BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[Orion6025]

20 minutes ago, Coney Island Av said:

Just a quick question, are the Proterras still trackable? I haven't seen them in a while both on tracker and in person...

Yes and the last time one ran was around a month ago

[Orion6025]

I just saw a college point MCI DHing from Downtown via the BQE with the QM7 sign up. Woulda been funny if it was actually in service; QMs return to Brooklyn yet again! On that note, when did they stop running the downtown QM1s via the Williamsburg and BQE?

[B35 via Church]

On ‎12‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 9:02 AM, trife86 said:

** picture of a bus stop designator for a route that's been defunct more than 40 damn years ago !!!! **

What's funny/coincidental about this is that I took the  to the  coming home from Jersey this past Monday too..... Barely caught the R after coming off the PATH train (WTC), and the 2 was just sitting there at Atlantic... Don't know how long it was there for, nor do I care - as long as I caught it, I was good.....

 

[aemoreira81]

I posted this in the Express Bus Advocacy Group thread, but in my opinion, one area that is underserved, and which could go a long way toward regional connectivity, is Staten Island toward New Jersey. Right now, it's limited to 34th Street (HBLR) on buses capped at 40 mph. What I propose would likely require about another 20-25 buses, but it would include full-time service to:

• Newark Airport (weekday only service)
• 34th Street HBLR (terminator service on weekdays)
• Newark Airport via 34th Street HBLR (weekends)
• The Mills at Jersey Gardens (weekends only with seasonal weekday service during the Christmas season)
• Metropark (peak service only via Richmond Avenue, Drumgoole Road, Outerbridge Park-Ride, 440 and the Garden State Parkway)
• Raritan Center (peak service only via Richmond Avenue, Drumgoole Road, Outerbridge Park-Ride, and 440)

I don't know if Newark Penn or Metropark (full-time) would be worth it to serve for Amtrak connections. The latter two are candidates to be contracted, although they could be operated from Castleton and parked midday at Charleston.

There are people who drive to work, or to EWR to fly out of EWR, who might consider mass transit if there was only a mass transit option.

[Lil 57]

20 minutes ago, aemoreira81 said:

• Metropark (peak service only via Richmond Avenue, Drumgoole Road, Outerbridge Park-Ride, 440 and the Garden State Parkway)
• Raritan Center (peak service only via Richmond Avenue, Drumgoole Road, Outerbridge Park-Ride, and 440)

I remember having something similar to this a while ago in a doc I abandoned, scroll down to the SIJ1 and SIJ2 routes, most of the other routes make no sense so don't even bother looking at them lol.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rO_mP36pv_uJYzR8nPginT62XA2bAm_rIBplsA5XYr0/edit?usp=sharing

Map: https://drive.google.com/open?id=18CoGaGKpptrUdUV9HEPSg8GHasr3EO0n&usp=sharing (Ignore the SIM50 and SIM51, I know that they make no sense)

[B35 via Church]

14 hours ago, aemoreira81 said:

I posted this in the Express Bus Advocacy Group thread, but in my opinion, one area that is underserved, and which could go a long way toward regional connectivity, is Staten Island toward New Jersey. Right now, it's limited to 34th Street (HBLR) on buses capped at 40 mph. What I propose would likely require about another 20-25 buses, but it would include full-time service to:

• Newark Airport (weekday only service)
• 34th Street HBLR (terminator service on weekdays)
• Newark Airport via 34th Street HBLR (weekends)
• The Mills at Jersey Gardens (weekends only with seasonal weekday service during the Christmas season)
• Metropark (peak service only via Richmond Avenue, Drumgoole Road, Outerbridge Park-Ride, 440 and the Garden State Parkway)
• Raritan Center (peak service only via Richmond Avenue, Drumgoole Road, Outerbridge Park-Ride, and 440)

I don't know if Newark Penn or Metropark (full-time) would be worth it to serve for Amtrak connections. The latter two are candidates to be contracted, although they could be operated from Castleton and parked midday at Charleston.

