could be restricted between Ridgewood Place and Wyckoff Avenue, with through traffic on Gates Avenue.

The other route in Brooklyn that could warrant artics would be the B6. If Ulmer Park can't fit them, then maybe the Local and Limited should be split, with the B82 Local swapping to Ulmer Park in exchange for the B6 Limited, with the B6 Limited and B82 SBS sharing an articulated bus pool (local bus livery).

On 10/8/2019 at 9:38 PM, NY1635 said:

The MTA should extend those B32 trips to Astoria along Vernon Blvd. It can avoid the dreaded Queens Plaza and get there in time. 

Not to fond of sending anything along Sunnyside unless it's a thru route. It's an industrial area, but not as insidious as Industrial Maspeth.

.You probably have to go to Queens Plaza at some point though. I would ask if it might be better to have it run via Vernon Boulevard to 44 Drive, and then cut across to then take over the Q101 Steinway...which would likely require turning the route over to MTA Bus, but could also mean that the Q103 is no longer needed in any way, shape, or form.

I actually like this idea. I would go even further and add a protected bus lane from Van Dam Street to Roosevelt Avenue (with a special turn signal for the Q32 to cut across traffic to make a left turn), which would also serve to calm traffic by reducing Queens Boulevard from 4 lanes each way along each section to 3. (Through Woodside, one has fixed speed cameras patrolling the main road in the 50s because of a private elementary school at about 55th Street.) One would have to keep the Q60 on the service road through Woodside and past the Big Six Towers because of BQE access on the westbound side,  However, between 76/Kneeland and 57 Avenue, and again after 62 Drive, the Q60 should be in the main roadway, which would again serve as traffic calming by reducing travel lanes.

That said, I would redo the stops on Queens Boulevard between 76/Kneeland and Union Turnpike as follows:

• Jacobus (77) Street (eastbound only)
• Hillyer (79) Street/Albion Avenue (bidirectional)
• 51 Av (bidirectional) 
• Grand Avenue (Broadway) - near side for both
• 55 Avenue (eastbound only) - also with the Q59
• 56 Avenue (westbound only)
• 57 Avenue (eastbound only)
• Woodhaven Boulevard
• Eliot Avenue/Horace Harding Expressway
• 63 Avenue/62 Drive (return to main road)
• 63 Avenue/Road (western side) - better access to Rego Center
• 64 Road (near side of crossing)
• 65 Avenue/98 Street
• 66 Avenue
• 67 Road
• 68 Avenue
• 68 Drive
• Yellowstone Boulevard
• 71 Avenue/108 Street (western side of street)
• 72 Avenue (with a new crossing and light installed)
• Ascan Avenue/72 Drive
• 75 Avenue (crossing by fire house made into full-time signal)
• 76 Road
• 77 Avenue (westbound only in main road)
• 78 Avenue (westbound only in main road)
• Union Turnpike.

Eliminated stops would be:

• Ireland Street (eastbound)
• Cornish Avenue (westbound)
• Goldsmith Street (eastbound)
• Van Loon Street (westbound)
• 63 Drive (westbound only)
• 56 Avenue (eastbound only)
• 67 Drive (eastbound only)
• 69 Road (westbound only)
• 76 Avenue (eastbound only)

Running the bus on the main road would actually allow stops to be added without slowing down the route, if the stops are on the main road in a dedicated bus lane. Almost every crossing would be a bus stop, and it would be possible to undo many of the stop eliminations done about a decade ago. The bus lanes on Woodhaven Boulevard have done wonders for Q52/3 service.

As for the final part, it should be done over the objections of the Queens beep.

On 9/11/2019 at 1:48 PM, Future ENY OP said:

Spotted in Downtown Brooklyn today. It appears that Outfront has the dimensions for Gleason’s buses. Bus 486. 

Hopefully the LFSs (rigids and artics) are next. I also see no reason why full wraps should not return.

-- REPLY ENDS HERE --

Separately, given how the S79 SBS no longer has a dedicated fleet, is there any reason why there should be a dedicated Select Bus Service wrap? I would take the wraps off and just have the sign be the indicator, along with visible announcements...but (S79 excluded) only blue-and-yellow buses on the SBS (any surplus could then be a local bus). After all, it is not uncommon for SBS-liveried buses at Gun Hill, and sometimes West Farms, to end up on local routes...and someone just posted a video here of a Q44 SBS bus on the Q12...and bus 6234 has seen SBS service in standard livery. After all, when OMNY expands citywide next year, and MetroCard is eventually phased out, the entire system could become proof of payment, similar to how Vancouver is.

8 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

The good thing with the Q27 serving Springfield like it does is that people along Springfield get to benefit from frequent service. I honestly doubt that a stand-alone Springfield route will have as frequent service as the Q27 does south past Jamaica Ave. 

However I think extending the Q27 down to Merrick makes the route too long but riders will benefit from frequent service.

 

I think the Q76 and Q77 should either terminate at 169 and or 179th Street stations. Why continue to waste that extra mileage where most post are using other routes to transfer to the Q76 and Q77 anyways.

