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

[mac5689]

Which is more important, people crossing the street safely or traffic flowing at highway speed with no traffic lights? If you want to drive highway speed than take the highway.

Technically the safest place to cross a street is at a traffic light, so technically a roadway's speed limit is a moot point. People running the light as to not to get caught at the light would be the problem. 

 

Actually Hempstead Turnpike was graded by Tri-State Transportation Campaign's dangerous intersection, so NYSDOT put safety median on parkway.

 

Another dangerous intersection is William Floyd Bennet Parkway/Montauk Highway, 9-lanes each direction only on William Floyd Parkway and near Mastic-Shirley Station.

Famous the name is only William Floyd Parkway, not William Floyd Bennet Parkway. And William Floyd is DOES NOT have nine lanes in each direction. William Floyd has three lanes Northbound and three lanes Southbound for a total of Six lanes. 

[Joel Up Front]

Which is more important, people crossing the street safely or traffic flowing at highway speed with no traffic lights?

 

The first can be accomplished without making it so that you're actually walking faster than a car can move you the same distance.  People ahve to fricking stop jaywalking like I see all the time on Merrick Road and Hempstead Turnpike.

[John from Flushing]

Yes Joel the jaywalking is so bad. On Main Street & Roosevelt ave in flushing just flushing in general the jay walking has gotten so bad I think jay walkers should be subject to a ticket. We need a law for jay walkers.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

Yes Joel the jaywalking is so bad. On Main Street & Roosevelt ave in flushing just flushing in general the jay walking has gotten so bad I think jay walkers should be subject to a ticket. We need a law for jay walkers.

There is one, just that it isn't enforced as much. Depending on the cop and time/situation, you may get a ticket. 

[John from Flushing]

Why is the meetings held at nice bus headquarters anyway? Why can't the meetings be held at the Hempstead transit center or 165st terminal or flushing Main Street (N20-N21) by having the meetings in a area most of the bus riders can access maybe more peolle

Will voice theee opinions,

[Tom Meadow]

165 street are really that dumb nice does not own the terminal in Jamaica Mta does such as the one in Mineola.Nassau owns Hempstead terminal I doubt they would have a meeting in the middle of such a busy terminal.Having the meeting is more convenient at Mitchell field for them.Hey while I am at it why dont I see any recent libru meeting on YouTube I like to see what there up to.btw piney caught 1608 broke down in Hicksville and told a nice supervisor that MTA is better he is hypocritical of nice and other long island towns and the MTA.

[John from Flushing]

Many bus riders have no way to get to nice bus headquarters because the N27 bus hardly runs, & riders feel it is unsafe to cross old country rd that leads to the head quarters. I watched the news12 video these long islad bus riders union people looked scared to cross a street, I only hear of Long Island bus riders union people going to these nice bus meetings, if the meetings we're held in 165 terminal or Hempstead transit center more riders can express there views on the company & fare increase. Bus riders can not afford another fare hike. We are paying sky high rates already. If they did the meeting at 165th terminal Hempstead transit center I am sure nice can rent out a nice office room.

[N6 Limited]

According to this group there is no other way to get to the meeting than crossing a busy highway. Where does the N27 stop? Maybe nice should provide shuttle bus from the mall to the meeting

If member on here said anything about the meeting maybe I would have went

 

 

If N27 takes them directly to the building why would these people walk so much and cross a dangerous busy highway? How many people went to the nice headquarters meeting? If somebody works full time do they make the meeting at night or on a weekend?

Also in the news clip the Long Island bus riders union wants Sunday service in Suffolk does nice operate some Suffolk routes?

Exactly, that's why you can't take everything people say as fact. The LIBRU is full of crap most of the time. the N27 Stops by the depo, it runs on Oak Street and Commercial Ave. There are a few other buses ONE BLOCK AWAY, walking from the mall inot that bad, it's probably farther to walk through the mall to the other side.

 

Why is the meetings held at nice bus headquarters anyway? Why can't the meetings be held at the Hempstead transit center or 165st terminal or flushing Main Street (N20-N21) by having the meetings in a area most of the bus riders can access maybe more peolle

Will voice theee opinions,

Hempstead Transit Center is disgusting. 165th street terminal closes early and is crappy. Main Street is congested. 

