N6 Limited

Riders Union Demands Answers From NICE | Verizon FiOS1 News - Long Island

 

The Long Island Bus Riders Unions are addressing the owners of NICE buses on the cutting of bus routes. NICE announced last month that they would cut some of their bus services due to low day ridership. In return, the Riders Union is demanding the documents showing ridership impact data claiming that mid-day and weekend ridership accounts for nearly 25 percent of ridership totals and the cuts will hurt riders.

The service cuts are set to take effect April 8.

Mid-Day and Weekday ridership could possibly account for nearly 25% of ridership totals, but I highly doubt that the routes affected constitute a majority of that ridership. Maybe 0.25%

I was on the Southern State Parkway last Saturday, As I approached the Merrick Ave exit I saw a N51 going northbound across the overpass. There was either ONE passenger standing by the door, or a traffic counter or something, the rest of the bus was EMPTY.

Hey guys, I just realized this is the T/O list that I'm on. All they said is that I qualified. I found out my number when I called though

Great Neck Record: NICE Bus Community Outreach to Discuss Proposals

Fair article.

Saw 1838 wrapped on Sunday.

Unless you have a reason why you couldn't tell us then, the post still stands.

The first post already included 1838

Another option, with the to 2 Av:

 

Local:

Express: (

has to switch to the local to get to Rutgers.

What about turning the at 135? Wasteful, but appeasing.

 

Hint #1 for the © FASTRACK is posted: the ends early and the notes imply that the is going to 2 Av.

I'm thinking © & ending Early

6th Ave Local South of 34th St.

( Not really in the way. so may run till normal time.

Normal

To 2nd Ave.

Normal.

Yeah, they could just streamline the route and run it via Glen Cove Road. > Hillside Ave., no need to flirt with Mineola., the traffic and additional lights.

 

However I'd like to know how the parkway alignment on the n22X adds mileage? I'd understand on the n6X.

Glen Cove Road can be a parking lot during the holiday season.

Look at the N22 Route, and Look at the route of the Grand Central Parkway/Northern State Parkway. I guess it will be almost the same if you take the turns into account.

But generally it's best to avoid the Long Island highways during the peak periods.

[GMAPS]<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=179th+Street+station,+jamaica,+NY&daddr=Roosevelt+Field+Shopping+Center,+Old+Country+Road,+East+Garden+City,+NY&hl=en&geocode=Fd85bQIdliSa-ymdzi0RGmHCiTGXq15ktrmKKg%3BFUWcbQIdxr2c-ymx8Zk3fH3CiTG2S0l5Zavb5g&aq=&sll=40.730348,-73.660927&sspn=0.103546,0.31311&gl=us&dirflg=r&ttype=now&noexp=0&noal=0&sort=def&mra=ltm&ie=UTF8&ll=40.730348,-73.660927&spn=0.04377,0.17&t=m&start=0&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=embed&saddr=179th+Street+station,+jamaica,+NY&daddr=Roosevelt+Field+Shopping+Center,+Old+Country+Road,+East+Garden+City,+NY&hl=en&geocode=Fd85bQIdliSa-ymdzi0RGmHCiTGXq15ktrmKKg%3BFUWcbQIdxr2c-ymx8Zk3fH3CiTG2S0l5Zavb5g&aq=&sll=40.730348,-73.660927&sspn=0.103546,0.31311&gl=us&dirflg=r&ttype=now&noexp=0&noal=0&sort=def&mra=ltm&ie=UTF8&ll=40.730348,-73.660927&spn=0.04377,0.17&t=m&start=0" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>[/GMAPS]

I would bug out if nice put any Queens-Nassau route on the LIE unless if it goes to Rego Park.

 

The meadowbrook/NSP/GCP alignment is the best traffic light avoiding route for the n22X, as for n6x, Cross Island onto GCP.

 

He knows but he probably think it is okay but the reality is that alignment would suck. And sure his ideas are map based, I'd not literally say that traffic congestion can be avoided however he didn't travel enough of Nassau to plan a viable route.