There are people who drive to work, or to EWR to fly out of EWR, who might consider mass transit if there was only a mass transit option.

I posted my reply to your suggestions inside the SI bus proposal thread....

In general, I agree there is a void when it comes to regional connectivity - but at the same time, you have to be careful where you want to run buses (or putting it another way, running buses where it would be worth it for enough commuters)... Quite honestly, I would run (as in, send/extend) another SI route to the new Amazon facility out on the West Shore, before I would start up a new service running to Raritan Center or the offices in Iselin.... Which says enough.

As lukewarm as a bus running b/w SI - (Downtown) Newark sounds, I'm not too sure if that is even worth it.... Which also says enough.

[trife86]

15 hours ago, aemoreira81 said:

I posted this in the Express Bus Advocacy Group thread, but in my opinion, one area that is underserved, and which could go a long way toward regional connectivity, is Staten Island toward New Jersey. Right now, it's limited to 34th Street (HBLR) on buses capped at 40 mph. What I propose would likely require about another 20-25 buses, but it would include full-time service to:

• Newark Airport (weekday only service)
• 34th Street HBLR (terminator service on weekdays)
• Newark Airport via 34th Street HBLR (weekends)
• The Mills at Jersey Gardens (weekends only with seasonal weekday service during the Christmas season)
• Metropark (peak service only via Richmond Avenue, Drumgoole Road, Outerbridge Park-Ride, 440 and the Garden State Parkway)
• Raritan Center (peak service only via Richmond Avenue, Drumgoole Road, Outerbridge Park-Ride, and 440)

I don't know if Newark Penn or Metropark (full-time) would be worth it to serve for Amtrak connections. The latter two are candidates to be contracted, although they could be operated from Castleton and parked midday at Charleston.

There are people who drive to work, or to EWR to fly out of EWR, who might consider mass transit if there was only a mass transit option.

Why even bother when there's enough difficulty involving inner city transit as is?

[Armandito]

https://bklyner.com/two-city-agencies-finally-respond-parks-and-dot-sheepshead-bay/

Instead of conspiring to eliminate the B2, why not extend it along Avenue P, 65th Street, and Bay Ridge Avenue to Shore Road? That would give the neglected route a much-needed ridership boost...

https://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2017/24/br-beefed-up-b9-bus-service-2017-06-09-bk.html

Coincidentally, Bay Ridge could benefit from a second bus route to Kings Plaza if the B9 can't handle all those additional riders--which again brings me back to extending the B2. I don't know what's going on with MTA leadership these days 😕

If you can't run every bus to Bay Ridge, you could short-turn some buses at the Kings Highway station at a greater frequency than the B2 today. What's even more shameful was that it used to be a busier and much more frequent route a long time ago--and it even ran overnight! Fast forward to today and it's a far cry from what it used to be at its glory days...

Edited December 27, 2018 by lara8710

[Via Garibaldi 8]

3 hours ago, lara8710 said:

https://bklyner.com/two-city-agencies-finally-respond-parks-and-dot-sheepshead-bay/

Instead of conspiring to eliminate the B2, why not extend it along Avenue P, 65th Street, and Bay Ridge Avenue to Shore Road? That would give the neglected route a much-needed ridership boost...

https://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2017/24/br-beefed-up-b9-bus-service-2017-06-09-bk.html

Coincidentally, Bay Ridge could benefit from a second bus route to Kings Plaza if the B9 can't handle all those additional riders--which again brings me back to extending the B2. I don't know what's going on with MTA leadership these days 😕

If you can't run every bus to Bay Ridge, you could short-turn some buses at the Kings Highway station at a greater frequency than the B2 today. What's even more shameful was that it used to be a busier and much more frequent route a long time ago--and it even ran overnight! Fast forward to today and it's a far cry from what it used to be at its glory days...

That B2 article is from 2011. I worked with Marty Golden's office to get service restored on weekends.

[MHV9218]

O7 NGs are going through a model-specific 'program' at the overhaul shops from what I understand. DOB probably wants to hold onto those buses for a while.

