TeeLow

7 hours ago, Gotham Bus Co. said:

My $0.02...

 

The train symbol should be more distinct from the route color on lines that use darker colors (), especially for visually impaired or colorblind customers.  Or, instead of a grey rectangle to represent a train, maybe use a train-and-arrow (compare with BusTime's bus-and-arrow icon). 

 The time-of-day background change is not necessary. The map is easier to see with a light background at all times. For time of day, they could just put a clock on the map. 

It's still in beta. I'm sure suggestions would be welcome.

Here's the original story from ABC: https://abc7ny.com/traffic/mta-launches-live-real-time-digital-subway-map/7192314/

9 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I just tried it on my iPad. Impressive, especially compared to SubwayTime, which sucks.

Probably looks 10 times better than on my cracked screen Android 🙂

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- The MTA on Tuesday launched its first-ever "Live Subway Map," a first of its kind digital guide to navigating the subway system in real time.

The new map, which allows riders to plan trips more easily by taking into account service changes and seeing train movements as they happen, is the byproduct of an 18 month-long public-private partnership between the MTA, the Transit Innovation Partnership, and Brooklyn-based global design and technology firm Work & Co.

"It is absolutely unique," interim President of New York City Transit Sarah Feinberg said. "It's the first of its kind in North American, and we believe first of its kind globally."

https://map.mta.info/#@40.70949,-73.97853,14z

In my last post it should've read "I've been wrong more than right so I'm probably wrong here too"

The demos are shifting westward, meaning that more people are coming from the east and from the north. Without concrete numbers it's all conjecture so we don't know either way. Schedules and routes are going to change after the redesign. Your idea could happen.

On 9/5/2020 at 10:09 AM, Bay Ridge Express said:

Yes, and it is necessary because

a) different demographics are being served on the sides west and east of the junction

b) bunching can be reduced

c) the same bph is not necessary on both sides west and east of the junction

 

A. The demos are subtly shifting. It's not substantial but it is noticeable along Ave J. As an example, look at Mill Basin around Ave M east into the 70s. There's a big change from 10 years ago.

B. Bunching is a traffic phenomena and can be very unpredictable. There will always be bunching.

C. I agree, but the numbers don't dictate a wholesale change, particularly when the route already has a short turn included.

D. Splitting the route at the Junction isn't easy for one bus. The 6 would present two involving Glenwood Rd. Wow.

My opinions are the exception rather than the rule. On this board I've been more than right so I'm probably wrong here too 😄. I've learned a lot from some very smart people. Don't take it the wrong way. I just don't think the split is warranted.

2 hours ago, Bay Ridge Express said:

I have no idea what you're talking about. I said the B6 would be split at the junction, therefore there would be local service on both sides (west and east of the junction) with a connection the  at Ave J.

Wait...something's off here. So in order to continue their trip passengers get off the lcl at the Junction and xfer to another 6 (lcl or ltd) at the Junction? Perhaps you can elaborate further on what happens at the Junction and explain why the split is necessary in the first place.

5 hours ago, EastFlatbushLarry said:

i respect your opinion. i offered mine from the perspective of having operated on lines like the M101, B6, B82 (local & LTD, pre sbs) among other long lines that have headways/runs that benefit certain areas of a line, yet are over saturated in others. i don't work in Road Ops, so maybe my opinion is a bit jaded, I'll submit. however, i refuse to believe the current B6, end to end, pre covid-19 equally serves the entire line adequately, which is what I believe the goal should be, not a blanket headway covering corridors that have different needs . imo, lines like the B6 do not require the same headway on bay parkway, cozine & flatlands/avenue H/glenwood/avenue J. that's not adequate to me when a line like this suffers and has suffered from consistent bunching. ditto the M101. lines like the 101/2/3, B6 and others benefit operators immensely,by way of run pay. i made some money by way of late slips (i didn't get rich, trust me) but I'm speaking more to the customer experience, and getting buses where they're needed, not running empty or bunched, or not being properly dispatched by SLD's or BCC (bus time) when there's another way to do business, especially with talks of a network redesign. when i broach the subject of breaking up a line, I'm not speaking from a mindset of 2 or 3 equal parts running the exact same headway as the former line they originated from. I'm speaking of actually doing homework to get it right.. not a repeat of the M5/M55 f**k'ry. which NEEDED to happen, regardless of how incorrectly they executed the process. it was unnecessary to run the M5 from South ferry to the heights, and in my humble opinion, the B6 is unnecessary as is, so is the 82 local, B8 and the M101. i don't sip transit's jim jones kool aid, where what they have to offer is the best they have to offer. regardless, they don't get money from the feds = shit's getting cut anyway, so I'm not saying that I have the cure-all or that my opinion is flawless. it definitely gets people thinking.