If there is no traffic, the bus could get from Roosevelt Field to 179th Street in about 20 mins using the Parkway. But if you look at the routing, it adds unnecessary mileage to the buses.

The N6X should avoid the Cross Island and Grand Central, both routes go out of the way and would eliminate time savings.

And N22X should use Northern State or just express it on it's current route, the Interstates won't help!

Ummm... You know the last stop is Jamaica - 165th St. right? The purpose of the Express would be kinda defeated with this routing. Either NSP all the way, or screw it...

clearview is at 212 street so plus GCT can be used till IDK I did gain inspiration for my NYC ideas from here Cap'n Transit Rides Again: Low bridge, everybody down!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Some buses CAN USE PARKWAYS BASED ON THEIR LOW HEIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree with Keystone Regional. The Clearview- LIE - Roslyn Road is not a good route, it's out of the way, the LIE goes further north as you get closer to Glen Cove Road. The HOV lanes don't start until the Nassau Border, then have to take Roslyn RD down towards the mall.

You might as well use the Northern State and Meadowbrook to the Roosevelt Field Exit. but Those highways are congested in the peak direction and would defeat the purpose of using those routes.

You sure you been to LI? Everyone knows the LIE is Interstate 495 and not 295?:confused:

 

I am starting to think all of your master plans QJ is made from reading and studying from a map i.e mapquest.

He said 295 and LIE. I-295 is the Clearview Expressway, he knows the highways.

But, I think a lot of his plans are from looking at the map and not actual public transit travel patterns, or taking highway traffic/congestion into account.

I think NICE wants to convert those short trips into 78's or extend it to WWM

People at New Cassel can now wait less for a bus along Old Country Road. Originally N78/N79 frequency:30 minutes

New N24 frequencies:15 minutes

Kinda sorta. N24 frequencies will be 15 mins to/from Jamaica but that's a combination of both branches. Each branch will be on 30 min headways. 30 mins to Hicksville and 30 Mins to East Meadow.

based on the meeting the N24 idea recieved stiff opposition I doubt they would go through with it.

Is that really what happened?

Anyone that attended the Uniondale meeting, was there the same opposition there ?

The N24 is EXCRUCIATINGLY slow and usually takes well over an hour to get from 179th St subway just to Roosevelt Field mall during rush hour. And that's reverse peak without all the peak direction traffic.

It most certainly is, that's why the n22 gets higher ridership between Jamaica and Roosevelt Field. I've taken the N24 a couple of times to/from Jamaica, I've learned my lesson.

I preferred the N22a now I don't even have that option anymore.

Now you can take the N22L/N22X

I have gotten on the 36 whenever it popped up to avoid that horrific N4... the n4 has gotten better under NICE since the bus operators actually get moving, but the 36 does get quite a few riders near the Freeport-Baldwin border. The ride along Atlantic is also quite scenic.

LOL@Horriffic. Were you going to/from the N35? It doesn't bypass that much of the N4.

Question. When is the Next schedule change? Is it April 8th or is it earlier? Also does anyone think that N78/79 Times are going to be changed. And What I mean is all 79's start at WWM at 10 after the hour 7 days a week.

The next scheduled change is supposed to be April 8th but they will release the schedules around the middle of March, so everyone has a chance to review and plan their trips. The site says that the N78/79 times will change on Sat and Sun. It doesn't mention weekday, but they might.

Being that the N79 is your route how do you feel about the changes?

Source: Newsday.com NICE Bus defends planned cuts, faults MTA

Recent changes in Nassau's bus system go beyond service cuts unveiled last week and include investments geared toward efficiency, punctuality and cleanliness, NICE Bus officials said.

 

Officials with Veolia Transportation, the private operator that began running the bus system Jan. 1, said some of the changes already have saved Nassau County millions of dollars and spared passengers time and aggravation during their commutes.

