Via Garibaldi 8

Oh yes, you can never satisfy everyone. Your comments about the Bx15/M125 split and the Q50 service levels... I have definitely heard people complaining about the new Q50 from Co-op City and the Bx23. Neither are reliable or don't run enough. That whole Bx15/M125 split is an example of eliminating options for riders. They felt too many lines ran across 125th and wanted people using one bus that wanted crosstown service. Serious cost savings, that's for sure. I just hope enough people spoke up. It's more tricky now with people working from home or hybrid. People are not as vocal. 1. You are just showing your ignorance here. lol A large majority of those cars using the HOV lane are single occupancy vehicles abusing it. They are using it because enforcement was lax for far too long. Finally we are seeing some enforcement, but it may be too late, as they try to avoid being caught. 2. That's true, but you are also in denial about more registrations and more people driving. That is happening too. NYCDOT does not need community input to do what they do. Most of what they are doing is a done deal and yes it is frustrating. They come to the community with a plan that they are set to implement, not a plan that they want the community to discuss and solicit feedback on. Sad but true. Community boards act as advisory only.

There is no set date, but when I asked just a few weeks ago, I was told that they planned on releasing it in the first half of this year. They are going through writing of schedules and a number of other things that they claim that want to get done and done right. To add to what you said, people will also have an opportunity to give feedback on this next draft and before anything is finalized as in voted on before the Board, I would expect some more changes. They are scaling back based on ridership feedback though and from the meetings where I presented in Queens, residents were not happy. Lots of discussions on the local bus side about the amount of bus stops up for removal for one, reduction in span and frequency was the other big thing and loss of transfer connections. For example the loss of the express transfer at Chevy Chase is something a number of people complained about. The meetings where I presented at were all in Northeast Queens and in College Point and Whitestone, I heard a lot about the Q25, Q65, etc. and how difficult it would be for people that would be forced into more transfers or longer commutes, including people that transfer to the express bus. I have also heard a lot of requests to keep the QM3 and I made that clear to the Senator I spoke with who represents that area.

