Staten Island Division: 2010 and beyond

[LRG]

They probably would if the S78 was not running at night.

 

Let's see what happens when the +SBS comes to light for the S79 since it's still on the table. It'd make more sense to run the S79 at night than the S78 since the S79 is more frequent than the S78 anyway during the day.

[S78 via Hylan]

Let's see what happens when the +SBS comes to light for the S79 since it's still on the table. It'd make more sense to run the S79 at night than the S78 since the S79 is more frequent than the S78 anyway during the day.

 

I agree.

[checkmatechamp13]

Here's a radical idea-combine the S42 and S54.

 

The route could run via the current S54 route until Broadway/Henderson Avenue. It could then turn down Henderson Avenue until Lafayette Avenue, take Lafayette Avenue to Brighton Avenue, and then continue along the current S42 route.

 

The benefits would be:

Provides service to Henderson Avenue between Broadway and Bement Avenue

Helps out the S46/S96 near West Brighton.

Increases ridership on the S54 as people along Manor Road would see that they have a direct route to the ferry.

Makes the S42 less duplicative with the S52, as it will have its own separate purpose. The S52 would take riders going south and the S42 would take riders going west.

[Santa Fe via Willow]

I also think that the S93 should have midday service.

 

:tup:

 

 

I rather combine the S 42/60...Have that bus run from St-marks/ferry to the colleges.

 

:tup: Good idea. More efficient & a much shorter run than the nu66.

 

 

I think running some routes on expressways is an idea that should be considered.

 

One idea is to have the S46/S96 run from the West Shore Plaza, down the West Shore Expressway to Arthur Kill Road, and then go down Hugenot Avenue to Hylan Blvd.

This would provide a North Shore-South Shore route on the western side of Staten Island (some of the plans for the West Shore Light Rail have it running down the West Shore Expressway, so I feel there should be some form of transit on the West Shore Expressway before the train comes), as well as a north-south route to connect to the Staten Island Railway at Hugenot. (The S74 and S78 parallel the SIR, but don't intersect)

 

:tup: Good idea. I like the thinking here.

 

Here's a radical idea-combine the S42 and S54.

 

The route could run via the current S54 route until Broadway/Henderson Avenue. It could then turn down Henderson Avenue until Lafayette Avenue, take Lafayette Avenue to Brighton Avenue, and then continue along the current S42 route.

 

The benefits would be:

Provides service to Henderson Avenue between Broadway and Bement Avenue

Helps out the S46/S96 near West Brighton.

Increases ridership on the S54 as people along Manor Road would see that they have a direct route to the ferry.

Makes the S42 less duplicative with the S52, as it will have its own separate purpose. The S52 would take riders going south and the S42 would take riders going west.

 

:tup: I like it.

 

Plus it would resurrect weekend 54 service.

[checkmatechamp13]

:tup:

 

 

 

 

:tup: Good idea. More efficient & a much shorter run than the nu66.

 

 

 

 

:tup: Good idea. I like the thinking here.

 

 

 

:tup: I like it.

 

Plus it would resurrect weekend 54 service.

 

I don't really like the S42/S60 idea. First off, it would cost a lot more money than simply sending the S66 down to Grymes Hill. I think weekend service should be considered for the S66 (to serve Grymes Hill, in addition to Westerleigh) before some kind of combination with the S42 is considered. I think the people on Grymes Hill appreciate a straight ride down Victory Blvd to St George rather than looping around the hills of New Brighton.

Combining the S42 with the S54 is actually more logical. My logic was that they are both weekday-only routes (as a result of the reductions) that really don't see a whole lot of ridership. The S54 goes through lower-density areas where the majority of the households own cars, and the S42 duplicates the S52. The new S42 (or S54) would be better than the 2 routes separately because it gives each section of the route a purpose and lures people away from other routes that seem more attractive. (The S66 parallels the S54 and actually goes directly to the SI Ferry, unlike the S54, and the S52 runs towards Stapleton, Rosebank, South Beach, and Midland Beach, making it more popular than the S42). As far as weekend service for these routes goes, I'm not sure if ridership would be high enough to warrant it.