 

NICE bus chief executive Michael Setzer said much of Veolia's job is making up for what he called years of neglect by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operated the bus system for 37 years.

 

"There are a lot of bad habits here that have been going on for years and years," Setzer said. "It's still got a way to go and I'm far from being satisfied."

 

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano in June 2011 chose Veolia to take over the bus system. The MTA had voted to terminate its agreement with the county amid a funding dispute.

 

Last week, NICE Bus revealed plans to cut service on 30 lines to help fill a $7.3-million budget gap. The details met with mixed reviews from riders.

 

Joseph Smith, president of MTA Long Island Bus from 2007 to 2010, disputed assertions that the MTA failed to make the system a priority. He said the agency was constantly wrestling with Nassau County for funding to make improvements, but the county "did not want to go for one extra penny for anything."

 

Mangano has said the MTA was wasteful and inefficient in operating the system.

 

MTA board member Mitchell Pally, of Stony Brook, defended the MTA's management of Long Island Bus. He said it was unfair of Veolia to compare its current efforts against those of the MTA when that agency knew it was losing the system.

 

"We were not going to make maintenance improvements to a system we were no longer going to have," Pally said. "In the short term you can do things that you can't do in the long term. . . . Let's see where they are in 2014."

 

Setzer said that even while having to cut costs, he believes Veolia has been able to improve service to Nassau bus riders. As an example, he said, Veolia completed every bus run in its schedule in January. So far in February, Veolia missed operating one bus, officials said.

 

The MTA, in its final months running the system, was unable to complete all runs because of staffing problems and buses being pulled for inspection ahead of Veolia's takeover.

 

Setzer acknowledged that on-time performance remains a big challenge, citing a combination of lax supervisory practices, outdated schedules and failing technology as contributing factors.

 

As an example, Setzer said about half of the GPS systems installed on the county's fleet don't work, making it difficult to track and manage vehicles. Veolia aims to eventually replace the systems, but he said that would cost more than $8 million.

 

Similarly, about half of the "mobile data terminals" used to track Able-Ride buses don't work, Setzer said, causing inefficient scheduling of pickups and drop-offs of disabled riders. At its own expense, Veolia has ordered nearly 100 new electronic tablet devices to replace the terminals.

 

In an effort to improve on-time performance, Veolia is changing published arrival and departure times on some routes to better reflect how long it takes to get from point A to point B during varying traffic conditions.

 

Although Setzer said improvements have been plentiful, several bus riders interviewed last week said they haven't noticed much difference since Veolia took over on New Year's Day. And some even said the changes they have noticed haven't been for the better.

 

"I take it every day and I think that it's worse," said John Koskotas, 27, of Brooklyn, who commutes to Mineola for his media job. "I think the buses are fewer and far between."

I wonder why they didn't reduce headways on the N36

I guess NCC students along Westbury Blvd, would have to take the N23 or N27 to Stewart Ave or the Mall and Transfer. Or just walk.

Cool thanks.

If any one of you guys are going to post pictures. Please post at least one photo for proof, don't flood the topic with 8 million pics.

Do I have to have my own photo account somewhere in order to do something like that?

I just saw 1807 wrapped/rebranded on N6 @ Hempstead Turnpike & Elmont Road.

It's not the same woman MTA had programmed ,that always announces "route number, next major stop..etc" It's now a man.

Is it robotic?

Perhaps they're starting to ramp up re-branding to have a good amount done by April 8th. That way, these new services will be even more-so associated with NICE.

NICE Plan to do in future.

GPS Tracking similar to CooCoo or MTA Bus Time.

 

System Wide Transfer Communication similar what HART CT does like:

HART #3 (To Danbury-Brewster Shuttle): When are you arriving Parking Lot #2. I'm running few minutes late...

HART DBS: I should be there in... minutes.

Installation of TSP for buses making left turn at busy street.

 

At Great Neck Library meeting, I asked if they interviewed any LIRR Riders who takes LIB/NICE Bus and they said no.