While the Q27 is long, once it gets out of downtown Flushing, there is no real area where the route gets bogged down. It's actually a smooth-sailing route, unusual for most long routes to the point where I'll call the Q27 an outlier in this regard. I would propose having Springfield and Merrick as the full-time terminal with limited weekday and Saturday service to 145 Road. I know what one is saying---this route is already long, but again, it's an anomaly among longer routes. To reduce the time, I would propose full-time Limited service on the Q27, with local trips terminating at the Queens Village railroad station.

Now, as for Southeast Queens being a transit desert, that is magnified by the fact that there's a large part of Laurelton without any transit service except for the Q5 along Merrick Boulevard...I would ask if it's warranted to reroute the Q77 away from Springfield. I would propose continuing down Francis Lewis to Merrick Boulevard (as it snakes through Laurelton), Merrick Boulevard to 225 Street, and then down 225 Street to 147 Avenue (the new terminus). That would provide network coverage through Laurelton and also to the Laurelton railroad station. I would consider truncating the Q77 to the 179 Street subway on its Jamaica end...maybe the Q76 as well, agreeing with you there. (Springfield Boulevard is served south of Merrick by limited Q27 service---the Q27 is the best option for a crosstown route.) 

If the Q27 becomes too long, I'd route it down Parsons (to serve Flushing Hospital), Sanford, Bowne, and Roosevelt.

As for 225 Street, there are concrete placements likely indicating that a bus route once did run down 225 Street.

At the end of the day, I doubt the desire of not wanting buses down Stadium Avenue alone was the issue...but rather the walks. Remember when the MTA sought to reroute the Bx8 before? The reason why the current routing works is because southern Country Club gets access to a Foodtown at Crosby and Bruckner, which to me is super-important. The reason that routing actually functions as needed is because, even though it's close to the water, and it might seem to make sense on paper to use Vincent Avenue instead, there is a 6-story apartment building at the end of Randall Avenue to provide ridership, along with an apartment complex at the end of Layton Avenue.. The Bx8 provides direct service to the former and one block away service from the latter.

Additionally, if the Bx8 ran down Stadium, it would miss the Foodtown. Google Maps really allows one to "observe the neighborhood".

In short, I'm perfectly okay with not running a bus down Stadium (between the two sections of Country Club). Wasn't that a complaint before when the Bx8 was routed away from Foodtown?

7649 now in regular livery at FLA.

5227 should be off the scrap list---acquired by the NJ Transportation Museum in Lakewood. For members, 5227 should be down there by September 21.

On 7/24/2019 at 9:44 PM, paulrivera said:

Might as well go back to the blue stripe paint scheme at that point.

In that livery, that bus actually had Wi-Fi and USB...it just wasn't advertised externally. It more likely was that the MTA hadn't figured out how to apply the new livery to an LFS.

1 hour ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

There should be S93X trips that run nonstop from CSI (front gate in addition to 1A building) to/from 92nd Street/Fort Hamilton Parkway. 

If the fleet was not capped at 40 mph (45 mph for the blue-yellow LFS buses), I'd agree with that, but those buses would be a hazard on the road coming into and out of Sunnyside. When frequencies were much less, I once ended up on an S93 told to go straight to the college---it was terrible capped at 40 mph on the SI Expressway.

Days 12345 - Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri (for purposes of this thread)

One thing I would propose for the S93---based on actual observations:

On the trips before a change in schedule (CSI class time starts on weekdays are: 8 AM, 10:10 AM, 12:20 PM, 2:30 PM (135), 4:40 PM (1234), and 6:30 PM (1234)). Even with ramping bus service to no worse than 12 minutes (scheduled), you have the problem of buses leaving Bay Ridge crush-loaded, meaning they cannot accept any passengers intra-island. Taking advantage of the higher speed cap on the blue-and-yellow LFS buses (45 mph as opposed to 40 mph for the rest of the fleet), I would propose creating S93X trips...with the first stop in Staten Island being at Targee Street, bypassing Fingerboard Road and St. John's Avenue (passengers for those stops could use the S79 SBS instead). Here, a regular S93 trip would start at Fingerboard Road as a deadhead off of another route, to provide intra-island service. These local trips would replace the regular S93 trips that depart Bay Ridge at: 9:22 AM, 11:22 AM, 1:34 PM (135), 3:46 PM (1234), and 5:34 PM (1234).

Also, I would propose limited Saturday service on the S93, running from 7 AM (Bay Ridge departure) to 5 PM, with departures at 7 AM and 7:30 AM, and then every 45 minutes afterward until 5:15 PM being the last Bay Ridge departure (CSI departs 45 minutes later).

Ridgewood (Cornelia terminal/deadhead)

Auburndale (turning onto Sanford from Northern)

Bushwick (DeKalb passing Evergreen)

I honestly don't see the need for a bus lane on that short a stretch of street. It would worsen the traffic jam coming off of the Broadway Bridge.