 

The 2 options that could be put on the table for weekend restoration are:

1) The S42/S54 combo route

2) The S60/S66 combo route.

 

Both routes pass through Westerleigh, filling in the gap between the S53 and S57, and both serve one hilly section of SI (the S42 serves New Brighton and the S60 serves Grymes Hill).

 

Personally, I feel that the S66 would be a better use of resources because it is shorter, and, therefore, cheaper to run. The S54 really doesn't get a lot of ridership on the South Shore, and the neighborhoods on the North Shore are better covered (the S46/S96 need more help on weekdays than weekends).

[S78 via Hylan]

I don't really like the S42/S60 idea. First off, it would cost a lot more money than simply sending the S66 down to Grymes Hill. I think weekend service should be considered for the S66 (to serve Grymes Hill, in addition to Westerleigh) before some kind of combination with the S42 is considered. I think the people on Grymes Hill appreciate a straight ride down Victory Blvd to St George rather than looping around the hills of New Brighton.

Combining the S42 with the S54 is actually more logical. My logic was that they are both weekday-only routes (as a result of the reductions) that really don't see a whole lot of ridership. The S54 goes through lower-density areas where the majority of the households own cars, and the S42 duplicates the S52. The new S42 (or S54) would be better than the 2 routes separately because it gives each section of the route a purpose and lures people away from other routes that seem more attractive. (The S66 parallels the S54 and actually goes directly to the SI Ferry, unlike the S54, and the S52 runs towards Stapleton, Rosebank, South Beach, and Midland Beach, making it more popular than the S42). As far as weekend service for these routes goes, I'm not sure if ridership would be high enough to warrant it.

 

The 2 options that could be put on the table for weekend restoration are:

1) The S42/S54 combo route

2) The S60/S66 combo route.

 

Both routes pass through Westerleigh, filling in the gap between the S53 and S57, and both serve one hilly section of SI (the S42 serves New Brighton and the S60 serves Grymes Hill).

 

Personally, I feel that the S66 would be a better use of resources because it is shorter, and, therefore, cheaper to run. The S54 really doesn't get a lot of ridership on the South Shore, and the neighborhoods on the North Shore are better covered (the S46/S96 need more help on weekdays than weekends).

 

I like the S42/S54 combo idea, the only thing I have to say is that the S60/S66 combo could work, but then again, the S60 barely had any passengers in the weekends, plus it would duplicate the S61 and S62 routes since they don't get a lot of ridership on weekends.

[Kerri78rider]

I like the 60/66 combo because i thought the Grymes hill shuttle should've been a AM/PM rush hour bus only since that's when it gets the most people. Also, the Petrides kids can have a bus instead of walking all the way down to Victory Blvd or walking to the 53 because the 53 is already overcrowded.. that's causing more chatos on the 53.

 

If they bring the Grymes hill shuttle back, i think they should put the 66 back on victory blvd the whole time during rush hour, because you don't need 2 buses going up to Grymes hill at the same time.

 

Just like how the 52 should go down the Terrace up to the Jersey during rush hour because they have the 42 doing the AM/PM rush hour, and there is no reason they need 2 buses going up to curtis and mckee at the same time.

 

The 59 should go out to tottenville all day instead of just rush hour and have the 78s last stop at Richmond Ave. and i agree with the 93 being an all day route.

[S78 via Hylan]

I like the 60/66 combo because i thought the Grymes hill shuttle should've been a AM/PM rush hour bus only since that's when it gets the most people. Also, the Petrides kids can have a bus instead of walking all the way down to Victory Blvd or walking to the 53 because the 53 is already overcrowded.. that's causing more chatos on the 53.