The viewpoint from a B/O's perspective would be a heluva experience. It gives you better insight. From a rider's eyes your 3 slice cut of the B6 Salami isn't totally tasteless; it might look better on a roll than from between a couple slices of Wonder. Maybe instead of a 3-way cut, an adjustment of the current setup could work...possibly turning more buses at CIA.

Restoring the old 5/50 split on the B82 split looks like a journey to nostalgia but it's more doable than the B6 cutup. You'd keep the SBS and run it top to bottom?

1 hour ago, Bay Ridge Express said:

I think both the B6 (local) and B8 should be split, with the split point for both of them at around Brooklyn College. The B6 LTD would become the B6-SBS and would not be split. Thoughts?

Splitting the  at the Junction would tag the 11 as the local to CIA. Run times for the 11 and 6 lcl are about the same weekdays, increasing on the weekends. During the semester 6 & 11 will be swamped by the students from both schools to and from Ave J Brighton with less service (no 6 lcl).  Cutting the 6 over a mile back to Flatush might save a few bucks...is it worth it?

The B8 on 18th Ave is busy. Your plan would turn half the buses back to serve the lighter portion of the route. Is it assumed that the short turn is running down Nostrand Ave (and the full run keeping its current route) from Ave D to the Junction? If so, it's like squeezing an elephant into a full stable of stallions: Short 6, short 8, 44 lcl, 44 SBS, dollar cabs, double parked deliveries...David Copperfield might be able to pull it off. And no layovers at the VA Hosp; straight through to 9 & 4th.

1 hour ago, EastFlatbushLarry said:

I've said it in the past that i personally think the B6 should be divided into 3 routes... cropsey to avenue H/Nostrand, coney Island Avenue to Williams Avenue/glenwood road & rock station to new lots station. the B6 imo does way too much covering at minimum 3 distinct service patterns, hence why I'd have certain sections overlap for connecting purposes (for the very select few that actually travel almost end to end on the current B6) I'd also keep the current B6 LTD running end to end in the form of SBS. i also have the same theory for the B82 SBS, dividing the local into 2 sections (reactivating the original B5 & B50, B5 Coney Island Terminal to Flatbush/kings hwy except late nights & overnights, terminating at Canal Av, and the B50 Seaview to coney island avenue/Quentin) 

the B8 would be divided into 2 routes, bay ridge to Newkirk IRT and rockaway/hegeman to Newkirk IRT, but would terminate at flatbush junction (flatbush & Nostrand, not crossing the light into the B44/B11 stop) 

This is too much to take in with a sleepy brain!

48 minutes ago, Lex said:

Does this mean those buses would be laid up by the HSBC on the Flatbush Avenue side?

For that matter, would buses use Rogers Avenue to head back to Brookdale?

7 minutes ago, EastFlatbushLarry said:

yes and yes

Laying up the 6 & 8 on the n/e side of Flatbush by the subway exit might look good on paper...could be a nightmare in actuality. IMO I think your idea for the 6, 8 & 82 is a lot of juggling with no real benefit and costing more.

From what I heard on NBC News about 15 minutes ago MTA can fuhgeddabout that $12 billion. I didn't catch all the details cause my attention was divided. Hope I misheard. Nothing on the internet about it yet.