You doubt it's true? You should ride along the Gowanus and see... Many mornings now there are more cars in the HOV lane than there are buses. Car registrations are also up significantly, so while you may doubt it, those are hard facts that cannot be denied. More people are driving all over the City. Furthermore, we're adding hundreds of thousands more people. Even if we were to assume that the majority of those people are using mass transit, even if there is just a small portion driving, that is still adding to the overall amount of vehicles on the road. Yes, I do agree that the DOT is narrowing streets and creating more congestion, but that isn't the only reason congestion is so bad. We have far more cars on the road. Now that I am work from home, I usually look to travel at times when there is less congestion, that means outside of rush hour and I notice how many cars are on the road. Yes, traffic moves, but the vehicular volumes are definitely high. 1. My point was that Vision Zero is an expensive program (even this current version - you notice most of the changes involve repaving and paint vs. hard barriers) and if the DOT was really not using a "blanket program" for each situation, the costs would be much higher. Everyone knows that each neighborhood is different in terms street layouts, etc. You have some areas that are on grids and other areas that are not. That obviously complicates things. Some streets are much wider to compensate for streets that are narrower. If you look at how the DOT has reconfigured the layout of a number of streets, they have tried to use street treatments that can be found across a wide segment of the City. Sometimes it doesn't work and they have to come back and do it again, as some streets are too narrow, but ideally, if Vision Zero was done correctly, you'd have an array of street treatment scenarios (in other words, more than the few that we have). I've always noticed that during discussions with DOT folks in private or during presentations that they mention or note that there are budget restrictions (of course there always are, but in other words, they imply that they have researched layout plans in advance and run the costs for them and thus we shouldn't expect a wide array of options). They come up with a few designs, know what the costs are and that is that. That makes it easier to avoid cost overruns, something they struggled with under the previous administration. 2. Yes, there are many novice drivers. I recall reading somewhere that a sizable number of people were getting cars for the first time, so either new drivers or people that had a license, but maybe didn't drive much before that are driving more. There are number of New Yorkers that occasionally drive, so none of this surprises me. 3. Because the Van Wyck has been dealing chronic congestion... That's a perfect example of the vehicular congestion I was speaking of. A number of Queens express bus commuters have complained about this some days. Re: incentivizing people, I spoke with the a few weeks ago about these redesigns. I've been very outspoken and critical about them and their push for congestion pricing. One of the people I deal with has been quite involved with the latest revisions and I've been giving them an earful, both by phone and by e-mail. These redesigns are supposed to improve connections and the overall bus network, and they should include keeping or expanding the spans, as well as the frequencies. That hasn't been happening. I've also spoken with some elected officials out in Queens and elsewhere and we've come to a similar consensus that the previous drafts haven't gone far enough. The has said that these are only drafts and that that's why we need feedback, so I've been sure to give them plenty, not just in terms of my thoughts, but what others are saying in my group. Queens residents have been very upset and outspoken. Furthermore, while I did commend the for expanding CityTicket and making it cheaper within NYC, I told them that it doesn't go far enough. There are no free transfers for the railroads to the bus or subway, and if you live far out in an area with no subway, not everyone is going to Penn Station or Grand Central, so for those people, CityTicket is useless. I have had a number of conference calls where I have complained that there needs to be fare capping included for all bus riders, something that currently only exists for local bus riders. They are going to have to be far more aggressive in winning back riders, from more attractive fares to an overall better customer experience. Their real-time Customer Service also leaves a lot to be desired, especially if you need info on things like a missing bus. They often times can't tell you if the bus is coming or not. Just crazy. I'm like but you're with the ... How do you not know where your own buses are? 4. Of course. There are some trips that make more sense by car. That's why I noted earlier that I do get around by car and by transit. Some trips are just easier by car. 5. Buses are losing ridership for a number of reasons. Speed is one factor. The other thing is you have transplants moving here (generally high income individuals - you have to be to afford to live here) that simply don't view the bus as something they should take. If they do take it, it may be because it happens to be there, but they will easily hop into a cab or an Uber/Lyft if one isn't coming or get picked up. Maybe they'll use the subway, and even that has been hit or miss. You have many people now that no longer work in the office every day. That means that if they only go in twice or three times, it may be cheaper for them to drive AND they may not work the same hours, so these are two reasons that people may feel the need to not use public transit, myself included. Compared to what I was spending on public transit, I'm lucky if I spend a $100 a month now and that's between the express bus and railroad. Since I don't need to travel at rush hour the times that I do travel, that also makes it very enticing to just go by car, and that's what more people are doing now. I know a lady that works on the Upper East. Before she took the express bus and then the subway. Now she drives every day. Her hours are more flexible and she has parking. Another lady that works by Hudson Yards only has to come in twice a week. She also drives those days and parks.

The answer is yes. I could've told you that. A number of schedules have been elongated because speeds were decreased and some drivers absolutely made a stink about it, saying they were running too far behind schedule.

Yeah, this issue is now a countrywide problem. Lots of transit agencies are grappling with ridership losses, so the congestion is being felt in a number of cities. I was out today in Manhattan. The amount of vehicular congestion on some blocks was just insane. Traffic was moving, but it took quite a while before you could cross on some streets.

The way to mitigate it is to improve public transportation. The City is not built to withstand the amount of vehicular congestion we are seeing, so the City and DOT are essentially coming up with hostile ways to disincentivize people driving. Traffic has skyrocketed on the BQE because more people stopped using public transportation and are instead DRIVING. That is a fact. I know quite a few people that used to take the express bus into Manhattan that now drive every day. If you lose ten people that stop taking public transportation that now drive, unless they carpool, that's now ten cars on the road that didn't exist before. As someone who gets around by car and public transit, there is a place for cars and a place for public transit and right now because public transit has deteriorated, we are seeing a shift to insane vehicular traffic, and WFH and the hybrid schedule are both exacerbating that problem. Adding lanes induces more vehicular usage. This has been shown time and time again. The reason lanes are being constricted is because you have too many people driving recklessly on the road. That coupled with pedestrians, cyclists, etc. means lots more accidents. We've also had a lot more streetcar racing, which has exacerbated the safety problem. While I don't fully agree with narrowing the streets, I do understand the reason. If more common sense was used, these measures likely wouldn't be as drastic as they have been, but traffic related fatalities have continued to increase. The lights are not synched on purpose. That's all part of the Vision Zero program, which deters speeding. You can't travel at high speeds if you have to stop every so many blocks. Furthermore, to actually envision the plan that DOT wants would cost much much more, so they've taken a blanket approach Citywide in an attempt to keep costs down. You take one or two designs. You examine the costs for those two options and then you expand it. That's pretty much what is happening, and the DOT has been very clear about this approach when re-designing streets. The goal is to deter speeding and decrease fatalities first and foremost. P.S. NYC is now the most congested in the country. Sorry, but registrations for cars here in NYC has definitely increased. That is a fact - a 40% increase back in 2021. https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/new-york-car-ownership-jumps-nearly-40-as-pandemic-creates-mass-transit-worries/ That trend has not stopped either, as NYC now has the worst congestion in the country.