 

If they bring the Grymes hill shuttle back, i think they should put the 66 back on victory blvd the whole time during rush hour, because you don't need 2 buses going up to Grymes hill at the same time.

 

Just like how the 52 should go down the Terrace up to the Jersey during rush hour because they have the 42 doing the AM/PM rush hour, and there is no reason they need 2 buses going up to curtis and mckee at the same time.

 

The 59 should go out to tottenville all day instead of just rush hour and have the 78s last stop at Richmond Ave. and i agree with the 93 being an all day route.

I like the 59/78 idea, but I'm not to sure about the S42/S52 idea because the purpose of the S52 reroute was to reduce the duplication on the terrace and note that the S42 and S52 only arrive at the same time during the PM rush hour.

What they could have done was make the S42 and S52 alternate every 15 minutes instead of waiting for 2 buses to show at the same time, this way there isn't too many buses on the Terrace and on St. Marks Pl.

[LRG]

The 59 should go out to tottenville all day instead of just rush hour and have the 78s last stop at Richmond Ave. and i agree with the 93 being an all day route.

 

That seems like a good idea, swapping the S59/S78 southern terminal roles. The S59 could run to Tottenville all day, while the S78 could terminate at Richmond Avenue but have it extended to Tottenville during rush hours. That could help make the S59 a late-night route once again since there really needs to be a bus route that connects the northern and southern parts of Staten Island at night. In addition, Hylan Boulevard residents west of Richmond Avenue could benefit someway with such a change...if they want service to the ferry terminal (outside of rush hour), take the S59 to the train. Just have the schedules for the bus interline with the train so passengers won't have to wait more than 10 minutes for a train. Their commute would be speeded up rather than dealing with the constant starting and stopping with buses.

[BJC]

I like the 60/66 combo because i thought the Grymes hill shuttle should've been a AM/PM rush hour bus only since that's when it gets the most people. Also, the Petrides kids can have a bus instead of walking all the way down to Victory Blvd or walking to the 53 because the 53 is already overcrowded.. that's causing more chatos on the 53.

 

If they bring the Grymes hill shuttle back, i think they should put the 66 back on victory blvd the whole time during rush hour, because you don't need 2 buses going up to Grymes hill at the same time.

 

Just like how the 52 should go down the Terrace up to the Jersey during rush hour because they have the 42 doing the AM/PM rush hour, and there is no reason they need 2 buses going up to curtis and mckee at the same time.

 

The 59 should go out to tottenville all day instead of just rush hour and have the 78s last stop at Richmond Ave. and i agree with the 93 being an all day route.

 

The S 42 is a useless route....they better off sending this route to an area where it doesn't have any bus service at all.

 

 

I don't really like the S42/S60 idea. First off, it would cost a lot more money than simply sending the S66 down to Grymes Hill. I think weekend service should be considered for the S66 (to serve Grymes Hill, in addition to Westerleigh) before some kind of combination with the S42 is considered. I think the people on Grymes Hill appreciate a straight ride down Victory Blvd to St George rather than looping around the hills of New Brighton.

 

S 42/60 idea will not be looping around St Marks area....Grymes hil->ferry->then to New Brigton...and the people still have a one seat ride,even though looping around New Brighton isn't a bad idea it will take buses off Victory and besides the S 66 going through Grymes hill isn't picking up an human person maybe picking up two people and sometimes none!since you don't like that idea about merge the 42/67?this route going run during rush hour...

[checkmatechamp13]

I like the 60/66 combo because i thought the Grymes hill shuttle should've been a AM/PM rush hour bus only since that's when it gets the most people. Also, the Petrides kids can have a bus instead of walking all the way down to Victory Blvd or walking to the 53 because the 53 is already overcrowded.. that's causing more chatos on the 53.

 

If they bring the Grymes hill shuttle back, i think they should put the 66 back on victory blvd the whole time during rush hour, because you don't need 2 buses going up to Grymes hill at the same time.