14 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Alright, but at the same time, New York av. north of the precinct (Empire) doesn't allow for 2 lanes of flowing traffic & on top of it, ends at Fulton.... That is a deterrent to a lot of drivers around here & FWIW, is a reason that NY av. doesn't see near as much NB traffic that Rogers or Bedford does..... You're not going to get too much of that traffic that currently plagues Rogers onto New York av... Much of nobody currently taking Bedford is going to swing over to NY av either; you would just be exacerbating Rogers av. traffic at that point....

The real issue is that people in Flatbush (the neighborhood) take Rogers to bypass Flatbush av... The whole thing is a nasty domino effect.

True that: NY Ave is single lane n/o Empire but so is Rogers until 4PM weekdays. It's also true that Rogers would absorb the majority of n/b movement from Bedford initially. Since we don't have facts and figures to go by we're using observation to judge. Plenty of commuters are heading to the bridges from the east and south bypassing NY Ave (Ave H and above) for Flatbush and Rogers. Rogers tends to constipate around Tilden. With the n/b flow from Bedford shifted one block east some coming from the east and south of Rogers might give a one-way NY Ave a try continuing your domino effect as traffic tries to find a median level.

4 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Don't do me any favors.

No worries. You're much too savvy to be condescending towards.

3 hours ago, Trainmaster5 said:

Take it from someone who was a teenager when Nostrand and Rogers became one way. I lived in what's now known as Prospect-Lefferts but back then it was just Flatbush. One of the main arguments relating to N/B B44 service was the section north of Empire Blvd. The counter argument was if n/b service ran up Rogers instead of New York it would adversely affect those riders coming from the south who were heading to Kings County/Downstate. Ultimately that argument won out and the B49 wasn't cut off at Flatbush. The adults that lived in my neighborhood did not want any bus service on Bedford Avenue. We already had bus service on Flatbush Avenue, Rogers Avenue, and Nostrand Avenue. Two way traffic. We ended up with a five block grid from west to east that the local residents didn't want. My memories. Carry on

Kinda reminds me when our family moved from Willoughby & St. James in Clinton Hill to Throop & Jefferson ln Bed-Stuy back in the 60s. Throop was 2-way then along with Tompkins and Sumner (Marcus Garvey). One day our teacher told us about the new bus stop that would be in front of our school (Madison & Throop, B47). The whole grid in that area was getting a makeover; B10 Sumner/Lewis, B38 DeKalb/Lafayette, B47 Throop/Tompkins, 48 Franklin/Classon, B52 Gates/Quincy.

6 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Alright, but at the same time, New York av. north of the precinct (Empire) doesn't allow for 2 lanes of flowing traffic & on top of it, ends at Fulton.... That is a deterrent to a lot of drivers around here & FWIW, is a reason that NY av. doesn't see near as much NB traffic that Rogers or Bedford does..... You're not going to get too much of that traffic that currently plagues Rogers onto New York av... Much of nobody currently taking Bedford is going to swing over to NY av either; you would just be exacerbating Rogers av. traffic at that point....

The real issue is that people in Flatbush (the neighborhood) take Rogers to bypass Flatbush av... The whole thing is a nasty domino effect.

I'll let you have this one only because it would be off topic to continue

8 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

I agree when it comes to Bedford, but traffic on New York av. isn't remotely problematic to the point where it should end up being 1-way.... Doing that would just force more SB traffic onto Nostrand.

But that's the beauty of it. By adding another S/B lane on Bedford it would take some of the burden from Nostrand. Savvy drivers would pick up on that in a couple heartbeats. With the N/B lane removed from Bedford it wouldn't take too long before that "freelow" on New York would be used, especially when the initial bump would naturally flow to already troubled Rogers. 

22 hours ago, EastFlatbushLarry said:

I've had the idea for a while now that somehow the 49 will become a branch of the 44 local. meaning that 49's will replace 44 locals north to flushing via rogers & southbound will travel on Nostrand, hit that right on foster, heading to ocean avenue, while 44 locals will eventually no longer serve anything north of Avenue D/newkirk/vandeveer. I'm not advocating this per se (nor am i advocating renaming the 49 the B44B or some foolishness) but logically thinking, what could/would stop this from happening?