If you mean not from personal cars, that was true. At one point, personal cars at least going into Manhattan had decreased, but during the pandemic, many people bought cars. Putting personal cars aside, just the sheer volume of for-hire vehicles alone creates a ton of congestion. NYC is the most congested in the US. Some of the congestion is due to Vision Zero, but some is indeed due to sheer volume. https://pix11.com/news/local-news/nyc-worst-traffic-in-country-study-finds/

The only seats that should still be blocked off are the first front row seats only on each side (right and left) on the new express buses only because the has not completed the legroom adjustment yet with all of those buses, as each bus has to be sent back to Prevost and they were delayed getting the equipment needed to fix them with COVID (I'm pretty sure a sizable amount of parts are from China, and China was shut down for quite a while with their whole "zero" COVID stance). That is something that should be done in the next few months if not sooner, assuming that they've been doing the five or so buses that I was told was getting fixed roughly each day (the total express bus order is over 300 buses if memory serves me correctly). What's happening now is some bus operators are either bringing their own chains OR having maintenance put chains on express buses that have no seat adjustment issues (all of the old MCIs and old Prevosts (non blue express buses) should have all seats open) OR they bring all of this crap on the bus from their car (water coolers and all of this nonsense that isn't needed, or if it is, should be stored in the overhead bins - taking up three rows for that as I saw earlier on is insane, as that is easily six seats unavailable for use). Those are fairly easy to identify, as those express buses are not the blue ones. What is unacceptable is having people paying $6.75 and having to stand when there are seats open, but are being blocked by the bus operators. I have reported it every time I've seen it and I've seen improvements. College Point is probably the worst of the offenders just because of the sheer amount of bus operators and lines, but people in my group have definitely been posting it or DMing me and it is being reported and we'll continue to do so. Those seats are supposed to be available for everyone, but especially those who are elderly or have mobility impairments. I was on a BxM2 a few months ago. Lady gets on with a walker. Driver had one seat blocked with his bag. Didn't bother to move it, so she had to struggle and find a seat further back. There are a few passengers that see nothing wrong with it because they aren't the ones having to stand or aren't disabled, so of course they don't care, but overall, most passengers care and some have said that they would absolutely confront the driver and move their things if they insisted on blocking seats on packed buses. Not too long ago, they had an undercover on a Staten Island express bus one morning. Driver told the guy he couldn't sit in the first row and the undercover guy made it clear that if he gave him a hard time he'd have a problem, so the driver had the nerve to say that he asked him nicely. LOL Makes no difference... The seats are for sitting in.

What a ridiculous comment. In NYC we are in a housing crisis, so we need all of the housing we can get and we need to keep what we have. Eminent domain is not something that is just thrown around and in the past it has been used to destroy entire neighborhoods that have never recovered. You get a pass because you are young, so obviously you don't see the big picture, but still. ---- On another note, quite a few people don't know how to use eminent domain correctly. in this thread. There is no such thing as "eminent domained". lol

You'd be surprised by how little time people leave to get from point A to point B. There are the people that always try to meet the bus and then complain if it is a few minutes late. They have their commute mapped out as to how long they think it should take in their head vs. the actual amount of time needed.