 

Just like how the 52 should go down the Terrace up to the Jersey during rush hour because they have the 42 doing the AM/PM rush hour, and there is no reason they need 2 buses going up to curtis and mckee at the same time.

 

The 59 should go out to tottenville all day instead of just rush hour and have the 78s last stop at Richmond Ave. and i agree with the 93 being an all day route.

 

I thought Petrides had special buses for the S53 and S74 routes. Maybe they could expand those buses to the morning.

I doubt they will bring back the S60. I generally don't like shuttle-type routes, since they always require a transfer.

I think it is simpler to have buses follow the same route at all times. That way you avoid the scenario: It's 6PM and I'm on the hill on St Marks Place. Should I wait for the S52 over here or walk down to Richmond Terrace?

 

The S 42 is a useless route....they better off sending this route to an area where it doesn't have any bus service at all.

 

 

 

S 42/60 idea will not be looping around St Marks area....Grymes hil->ferry->then to New Brigton...and the people still have a one seat ride,even though looping around New Brighton isn't a bad idea it will take buses off Victory and besides the S 66 going through Grymes hill isn't picking up an human person maybe picking up two people and sometimes none!since you don't like that idea about merge the 42/67?this route going run during rush hour...

 

But the problem isn't just a one-seat ride. It is how fast and direct the ride is. On the subway, you always see people running from the local to the express because it is faster, even if the local gives them a one-seat ride.

By the way, I don't understand your route. Grymes Hill to the SI Ferry directly is what the S66 does now.

Merging 2 routes and having them pass through the SI Ferry would be a scheduling nightmare because you wouldn't be able to schedule the bus to both meet the departing ferry and the arriving ferry without it sitting in the terminal for 10 minutes.

For example: A ferry departs at 5:30PM to Manhattan. A bus from New Brighton enters the terminal at 5:25PM. Now the bus has to sit in the terminal because it has to wait for the people from the ferry to get to the bus. You might as well leave them as 2 separate routes if you want to do it like that, which still means that the S66 to Grymes Hill is the most cost-effective way of getting people from Grymes Hill to the ferry.

 

I like the S42/S54 combo idea, the only thing I have to say is that the S60/S66 combo could work, but then again, the S60 barely had any passengers in the weekends, plus it would duplicate the S61 and S62 routes since they don't get a lot of ridership on weekends.

One of my other ideas was to have the S91 replace the S61 on Saturdays. The S66 would be able to provide supplementary local service with the S62.

[BJC]

where this petrides school is located?

[S78 via Hylan]

where this petrides school is located?

 

If you take the S53 bus to Clove Rd and Milford Drive by the Staten Island Expressway and walk down Milford, Petredes HS is there.

[checkmatechamp13]

Here's another couple of ideas:

 

Extend the S52 down Seaview Avenue to Richmond Road to serve the Dongan Hills SIR station, as well as the Berry Houses.

 

Revive the X18, but extend it to serve Todt Hill by going down Todt Hill Road.

[aemoreira81]

Another idea: Convert the S55 and S56 to flex-ride services using a private contractor where the bus can flex up to 1/2 of a mile off the route.

 

Smaller vehicles would be used. The same concept could be tried in other parts of the MTA region too.

 

As for Todt Hill Road, I would propose a minibus service as follows for weekdays and Saturdays, 2 buses on the route (1 each way) from 6 AM to 7 PM weekdays and 9 AM to 5 PM on Saturdays using only one bus:

 

Begin route at St. John's University, Staten Island. Down Howard Avenue to Clove Road. Left at Clove to Victory Boulevard. Left at Victory Boulevard to Slosson Avenue. Left on Slosson, becomes Todt Hill Road.

 

Now, flex service would be available with a 1-day advance notice to any location on Ocean Terrace west of Portsmouth Avenue, or within the Todt Hill neighborhood. Buses would exit Todt Hill via Richmond Road and Todt Hill Road, making a right, and then would run as follows:

 

Left at Midland Avenue, right on Hylan, to Tysens Lane, and end. Return to SJU SI via same route (except Lincoln Avenue instead of Midland Avenue). The major focus would be getting Todt Hill residents to the Hylan Boulevard shopping district.