if you seriously think about, eventually there will come a point where they'll attempt to show how abysmal ridership is on southbound 49's via Bedford & northbound 44's via NY Avenue to invalidate the necessity for 2 bus lines (3 if you count the sbs B44 separately) serving 2 combos of north/south avenues each, with said avenues being mere blocks from each other.

i don't necessarily believe in conspiracy theories, but i do believe in what i call transit treachery. the B47 (B40/78 combo) & Q21 are my go-to examples. i would elaborate, however, i think I've deviated off topic enough (apologies) 

Apologies for continuing this but I just gotta weigh in. Why move the B49 over to Nostrand? Keep Nostrand it as is, keep the 49 N/B on Ocean and run it up to Prospect Pk or get even bolder and pull that bad boy over to Utica along Empire Blvd. S/B is in reverse. Take it off that heartburn/indigestion named Bedford Ave. Yeah that's some bold tihs but it might pick up a couple handfuls of passengers. Damn thing is a ghost ship on Ocean.

20 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

...More to the point of the B44/B49, I don't think the B49 will be a branch of the B44, nor do I think they're going to have B49's running that far north.... However, I do think they're going to look into doing away with Bedford av & New York av. service... Basically, have the B44/SBS, north of Flatbush av, be the sole bus route along Nostrand & along Rogers..... The B49 I think is going to get cutback (mileage-wise) either way; either [to Foster/Flatbush (or scooted over to end at Newkirk IRT)] or [to Prospect Park subway, via Ocean].....

I can see that happening. If Transit decided to make that move perhaps the DOT might consider making both New York and Bedford one way streets respectively, allowing a smoother traffic flow...2 N/B lanes on New York and 2 S/B on Bedford. Double parking KILLS traffic movement on Bedford especially around Church.  Bedford would resume 2-way S/O Flatbush. Traffic would flow smoother after folks get over the initial strangeness, IMO.

Got another one for the ENY Transit desert. B86 using Logan St & Fountain Ave for the north/south run with a road/rail xfer at Norwood Ave by using Liberty Ave as an east/west run and crossing Atlantic on Logan to Sheperd/Berriman which also sets up a road/rail xfer at Sheperd & Pitkin then using New Lots/Dumont for movement btn Shep/Berr and Fountain. Since time would be added the best thing might be to keep the run on Logan/Fountain, cutting out the Shep/Pit rail connection. Maybe cut the eastern portion of the run back to Eldert & Loring. ENY reaching out to Howard Beach...too soon? Too late? 

2 hours ago, bobtehpanda said:

When tokens were a thing, were there bulk discounts like the PPR discount today or was it just a per-token price?

AFAIK if a hundred tokens were bought, $15 was forked out. I was 11 years old when I bought my first token. The fare was 15 cents so I never had a need for such "high finance".

10 hours ago, Maxwell179 said:

why don’t they send the  to 179 full time during phase 1 ?

10 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

Because this is , when do they ever do anything logical.

Perhaps it's so Jamaica/Van Wyck doesn't have to be covered with a Shuttle bus?

6 hours ago, R10 2952 said:

Similar thing happened to me and one of my friends one Halloween, albeit 30 years later.  Became a real pain in the ass afterwards because we were forced to disclose it whenever applying for public sector (civil service) jobs- this was before the whole "ban the box" movement.  Not worth the hassle, and certainly not worth the potential lost job opportunities.  Never again.

Yep! Each DCAS or Transit qualifying hearing they'd make me go to Adjudication to find the disposition of a case that no longer was on the books.

36 minutes ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

There has been a few times where I swiped my card and it would say “go” but the turnstile wouldn’t move. So I would swipe again thinking that it would allow me to go then but it would just say “Just Used”. Most of the time I would wait it out, annoyed of course. However this one time I was running late to class so I had decided to hop it cause I couldn’t afford to wait and I banged my leg on turnstile bar. Let me tell you, that pain is serious!  
 

The year is 1975. The place is Jay St Station, Brooklyn. The goal: catching the Far Rock Train.

