Random Thoughts Thread - Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE)

[Tom Meadow]

Do u know the channel maybe I can give a try.Also did u try to upload on Mobil or PC.

[NY1635]

Don't most of NICE's ridership come from Central Nassau?

[FamousNYLover]

Famous if you look on youtube you will see a n20 bus the driver is lost it was Memorial Day 2015 the driver said he did not know of any detour. Nice bus should know every Memorial Day northern blvd is closed for the parade I tried to post the link to the video but it is not working I have no idea how too do it.

It's actually detour communication between villages/towns, police department and NICE Bus.

Villages/towns lacks detour communication for NICE Bus, so NICE bus dispatchers wouldn't know to alert bus drivers until village/town contacts them.

I even inform organizer of Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade to inform NICE Bus twice because they were not aware Nassau County bus was not part of .

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

Don't most of NICE's ridership come from Central Nassau?

It comes from the routes to Queens and Suffolk. In terms of where people to reside and take the bus, I'm not exactly sure either. Looks like it, but then it can also be deceiving.

[Burrstone]

Nassau Inter-County Express reveal the progress of their New Flyer XN-40 Xcelsior CNG. Currently in development and these two photos shows the body frame.

https://www.facebook.com/theNICEbus?fref=nf

 

Thanks for sharing, I don't usually go to NICE's facebook page.  I'm really surprised they're building New Flyer's in Alabama instead of Minnesota. 

[John from Flushing]

If nice revenue mostly comes from queens, then why can't mta just add the "n" buses to it's queen garages & then just have nice run the "n" lines that just stay on Long Island. Example a bus line from Nassau to Suffolk & other way around

[FamousNYLover]

If nice revenue mostly comes from queens, then why can't mta just add the "n" buses to it's queen garages & then just have nice run the "n" lines that just stay on Long Island. Example a bus line from Nassau to Suffolk & other way around

NICE Bus only has two depots, Mitchel Field Depot (where they're public hearing by Nassau County Bus Transit Committee which oversees NICE Bus fixed-route buses at 4pm and Rockville Cetre depot. Their Able-Ride depot is located in same neighborhood as Mitchel Field Depot, but more closer to Nassau Community College and Able-Ride public hearing is overseen by Transit Acceissiblty Community which begins at 10am.

wouldn't allow NICE vehicles to be parked in their depots.

[John from Flushing]

I support more funding for nice bus. Nassau really should pay for it's bus service.

[FamousNYLover]

I support more funding for nice bus. Nassau really should pay for it's bus service.

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and his republican and republicans don't care about bus riders/drivers.

[DetSMART45]

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and his republican and republicans don't care about bus riders/drivers.

NOT true at all.

 

Detroit's bus system is completely funded by the city itself (outside of Fed and state funds).  Detroit has been run by Democrats since 1962, and since population began dropping (in the 1970s), DDOT bus service has fallen apart.  The Feds have repeatedly sent extra money to get new buses whenever Detroit moaned about them being unreliable and that's why they never run on time.  When GM was producing buses at the Pontiac, MI Truck and Bus Plant, they practically GAVE DDOT the first RTSes off the lines.  (This was also when GM had operations in the city as well -- manufacturing and HQ, so there was most certainly some "scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" going on.)  Funding may have had ebbs and flows (within the past 40 YEARS) and population has been dropping, yet the system STILL cannot run on the printed schedules they produce.  Do a little YouTube research for DDOT and view the local news reports showing people waiting for buses back just before GM rolled out its RTSes.  Then search for reports within the past 2-3 years.  EXACT same scenario repeating, yet Democrats have been in charge the entire time.

 

Political affiliation does not mean good bus service or funding.  Mangano has failed in his own promises of a county-owned system being better than the MTA running it.  If he kept funding at or near the prior levels, made bus travel more efficient by encouraging use and listening to the customers/taxpayers, proving that local control (versus NYC [MTA] being involved in the "suburbs") works better -- the NICE system would actually work and be successful in residents' eyes (and pockets).

 

Living here in anti-bus Motor City environs, we actually do have a system (still with flaws) that works.  And a good chunk of taxpayers funding SMART are Republican-leaning suburban areas.  So it's not due to political affiliation if bus service is properly funded.  It's the end result that's measured against the money put into it.