If you're waiting a long time, yes. I'll use myself as an example. A few days ago I went to the City. My commute was over an hour coming home because traffic was heavy due to Biden being in town (without traffic it can be 40 - 45 minutes). When thinking about my total travel time, I didn't immediately factor in my walk to the express bus, nor the wait, though technically I should have. The walk was maybe 8-10 minutes and the wait about five minutes. I always factor that in when planning my trip to and from, but necessarily count it in my actual travel time. Weird I know. I think part of that is because I already give myself extra time either way in case of delays.

He's technically correct. I think most people don't always factor in the time to get to a stop because for most trips, the walks aren't that egregious. At most, maybe it's ten minutes to a bus stop. The focus tends to be on the actual time spent on the bus.

I had a union rep. from that depot in my group. Had to give him the boot. Arrogant and rude. Said that most of the customers' complaints were "BS". That should tell you all you want to know. Since they have a lot of routes, they don't think they need to do anything to ensure that riders are provided good service.

Yeah that's not it. They're just using the situation to block off seats because they don't want people near then, but not because of COVID.

The contract with the supplier ended and that cost has already been added as a savings. You can always leave feedback to the but it is unlikely to return.

It's out of control. I had a driver confront me the other day while I was waiting for the bus. He pulls up at the stop and opens the door where I'm standing and starts asking which bus I take I guess to see if it matched up, then said that I said he had an attitude problem (which is true). I honestly didn't remember since so many of them do these days. I said very non-chalantly... Oh ok and just crossed my arms as I was waiting for my bus. In other words, if I said it, then that's what it is and I wasn't getting into about it with him either. If he would've stepped off of the bus and confronted me, then we would've had a problem, but he stayed on and moved on. There are only a handful of drivers that I bother to speak to anymore that I've known that are cool and professional over the years, otherwise I don't bother. These guys don't get it... If there are no passengers, service is cut. Too many guys driving by stops, changing signs to NOT IN SERVICE, while in service, etc. to avoid picking up passengers and blocking off seats. On some buses, people have had to stand and they haven't been thrilled about it either when there are seats open, but the driver refuses to let people sit in them.

They are two different branches. X37 is Midtown only and only during rush hours on weekdays in the peak direction. The X27 is actually several branches... The X27 lets call it "C" for combo does the Downtown and Midtown, the X27 "A" Downtown and the X27 "B" up to 23rd St. This will be addressed in the redesign. BM7 (Downtown), BM7C (Downtown & Midtown) and BM37 (Midtown only).

Thank you for speaking up. The problem has improved, but College Point continues to be an issue and since it is a larger express depot, more drivers out there than other depots. I will send yours over.

That's very interesting about the B49 being terminated at Emmons Av (I assume in front of what was IS 43)? I went there when I was in junior high school and I can't imagine the B49 not going into Manhattan Beach since Manhattan Beach and Sheepshead Bay are so connected. Most of the kids then lived in Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach or Brighton Beach, with some living as far as Sea Gate or Coney Island. I was good friends with quite a few kids in Manhattan Beach. We all either walked or took the B49, or sometimes I took the B4 depending on where I was going. You also are correct about that stop being by the escalator. The of today does not think of such things. Not proactive, but rather reactive... As an example, they proposed to re-route some buses in one redesign using a parkway, but never reached out to DOT about receiving permission to do so (they made it clear that they would need DOT's permission in the draft plan) or creating any HOV lanes to ensure that bus service moved accordingly. When I mentioned it to the senior planners in a meeting, they looked completely stunned, as if no one had thought about it. lol

Here's a question I have for you... Why has there been such inconsistent distances between local bus stops in NYC historically? I never understood having some stops where you have a bus stop literally a block away. Something else I wonder about is has the ever tried to sabotage local bus service when they've introduced limited stop service? I remember years ago waiting at a local bus stop and wondering where all the local buses were because nothing but limited stop buses were passing me by. I support some bus stop consolidations, but I also am acutely aware of the fact that removing too many of them could deter ridership. Yes, people want faster service, but there are also a number of people that take the local buses because they don't or can't walk as far, and that is something that the absolutely must consider. Now I am an able bodied individual that is used to walking several blocks to get my express bus, but if I am talking the local bus in Manhattan, I am doing so with the goal of not walking that much, If I wanted to do a ton of walking, I'd take the subway, so there needs to be a balance found between speed and convenience. We actually have a service like this in my neighborhood that was introduced. It sounds great if you live near one of the locations where they have a rental parked, but often times, you have to either take a bus or a taxi to get to the rental, so it is not all that convenient and it can defeat the purpose of even renting the car in the first place, especially if the car doesn't work and you have to go elsewhere to find one that does (apparently common from what I have heard and read lol). Personally I'm either driving or taking transit (not interested in any rental services), but because parking is such a pain, they are trying out these rental services to try to get people who only drive occasionally to consider selling/giving up their car.