 

I also asked about NICE Bus will cross-honor LIRR ticket in case of break down, mechanical problem which LIB did not cross honor LIRR Tickets and they said yes.

 

They also planning to coordinate schedules with SCT.

TSP for buses making a left turn would be good for Fulton and Franklin, N6, N15, N31/N32.

GPS like BusTime would be great, that would also help with the System Wide Transfer Communication. They can communicate verbally, but perhaps they'd be able to actually see where the connecting buses are on their routes.

They said one of the issues with holding a bus for connections is that someone else might miss the next connection further down the route. In that case the the less frequent bus should be held. Easier said than done I guess.

They should coordinate with SCT, that would be good for those connecting at Walt Whitman, Amityville, etc. The N72 connects with bus that goes to the Deer Park Outlet at Straight Path S33 . They should time it so that they make good connections and advertise that they can take the bus to the outlet. Especially on Saturdays. I see that it connects to the more freequent S27 but that's the long way. Perhaps they could connect every other 72 to the Outlet on Saturdays.

Great shots and video! Thanks! Do you have any footage of their explanation of the N43 Extension? They just sound so reasonable , and apparently they went into much more detail during the presentation. If you don't have video, do you remember what they said?

NICE: Michael Setzer Interview on service changes. News12 Interactive

News 12 Interactive (Channel 612) has a couple of Michael Setzer video interviews up in the "iO Extra" section.

If you have Cablevision but you're not in Nassau or Suffolk, just:

1. Turn to Channel 612
    
   
2. Click on "NEWS"
    
   
3. Arrow over to, and select "Other Regions"
    
   
4. Select "Long Island"
    
   
5. Click on "iO Extra"
   

Both Interviews should be somewhere within the first 2 or 3 "pages" or so.

Setzer know's his stuff. Any (bus)transit fan would like the interviews.

Lets not brag about ppl liking ideas and just stick to the topic. I do think NICE will install new NICE stops along the N23/N27,N17,N43,N22/a/l/x,N25, and N15/N16 routes.

 

I think the N74 should be eliminated completly

I agree, the routes with changes will probably get signs first. Did you mean N24 instead of N25?

Are the unique parts of the N74 routing used? Which parts of the N73 are used? should they be merged?

Majority leader of the Nassau Legislature, some see him as Mangano's right hand man.

Lots of people here at the meeting.

IMO before you 'worry' about 24/7 service between Hicksville and Jamaica, i would be strongly pleading for a 1)'limited' n24 2)maintain at least weekday N78/79 old country road service. It almost a sure bet the N24 will be subject to frequent delays due to traffic on it's soon to be extended route to Hicksville. Plus there also the LIRR as well for overnight.

 

If anything the N20 should be a 24/7 Queens-Hicksville route since most of Northern Blvd and the North shore of Nassau County does not have a suitable alternative mass transit wise.

 

 

FYI. In past, during LIRR 'strikes' there was 24/7 bus service along the current N22/79 route between Hicksville and Jamica.

Old Country Road will maintain its 30 min headways with the N24 extension.

I don't believe that a N24 limited is needed as of yet, perhaps if the extension grows its ridership. As of now, riders know that if someone wants a quicker ride between Jamaica and the Old Country road area, then they should take the N22. Hillside Ave is mostly residential in Nassau so the N22 goes by with little stopping, it's basically limited for its western portion anyway.

To avoid 'confusion' for N6 and N22 riders IMO i think Veolia should take a page from staten island limited stop service. That is rename the 'express' portions the N90-N100's i.e N102=N22x N6=N106, etc.

I'm not sure what 'confusion' there would be between "N6" and " N6 Express", with the N22, there may be confusion because there are 4 'versions' but people have to stop being babied. Learn the routes and routings. Just like FastTrack, you don't know other subway lines? Learn them!

And sooner or later, for these new routes, NICE is going to have to make new bus stop signs. I wonder what they'll look like.

Same here.