[mac5689]

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and his republican and republicans don't care about bus riders/drivers.

I don't think it's that. Most Republicans probably realize that in order to fund things it has to come from two sources. Either Taxpayers or the people who relay on the service. 

 

Taxpayers aren't going to like having their taxes go up to pay for bus service, and rider's aren't going to keep having their fares raised to pay for service. It's a lose-lose situation. 

 

Also it's not fair to blame Mangano since Nassau also had problem with pay the MTA under the last administration which was Democrat, if I recall correctly. Just because the problem seems worse and Mangano actually decided to change the systems operator doesn't mean he should get all the blame.  

[Joel Up Front]

Saving money sure didn't make the buses any more tolerable to ride...

[mac5689]

Saving money sure didn't make the buses any more tolerable to ride...

Saving money usually doesn't make anything better. It either makes the problem more noticeable and worse. Saving money should only be done to store money for a set point in the future. Otherwise whatever you are trying to save money on should just be cut and be done with it. Unfortunetly the latter cutting isn't very good when it come to transportation. 

[+Young+]

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and his republican and republicans don't care about bus riders/drivers.

NOT true at all.

 

Detroit's bus system is completely funded by the city itself (outside of Fed and state funds).  Detroit has been run by Democrats since 1962, and ........

 

Political affiliation does not mean good bus service or funding.  Mangano has failed............

 

Living here in anti-bus Motor City environs, we actually do have a system (still with flaws) that works.  And a good chunk of taxpayers funding SMART are Republican-leaning suburban areas.  So it's not due to political affiliation if bus service is properly funded.  It's the end result that's measured against the money put into it.

I don't think it's that. Most Republicans probably realize that in order to fund things it has to come from two sources. Either Taxpayers or the people who relay on the service......

 

Please do not continue talking about politicians, Democrats/Republicans/Independents, etc. This is one mess/argument we do not need. I personally don't want to give any warning points out...

 

Also, as per the rules of the site, let's stay on-topic. If a politician gets mentioned here and there and there that's fine, but please don't get carried away with it.

 

Thanks!

Edited August 17, 2015 by YoungNYCSubwayFan
Clarification

[Burrstone]

I saw foothills bus (still in foothill livery) 1256 numbered 1016 being towed on Merrick Rd. Going eastbound just east of the meadowbrook. I haven't seen one of them being towed in months! Are they getting more or is 1256 one of the buses damaged on its way from CA? Also I've never seen these buses on sunrise usually I spot them a on 109 or Sunrise near the 109/Sunrise junction on their way to AKA...

[MTA Orion Bus]

Please do not continue talking about politicians, Democrats/Republicans/Independents, etc. This is one mess/argument we do not need. I personally don't want to give any warning points out...

 

Also, as per the rules of the site, let's stay on-topic. If a politician gets mentioned here and there and there that's fine, but please don't get carried away with it.

 

Thanks!

Can you please fix my account so I can send PMs?

[FamousNYLover]

Can mod remove name of Nassau County Executive please.

[mac5689]

I saw foothills bus (still in foothill livery) 1256 numbered 1016 being towed on Merrick Rd. Going eastbound just east of the meadowbrook. I haven't seen one of them being towed in months! Are they getting more or is 1256 one of the buses damaged on its way from CA? Also I've never seen these buses on sunrise usually I spot them a on 109 or Sunrise near the 109/Sunrise junction on their way to AKA...

1016 has been used in service I beilieve, or at least I don't think it was one of the ones wercked during delivery. Nothing really has been said about the ones that were wercked in delivery.

 

 

 

Please do not continue talking about politicians, Democrats/Republicans/Independents, etc. This is one mess/argument we do not need. I personally don't want to give any warning points out...

 

Also, as per the rules of the site, let's stay on-topic. If a politician gets mentioned here and there and there that's fine, but please don't get carried away with it.

 

Thanks!

Sorry about that, I wasn't trying trying to cause any problems over politics. I probably could have said what I said without mentioning politics. 

