BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[checkmatechamp13]

Yep until 2008...I think Command had a shape prior to the takeover as well, I think it was a rectangle

 

I thought it was that elongated oval.

[Fresh Pond]

Speaking of new codes, I think the Bx41 has the latest codes as well, with the blue background at all times. I have great eyesight, but I was at Lincoln Hospital, and I saw the Bx41 front signage for like almost half a minute turning at Cortlandt Av, and all I saw was a few orange lines switching constantly with the background not disappearing. Don't take my word just yet. I'll go by the hub monday morning to confirm the new codes.

If the sign is all blue with orange words, then the bus has the newest updated codes.

 

If only the route is blue with orange letters/numbers, then the whole sign goes blue, then the bus wasn't updated.

[LegoBrickBreaker101]

Speaking of new codes, I think the Bx41 has the latest codes as well, with the blue background at all times. I have great eyesight, but I was at Lincoln Hospital, and I saw the Bx41 front signage for like almost half a minute turning at Cortlandt Av, and all I saw was a few orange lines switching constantly with the background not disappearing. Don't take my word just yet. I'll go by the hub monday morning to confirm the new codes.

They do, checked it out for myself yesterday. The Bx12 also has the updated codes

Bronx- Fordham Plaza, Pelham Parkway/WPR, Bay Plaza (best on a Saturday afternoon/evening)

Manhattan- 86th Street on the East Side. I particularly like stopping at the Papaya King on 3rd Ave for a bite to eat which puts me in that area on occasion. I am insensitive to this area given my four years as a Baruch student but around Madison Square Park there's a decent array of express and local buses to check out.

Queens- Flushing is boring to me as a neighborhood but every now and then I take the to the Q50 as an alternative out of Manhattan so I end up there fanning sometimes.

Brooklyn- Haven't fanned anywhere outside of downtown although there are a few spots that someone like me would appreciate for example around the Brooklyn College station, and Ridgewood Terminal to name a couple.

Staten Island- No go zone for me. Given I live in the North Bronx there's not enough bus action down there for me to make trips to Staten Island.

Bronx: I've hit all those spots since I live right there.., I'll probably try Co-Op soon

Manhattan: I've hit 86th street before

Queens: I pass through flushing all the time to get to Jamaica lol

Brooklyn: haven't hit either of those in a year so maybe

Staten Island: there's quite a lot of bus action... If your looking for somewhere to fan on the island, St George is the best place. It's right outside of the ferry terminal and nearly two thirds of the buses on the island go there

 

Thanks tho!

[checkmatechamp13]

Staten Island: there's quite a lot of bus action... If your looking for somewhere to fan on the island, St George is the best place. It's right outside of the ferry terminal and nearly two thirds of the buses on the island go there

 

St. George is probably the most covered area on Staten Island. Good to get your feet wet, but you're not going to cover anything that hasn't already been covered.

 

A few places deeper into SI (especially during rush hour when a lot of the limited-stop and express buses run)

 

In no particular order

 

* Eltingville Transit Center

* Forest & Richmond

* Port Richmond & Castleton

* Victory & Clove

* Hylan & New Dorp

* Narrows & Fingerboard (either side of the SIE is good)

 

Narrows & Fingerboard is probably one of the easiest to get to, since it's the first stop in Staten Island off the Verrazanno-Narrows Bridge.

[B35 via Church]

Bronx- Fordham Plaza, Pelham Parkway/WPR, Bay Plaza (best on a Saturday afternoon/evening)

Manhattan- 86th Street on the East Side. I particularly like stopping at the Papaya King on 3rd Ave for a bite to eat which puts me in that area on occasion. I am insensitive to this area given my four years as a Baruch student but around Madison Square Park there's a decent array of express and local buses to check out.

Queens- Flushing is boring to me as a neighborhood but every now and then I take the to the Q50 as an alternative out of Manhattan so I end up there fanning sometimes.

