LTA1992

Saiyonara MetroCard-kun.

You will be somewhat missed

The Brooklyn Existing Conditions Report is out.

I hear about the plan being cost neutral, look at the increases in late night service, then wonder if that's where the extra daytime frequency went.

1 hour ago, R68ACTrain said:

f**k off...

He's right doe...

8 minutes ago, Kamen Rider said:

Anyone in the mood for a riot? 

Give me a few days, I'll definitely be lol

27 minutes ago, JeremiahC99 said:

At this point, they should just hire you to run the bus network redesigns.

Lol no

Look at that, something else to mourn today.

Really ain't need this news.

On 1/19/2020 at 4:16 PM, JeremiahC99 said:

Well it is a good thing that this didn't occur during rush hours this time, but seriously? Doesn't this ever end?

Water freezes and pipes burst as a result.

So no, it won't.

On 1/13/2020 at 10:17 AM, N6 Limited said:

With Remix being used to redesign the Queens (and most likely the remaining NYC bus networks), I went to their site to find out more about the platform. They have a youtube page with some webinars and presentations from conferences that they've held. Usually it's staff and/or customers (transit agencies) presenting their use cases, etc.  I'm going to post one that was interesting regarding "Selling the Vision for Better Transit" and the obstacles encountered.  

 

 

My favorite part is when he lists off what the public assumes is going on.

I've encountered those very assumptions here and elsewhere and it's crazy.

"Give us better, but don't change anything" 

I'm glad I'm not the only one that gets the thing.

I also have a couple questions.

I keep hearing complaints about the redesign, but aren't those who complain the main ones you hear from in any situation? Those who are happy aren't really gonna care enough to speak.

Therefore, is this redesign REALLY as much of a problem as people think?

Is it possible we've actually struck silver? I mean, it would be gold if the absolute max headway was 20 minutes (average wait of 10 minutes) on all routes.

Lastly, I wonder how many peoples criticisms come from current patterns, and not patterns based on the new system. Because I see waaaayyy too much of the former. And that's a very flawed way to look at total change.

(In some ways, you can say that mindset has stalled our country as a whole)

1 hour ago, N6 Limited said:

They'd have more breathing room if they didn't have debt service and interest to worry about. Why don't these govt agencies ever try to wipe out the debt to free up their resources?

Considering that the Federal Government likes to take loan after loan from the Federal Reserve (itself able to create money from thin air), it shouldn't be a surprise this is the pattern.

More importantly, we live in a country that doesn't care.

3 hours ago, Mysterious2train said:

Realistically, to get backing from suburban politicians with the connection to Metro-North, and to keep the project simpler by keeping it in Manhattan (as sending it to an outer borough opens up a new can of worms). Also I know "Phase 2 should have gone to 149 St" discussions come up every other month in the SAS thread, but the big price tag shouldn't really matter either way; it's not like going 149 St wouldn't have the same cost issues as any other Capital Construction megaproject, and presumably would have been even more expensive, what with one additional station (with the stations being the most expensive elements of Phase 1) and having to build transfers to the  and , and an underwater crossing, albeit a short one. 

Uh, when Lex and 125th alone is expected to cost half the proposed budget, yeah, we have a problem.

With the amount they want to spend on that section, you may as well build an immersed tunnel under the (very short) Harlem River and take it to The Hub. And yes, it might be somewhat more expensive, but the overall gains are worth it. Because it guarantees The Bronx two new lines.

Lastly, The Bronx should be world's cheaper to tunnel through. You won't have to do it anywhere near as deep compared to Manhattan. Property values are nothing compared to Manhattan. For all we know, it might cost the same.

But until I see the two options quantified into numbers, the "capitulating to the suburbs" response isn't good enough.

1 hour ago, N6 Limited said:

Have the buses farebox recovery ratio dropped since free transfers were instituted?  Before Metrocard Gold, most of Queens was a two fare zone, so the MTA got a fare for the Bus and the Subway, which is why many walked, got dropped off, or took a dollar cab to the subway.

Even though free transfers significantly boosted bus ridership, did the farebox recovery drop drastically because of the free transfers?

This also brings up the bus-bus transfers. Bus transfers were 25 cents, so many riders preferred a one seat ride to save money, now it's not as much of a concern.

With Unlimited cards, how do they determine which mode or entity gets revenue? (ie, Subway, Bus, Nice, Beeline)

With PPR cards, do they simply split revenue when a transfer is made? (ie. $1.37 each for NYCTBus and Subway?)

You know, I've brought similar points up (on other forums) and they always get passed by.

Especially with OMNY (and it opening up the possibility of unlimited transfers over a 2-hour period) on the horizon.

Why do we need direct routings if free transfers open up the flexibility needed to not have them? The benefits definitely outweigh the cons.

1 hour ago, JMGNYCTRANSIT said:

Is this the OMNY card be like the Ventra card in Chicago and Clipper card in the San Francisco Bay Area? 

Think Oyster, London. OMNY is a direct descendent.

1 hour ago, Union Tpke said:

You will see in Phillip Plotch's book which will come out later this year.

Thank you.

This will make a perfect compliment to 722 Miles and The Routes Not Taken.

