Bus Destination Signs

[BrooklynBus]

Aren't we showing our age? I may not have even been conceived yet when you did this....

 

In any event, do they just have any old Joe Schmoe do the signs? :eek:

 

The digitals had just come to the MTA not too long before I did. I assume that someone in each depot was given the assignment to develop them. I was given final review authority. When I left East NY in July, 1981, it was probably given back to various people at the depots. In the late 1980s, when Norman Silverman took over as Director of Bus Service Planning, he told me during one of the four times he interviewed me, but never hired me, that he programs the bus signs by himself because that was one function he refused to delegate out. I've had many disagreements with him, but one thing he did right was to put all the neighborhood names on the destination signs as opposed to obscure intersection names no one knew. I believe he continued programming the signs until he moved to MTA Bus where he currently is. He may still have some say in them today.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

The digitals had just come to the MTA not too long before I did. I assume that someone in each depot was given the assignment to develop them. I was given final review authority. When I left East NY in July, 1981, it was probably given back to various people at the depots. In the late 1980s, when Norman Silverman took over as Director of Bus Service Planning, he told me during one of the four times he interviewed me, but never hired me, that he programs the bus signs by himself because that was one function he refused to delegate out. I've had many disagreements with him, but one thing he did right was to put all the neighborhood names on the destination signs as opposed to obscure intersection names no one knew. I believe he continued programming the signs until he moved to MTA Bus where he currently is. He may still have some say in them today.

 

What about some lines that just say the neighbourhood like these below:

 

X2 NEW DORP

X9 NEW DORP

X10 PT RICHMOND

X14 PT RICHMOND

 

Why give such limited information?

[Cait Sith]

There is room to put it, it's just the MTA being lazy. On the S93 Limited, if you see the Orion 5's front destination signs the destination reading gives "WILLOWBROOK SI COLLEGE" with Willowbrook on top. But the way it's shown is in a light format compared to the bolder readings like "BAY RIDGE 86 ST STA. It's highly practical to have the X1 read "via RICHMOND AV" instead of via RICH AV, it's ridiculous.

 

It's not them being lazy, they are trying to avoid using the smaller code font on the D4500s (not CLs or CTs) because it would look smaller than they appear from far. From a good distance, some of the smaller font codes are harder to see as opposed to the bigger fonts.

[LRG]

What about some lines that just say the neighbourhood like these below:

 

X2 NEW DORP

X9 NEW DORP

X10 PT RICHMOND

X14 PT RICHMOND

 

Why give such limited information?

 

Yeah I really don't know why the signs have just the neighborhood alone and not a cross street or even a building or landmark. If a sign says "Times Square", that's justifiable as we all know Times Square is 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue and Broadway...same for Herald Square.

 

I really wonder what the signs for the S74 and S78 will say when the Bricktown revisions take place. If it were up to me I'd have the signs read something like the following:

 

S74|CHARLESTON

S74|BRICKTOWN MALL

 

Same for the S78.

[checkmatechamp13]

What about some lines that just say the neighbourhood like these below:

 

X2 NEW DORP

X9 NEW DORP

X10 PT RICHMOND

X14 PT RICHMOND

 

Why give such limited information?

 

They probably figure that most of the people know what streets the route takes, so they don't bother. Express buses consist of mostly regular commuters, so I'm sure most of them know the streets the bus takes.

 

Also, there aren't really a whole lot of ways to get to those neighborhoods. To get to New Dorp, the only real routes a bus could take would be Hylan Blvd or Father Capodanno Blvd. (Not saying that I agree with their logic, but I'm just trying to make sense of it)

 

The thing that I've wondered is: How come the X17 says "via Huguenot/via Drumgoogle", when it spends much more time on Richmond Avenue than either of those streets.

 

Just from a scientific perspective, I would think it would be cheaper to have signs that alternate (say, having the X14 say "Port Richmond via Clove Road). If the sign stays constant, I would think that the bulbs or whatever is keeping the signs lit up would burn out, since they are always on in the same place. If it alternates, the different bulbs in the different parts of the screen share the burden.

 

For example, when some computers go to sleep, they have those pipes move across the screen, with the logic that having different parts of the screen receive the light would keep one part of the screen from burning out (at least, that's what I was told, and it makes sense).

 

Yeah I really don't know why the signs have just the neighborhood alone and not a cross street or even a building or landmark. If a sign says "Times Square", that's justifiable as we all know Times Square is 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue and Broadway...same for Herald Square.

 

I really wonder what the signs for the S74 and S78 will say when the Bricktown revisions take place. If it were up to me I'd have the signs read something like the following:

 

S74|CHARLESTON

S74|BRICKTOWN MALL

 

Same for the S78.

 

You'd have them say "via Arthur Kill Road" and "via Hylan Blvd" respectively, though, right?

[BrooklynBus]

What about some lines that just say the neighbourhood like these below:

 

X2 NEW DORP

X9 NEW DORP

X10 PT RICHMOND

X14 PT RICHMOND

 

Why give such limited information?

 

 

Maybe he was tired when he finally got around to do Staten Island.

[LRG]

You'd have them say "via Arthur Kill Road" and "via Hylan Blvd" respectively, though, right?

 

Sure why not.

[Q43LTD]

What about some lines that just say the neighbourhood like these below:

 

X2 NEW DORP

X9 NEW DORP

X10 PT RICHMOND

X14 PT RICHMOND

 

Why give such limited information?

It's probably because Staten Island has a suburban feel. Like Long Island and Westchester

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Maybe he was tired when he finally got around to do Staten Island.

 

lol

They probably figure that most of the people know what streets the route takes, so they don't bother. Express buses consist of mostly regular commuters, so I'm sure most of them know the streets the bus takes.

 

Also, there aren't really a whole lot of ways to get to those neighborhoods. To get to New Dorp, the only real routes a bus could take would be Hylan Blvd or Father Capodanno Blvd. (Not saying that I agree with their logic, but I'm just trying to make sense of it)

 

The thing that I've wondered is: How come the X17 says "via Huguenot/via Drumgoogle", when it spends much more time on Richmond Avenue than either of those streets.

 

Just from a scientific perspective, I would think it would be cheaper to have signs that alternate (say, having the X14 say "Port Richmond via Clove Road). If the sign stays constant, I would think that the bulbs or whatever is keeping the signs lit up would burn out, since they are always on in the same place. If it alternates, the different bulbs in the different parts of the screen share the burden.

 

For example, when some computers go to sleep, they have those pipes move across the screen, with the logic that having different parts of the screen receive the light would keep one part of the screen from burning out (at least, that's what I was told, and it makes sense).

 

LOL... Luckily I wasn't eating my zeppolies when I read the whole "scientific" explanation. But yes, there is some truth to it. Reminds me of the TVs that get "burn in". But yeah... maybe the thinking with the "via Huguenot/via Drumgoogle" is that it serves Arden Heights. As far as the X14 goes, maybe it is because it doesn't spend too much time on any street really on Staten Island. It spends maybe 10 minutes tops on Clove, which is maybe about the amount of time it spends on Forest. Then you figure 5-10 minutes on the service road and another 5-10 between Post and Port Richmond Aves.

[mike1]

It Should Say:

Q120

Via Northern Blvd

Times Square

42 Street

And:

Q120

Via Northern Blvd

Flushing

Main St Station

[Joel Up Front]

This isn't a sign request thread.

 

Before 2008, LIB used large font type on their signs because it was assumed that people knew where the routes ran. Now, they're all detailed, and they seem to be the most detailed.