Brooklyn- Haven't fanned anywhere outside of downtown although there are a few spots that someone like me would appreciate for example around the Brooklyn College station, and Ridgewood Terminal to name a couple.

Staten Island- No go zone for me. Given I live in the North Bronx there's not enough bus action down there for me to make trips to Staten Island.

What you say about about Flushing is actually how I feel about fanning within NYC in general....

Basically, I can't do a fantrip anymore (and enjoy it) w/o leaving the confines of the city.... The level of intrigue has drastically waned.

 

St. George is probably the most covered area on Staten Island. Good to get your feet wet, but you're not going to cover anything that hasn't already been covered.

 

A few places deeper into SI (especially during rush hour when a lot of the limited-stop and express buses run)

 

In no particular order

 

* Eltingville Transit Center

* Forest & Richmond

* Port Richmond & Castleton

* Victory & Clove

* Hylan & New Dorp

* Narrows & Fingerboard (either side of the SIE is good)

 

Narrows & Fingerboard is probably one of the easiest to get to, since it's the first stop in Staten Island off the Verrazanno-Narrows Bridge.

After a botched itinerary in White plains (mentioned in the shoutbox), I decided to do a quick trip in CT, then took the MNRR back to GCT.... I was going to catch either the x1 or the x17 to SI, but IDK wtf was going on with the bus stop relocations around the main library (5th/40th)... and worse, I got a massive headache out of nowhere, so I decided to cut the whole trip short & head home.... I planned on riding mad SI routes, since I haven't rode an SI local route in a good minute.....

 

Lucky for me, the all local yesterday wasn't... all that bad (slow); It was actually quite fast(er than expected)!

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

I want to know what the reasoning for making the Q10 that light green on the Queens map is. I think that was a wrong choice since the QM18 and Q7 lines run along the same corridor at some point along the line.

 

Another thing I wanna point out is the incorrect routing on the Q3 when it intersects the Q2 at Hollis Avenue going towards Jamaica. They both have the same routing north of Hollis, but the map makes it look like the Q3 takes Hollis to some imaginary road to 188 Street. It's physically impossible for that to be the routing. In any case, it's relatively minor, but that should not take that much time to fix.

 

After a botched itinerary in White plains (mentioned in the shoutbox), I decided to do a quick trip in CT, then took the MNRR back to GCT.... I was going to catch either the x1 or the x17 to SI, but IDK wtf was going on with the bus stop relocations around the main library (5th/40th)... and worse, I got a massive headache out of nowhere, so I decided to cut the whole trip short & head home.... I planned on riding mad SI routes, since I haven't rode an SI local route in a good minute.....

 

Lucky for me, the all local yesterday wasn't... all that bad (slow); It was actually quite fast(er than expected)!

 

The bus stop at 5 Avenue/40 Street was relocated to the BM1/BM2 pick-up, but that was only for Friday. Yesterday it was all normal (they just never took down the signs).

[B35 via Church]

I want to know what the reasoning for making the Q10 that light green on the Queens map is. I think that was a wrong choice since the QM18 and Q7 lines run along the same corridor at some point along the line.

 

Another thing I wanna point out is the incorrect routing on the Q3 when it intersects the Q2 at Hollis Avenue going towards Jamaica. They both have the same routing north of Hollis, but the map makes it look like the Q3 takes Hollis to some imaginary road to 188 Street. It's physically impossible for that to be the routing. In any case, it's relatively minor, but that should not take that much time to fix.

 

Only thing I could think of is that the editors (or whoever) felt that the Q10 (which was red beforehand) clashed w/ the B15 (which on the Queens map is orange) within JFK.... I agree (with you) that the color of the Q10 should have been left alone..... On PSP (paint shop pro), I never used that lime green color for a local route that runs along an express bus route (which is that darker green color)..... That clashes - Which is what we're seeing on the current Queens map....

 

As for the Q7, I would use blue.... It really seems as if they're astraying from blue for routes that aren't SBS routes... I'm looking on the Queens map, and I only see the 102, 110, and the 49 are still blue as far as Queens bus routes go.....