Edited August 18, 2015 by mac5689

[Burrstone]

1016 has been used in service I beilieve, or at least I don't think it was one of the ones wercked during delivery. Nothing really has been said about the ones that were wercked in delivery.

 

Maybe the one I saw was going to be the original 1016 bc this bus wasn't ready for NICE service as it was still in full Foothill livery.  It had 1016 written on the windshield so we know that usually this becomes the body number after the Nassau stripe is painted on.  I didn't get a good enough look to see if there was any body damage or not.  Maybe they will paint this one and replace 1016, assuming something happened to it?

[RtrainBlues]

Is there a minimum speed limit in Nassau County?  I would think that a bus driver who is traveling under 10mph for the first 20 minutes of a certain intra-county route is creating a safety hazard by having tons of cars pass him by.  (Then he realizes he's way behind schedule and speeds up for the final portion of the route.)  This appears to be in violation of New York State law:  http://ypdcrime.com/vt/article30.htm#t1181

 

"No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic...."

Edited August 18, 2015 by RtrainBlues

[NY1635]

Is there a minimum speed limit in Nassau County?  I would think that a bus driver who is traveling under 10mph for the first 20 minutes of a certain intra-county route is creating a safety hazard by having tons of cars pass him by.  (Then he realizes he's way behind schedule and speeds up for the final portion of the route.)  This appears to be in violation of New York State law:  http://ypdcrime.com/vt/article30.htm#t1181

 

"No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic...."

 

I think the speed limit is 30-35 mph in some places.

[John from Flushing]

Speed limit on most Long Island roads is 50 mph. It depends on some villages they lower it to 40 mph to protect people while crossing the street. I know speed limit in nyc is 25 unless otherwise posted. On a side note N20 bus enters queens on northern blvd big sign says speed limit is 25, I don't see any other speed signs so speed limit on northern blvd is 25 ( unless otherwise posted)

Most nice buses are capped at 60 mph by the mechanic in the depot.

[FamousNYLover]

Speed limit on most Long Island roads is 50 mph. It depends on some villages they lower it to 40 mph to protect people while crossing the street. I know speed limit in nyc is 25 unless otherwise posted. On a side note N20 bus enters queens on northern blvd big sign says speed limit is 25, I don't see any other speed signs so speed limit on northern blvd is 25 ( unless otherwise posted)

Most nice buses are capped at 60 mph by the mechanic in the depot.

School zones are also 25mph.

[DetSMART45]

Please do not continue talking about politicians, Democrats/Republicans/Independents, etc. This is one mess/argument we do not need. I personally don't want to give any warning points out...

 

Also, as per the rules of the site, let's stay on-topic. If a politician gets mentioned here and there and there that's fine, but please don't get carried away with it.

 

Thanks!

Get your point, and I agree that this particular issue shouldn't be beaten to death and veer the thread off.

 

However....

 

The person who shoulders most of the burden of the way NICE operates currently IS Mr. Mangano.  His whole "plan" was based upon animosity toward the MTA and the way the MTA was running LIBus, in not giving Nassau County the bang for their bucks that he and his cohorts thought should be there.  And part of that plan was his "We can do it better, for less money" which he bamboozled the Nassau taxpayers into believing and supporting.  Doesn't matter about political affiliations -- his plan was set out, he got support for it, and that plan has led to the current status of NICE.

 

You cannot have an accurate discussion of the NICE operations (provided through the funding mechanism) without placing responsibility where it should be placed.  It's like trying to talk about the "Disneyfication" of Times Square, transforming it from the dirty alley it was to the tourist mecca it is today, without mentioning Giuliani -- the man whose priorities and policies actually effected it.

 

I don't think this point needs to be brought up over and over again, but it needs to be made periodically.  After all, if new policies were enacted that reversed the current situation and trajectory, that person should be commended and recognized for that accomplishment, regardless of political affiliation also.

 

Responsibility is responsibility and words mean things.  You have to take the criticisms as well as the plaudits.

 

But I will agree, we don't need to belabor this subject, nor bring political-based conversation here.

[RtrainBlues]

I mentioned a minimum speed limit, not maximum.  Going 10mph for 20 minutes is very very slow, and it appears to be in violation of New York State law.