A young lady who had my nose open lived on Bch Chnl Dr while I resided on Sumner btn Greene & Lex. Didn't have a job, Pops wasn't coming off the couple bucks I was desperate for. Sooo...genius me walked to Myrtle and back doored the B54. No problem. Now for the subway. With no orange transfer slip from the B/O, I looked for and found a similar colored piece of paper, shaped it into a reasonable looking transfer and dropped it into the box. I was grabbed 10 feet later by a Transit "Dick" (old fashion slang for plain clothes cop) and stuffed into a bathroom with about 15 other poor slobs. Hours later we're standing in front the the judge on Schermerhorn St being sentenced. 6 months suspended if we keep our nose clean. Lesson learned.

On 8/15/2020 at 3:45 PM, LaGuardia Link N Tra said:

Since optimizing the current infrastructure is more important than building new lines, I tried to make a map that combines all of the ideas discussed within the last 3-5 pages of this thread, please note that I used a large-scale deinterlined subway map as a template to present this "master plan" for the lack of a better term. I also did not prioritize any infrastructure upgrade in any specific order, so if anyone here is able to shed some light as to which upgrades should be prioritized over others, I would appreciate the help. 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1Ph4tk1R3GC3cTK6q5zkAj2mYcKUvsdOl&usp=sharing

 

Your map is very impressive! How did you manage the individual colors for each line?

On 7/13/2020 at 9:46 PM, TeeLow said:

Finally figured out how to use Google Maps but I damn sure ain't no gnikcuf expert when it comes to using it. I tried to use the Google Drive link but it opened up into a full map of the US. dekcuF with it for hours then put my fist thru the wall! (Yeah sure) So the tihs has be turned into a .png image. If you have time to waste, use the pic, GMaps Brooklyn NY and the streets above to puzzle it out. Feel free to critique. I've got skin like an elephant.  (So sez the lady in my life)

https://imgur.com/kIqwuB4

 

Apologies for the bump. Think I finally got it right. Simply proving to future generations I'm not a total idiot. Promise not to bump again.

Cypress Hills-Spring Creek

On 7/6/2020 at 6:46 PM, TeeLow said:

My route refers to something @BrooklynBus briefly touched on awhile back about a lack of service through central  ENY. The route connects Cypress Hills in the north with Spring Creek to the south. No clue how to makeshift a bus map but Google Maps was a good guide.

B85 Cypress Hills Terminal: Arlington & Jamaica Avenues.

 

To Spring Creek:

East on Jamaica Ave

South on Miller Ave

East on Fulton St: [ at Van Siclen Ave] 

South on Hendrix St[ ( C ) at Pitkin Ave & Van Siclen]

West on New Lots Ave

South on Van Siclen

East on Cozine Ave

South on Schenck Ave

Right on Gateway Drive

From Seaview Ave, north on Fountain Ave

West on Cozine.

Spring Creek Terminal NW c/o Cozine & Fountain.

 

B85 To Cypress Hills:

West on Cozine

South on Atkins Ave

East on Flatlands Ave

South on Fountain

West on Seaview

From Gateway, left on Vandalia Ave

From Schenck, west on Cozine

North on Van Siclen

East on Hegeman Ave

North on Schenck [(C) at Pitkin Ave & Van Siclen]

West on Atlantic Ave

North on Van Siclen [ ( J )  at Fulton] 

West on Arlington to terminal

 

The north and south running streets are narrow through the area. Alternate side parking hours might need adjusting. According to Google Maps both Schenck and Hendrix cross Atlantic Ave. Van Sic doesn't. Considered putting the north terminal at Broadway Junction but with the bus traffic already over there it's overkill. Van Sic & Fulton Xfer is adequate.

 

Finally figured out how to use Google Maps but I damn sure ain't no gnikcuf expert when it comes to using it. I tried to use the Google Drive link but it opened up into a full map of the US. dekcuF with it for hours then put my fist thru the wall! (Yeah sure) So the tihs has be turned into a .png image. If you have time to waste, use the pic, GMaps Brooklyn NY and the streets above to puzzle it out. Feel free to critique. I've got skin like an elephant.  (So sez the lady in my life)

https://imgur.com/kIqwuB4

Computerized billboards on New York City’s subway might bring the system to more resemble scenes from the movie “Blade Runner” by the end of 2023, MTA officials announced Tuesday.

