News: Group worried about Nostrand Bus Rapid Transit

[BrooklynBus]

http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2010/05/19/brooklyn/courier-yn_brooklyn_front_page-bn_newb44_2010_05_21_bk.txt

 

 

Group worried about Nostrand Bus Rapid Transit

 

By Joe Maniscalco

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 9:08 PM EDT

 

A local panel is not convinced that a new, quicker Nostrand Avenue bus will benefit the community.

 

Members of Community Board 15 told MTA officials this week that despite claims of more frequent service and quicker commutes, converting the B44 into a Bus Rapid Transit line will only frustrate commuters and cost the neighborhood too much parking.

 

MTA officials insist that that B44 riders catching the bus at Emmons Avenue can expect to reach Flatbush Avenue four-to-eight-minutes sooner once the new system is in place, thanks to a new fare collection system that has riders pay before boarding the bus and dedicated bus lanes.

 

“How can the MTA consider a four minute time savings per trip significant while at the same time proposing service cuts claiming that an added five minutes per trip is insignificant?” asked Manhattan Beach resident Allan Rosen.

 

Neighbors are also worried too many riders will end up missing their connections because they will no longer be able to pay their fares once inside the bus.

 

MTA officials admitted that drivers on the BX12 bus route are instructed not to wait for commuters fumbling at bus stop fare boxes.

 

The MTA claims that, on a BRT route in the Bronx in use for the past two years, fare evasion is down, and revenues are up — although 6,000 tickets for fare evasion have been issued.

 

The MTA says Federal stimulus dollars are fueling the plan.

 

The full board will consider the MTA’s select bus plan for Nostrand Avenue next week.

 

Community Board 15’s next meeting will be held inside Kingsborough Community College’s faculty dining room on May 25 at 7 pm.

[NX Express]

Nostrand Avenue SBS is BS. Four minutes on the whole trip? Why...most people don't even ride two-thirds of the route!

[BrooklynBus]

You misunderstood something. The savings is four minutes for the average passenger. It's 19 minutes for the entire run for the nine miles.

[R110B]

Wirelessly posted via (Mozilla/5.0 (Danger hiptop 4.6; U; rv:1.7.12) Gecko/20050920)

 

didn't people think that when the Bx12SBS started it wasn't going to work like skeptics.

[B35 via Church]

I don't think it has to necessarily benefit the community... The Bx12 SBS didn't do that for the neighborhoods it serves in the Bronx... it won't do that for the M15 in Manhattan if & when SBS is put up on that route, IMO....

((In terms of buses, it's funny how poor transportation options can isolate (and even denigrate) some areas, but increasing transportation options doesn't do all that much for a certain community either, or at least, as much as one might expect it to.... so, go figure...))

 

When you begin an article like that, it gives off the impression that your sole purpose is to complain... that's exactly what I thought this article was gonna be comprised of (complaints), but on the contrary; as there were actually good pointers that was brought up w/i the article....

 

people started those skeptic tactics w/ the Bx12 b/c the general riding public didn't know what the heck a "SBS" was; so it was only natural for them to react that way.... Now that ppl. have an idea of what it is, it becomes easier to analyze (or nitpick) w/e con's such a service might bring forth....

 

All that said, I'm not in favor of SBS service, period... I still don't see what was so wrong w/ Bx12 LTD's that money had to be wasted; um, spent, on implementing pay-before-you-board systems @ certain bus stops & throwing a fancy new color design scheme on the buses themselves, but that's whatever....

 

SBS on the Bx12 didn't affect the physical routing of the Bx12 route itself... it's gonna do that w/ the B44.... That's the main problem I have with SBS service on the B44, regardless if locals will still run on New York av (so they say).....

[R110B]

Wirelessly posted via (Mozilla/5.0 (Danger hiptop 4.6; U; rv:1.7.12) Gecko/20050920)

 

I don't think it has to necessarily benefit the community... The Bx12 SBS didn't do that for the neighborhoods it serves in the Bronx... it won't do that for the M15 in Manhattan if & when SBS is put up on that route, IMO....

((In terms of buses, it's funny how poor transportation options can isolate (and even denigrate) some areas, but increasing transportation options doesn't do all that much for a certain community either, or at least, as much as one might expect it to.... so, go figure...))

 

When you begin an article like that, it gives off the impression that your sole purpose is to complain... that's exactly what I thought this article was gonna be comprised of (complaints), but on the contrary; as there were actually good pointers that was brought up w/i the article....