20 hours ago, Union Tpke said:

You are an outlier then.

Waiting for the day I can find out why they chose 125th and Lex over 3rd and 149th for SAS.

Especially now that we know the price tag.

35 minutes ago, Around the Horn said:

If you're interested in the OMNY branding (like me) I highly suggest you take a look at https://www.pentagram.com/work/omny/story

Some very interesting stuff there:

See? Sexy. Black does a lot for a little.

33 minutes ago, RailRunRob said:

I guess ultimately my issue is trying to process how much of the comment is personal preference or perception especially in a thread of people that have personal interest and passion for the bus network. If someone has a passion for buses or its a hobby. Could they be blinded by there personal views? Or are they looking at it from an executive business POV? Which any bus operation is it's customer and market-driven, competitive and needs to more focused on efficiency. This particular topic kinda hits home my company we build tracking and customized vehicle platforms a little different from this but we understand the cost and things (KPI)'s that our clients measure success. How many miles ' between breakdown?, Fuel efficiency and cost? On-time performance? They count every penny as they should it adds up over time and with a fleet of trucks or Buses. So I'm looking through this redesign I can't help but process it through operations and numbers pov as well. Void of anything personal bc the goal of a bus route is to move and attract people. So I'm not saying you don't have a point with the MTA but for me the next step is to ask how you came to that conclusion? There's absolutely a unique point of view from being on the street and seeing it firsthand. But there's also an equally unique situation when you're the person having to go over the budget and numbers and balance it and making the hard call. The bottom line it'd be amazing to have detail rider stats for current service to compare measure against the proposals That would take most of the guesswork out. But that's my angle.

And this is why we need OMNY. The MTA would finally get accurate data on where everybody is going and this sort of thing will be far easier.

On 12/31/2019 at 9:05 AM, Gotham Bus Co. said:

 

I did read it. My neighborhood has only QT15 (Rapid) and QT30*/QT31 (Rush) with no local counterpart, so...

• From 46th/Utopia to 46th/169th is 0.3 mile.
• From 46th/169th to 46th/162nd is 0.4 mile.
• From 46th/162nd to Flushing Hospital is 0.6 mile. 

 

Again, it is disingenuous at best to discuss populations within 0.25 mile of bus stops while spacing bus stops more than 0.25 mile apart.

 

* QT30 non-stop section is shown on 46th Avenue in the redesign document but on Northern Blvd in the Remix map.

THEN. YOU. ADD. MORE. AS. NEEDED.

The fine print literally says these are generalized locations listed and are subject to change. If people want it, they'll ask for it.

Simple as that.

I've noticed something about the Light Green routes.

All but three have proposed headways of 30 minutes or better. Most are also located within walking distance of either another light green route making similar transfers, or a higher frequency and higher speed route. So there are usually alternatives within 5-10 minutes of walking.

I think I'm starting to fully understand and appreciate the methodology behind it.

5 minutes ago, Gotham Bus Co. said:

 

Putting stops 2,000 feet or more apart is not "perfect" by any means. It makes no sense to design service by looking at populations with 0.25 mile of a stop and then space the stops farther than 0.25 mile apart.

You must be referring to one of the Rapid lines because the Locals hit more of a world standard averaging at every 1,300. Which is perfectly walkable within 5-7 minutes.

I'm starting to wonder who actually read the thing from top to bottom. So many aren't taking the route types (and thus, their explicitly stated purposes) into account. These colors have meaning.

36 minutes ago, Brillant93 said:

I think it’s important to look at these bus routes in the color codes to the type of service they are. It seems like the colors indicate services that are local,  a limited variant, a non stop end to the subway, and an sbs form of route. I feel like everyone is looking at these routes like a traditional bus map but it seems like Queens is quite an experiment with service.  

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

On that note, stop spacing is perfect. That's the beauty of a total rewrite of the network.

Service Levels (going off stop spacing):

SBS/Super Rapid

Rapid

Limited

Local

My only gripe? The minimum all-day headway should be 15 minutes on all routes during weekdays and 20 on weekends. If people are always seeing a bus, they will eventually take the bus. The new Brooklyn-Queens routes should definitely see a consistent 10 or less all day policy.

I expect them to be popular.

Especially if (hopefully when) this system gets all the necessary improvements to make service reliable.

This new plan, for someone who has lived in Queens (involuntarily but necessary), would make Queens a desirable place for me to live.

I'll see y'all at the Ridgewood Open House lol

I was hoping to watch the transit community fight to the death over these plans today.

Guess I have to wait...

On 12/27/2019 at 6:38 PM, RestrictOnTheHanger said:

Today I was at 2 separate stations where the turnstile bank had at least one reader with a malfunctioning screen. Very unlikely due to vandalism. I purposely tried them to see what would happen

Fortunately the NFC and blue/green/red corner lights still worked properly and the taps worked the first time. 

I wonder why a screen was chosen as opposed to a dot matrix like we have now, especially considering the screen only shows reader status and a go no go tap result. Its just another point of failure to account for

 

 

Full color screens are far easier to read than dot matrix screens.

23 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

The company that makes the CBTC system being installed on the QBL.

Could have sworn QBL CBTC is a collab between Siemens and Thales