We don’t have the flying cars or humanoid robots depicted in the 1982 movie, which presented a dystopian view of the world in 2019. But the subways have 5,000 Blade Runner-type video advertising screens, and the MTA plans to install 9,000 more by September 2021.

The agency is scheduled to spend $100 million on the 9,000 new digital screens. Most will carry ads 80% of the time, and subway service information the other 20%, say officials.

Those 9,000 new screens are just a start. The MTA plans to add even more so that they’ll appear in all 472 subway stations by the end of 2023.

The displays would expand an existing deal between the MTA and the advertising company Outfront Media.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said they were excited about technology, which lets them quickly update messages and displays on any of the screens to give riders fresh information about their commutes.

The shift ought to make it easier for riders to know when their commute is scheduled to be interrupted by construction, said MTA chief development officer Janno Lieber.

“One of the classic gripes New Yorkers have about the system is those paper signs [that communicate construction-related service changes],” said Lieber “You’re going to get real-time information about outages and planned work.”

Though the video screens are being rolled out quickly, the MTA lags on its push to install CCTV security cameras in every subway station. Officials said roughly 75% of the city’s stations currently have camera coverage.

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-mta-subway-screens-advertisements-20200707-6bnf5xnjdfdnhmcqt7v5p3pfye-story.html

More Info: http://web.mta.info/nyct/OntheGoAds/index.html

Location of existing Screens (pdf): http://web.mta.info/nyct/OntheGoAds/MTA_Kiosk_Ridership_OTG.pdf

My route refers to something @BrooklynBus briefly touched on awhile back about a lack of service through central  ENY. The route connects Cypress Hills in the north with Spring Creek to the south. No clue how to makeshift a bus map but Google Maps was a good guide.

B85 Cypress Hills Terminal: Arlington & Jamaica Avenues.

To Spring Creek:

East on Jamaica Ave

South on Miller Ave

East on Fulton St: [ at Van Siclen Ave] 

South on Hendrix St[ ( C ) at Pitkin Ave & Van Siclen]

West on New Lots Ave

South on Van Siclen

East on Cozine Ave

South on Schenck Ave

Right on Gateway Drive

From Seaview Ave, north on Fountain Ave

West on Cozine.

Spring Creek Terminal NW c/o Cozine & Fountain.

B85 To Cypress Hills:

West on Cozine

South on Atkins Ave

East on Flatlands Ave

South on Fountain

West on Seaview

From Gateway, left on Vandalia Ave

From Schenck, west on Cozine

North on Van Siclen

East on Hegeman Ave

North on Schenck [(C) at Pitkin Ave & Van Siclen]

West on Atlantic Ave

North on Van Siclen [ ( J )  at Fulton] 

West on Arlington to terminal

The north and south running streets are narrow through the area. Alternate side parking hours might need adjusting. According to Google Maps both Schenck and Hendrix cross Atlantic Ave. Van Sic doesn't. Considered putting the north terminal at Broadway Junction but with the bus traffic already over there it's overkill. Van Sic & Fulton Xfer is adequate.

And how, pray tell, would you achieve this Chambers-Grand connection without destroying Chinatown? 

Damn. Grand St is so smooth now Low Rider don't need to worry about his guts being ripped out.

Liberty Ave was a dead zone. Salvage yards, garages, minor chemical factories and auto parts stores with some residential plots scattered in between. Back then Pitkin Ave was a wide one way running from east to west. Now that it's two-way, throwing a line on Pitkin would almost certainly get more ridership than the B12 did on Liberty. The connections to Q7/Q8 allows travel further east and south into Queens along Rockaway Blvd & 101st Ave respectively, the B13 going north/south and gives & some relief in case of delays and/or service outages. It might siphon off a few riders from B14 but not enough to increase headways along Sutter Ave. Instead of running it to Grant Ave, turn it south and connect it with B15 on Fountain. I believe there are possibilities and benefits to this east/west run.

Man, this gotta be a bust ass idea. It's so right it doesn't even need discussion. Either that or it's so out there it's bouncing off satellites.

Someone stick a pin in my swelled head!