LRG Posted July 7, 2011 Share #1 Posted July 7, 2011 I rode the 4:42 X22 out of Midtown to the Outerbridge Park and Ride. Only three of the buses that serve the P&R terminate there, whereas the other five that serve the P&R continue to Tottenville (the bus I ride was the first of the three that end at the P&R). We only picked up about 15 people before we hit the tunnel and entered New Jersey. After about 25 minutes in New Jersey and along the West Shore Expressway, we made the first drop-off at Victory Boulevard. We went back on the highway and then exited at Arthur Kill Road and made further drop-offs until Richmond Parkway, but after we left the second-to-last stop before the P&R there was one other passenger on the bus as well as myself. There weren't even a lot of cars parked at the P&R. I didn't get an exact count of the number of cars, but the lot certainly wasn't full like the Eltingville Transit Center's P&R lot. All in all, the bus traveled fast along the turnpike, hit a few slow spots before the Goethals, and traveled at a fairly decent speed along the West Shore Expressway. I wonder if the two trips before me and the five trips after carried a decent amount of passengers heading to the P&R. However, I do hope that the ridership increases further and further to the point the X22 gets expanded service outside of rush hours, both Tottenville service and P&R service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amtrak7 Posted July 7, 2011 Share #2 Posted July 7, 2011 We went back on the highway and then exited at Arthur Kill Road and made further drop-offs until Richmond Parkway, but after we left the second-to-last stop before the P&R there was one other passenger on the bus as well as myself. There weren't even a lot of cars parked at the P&R. I didn't get an exact count of the number of cars, but the lot certainly wasn't full like the Eltingville Transit Center's P&R lot. Totally unexpected, but the service is brand new. Hopefully come a few months the buses will start to fill. I'll try and grab a ride on this someday, perhaps in August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 7, 2011 Share #3 Posted July 7, 2011 Not surprised at all. Staten Island express buses will be relatively light this week because folks are on vacation. Aside from that after July 4th buses tend to be lighter until at least September or so. Oh and also buses like the X22 are not going to be packed at that time anyway because that isn't during the heat of rush hour no matter what time of the year it is. The X30 is like that too around that time, about 20 people or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRG Posted July 7, 2011 Author Share #4 Posted July 7, 2011 Makes sense...it was barely 5:00 so the buses behind me would definitely be packed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 7, 2011 Share #5 Posted July 7, 2011 Makes sense...it was barely 5:00 so the buses behind me would definitely be packed. Oh and I don't see service expanding too much on the X22. Politicians pushed for the park and ride extension, but the next hot thing is rapid ferry service. Ignizio has been on the city's @ss about it. The city promised to have it put into place, but they've been dragging their feet on it. That would make commute times something like 45 minutes from the South Shore to Midtown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FamousNYLover Posted July 7, 2011 Share #6 Posted July 7, 2011 Yesterday, when I saw Atlantic Express X23/X24 pulled over at 43rd St stop, I announced: "Ladies & Gentlemen! X22 bus stop at former Atlantic Express AE-7 Outerbridge Park & Ride. X24, X23, X24, then followed by X22 Outerbridge Park & Ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FamousNYLover Posted July 7, 2011 Share #7 Posted July 7, 2011 Did passenger got confuse when bus enter P&R? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRG Posted July 7, 2011 Author Share #8 Posted July 7, 2011 No, I'm pretty sure that's the destination he wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
checkmatechamp13 Posted July 7, 2011 Share #9 Posted July 7, 2011 I rode the 4:42 X22 out of Midtown to the Outerbridge Park and Ride. Only three of the buses that serve the P&R terminate there, whereas the other five that serve the P&R continue to Tottenville (the bus I ride was the first of the three that end at the P&R). We only picked up about 15 people before we hit the tunnel and entered New Jersey. After about 25 minutes in New Jersey and along the West Shore Expressway, we made the first drop-off at Victory Boulevard. We went back on the highway and then exited at Arthur Kill Road and made further drop-offs until Richmond Parkway, but after we left the second-to-last stop before the P&R there was one other passenger on the bus as well as myself. There weren't even a lot of cars parked at the P&R. I didn't get an exact count of the number of cars, but the lot certainly wasn't full like the Eltingville Transit Center's P&R lot. All in all, the bus traveled fast along the turnpike, hit a few slow spots before the Goethals, and traveled at a fairly decent speed along the West Shore Expressway. I wonder if the two trips before me and the five trips after carried a decent amount of passengers heading to the P&R. However, I do hope that the ridership increases further and further to the point the X22 gets expanded service outside of rush hours, both Tottenville service and P&R service. 