To be honest with you, I ignored the last part of the letter when they initially e-mailed me with it (of course I read it, but didn't really zero in) because in my mind I wanted an HOV lane first and foremost and we actually argued about it in the Assemblyman's office. That letter more than anything was a way of placating me. He also wrote another letter supporting my request calling for an audit to be performed on express bus service back then, something we also discussed. Back then I had been in direct communication with Comptroller Scott Stringer's office (they finally did perform another express bus audit on my behalf recently before he left office). We didn't discuss where an HOV lane would even start or end because some sections are too narrow, so once it became clear that an HOV lane likely wasn't possible (and I was not happy about it either because back then sometimes we'd crawl 30 minutes on the Deegan for a section that should take ten), that's when he said he would ask DOT to perform a study on how to improve the flow, but that was at the end of the meeting, and even then we did not discuss the Bruckner or the Cross Bronx. Most of the congestion/back-up comes from the GWB, which the latest construction on the Deegan should address. This (an HOV lane on the Deegan) is something I have pushed for off and on over the years, even writing to then Cuomo's office, who claimed that congestion along the Deegan was not as issue, which is absurd. I have never given much thought to where one would start and end, but obviously something that covers the BxM1, BXM2, BxM3 & BxM18 lines, which don't use the Deegan to the City border. All I can say is that I hope the current work is done sooner rather than later because they have been working on the Deegan since before the pandemic. It seems to be never ending. @Lawrence St I realize I didn't give background originally when I answered your question about an HOV lane, but this is the gist of everything.

The detour is in place long-term. I didn't post it here since I didn't think it was relevant, but it is posted in the group. There was a meeting about it a few weeks ago with my community board. It's a State DOT project to repair the retaining walls along Henry Hudson Parkway West from roughly W 235th St to W 231st St. NYSDOT estimates that it will be done sometime in Fall of 2024. This will not impact the other side of the parkway. Photos below are mine. The detour is after W 239th St until Kappock and Independence. Buses will not track until the bus turns on Kappock, which is part of the regular route. Yeah this one will be until next year. The retaining walls are starting to lean and they need to be fixed. As for your other comment, I can inquire. BusTime is starting to become old enough now that apparently certainly upgrades are not available. For example, they cannot link maps of detours even when the say "See Link" in the BusTime alerts on BusTime. What I can tell you is one reason for that is programming. From previous discussions I've had with the about buses not tracking or having service run that was trackable, the tracking is tied to the actual bus schedules, which are loaded into BusTime, so for example, a few years ago, when the agreed to run an earlier BxM9, they told me it would run, but not be trackable since it wasn't part of the actual schedule at that time. It technically was just the regular 4:45am trip, but since it wasn't loaded into BusTime, it couldn't track. This was during the pandemic, and I forget what the circumstances were as to why they weren't running that trip regularly at the time.

Interested in knowing the same...

You weren't at the meeting to know what was discussed and I don't need you to break it down to me. I met with my Assemblyman to discuss the Deegan, specifically the feasibility of an HOV lane. We didn't discuss "the area in question", which is why I said that I don't know why he stated what he did, not because I don't understand what he's saying. I'm going to ask you to stop tagging me. I'm not interested in speaking with you.

Correction.... I made a typo... I meant to write that I've seen the Bruckner referred to as I-287 on a number of occasions. Not sure why that is. https://urbanedge.propertycapsule.com/web/property/68a63fb317c5f1a0e54f730b2898d9f2-a0f4d791b871b46d933954e204bffcc5#overview