 

people started those skeptic tactics w/ the Bx12 b/c the general riding public didn't know what the heck a "SBS" was; so it was only natural for them to react that way.... Now that ppl. have an idea of what it is, it becomes easier to analyze (or nitpick) w/e con's such a service might bring forth....

 

All that said, I'm not in favor of SBS service, period... I still don't see what was so wrong w/ Bx12 LTD's that money had to be wasted; um, spent, on implementing pay-before-you-board systems @ certain bus stops & throwing a fancy new color design scheme on the buses themselves, but that's whatever....

 

SBS on the Bx12 didn't affect the physical routing of the Bx12 route itself... it's gonna do that w/ the B44.... That's the main problem I have with SBS service on the B44, regardless if locals will still run on New York av (so they say).....

 

Do You like Changes in service?

[B35 via Church]

Wirelessly posted via (Mozilla/5.0 (Danger hiptop 4.6; U; rv:1.7.12) Gecko/20050920)

 

 

Do You like Changes in service?

 

Depends on what the change actually is.....

 

but in the most general sense of the term, yes.

[GreatOne2k]

 

All that said, I'm not in favor of SBS service, period... I still don't see what was so wrong w/ Bx12 LTD's that money had to be wasted; um, spent, on implementing pay-before-you-board systems @ certain bus stops & throwing a fancy new color design scheme on the buses themselves, but that's whatever....

 

 

 

Well the service has improved on the Bx12 (the SBS/LTD has improved, the local does have less service certain times especially on Sundays)

 

SBS runs much later into the evening than the LTD, SBS runs 7 days a week, while the LTD only ran 6 days a week. SBS is more frequent (printed schedule wise) than the LTD was (though sometimes they had the same headway). Trips are quicker since there is no dipping of Metrocards. The feds are paying for much of this so it is not like MTA paid for all of the SBS equipment. The Bx12 needed an increase in service anyway. Some stops were eliminated helping many people speed up their trip even more

[BrooklynBus]

I don't think it has to necessarily benefit the community... The Bx12 SBS didn't do that for the neighborhoods it serves in the Bronx... it won't do that for the M15 in Manhattan if & when SBS is put up on that route, IMO....

((In terms of buses, it's funny how poor transportation options can isolate (and even denigrate) some areas, but increasing transportation options doesn't do all that much for a certain community either, or at least, as much as one might expect it to.... so, go figure...))

 

When you begin an article like that, it gives off the impression that your sole purpose is to complain... that's exactly what I thought this article was gonna be comprised of (complaints), but on the contrary; as there were actually good pointers that was brought up w/i the article....

 

people started those skeptic tactics w/ the Bx12 b/c the general riding public didn't know what the heck a "SBS" was; so it was only natural for them to react that way.... Now that ppl. have an idea of what it is, it becomes easier to analyze (or nitpick) w/e con's such a service might bring forth....

 

All that said, I'm not in favor of SBS service, period... I still don't see what was so wrong w/ Bx12 LTD's that money had to be wasted; um, spent, on implementing pay-before-you-board systems @ certain bus stops & throwing a fancy new color design scheme on the buses themselves, but that's whatever....

 

SBS on the Bx12 didn't affect the physical routing of the Bx12 route itself... it's gonna do that w/ the B44.... That's the main problem I have with SBS service on the B44, regardless if locals will still run on New York av (so they say).....

 

I agree with your entire post. The problem the way I see it is that the MTA doesn't care at all about improving service for the riders. They are only intersted in reducing operating costs. I'm really not familiar with the Bx 12 so I will refain fom making too many comments. But you are correct, the limited stops could have remained. It's just that SBS costs less to operate with fewer stops than limited. That's why the change was made, to help the MTA. If it helped the people or not is immaterial, the way the MTA thinks.

 

Last Sunday evening, I happened to drive along Pelham Parkway from the Hutchinson River Parkway to the Bronx River Parkway because the Hutch was at a standstill. I noticed about 10 or 12 people at every Bx12 stop, but didn't see one SBS bus in either direction and only about one or two regular Bx12s. Does SBS even run on Sunday evenings?

[MTR Admiralty]

Bare in mind that SBS is a different manifestation from other BRT systems: it uses existing heavily travelled bus corridors and spiffs them up.

 

It's not the same as the Silver Line in Boston where it actually makes an impact because it's a new route. The BX12, M15 and B44 SBSs are basically modified LTD stop routes that have some BRT standards.