25 minutes is pretty good to get to Travis. Whenever I take the X17J, it takes around 40 minutes to get to the first stop (which, fortunately, is where I get off). There must've been no traffic in the Lincoln Tunnel. I can't really picture the X22 getting many riders from the Park-and-Ride, since it has to travel along Bloomingdale Road before getting onto the West Shore Expressway. Like I said, I think the trips should serve Tottenville, then the park-and-ride, then Arthur Kill Road, then Victory Blvd. That should fill up the buses. Oh and I don't see service expanding too much on the X22. Politicians pushed for the park and ride extension, but the next hot thing is rapid ferry service. Ignizio has been on the city's @ss about it. The city promised to have it put into place, but they've been dragging their feet on it. That would make commute times something like 45 minutes from the South Shore to Midtown. I doubt that's going to be up and running anytime soon. The problem is that if they add off-peak service and then complete the ferry, they'll have a hard time discontinuing the off-peak service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 7, 2011 Share #10 Posted July 7, 2011 I can't really picture the X22 getting many riders from the Park-and-Ride, since it has to travel along Bloomingdale Road before getting onto the West Shore Expressway. Like I said, I think the trips should serve Tottenville, then the park-and-ride, then Arthur Kill Road, then Victory Blvd. That should fill up the buses. I disagree with that. I think the current set up should work fine because previously the X22s were overcrowded, hence the added stop for the Outerbridge Park and Ride and the others after that. There were also issues with X22s being delayed so that's another reason for some of them terminating at the Outerbridge Park and Ride, as the folks from the discontinued express bus line were packing on to the X22s. As for the ferry and the addition of X22 off peak service, quite frankly they need both. Several studies on the South Shore have clearly shown that the transportation needs do not meet the needs of the surrounding communities, especially with the huge spike in population growth down there over the last 10 years. That's part of the reason why the X1s are in such high demand as right now because there is really nothing else to serve folks down there in terms of rapid transit that doesn't require several transfers so they drive over to the Transit Center for express bus service there. This could in the long run take some of the strain off of the X1 and perhaps make the route more cost efficient. I doubt that's going to be up and running anytime soon. The problem is that if they add off-peak service and then complete the ferry, they'll have a hard time discontinuing the off-peak service. Yeah well it's the city so you can't expect anything to every be up and running anytime soon. My question to you is why shouldn't they have more than one option?? You aren't even considering if it is cost efficient or not. You're just saying Oh they don't need so many options. We can't just look at the population in its current state. We have to plan for transit improvements for the future as well and while you may complain about that costing money, the fact of the matter is that infrastructure needs to be put in place or the traffic on Staten Island esp. on the South Shore will be nearly impossible to deal with in the years to come. That is the #1 thing that representatives are pushing the city for. They don't want more housing on Staten Island. They want expanded transportation and infrastructure to meet the needs of the island. As Vicent Ignizio says "Don't tell me you want to build more houses. Give me infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
checkmatechamp13 Posted July 7, 2011 Share #11 Posted July 7, 2011 I disagree with that. I think the current set up should work fine because previously the X22s were overcrowded, hence the added stop for the Outerbridge Park and Ride and the others after that. There were also issues with X22s being delayed so that's another reason for some of them terminating at the Outerbridge Park and Ride, as the folks from the discontinued express bus line were packing on to the X22s. As for the ferry and the addition of X22 off peak service, quite frankly they need both. Several studies on the South Shore have clearly shown that the transportation needs do not meet the needs of the surrounding communities, especially with the huge spike in population growth down there over the last 10 years. That's part of the reason why the X1s are in such high demand as right now because there is really nothing else to serve folks down there in terms of rapid transit that doesn't require several transfers so they drive over to the Transit Center for express bus service there. This could in the long run take some of the strain off of the X1 and perhaps make the route more cost efficient. But now, Park-and-Ride riders still have to sit through all of the stops along Bloomingdale Road, which is a deterrant to ridership (also, it's more expensive, which you know is something I would say. ). Plus, if the park-and-ride ever sees significant usage, Bloomingdale Road riders may have a hard time getting on the buses. I don't see how it would make the X1 itself more cost-efficient, but I could see how overall, service would be more efficient down there (Rather than having to run more X1s through all of the stops on Hylan Blvd, they would be able to turn some X1 trips into faster (and cheaper) X22 trips. But then again, there might not be the demand for off-peak X22 service if the ferry is only 45 minutes from Midtown at a comparable fare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 7, 2011 Share #12 Posted July 7, 2011 But now, Park-and-Ride riders still have to sit through all of the stops along Bloomingdale Road, which is a deterrant to ridership (also, it's more expensive, which you know is