 

That Q2/Q3 bit you're pointing out, has been depicted like that for a minute.... It's no excuse & is fixable, but (design-wise), it's not minor...

Look at the curved lines (turns) at the hillside/188th area.... The position of the Q2 & the Q3 lines along 188th st would have to be reversed (meaning, the Q3 line would be the closest to the "188th st" text).... The "Woodhull av" text also complicates things....

 

The bus stop at 5 Avenue/40 Street was relocated to the BM1/BM2 pick-up, but that was only for Friday. Yesterday it was all normal (they just never took down the signs).

The fact that the signs were hand-written rather small & illegibly on pieces of cardboard didn't do anything justice.... On top of it, In the midst of trying to maneuver around hundreds of people walking along that side of that particular block (like it always is during the day along 5th b/w 40th -42nd), I was not trying to figure all of that out.

 

No fault of yours obviously, so thanks for the information.

[checkmatechamp13]

After a botched itinerary in White plains (mentioned in the shoutbox), I decided to do a quick trip in CT, then took the MNRR back to GCT.... I was going to catch either the x1 or the x17 to SI, but IDK wtf was going on with the bus stop relocations around the main library (5th/40th)... and worse, I got a massive headache out of nowhere, so I decided to cut the whole trip short & head home.... I planned on riding mad SI routes, since I haven't rode an SI local route in a good minute.....

 

Lucky for me, the all local yesterday wasn't... all that bad (slow); It was actually quite fast(er than expected)!

 

Welcome to my world lol. I've finally figured out where the bus stops are on Broadway in Lower Manhattan since they're doing that construction work around Fulton Street. They have those long rectangular signs instead of those "lollypop" signs, and worse, they didn't have the labels on the signs. So I would have to use logical deduction (Alright, the X27/28 stop here, the M5 stops here, those people said they were waiting for the X1, so therefore this stop should either be for the X10 or X17). Most of the time, I just ended up walking it out to Battery Place, where the signs are normal, and the X10 & X17 both stop on the same block.

[JubaionBx12+SBS]

I feel subway fanning has lost intrigue as well and that has partly to do with the system's permanence. If I can see the same trains and stations next year why should I fan today? That feeling may be crossing over to buses in some ways so I'm not shocked to see B35 post what he posted regarding fanning in NYC. The presence of new buses joining the fleet keeps things a little interesting there but new buses generally get scattered around the city so there's little reason to watch one particular route or neighborhood just to see some buses. If anything my fanning when it comes to buses is more in the watchdog light given that I'm observing ridership levels on busy routes so I can see where the MTA should and should not make cuts. The Bronx spots I recommended were all along the same route and that was not a coincidence.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

I feel subway fanning has lost intrigue as well and that has partly to do with the system's permanence. If I can see the same trains and stations next year why should I fan today? That feeling may be crossing over to buses in some ways so I'm not shocked to see B35 post what he posted regarding fanning in NYC. The presence of new buses joining the fleet keeps things a little interesting there but new buses generally get scattered around the city so there's little reason to watch one particular route or neighborhood just to see some buses. If anything my fanning when it comes to buses is more in the watchdog light given that I'm observing ridership levels on busy routes so I can see where the MTA should and should not make cuts. The Bronx spots I recommended were all along the same route and that was not a coincidence.

I stopped subway fanning a while ago. I don't even take subway pictures unless it's of an EL and I'm on the street. I use to do it on a semi-frequent occasion, but now I don't do it at all. With buses, there's a lot more trips I could take from Point A to Point B, which I haven't tried out yet (Some trips I wanted to do have been in my mind of years, such as the X17 to Tottenville and the X21 full route. These I have yet to do, and I have been thinking about doing it ever since those routes started operating, which has been a few years already). The MTA is periodically getting new buses, so it's very interesting, especially with larger bus orders, such as the ongoing Prevost order, and the Xcelsior order. If all the buses were the same, there's a possibility that I would just give up fanning altogether.