[Future ENY OP]

44 minutes ago, MHV9218 said:

O7 NGs are going through a model-specific 'program' at the overhaul shops from what I understand. DOB probably wants to hold onto those buses for a while.

Special overhaul for the O7 NG’s. Very nice. 

[Armandito]

4 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

That B2 article is from 2011. I worked with Marty Golden's office to get service restored on weekends.

In your perspective, how would a B2 extension to Bay Ridge work out? If you support it, would you run all buses to Bay Ridge or would you short-turn some buses at a specific point along the route?

[Melbx15]

Does anyone know why their are no articulated bus out right now, all of the articulated routes except for the Q44sbs, m14A/D, m23, m60, m79 & m86 have standard buses out 

usually when it snows this happens but it’s not gonna snow tomorrow 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

10 hours ago, lara8710 said:

In your perspective, how would a B2 extension to Bay Ridge work out? If you support it, would you run all buses to Bay Ridge or would you short-turn some buses at a specific point along the route?

I don’t know. I think the B2 has enough problems as it is. They should focus on getting the bus out on the line and on-time and then think about maybe extending it, but first and foremost serve Marine Park, which has no subway service. Reliable bus service to Kings Highway should be the focus first and foremost for areas without subways which is what the B2 is really there for.

[Brillant93]

4 hours ago, Melbx15 said:

Does anyone know why their are no articulated bus out right now, all of the articulated routes except for the Q44sbs, m14A/D, m23, m60, m79 & m86 have standard buses out 

usually when it snows this happens but it’s not gonna snow tomorrow 

Those routes are articulated 24/7 and other routes as well. The only route that run standards at night is the B44 when the sbs is done for the night.  

[B35 via Church]

10 hours ago, lara8710 said:

In your perspective, how would a B2 extension to Bay Ridge work out? If you support it, would you run all buses to Bay Ridge or would you short-turn some buses at a specific point along the route?

13 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I don’t know. I think the B2 has enough problems as it is. They should focus on getting the bus out on the line and on-time and then think about maybe extending it, but first and foremost serve Marine Park, which has no subway service. Reliable bus service to Kings Highway should be the focus first and foremost for areas without subways which is what the B2 is really there for.

The MTA has a history of dicking around w/ the B2 & its service levels/span.... There's also a history surrounding the different online transit boards on whether it should be eliminated, combined/branched into the B100, or extended westward.... There is/was someone on FB that even wanted the B2 to run with the Q35 down to Rockaway Park.... I've been in enough discussions on & offline about the B2 & have came to the conclusion that the thing should, at minimum a] remain in existence, b] remain in Brooklyn , c] run no further west than Kings Hwy. on the Brighton line, d] left as a standalone route to be fused with nothing, and e] given at least 1 more BPH during the rush.... I've always gotten the sense that (more) people that reside along & around the B2 route b/w [Flatbush/Av S.] & [Ocean/Av R] would utilize the thing if the MTA wouldn't leave them with the scraps they call service..... I don't get the sense they don't want the service....

If we're to talk about extending its footprint, ehh, IDK, I suppose it would be to have it siphon riders from off the B3 on over to Bergen Beach (much like the B32's continually doing with the B62 up in Williamsburg).... I don't think the B2 should run into Mill Basin/Mill Island, whatever it's called nowadays, nor all the way to Bay Ridge.... Lord knows if I lived east of KP & needed the Brighton & to have the aforementioned come to pass, there's no way in f*** I would choose a route that crawls along Av. U over a route that travels via Av. R/S....

The more I thought about it, the more I don't really see an extended B2 westward doing much for the B9.... Not to say that there isn't a service gap b/w 60th & Bay Ridge Pkwy, however, I wouldn't address it with the B2...

[Via Garibaldi 8]

3 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

The MTA has a history of dicking around w/ the B2 & its service levels/span.... There's also a history surrounding the different online transit boards on whether it should be eliminated, combined/branched into the B100, or extended westward.... There is/was someone on FB that even wanted the B2 to run with the Q35 down to Rockaway Park.... I've been in enough discussions on & offline about the B2 & have came to the conclusion that the thing should, at minimum a] remain in existence, b] remain in Brooklyn , c] run no further west than Kings Hwy. on the Brighton line, d] left as a standalone route to be fused with nothing, and e] given at least 1 more BPH during the rush.... I've always gotten the sense that (more) people that reside along & around the B2 route b/w [Flatbush/Av S.] & [Ocean/Av R] would utilize the thing if the MTA wouldn't leave them with the scraps they call service..... I don't get the sense they don't want the service....

If we're to talk about extending its footprint, ehh, IDK, I suppose it would be to have it siphon riders from off the B3 on over to Bergen Beach (much like the B32's continually doing with the B62 up in Williamsburg).... I don't think the B2 should run into Mill Basin/Mill Island, whatever it's called nowadays, nor all the way to Bay Ridge.... Lord knows if I lived east of KP & needed the Brighton & to have the aforementioned come to pass, there's no way in f*** I would choose a route that crawls along Av. U over a route that travels via Av. R/S....

The more I thought about it, the more I don't really see an extended B2 westward doing much for the B9.... Not to say that there isn't a service gap b/w 60th & Bay Ridge Pkwy, however, I wouldn't address it with the B2...

I agree.  Everyone seems to feel the need to say oh it HAS to be extended. The route has been around for decades and I used it quite frequently back in the 90s when I lived in Southern Brooklyn. A friend of ours lived in Marine Park and I do remember it running not only frequently but it ran well in terms of it being reliable.

[Armandito]

11 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I agree.  Everyone seems to feel the need to say oh it HAS to be extended. The route has been around for decades and I used it quite frequently back in the 90s when I lived in Southern Brooklyn. A friend of ours lived in Marine Park and I do remember it running not only frequently but it ran well in terms of it being reliable.

Most likely, if there was already a separate route between Bay Ridge and the along Bay Ridge Avenue, the MTA would spontaneously decide to combine it with the B2 for a straight-through service. Hypothetically speaking, ridership would be somewhat different if that would've already happened--at least in my perspective. They did it once with the B82 in 1995 by combining the B5 and B50 routes together, and now ridership along the route has spiked. However, since we don't have a route between Kings Highway and Bay Ridge, the B2 stayed as is, and the MTA just neglected it till they finally restored weekend service a couple years back.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

1 hour ago, lara8710 said:

Most likely, if there was already a separate route between Bay Ridge and the along Bay Ridge Avenue, the MTA would spontaneously decide to combine it with the B2 for a straight-through service. Hypothetically speaking, ridership would be somewhat different if that would've already happened--at least in my perspective. They did it once with the B82 in 1995 by combining the B5 and B50 routes together, and now ridership along the route has spiked. However, since we don't have a route between Kings Highway and Bay Ridge, the B2 stayed as is, and the MTA just neglected it till they finally restored weekend service a couple years back.

My point is the route was fine as is for years because it ran reliably and thus people used it.  When it started running like crap, that's when people stopped. I used it a lot when I lived in Midwood. I had the option of the B2 or the B9, and the B2 was a bit more reliable back then.  

Edited December 28, 2018 by Via Garibaldi 8

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

Its crazy, for like every 1 new Nova LFSA that comes in, 8-9 New Flyer XD40s come in. 

[Jdog14]

21 minutes ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

Its crazy, for like every 1 new Nova LFSA that comes in, 8-9 New Flyer XD40s come in. 

 

The XDs were probably already built. The Novas have been having changes up the ass and were delayed. 

[trainfan22]

17 hours ago, MHV9218 said:

O7 NGs are going through a model-specific 'program' at the overhaul shops from what I understand. DOB probably wants to hold onto those buses for a while.

I wonder if this is an Fishbowl blitz, reman GMC RTS type of situation.

 

[B35 via Church]

5 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I agree.  Everyone seems to feel the need to say oh it HAS to be extended. The route has been around for decades and I used it quite frequently back in the 90s when I lived in Southern Brooklyn. A friend of ours lived in Marine Park and I do remember it running not only frequently but it ran well in terms of it being reliable.

The B100 may have better service levels, but that route runs too erratically for me to bother putting up with if.... Arrives in bunches, then nothing for half an hour.... Weekends, forget it - it has a tendency to "arrive whenever"..... I have always favored the B2 over it.... Like you, I also remember when the route had decent ridership during off peak hrs. too.... Shit, during my HS years, it ended up becoming my go to (route) if I wanted to go to KP after school.... Classmates/acquaintances would do the B68 to the B3 (largely for chasing tail from them Lafayette chicks)... I grew sick of a] sardining on & b] subjecting myself to more boisterousness than what I had to & did the quick  ride from Brighton Beach to Kings Hwy, to then board a nice, quiet, efficient B2 ride to the plaza..... If I didn't meet up with them (usually didn't), I would buy what I wanted to go there for to begin with & then hop in a dollar van to head home... That was when the vans used to stop right in front of KP (Flatbush av side)....

5 hours ago, lara8710 said:

Most likely, if there was already a separate route between Bay Ridge and the along Bay Ridge Avenue, the MTA would spontaneously decide to combine it with the B2 for a straight-through service. Hypothetically speaking, ridership would be somewhat different if that would've already happened--at least in my perspective. They did it once with the B82 in 1995 by combining the B5 and B50 routes together, and now ridership along the route has spiked. However, since we don't have a route between Kings Highway and Bay Ridge, the B2 stayed as is, and the MTA just neglected it till they finally restored weekend service a couple years back.

A reason they ended up combining those two routes, was to discontinue buses terminating full time at Flatbush/Kings Hwy (which was the case with the B5)..... That was back when more B7's terminated at Flatbush, on top of it.... It was an issue of safety (buses u-turning on Kings Hwy the way it did), and not to mention the traffic backups it would sometimes cause... I really don't blame the MTA from that vantage point/aspect of it.....

Maybe you can clue us in, because I'm not seeing much of anything that suggests that the B2 would be combined with a Bay Ridge av. bus route (or w/e other stretch of road such a route would take to get b/w Bay Ridge & Kings Hwy. ).... The B5 wasn't in the same ballpark as the B2, in terms of revenue mileage..... The creation of today's B82 had more to do with consolidation of service along Kings Hwy... A better example of what you think would happen with the B2 & this Bay Ridge av route or whatever, was the merging of the old Q45/Q47 (which formed today's Q47) - two routes with a mutual "midpoint" (74th st bus terminal) that the vast majority of the overall ridership on both routes were seeking travel to/from....

5 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

My point is the route was fine as is for years because it ran reliably and thus people used it.  When it started running like crap, that's when people stopped. I used it a lot when I lived in Midwood. I had the option of the B2 or the B9, and the B2 was a bit more reliable back then.  

This.

[Armandito]

17 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

Maybe you can clue us in, because I'm not seeing much of anything that suggests that the B2 would be combined with a Bay Ridge av. bus route (or w/e other stretch of road such a route would take to get b/w Bay Ridge & Kings Hwy. ).... The B5 wasn't in the same ballpark as the B2, in terms of revenue mileage..... The creation of today's B82 had more to do with consolidation of service along Kings Hwy... A better example of what you think would happen with the B2 & this Bay Ridge av route or whatever, was the merging of the old Q45/Q47 (which formed today's Q47) - two routes with a mutual "midpoint" (74th st bus terminal) that the vast majority of the overall ridership on both routes were seeking travel to/from....

Absolutely. Rather than have two separate routes serving their own ridership bases, what I was suggesting was a single route serving multiple ridership bases. As I mentioned earlier, some buses from Kings Plaza could short time at the station for riders who just need frequent service between those two destinations while buses continuing west towards Bay Ridge would run less frequently.

[BreeddekalbL]

OK who stole the bus again?

https://pix11.com/2018/12/29/3-steal-mta-bus-in-brooklyn-police/

Edited December 29, 2018 by BreeddekalbL