something I would say. ). Plus, if the park-and-ride ever sees significant usage, Bloomingdale Road riders may have a hard time getting on the buses. I don't see how it would make the X1 itself more cost-efficient, but I could see how overall, service would be more efficient down there (Rather than having to run more X1s through all of the stops on Hylan Blvd, they would be able to turn some X1 trips into faster (and cheaper) X22 trips. But then again, there might not be the demand for off-peak X22 service if the ferry is only 45 minutes from Midtown at a comparable fare. That's exactly the point. You run fewer X1s and more X22s and it may be more cost effective that way. Oh and big deal. The X1 riders sit through a sh*t load of stops as well. No biggie. They just take a nap or read or whatever. Still beats making a million transfers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 7, 2011 Share #13 Posted July 7, 2011 Does anybody know what the new X22 signs say now? I'm particularly interested in the Tottenville one. I may have to get a new X22 sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FamousNYLover Posted July 8, 2011 Share #14 Posted July 8, 2011 I saw it today when I was riding East River Shuttle passing X22. It said TOTTENVILLE. Outerbridge Park & Ride was "OUTERBRIDGE PARK & RIDE as LGR's pic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRG Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share #15 Posted July 8, 2011 The Outerbridge X22 signs say OUTERBRIDGE PARK-RIDE, via NEW JERSEY, via ROSSVILLE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 8, 2011 Share #16 Posted July 8, 2011 The Outerbridge X22 signs say OUTERBRIDGE PARK-RIDE, via NEW JERSEY, via ROSSVILLE. Hmm... And the ones going to Tottenville... Does my current X22 sign still apply? I haven't seen an X22 yet since the new change. I saw one last Friday next to us while on the X30... :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRG Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share #17 Posted July 8, 2011 I'll go on a limb and say that the Outerbridge bypass signs are probably the same as your sign signature. The ones that operate to Tottenville via the Outerbridge, I'm not too sure about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 8, 2011 Share #18 Posted July 8, 2011 I'll go on a limb and say that the Outerbridge bypass signs are probably the same as your sign signature. The ones that operate to Tottenville via the Outerbridge, I'm not too sure about. Hmm... I'll have to catch one and see then... :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
via White Plains Road Posted July 8, 2011 Share #19 Posted July 8, 2011 Hmm... And the ones going to Tottenville... Does my current X22 sign still apply? I haven't seen an X22 yet since the new change. I saw one last Friday next to us while on the X30... :cool: I don't think all of the X22's have the new signs....I seen one on 57th Street that said "Tottenville via New Jersey via w/e other street name is"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 8, 2011 Share #20 Posted July 8, 2011 I don't think all of the X22's have the new signs....I seen one on 57th Street that said "Tottenville via New Jersey via w/e other street name is"! Yeah, that's possible because not all X22s stop at the park and ride. Some just go to Tottenville like before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FamousNYLover Posted July 8, 2011 Share #21 Posted July 8, 2011 I even found old AE-7 schedule of Feb 1st, 2010. http://www.aetg.net/AE7AMsked-020110.pdf http://www.aetg.net/AE7PMsked-020110.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
checkmatechamp13 Posted July 8, 2011 Share #22 Posted July 8, 2011 That's exactly the point. You run fewer X1s and more X22s and it may be more cost effective that way. Oh and big deal. The X1 riders sit through a sh*t load of stops as well. No biggie. They just take a nap or read or whatever. Still beats making a million transfers. Of course, you know the extra stops don't bother me as much as the fact that the MTA is spending more money to serve them. Like I've always said, the MTA should try to find ways to use its resources to speed up travel. It benefits both the MTA and the riders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FamousNYLover Posted July 8, 2011 Share #23 Posted July 8, 2011 LRG, one more thing. Is there MTA Service Poster at entrance at Pleasant Plain Av? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FamousNYLover Posted July 8, 2011 Share #24 Posted July 8, 2011 [GMAPS]<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=201964864774491182777.00047e1a432f43ee93539&ll=40.546754,-74.222452&spn=0.087706,0.059051&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=201964864774491182777.00047e1a432f43ee93539&ll=40.546754,-74.222452&spn=0.087706,0.059051&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">Atlantic Express AE7 Commuter Bus Service</a> in a larger map</small>[/GMAPS] AE-7 Map from Atlantic Express Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qjtransitmaster Posted July 9, 2011 Share #25 Posted July 9, 2011 [GMAPS]<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=201964864774491182777.00047e1a432f43ee93539&ll=40.546754,-74.222452&spn=0.087706,0.059051&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=201964864774491182777.00047e1a432f43ee93539&ll=40.546754,-74.222452&spn=0.087706,0.059051&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">Atlantic Express AE7 Commuter Bus Service</a> in a larger map</small>[/GMAPS] AE-7 Map from Atlantic Express so that is the new x22 route ehh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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