[MysteriousBtrain]

I stopped subway fanning when I made it to all 469 subway stops. It's mainly bus fanning I do now since those bus routes are the ones I need to be "exploring" I already finished "exploring" after I hit broad St, the final station needed to complete the 469 collection.

Edited March 27, 2016 by MysteriousBtrain

[Around the Horn]

Only thing I could think of is that the editors (or whoever) felt that the Q10 (which was red beforehand) clashed w/ the B15 (which on the Queens map is orange) within JFK.... I agree (with you) that the color of the Q10 should have been left alone..... On PSP (paint shop pro), I never used that lime green color for a local route that runs along an express bus route (which is that darker green color)..... That clashes - Which is what we're seeing on the current Queens map....

 

As for the Q7, I would use blue.... It really seems as if they're astraying from blue for routes that aren't SBS routes... I'm looking on the Queens map, and I only see the 102, 110, and the 49 are still blue as far as Queens bus routes go.....

It getting to the point that they'll need another color. Southwest Brooklyn is a mess now that the B8 changed to green. You've got the B4 B64 and B8 all green and all crossing each other.

 

I feel subway fanning has lost intrigue as well and that has partly to do with the system's permanence. If I can see the same trains and stations next year why should I fan today? That feeling may be crossing over to buses in some ways so I'm not shocked to see B35 post what he posted regarding fanning in NYC. The presence of new buses joining the fleet keeps things a little interesting there but new buses generally get scattered around the city so there's little reason to watch one particular route or neighborhood just to see some buses. If anything my fanning when it comes to buses is more in the watchdog light given that I'm observing ridership levels on busy routes so I can see where the MTA should and should not make cuts. The Bronx spots I recommended were all along the same route and that was not a coincidence.

I agree. I'll only fan when there is an interesting GO or I need reference pictures for yet another fictional SEPTA station (I've been working on a Second System expansion)

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

It getting to the point that they'll need another color. Southwest Brooklyn is a mess now that the B8 changed to green. You've got the B4 B64 and B8 all green and all crossing each other.

Perhaps one of them could be recolored dark blue (IMO, the B64 as it doesn't intersect any other blue colored route or share the same path as a blue-colored route for long periods of time). Another could be recolored purple.

[GojiMet86]

#9360 is on the Q67. Pretty excited for this, but I gotta go to de college.

[B46 via Utica]

Q56 just short turned at Jamaica Ave and Crescent St. A little rain and it's a mess whiz.

[checkmatechamp13]

Q56 just short turned at Jamaica Ave and Crescent St. A little rain and it's a mess whiz.

 

From the west or from the east? (Did it run Bway Junction-Crescent Street or Jamaica-Crescent Street?)

[MTA Bus]

9360 is on the Q49 and it's trackable. Kinda weird to see this but ok.

[B35 via Church]

It getting to the point that they'll need another color.....

I said the same thing (to myself) as I was typing that reply to BM5's post....

 

Also said to myself that Black would be a very interesting color choice to the map(s).....

 

....Southwest Brooklyn is a mess now that the B8 changed to green. You've got the B4 B64 and B8 all green and all crossing each other.

 

Perhaps one of them could be recolored dark blue (IMO, the B64 as it doesn't intersect any other blue colored route or share the same path as a blue-colored route for long periods of time). Another could be recolored purple.

B4 been lime green like, forever.... Lol....  The only routes that are purple in all of south Brooklyn are the B100 & the B70.... If I were the editor of the brooklyn map, I would choose purple for the B4.

 

...to make the B64 blue.

 

As for the B8, I think it should've been left alone when it was orange... since that can't be feasibly done anymore (B44 local is also orange & the B8 uses nostrand for a brief stint... that area of the map is a mess... I give the editors credit on that one), it may as well be left as lime green....

 

I think the 3 of us can agree that there is too much dam lime green & red in south Brooklyn... Lol...