[Santa Fe via Willow]

BTW, having ridden down Todt Hill Road, I can see why the MTA will not put a bus route on that street; it has too many sharp curves.

 

That & all the Richie Rich's who live there. I'm sure they don't want & won't "allow" bus routes to run up & down Todt Hill Rd.

[aemoreira81]

That & all the Richie Rich's who live there. I'm sure they don't want & won't "allow" bus routes to run up & down Todt Hill Rd.

 

If there was such a way to block it in the past, it expired in 2007. (There are other areas where I would try this, but it is not on this particular topic.)

[SIR North Shore]

The S98 should be re-routed and extended to the Elizabeth NJT train station. Once it's off the Goethals Bridge, it would be a short 5 minute ride down Bayway Avenue and S Broad Street.

[aemoreira81]

The S98 should be re-routed and extended to the Elizabeth NJT train station. Once it's off the Goethals Bridge, it would be a short 5 minute ride down Bayway Avenue and S Broad Street.

 

Sort of disagree. Actually, I think it should be a new route - the S99, which would operate to Jersey Gardens and IKEA Elizabeth instead. In SI, it would operate, then operate via Forest to Morningstar Road, and then then Richmond Terrace.

 

How it would be funded: During the day, every other S40 run would become an S99; alternate trips would be short-turns that end at Western Avenue.

[checkmatechamp13]

That & all the Richie Rich's who live there. I'm sure they don't want & won't "allow" bus routes to run up & down Todt Hill Rd.

 

That's why I suggested an express bus route be sent there instead of a local. That way, residents won't complain about what they see as lower class of people coming into thei neighborhood. Also, I can see by how inefficient the S54 is that a local route in that area wouldn't get much usage, especially in the least densely populated and richest part of Todt Hill.

 

Sort of disagree. Actually, I think it should be a new route - the S99, which would operate to Jersey Gardens and IKEA Elizabeth instead. In SI, it would operate, then operate via Forest to Morningstar Road, and then then Richmond Terrace.

 

How it would be funded: During the day, every other S40 run would become an S99; alternate trips would be short-turns that end at Western Avenue.

 

How about an express bus from the Staten Island Mall or Eltingville Transit Center to Newark Penn Station, serving the Elizabeth Rail station and Newark Airport? During rush hours, some runs could operate directly to each of the 3 destinations. This would probably be much mor efficient than the other express routes because of the shorter distance.

By the way, if the S40 was to be extended to NJ, itwuld probably get a lot more ridership in Mariners' Harbor. Currently, it is dead west of South Avenue.

[Shortline Bus]

The S98 should be re-routed and extended to the Elizabeth NJT train station. Once it's off the Goethals Bridge, it would be a short 5 minute ride down Bayway Avenue and S Broad Street.

 

Why? People from SI actually work in Jersey City so this service is needed. As i stated before, a new separte bus line running between Elizabeth/Newark connecting w/ (NJT) is vital. It could run every 20 minutes rush hours and 30-60 minutes all other times.

[checkmatechamp13]

Why? People from SI actually work in Jersey City so this service is needed. As i stated before, a new separte bus line running between Elizabeth/Newark connecting w/ (NJT) is vital. It could run every 20 minutes rush hours and 30-60 minutes all other times.

 

I don't see what this has to do with Jersey City.

 

The S89 runs along Richmond Avenue to Bayonne, NJ, to connect with the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to Jersey City.

The S98 runs along Forest Avenue and does not leave Staten Island.

His idea didn't involve either route. It involved extending the S40/S90 to Elizabeth, NJ, which is very similar to your idea, so I don't see why you are questioning him.

[aemoreira81]

Two other ideas I have:

 

1. Adding midday service to the S89, operating every hour. Also, some S89 service during the rush hour should begin or end at the Eltingville Transit Center.

2. A new route from downtown Perth Amboy to Staten Island Mall, operating weekdays and Saturdays...possibly as an extension of the S55 or via Drumgoole Road. In New Jersey, the route would operate via Amboy Avenue and terminate at the railroad station.

 

Such would come at the cost of some of the lower-used express bus routes elsewhere in the city.

 

As for the ideas that I mentioned, along with the S89, to me, these routes should be issued as a single contract.

[SIR North Shore]

Sort of disagree. Actually, I think it should be a new route - the S99, which would operate to Jersey Gardens and IKEA Elizabeth instead. In SI, it would operate, then operate via Forest to Morningstar Road, and then then Richmond Terrace.

 

How it would be funded: During the day, every other S40 run would become an S99; alternate trips would be short-turns that end at Western Avenue.

 

I can't see that happening. I just want a rush hour only route where Staten Islanders can also use the NJT Northeast Corridor line as an alternative. And I say Forest Avenue because it has a bigger market than Richmond Terrace as you suggested.

 

And the S98 is good because when it runs, there's usually 2 S98s that depart simultaneously and follow each other to/from St. George.

 

BTW, extending the S55 or S56 to Perth Amboy is another great idea.

 

Also, the other day I rode the S54 around 12pm from Great Kills to west brighton and only 4 people including myself boarded. It mainly exists for the middle and high schools along it's route.

 

Just like how the 52 should go down the Terrace up to the Jersey during rush hour because they have the 42 doing the AM/PM rush hour, and there is no reason they need 2 buses going up to curtis and mckee at the same time.

 

Back when it was just the S42, there used to be 2 buses running down St Marks Place as well during rush hours. One for Clyde/Arnold and one to Forest/Havenwood.

[checkmatechamp13]

Another idea: Convert the S55 and S56 to flex-ride services using a private contractor where the bus can flex up to 1/2 of a mile off the route.

 

Smaller vehicles would be used. The same concept could be tried in other parts of the MTA region too.

 

As for Todt Hill Road, I would propose a minibus service as follows for weekdays and Saturdays, 2 buses on the route (1 each way) from 6 AM to 7 PM weekdays and 9 AM to 5 PM on Saturdays using only one bus:

 

Begin route at St. John's University, Staten Island. Down Howard Avenue to Clove Road. Left at Clove to Victory Boulevard. Left at Victory Boulevard to Slosson Avenue. Left on Slosson, becomes Todt Hill Road.

 

Now, flex service would be available with a 1-day advance notice to any location on Ocean Terrace west of Portsmouth Avenue, or within the Todt Hill neighborhood. Buses would exit Todt Hill via Richmond Road and Todt Hill Road, making a right, and then would run as follows:

 

Left at Midland Avenue, right on Hylan, to Tysens Lane, and end. Return to SJU SI via same route (except Lincoln Avenue instead of Midland Avenue). The major focus would be getting Todt Hill residents to the Hylan Boulevard shopping district.

 

I really don't like routes that are too flexible. First of all, a lot of riders on the S55/S56 are students, so you would have to equip the buses with fareboxes that accept Student MetroCards. Second of all, if the route is too flexible, you could end up delaying a lot of riders. (Imagine going from Tottenville High School to the SI Mall while having to backtrack to drop off other people. A 20 minute ride could take you 40 minutes).

The problem is that, there is only a lot of demand during school hours, so, maybe if this was done right, it could work off-hours, but during school hours it would be to much of a hassle.

As far as the Todt Hill service, I can't see it catching on. Most people in that neighborhood have cars and wouldn't be bothered with having to schedule a service.

Of course, the MTA would have to be willing to reimburse the operators, as these routes are very inefficient.

 

By the way, one idea for bringing a fixed-route service to Todt Hill (if there was ever the demand) would be to extend the S52 down Four Corners Road to Todt Hill Road.