 

Many bus riders have no way to get to nice bus headquarters because the N27 bus hardly runs, & riders feel it is unsafe to cross old country rd that leads to the head quarters. I watched the news12 video these long islad bus riders union people looked scared to cross a street, I only hear of Long Island bus riders union people going to these nice bus meetings, if the meetings we're held in 165 terminal or Hempstead transit center more riders can express there views on the company & fare increase. Bus riders can not afford another fare hike. We are paying sky high rates already. If they did the meeting at 165th terminal Hempstead transit center I am sure nice can rent out a nice office room.

Many people cross Old Country Road everyday, I had to do it when I worked in the area. If you ride the bus and/or are a pedestrian you'll have to cross streets, it's not like these meetings are in Oyster Bay or Bayville.

 

$2.75 is not sky high, sky high is the $20 that Long Island cab companies charge to travel to the next town.

 

Hempstead Transit Center smells like urine and bleach, I would not want to attend a meeting there, you'd also make it TOO easy for people to attend. You'd have the ignorant undesirable passengers who probably ride for free anyway (because "oh wow, there's no money on my card!?" etc.  If you ride through HTC enough you'll notice the usual suspects) heckling any non-rider trying to speak. 

[NY1635]

Many bus riders have no way to get to nice bus headquarters because the N27 bus hardly runs, & riders feel it is unsafe to cross old country rd that leads to the head quarters. I watched the news12 video these long islad bus riders union people looked scared to cross a street, I only hear of Long Island bus riders union people going to these nice bus meetings, if the meetings we're held in 165 terminal or Hempstead transit center more riders can express there views on the company & fare increase. Bus riders can not afford another fare hike. We are paying sky high rates already. If they did the meeting at 165th terminal Hempstead transit center I am sure nice can rent out a nice office room.

 

The Hempstead Transit Center doesn't have an office room, it's just a major bus terminal. If these riders feel uneasy about crossing Old Country Road, then they wouldn't feel safe in the HTC since its located in one of the roughest neighborhoods on LI. I'm not even sure if redevelopment would make Hempstead better.  165th is located in Queens, which is not part of NICE. Plus, only 3 and a half NICE routes go there.

[FamousNYLover]

The Hempstead Transit Center doesn't have an office room, it's just a major bus terminal. If these riders feel uneasy about crossing Old Country Road, then they wouldn't feel safe in the HTC since its located in one of the roughest neighborhoods on LI. I'm not even sure if redevelopment would make Hempstead better.  165th is located in Queens, which is not part of NICE. Plus, only 3 and a half NICE routes go there.

Tri-State Campaign, Straphangers Campaign, Riders Alliance and LIBRU are trying to get the NICE Bus Public Hearing to rechange the location of NICE Bus Public Hearing to Nassau County Legislator Building on Franklin St/Old Country Rd where it is easier access via n22, n23, n24, n40/41 and change the meeting time to 6pm. Nobody will go to public hearing at 4pm because most of bus riders are working or in school.

People want public hearing to be more accessible location such as hotel, Nassau County Legislator, Nassau County Public Libraries, colleges, universarities.

Remember  during the MTA Public Hearing at Hofras University, lots of riders and Legislaters had to skip their work just to attend MTA's Doomsday Cut public hearing back in June during Long Island Bus for 3pm public hearing.

Edited August 22, 2015 by FamousNYLover

[John from Flushing]

I think the public hearing should be on a satur day or Sunday morning when most people are off, & select the place at a locAtion where major bus lines connect, & where the bus stop is right in front of the bldg. people should not have to cross 8 lanes of a busy hwy just to get to a meeting. I only saw a few people on the news report crossing the street to get to the meeting, where was everybody else? If nice posted " public hearing " signs on the buses that a hearing was coming up I would have came with libru, & i would give them many reasons why not to raise the fare. The riders shouldn't have to pay more because maintence costs are going up... That's not my problem, I saw the video of bus 1608 that bus is a classic one of my favorites

[FamousNYLover]

NICE Bus Public Hearing is open to public but we're asking them to re change the location to Nassau County Legislator building at 6pm close to Mineola Station where LIRR, n22, 23, n24, n40/41 and rush hour n15 bus serves nearby.

 

One of BJ Club employees also told me it's dangerous to cross Roosevelt Field Mall Bus Terminal when I contacted BJ Club via chat regardding shopping carts at off-properly and properly rider who shops at BJ Club membership club faced lots of fears since they cannot take this shopping carts on the bus. I offered to bring back because I am always polite to every supermarkets, organic markets, including BJ Club, PATHMark, Whole Food, Bath and Beyond, Uncle Guipsee, Organic Natural Market, etc.

 

 

[John from Flushing]

I see people bring shopping carts on the bus, mostly senior citizens & bus driver tells them they cant come on & they choose to ingore the driver, if the shopping cart egts loose & tips over or hurts a passenger, it would be the person's fault who brought the cart on, I saw a N20 driver call bus command center once & he didnt move the bus untill the person emptied the shopping cart, we were all upset because now the bus was late.

[FamousNYLover]

I see people bring shopping carts on the bus, mostly senior citizens & bus driver tells them they cant come on & they choose to ingore the driver, if the shopping cart egts loose & tips over or hurts a passenger, it would be the person's fault who brought the cart on, I saw a N20 driver call bus command center once & he didnt move the bus untill the person emptied the shopping cart, we were all upset because now the bus was late.

There's  difference between shopping carts that use for supermarket/grocery uses only and shopping carts that uses by senior citizens.

I was not talking about folded shopping carts that uses by senior citizens.

NICE Bus Public Hearing is open to public but we're asking them to re change the location to Nassau County Legislator building at 6pm close to Mineola Station where LIRR, n22, 23, n24, n40/41 and rush hour n15 bus serves nearby.

 

One of BJ Club employees also told me it's dangerous to cross Roosevelt Field Mall Bus Terminal when I contacted BJ Club via chat regardding shopping carts at off-properly and properly rider who shops at BJ Club membership club faced lots of fears since they cannot take this shopping carts on the bus. I offered to bring back because I am always polite to every supermarkets, organic markets, including BJ Club, PATHMark, Whole Food, Bath and Beyond, Uncle Guipsee, Organic Natural Market, etc.

 

This shopping carts cannot be folded, so they cannot bring it on bus. It is on off-properly from BJ Club across from Roosevelt Field Mall Bus Terminal.

 

Senior citizens use this shopping carts mostly which can be folded. They know all transit bus companies , NICE, Bee-Line, CT Transit all shopping carts must be emptied out and folded, including family with strollers are suppose to fold, but some are lazy to fold.

 

Edited August 22, 2015 by FamousNYLover

[mac5689]

 

Another dangerous intersection is William Floyd Bennet Parkway/Montauk Highway, 9-lanes each direction only on William Floyd Parkway and near Mastic-Shirley Station.

 

 

 

 

Famous the name is only William Floyd Parkway, not William Floyd Bennet Parkway. And William Floyd is DOES NOT have nine lanes in each direction. William Floyd has three lanes Northbound and three lanes Southbound for a total of Six lanes. 

Sorry Famous, I didn't realize that you were talking about the intersection of William Floyd Parkway and Montauk Hwy itself. William Floyd Parkway is 9 lanes at that loctation, though only because of the deticated turning lanes for turning either West or East onto Montauk Hwy. (Two lanes for turning West, One for turning East Northbound. Two for turning East and one turning West Southbound)

 

I personally never cross at the intersection of William Floyd Parkway and Montauk, I don't know how many do cross there, I always cross William Floyd at the next nearest intersection North or South. 

Edited August 22, 2015 by mac5689

[John from Flushing]

9 lanes in each direction? That is very dangerous & unheard of, li should in the name of pesteredian safety make it 3 lanes each way one bike lane & remove the turning lanes .

[B35 via Church]

One of BJ Club employees also told me it's dangerous to cross Roosevelt Field Mall Bus Terminal when I contacted BJ Club via chat regardding shopping carts at off-properly and properly rider who shops at BJ Club membership club faced lots of fears since they cannot take this shopping carts on the bus. I offered to bring back because I am always polite to every supermarkets, organic markets, including BJ Club, PATHMark, Whole Food, Bath and Beyond, Uncle Guipsee, Organic Natural Market, etc.

 

 

** 2 photos **

Yeah, and they're also used for makeshift trash cans, I'm quite sure... Just like the free newspaper distribution boxes are.

Rather common problem in Nassau county.

 

 

Kept wondering where the heck a stop & shop was in Mineola... Googled super stop & shop mineola, come to find out the nearest one is one town over in Carle Place.... Granted it was only one cart by the elevator (mineola intermodal) at the time, but still....

 

 

.....Another dangerous intersection is William Floyd Bennet Parkway/Montauk Highway, 9-lanes each direction only on William Floyd

Unbeknownst to me, the William Floyd has quite the history of (illegal) drag racing....

Even before I knew about that, there was something I never liked about that stretch of road...

Edited August 23, 2015 by B35 via Church

[John from Flushing]

Saw bus 1595 on the N20 tonight it sounded like a raddle box from the outside imagine the inside.

[mac5689]

9 lanes in each direction? That is very dangerous & unheard of, li should in the name of pesteredian safety make it 3 lanes each way one bike lane & remove the turning lanes .

It's only nine at that intersection (William Floyd and Montauk), the reason being that the turning lanes are for turning only, not like in some places were you have turning lanes where you can continue going stright as well. The road way it self id only six lanes wide, three in each direction. 

 

William Floyd Parkway handles alot of cars and is almost always busy. Cutting lanes would cause traffic to back probably alot more then it does now. Traffic as of now doesn't back up as bad when your at a red light at that intersection (or any in my opinion) on William Floyd. Not like Montauk Hwy, which is a single lane for the most part, where cars could end up waiting in a long line if traffic is backed up. And where walking is shown to be better.

 

 

Edited August 23, 2015 by mac5689

[John from Flushing]

With all the buses mta is scraping why can't mta just donate the buses to nice ?

[DetSMART45]

With all the buses mta is scraping why can't mta just donate the buses to nice ?

Cost all the way around, one major reason.

It's already been pointed out that the MTA and NICE are hardly good neighbors, let alone buddies.  Kinda like you and your neighbor squabbling about his barking dog, getting nowhere, but you start calling the police regularly on him.  He's not going to be keen on helping you out in the future if you develop car trouble or, probably, if you have a medical emergency, is he?

Secondly, it's not like you donating or selling your car for $1.00 to a relative and just transfering title.  Legalities are involved, especially since the vehicle is going to transport people.

Most transit operations that "sell" buses to other transit operations do so where the buses have enough of a significant revenue lifespan ahead.  Federal "guidelines" say 12 years or 500,000 miles of life, and the MTA gets much more than that through their various overhaul programs, so when RTSes for example are being retired, they're more than likely getting to the point of significant failures ahead.  Granted, RTSes are built like brick lavatories, and are probably the best candidates for over 20 years of use, but it's still going to require a significant expense to keep them going for regular, steady use beyond that.  Other manufacturers, it varies, but some you'd be lucky to get 20 years even with the MTA overhaul processes.

 

Keep in mind, also, that NICE has a limited pot of money to play with.  If they're going to get sufficient return on investment, it's better to RFP for new buses.

[John from Flushing]

Do nice bus have any school trippers for the local community schools? Most nyc schools have mta buses acting like school buses .

[FamousNYLover]

Do nice bus have any school trippers for the local community schools? Most nyc schools have mta buses acting like school buses .

NICE doesn't have any school trippers because there are dozens of schools. Most student uses school bus.

Under Long Island Bus before June 2010 doomsday cut, they had school tripper N65/N66, and N67 buses.

 

Some schools like Hofras University, Adelphi University, NYIT, or SUNY Old Westbury, LIU CW Post, they provide their own shuttle bus from nearby train station.

Edited August 25, 2015 by FamousNYLover

[NY1635]

Do nice bus have any school trippers for the local community schools? Most nyc schools have mta buses acting like school buses .

 

No, students in Nassau tend to go to school that's within the limits of their local village or district. Transportation is usually handled by the school buses, as Famous pointed out.

[Tom Meadow]

Check out pinepowers video he called out libru.