[DetSMART45]

With all of the wiggly routes, it's not an easy task to keep things simple color-wise.  If you had straighter routes (something CTA, COTA and other TAs are moving to), then you could easily assign colors to specific routes.  DDOT uses green for routes that serve Downtown Detroit, purple for north-south, and blue for crosstown east-west.  Granted, NYC doesn't have good street grid, plus routes are based on old streetcar routes, but I think what you've got is as good as it can get from a visual presentation state.

 

Just as an off-the-cuff assessment, my colors would be (based on intersections/crossovers of routes):

--Red, Express routes;

--Lime, NICE or Bee-Line;

--Orange, Local/Limited combinations;

--Cobalt, SBS (with white dashed overlay)/Local;

--Green, crosstown (without major hub transfers).

Sounds simple, but it's not.  But why not throw another idea onto the wall and see if it sticks.

[Missabassie]

Whats with all these new bus shelters they've installed along 5th Avenue and Bryant pk??

[DetSMART45]

Whats with all these new bus shelters they've installed along 5th Avenue and Bryant pk??

That reminds me ..... MTA/DOT doing the solar-panel shelters for nighttime illumination?  I'm sure most could be hard-wired in your neck of the woods, but we've got these in discussion for conversions (primarily).

 

Your Outfront ad-shelters are superior (even if limited on side protection), and wouldn't mind having some of 'em exported here.  But with the MTA/DOT wanting to "green" everything, are those (solar) possibilities in the works or currently in use?

[Around the Horn]

I said the same thing (to myself) as I was typing that reply to BM5's post....

B4 been lime green like, forever.... Lol....  The only routes that are purple in all of south Brooklyn are the B100 & the B70.... If I were the editor of the brooklyn map, I would choose purple for the B4.

...to make the B64 blue.

 

As for the B8, I think it should've been left alone when it was orange... since that can't be feasibly done anymore (B44 local is also orange & the B8 uses nostrand for a brief stint... that area of the map is a mess... I give the editors credit on that one), it may as well be left as lime green....

 

1. If you made the B64 blue it would clash with the B1 on that one block of 86 Street (And look like the B39 and B62 in Williamsburg- which I absolutely despise)

 

2. I have no problem with the B4 and B64 remaining lime green. They cross only once so that isn't really an issue. The B8 just made it worse because it crosses both and runs one block below the B64.

 

 

The only routes that are purple in all of south Brooklyn are the B100 & the B70....

I still remember the good old days when the B63, B44 and B41 were all purple and the B9 was green, the B37 and B1 yellow...(im getting off track here)

 

Anyway, if I did the map, at the very least the B41 would return to purple if not the B63.

 

You could return the B44 local to purple and the B8 to yellow (I never understood why they made the B44 yellow anyway- it was purple forever)

[B35 via Church]

1. If you made the B64 blue it would clash with the B1 on that one block of 86 Street

(And look like the B39 and B62 in Williamsburg- which I absolutely despise)

 

2. I have no problem with the B4 and B64 remaining lime green. They cross only once so that isn't really an issue. The B8 just made it worse because it crosses both and runs one block below the B64.

I don't think skyblue & blue clashes...... I don't have a problem with the B1 & the S79 over there by 86th on 4th (or 5th).

 

To me, lime green & the (express bus designated color) green is much worse (i.e. the B4 & the BM3 down in Sheepshead)..... That is the main reason I'd change the color of the B4...

 

I still remember the good old days when the B63, B44 and B41 were all purple and the B9 was green, the B37 and B1 yellow...(im getting off track here)

 

 

Anyway, if I did the map, at the very least the B41 would return to purple if not the B63.

 

You could return the B44 local to purple and the B8 to yellow (I never understood why they made the B44 yellow anyway- it was purple forever)

Exactly what I was thinking of when I made the prior reply!

[Q43LTD]

Isn't the B44 local orange on the Brooklyn Bus map? I don't recall them ever using yellow when they switched to this format 20 years ago

[MHV9218]

Pretty much exactly how our new LFS order woulda looked if we hadn't gotten the SEPTA rears: