Staten Island Bus Proposal Thread 2012-2013

[dkupf]

I would also extend the S52 at its southern end, via SI University Hospital North, to Richmond Road via the Dongan Hills station.

[BreeddekalbL]

question  if SI were to expand 24 hour express bus service who else would be another good candidate?  i think the x10 and the x17

[Turbo19]

question  if SI were to expand 24 hour express bus service who else would be another good candidate?  i think the x10 and the x17

That's quite the rhetoric as those are the core lines more or less.

 

I'd focus on what's currently neglected, which would apply to local routes as well.

[BreeddekalbL]

That's quite the rhetoric as those are the core lines more or less.

 

I'd focus on what's currently neglected, which would apply to local routes as well.

 

i kind of agree i figured expanding some more express and then including more locals

[Via Garibaldi 8]

question  if SI were to expand 24 hour express bus service who else would be another good candidate?  i think the x10 and the x17

Those would be the two routes since they are second and third respectively in ridership in the NYCT express bus system.

[qjtransitmaster]

How about x17 past 4 pm on weekdays to Manhattan first

[Via Garibaldi 8]

How about x17 past 4 pm on weekdays to Manhattan first

How about no... The usage of the X17 to Manhattan at that time doesn't warrant it, since most can use the X1.  Why do you think the X1 has hourly headways to Manhattan after 17:00 during the week? 

Edited December 18, 2013 by Via Garibaldi 8

[Vistausss]

A bit off-topic but isn't it a better idea to have SIR run overnight rather than the X17?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

A bit off-topic but isn't it a better idea to have SIR run overnight rather than the X17?

It already does... The X17 is much faster for people who live on the South or West Shore and come from Manhattan.  Via the SIR, via the Ferry and then the subway, you're looking at a good 1.5 to 2 hour commute easily, vs the X17 which could be an hour to an hour 20 minutes at the most depending on your location, minus the gazillion transfers.

[161 New York]

How about no... The usage of the X17 to Manhattan at that time doesn't warrant it, since most can use the X1.  Why do you think the X1 has hourly headways to Manhattan after 17:00 during the week? 

The MTA recently added at 16:05 departure from Woodrow/Huguenot Avenue, with the last stop leaving Staten Island at 16:55. It would be great if ridership is picking up and they need more runs. The one hour headways on the x1 during the weekdays still perplexes me. When working third shift I was dependent on the 21:00 departure from Eltingville Transit Center. A few of my fellow riders connected via the s78 at Hylan/Richmond. LUCKILY for them, the B/O's knew this and if the s78 was at the light he'd wait a few moments. Otherwise we knew the s79,  (86th St, Bay Ridge) to Midtown routine. I think that :30 minute headways would help in that situation and attract ridership too. 

 

In addition, into my nightmare commute at night to lower Bergen County at night from Staten Island, I would use the 21:00 x1 then get to PABT at 22:05 and wait nearly an hour for the 23:00  161 (which was usually late and often-times standing room only). A 21:30 x1 would have helped out a lot.

 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

The MTA recently added at 16:05 departure from Woodrow/Huguenot Avenue, with the last stop leaving Staten Island at 16:55. It would be great if ridership is picking up and they need more runs. The one hour headways on the x1 during the weekdays still perplexes me. When working third shift I was dependent on the 21:00 departure from Eltingville Transit Center. A few of my fellow riders connected via the s78 at Hylan/Richmond. LUCKILY for them, the B/O's knew this and if the s78 was at the light he'd wait a few moments. Otherwise we knew the s79,  (86th St, Bay Ridge) to Midtown routine. I think that :30 minute headways would help in that situation and attract ridership too. 

 

In addition, into my nightmare commute at night to lower Bergen County at night from Staten Island, I would use the 21:00 x1 then get to PABT at 22:05 and wait nearly an hour for the 23:00  161 (which was usually late and often-times standing room only). A 21:30 x1 would have helped out a lot.

 

I agree with you to be honest.  I was surprised myself that the X1 has hourly headways at that time but it's basically the only time where they can "skimp" on X1 service since ridership is that heavy.  Half hour headways would be great but the only way that will happen is if ridership picks up.  

[Culver]

Bored. Threw some shit at the wall.

 

Here's an S63. Alternate would be to go via Watchogue between Victory and Richmond. Maybe there's demand, maybe not.

https://www.google.com/maps/ms?msid=202807188220210378870.0004f5db72fb8adbd827d&msa=0

 

S58, because there's no route going Bay Ridge to St. George (for obvious reasons, but let's go ahead and pretend we need this). Makes no sense to me, but it's a route to the northern end of the island, so it's something.

https://www.google.com/maps/ms?msid=202807188220210378870.0004f5cc187f2ab0817f6&msa=0

 

S83, because they need to make this happen already. Didn't need to sketch this out since we all know how the S53 goes. Point is the S53 could use the relief.

https://www.google.com/maps/ms?msid=202807188220210378870.0004f5da95cbea8d250f2&msa=0

(Oh, looks like I got a part of the 53 wrong there. Whoops.)

Edited April 16, 2014 by Culver

[trife86]

Only real change that's needed is a s59 overnight to provide service on Richmond av which currently there is none after 130ish am. Would provide direct connection to the 24hour s62 via victory and the s78 via hylan

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

Only real change that's needed is a s59 overnight to provide service on Richmond av which currently there is none after 130ish am. Would provide direct connection to the 24hour s62 via victory and the s78 via hylan

I don;t think there's a need for late night S59, look at the areas it serves south of Victory. The S44 serves areas north of Victory, so that would just be a waste altogether. I'll say that S59 service should stop running at 11PM to Port Richmond, and 11:45 PM to Eltingville. Most people take the X1, and the S44/S79.

Edited April 21, 2014 by Q23 Central Terminal

[trife86]

I don;t think there's a need for late night S59, look at the areas it serves south of Victory. The S44 serves areas north of Victory, so that would just be a waste altogether. I'll say that S59 service should stop running at 11PM to Port Richmond, and 11:45 PM to Eltingville. Most people take the X1, and the S44/S79.

Yea but after 130ish am theres no 44 or 79. Richmond ave needs something. The people that live near the mall have nothing to catch overnight

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

Yea but after 130ish am theres no 44 or 79. Richmond ave needs something. The people that live near the mall have nothing to catch overnight

Honest Question: Whose gonna go to the mall to catch a bus at like, 2 or 3 in the morning?

 

Anyone in that part drives to Eltingville for the X1, of those that do, because there are parking spaces. Intra- Island travel is seriously slim, compared to inter- island travel.

Edited April 21, 2014 by Q23 Central Terminal

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Yea but after 130ish am theres no 44 or 79. Richmond ave needs something. The people that live near the mall have nothing to catch overnight

Sorry to say this but unless you use the express bus, Staten Island politicians really don't give a **** about local bus service there.  You either have a car or take car service and that's that.  That's precisely why I left Staten Island because I knew I would have to get a car even though most of my travels were from Manhattan to Staten Island and vice versa because dealing with car service from the express bus would be a PITA unless I moved somewhere near the X1 or another express bus line that ran late into the night, and none of those areas were of interest to me.  Aside from that, even getting a car wouldn't really solve my problem because that would mean I would always have to have the car close by to an express bus that ran late into the night, which would mean that I could never walk to my regular express buses because I never knew when I would be in the city late, so it was just a complicated situation all around and I just couldn't see wasting $800.00+ a month in a car to shuttle me to the express bus, but plenty of people do that on Staten Island, hence why so many are obese because they never walk anywhere, and I didn't be part of that statistic.  That's why a lot of people are picked up from the express buses on Staten Island.  Hell I've seen some people dropped off for the local bus and I suspect that it could be due to the poor local bus service in some areas, so they'll be dropped off in an area where they have more options.

 

 

Honest Question: Whose gonna go to the mall to catch a bus at like, 2 or 3 in the morning?

 

Anyone in that part drives to Eltingville for the X1, of those that do, because there are parking spaces. Intra- Island travel is seriously slim, compared to inter- island travel.

It actually isn't that slim.  You'd be surprised to hear of how many people will spend $15 or more take car service for inter-island travel because they either don't want to deal with the riff-raff on the local buses or feel that local bus service is simply too sh*tty to put up with.  I used to hear the calls all the time over the radio as the driver was taking me to or from my destination.  I can attest to the fact that a simple five minute bus ride on the local bus can be well over an hour by the time you get a bus on some lines (this was especially true back in the day before Bus Time).  None of the local buses are really timed to meet anything (even the more common connections), and most buses are timed to meet with the ferry and nothing else, so most people don't have the patience to wait unless they have no choice or are too poor to afford car service.  I used to spend $300.00 some months on car service to and from the express bus because I simply did not want to deal with the waits and poor reliable service to get me from the express bus to my place during late nights or on weekends.

Edited April 21, 2014 by Via Garibaldi 8

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

It actually isn't that slim. 

I was talking about Late night service, but I'll agree with you that it isn't that slim overall. However, during late nights, you see less people traveling between two points on the island, compared to people coming from Manhattan, or places outside Staten Island.

Edited April 21, 2014 by Q23 Central Terminal

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I was talking about Late night service, but I'll agree with you that it isn't that slim overall. However, during late nights, you see less people traveling between two points on the island, compared to people coming from Manhattan, or places outside Staten Island.

Yeah, but again, that's only because of how transportation is on Staten Island.  Plenty of people use car service or drive (for very short distances mind you), and this is something I know first hand because sometimes I couldn't get a cab from the express bus late nights, and had to wait a while before one could get me. Even with the wait for car service, it still was better than waiting for the local bus.  It's not just that service is poor, but there's also a stigma on Staten Island when it comes to public transit, even the express buses, but the ultimate stigma is against local buses.  I get the feeling that some folks would just never be seen on them on Staten Island.  Even the cabbies were shocked when I said that I would take the express bus to car service.  It was as if that was an anomaly of sorts. 

Edited April 21, 2014 by Via Garibaldi 8

[trife86]

Sorry to say this but unless you use the express bus, Staten Island politicians really don't give a **** about local bus service there.  You either have a car or take car service and that's that.  That's precisely why I left Staten Island because I knew I would have to get a car even though most of my travels were from Manhattan to Staten Island and vice versa because dealing with car service from the express bus would be a PITA unless I moved somewhere near the X1 or another express bus line that ran late into the night, and none of those areas were of interest to me.  Aside from that, even getting a car wouldn't really solve my problem because that would mean I would always have to have the car close by to an express bus that ran late into the night, which would mean that I could never walk to my regular express buses because I never knew when I would be in the city late, so it was just a complicated situation all around and I just couldn't see wasting $800.00+ a month in a car to shuttle me to the express bus, but plenty of people do that on Staten Island, hence why so many are obese because they never walk anywhere, and I didn't be part of that statistic.  That's why a lot of people are picked up from the express buses on Staten Island.  Hell I've seen some people dropped off for the local bus and I suspect that it could be due to the poor local bus service in some areas, so they'll be dropped off in an area where they have more options.

 

 

 

 

It actually isn't that slim.  You'd be surprised to hear of how many people will spend $15 or more take car service for inter-island travel because they either don't want to deal with the riff-raff on the local buses or feel that local bus service is simply too sh*tty to put up with.  I used to hear the calls all the time over the radio as the driver was taking me to or from my destination.  I can attest to the fact that a simple five minute bus ride on the local bus can be well over an hour by the time you get a bus on some lines (this was especially true back in the day before Bus Time).  None of the local buses are really timed to meet anything (even the more common connections), and most buses are timed to meet with the ferry and nothing else, so most people don't have the patience to wait unless they have no choice or are too poor to afford car service.  I used to spend $300.00 some months on car service to and from the express bus because I simply did not want to deal with the waits and poor reliable service to get me from the express bus to my place during late nights or on weekends.

 

I like how you throw obese people in there due to lack of transportation. It's funny when I tell people I ride bicycle to work everyday and that's almost unheard of on Staten island

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I like how you throw obese people in there due to lack of transportation. It's funny when I tell people I ride bicycle to work everyday and that's almost unheard of on Staten island

LOL.... Remember all of the backlash from folks on Staten Island about the bike lanes?  Car centric Staten Island... How DARE they have bike lanes there!

[aemoreira81]

Arrochar/South Beach/Dongan Hills/Grant City

 

The S52 route has what looks like a weird diversion in South Beach, taking a long diversion from Sand Lane. The purpose of that diversion is because at the western end of McClean Avenue, there is a housing project, the South Beach Houses. (You can see the rooftops from Hylan Boulevard and Mallory Avenue; a block of Mallory Avenue was deleted to make room for this. The S52, however, seems to be the definition of a coverage route, and while the S53, S78, and S79 are not too far away, they are all uphill. I would thus make this proposal, to provide better access in that area of South Beach to the shopping areas along Hylan Boulevard and within Bay Ridge, with a new route, the S77 (likely to come out of a Brooklyn garage because of ease of deadhead), running from Bay Ridge to New Dorp. Such would also improve Brooklyn connections for riders who used to use S79 local stops along Hylan before it was converted to SBS, especially through the shopping areas. The route would run as follows.

 

1. To Bay Ridge: Start at Tysens Lane from the S57 stand. Run along Hylan Boulevard, due north, until Reid Avenue. Make a right onto Reid Avenue, and then follow Reid Avenue to its eastern end, where it becomes McClean Avenue. Continue down McClean to Lily Pond Avenue, and follow the S53 into Brooklyn.

2. To New Dorp: From the S93 stand, follow the S53 into Staten Island, and return to New Dorp via the same route.

 

I would propose this route to run along 15-minute headways during the rush hour (6 AM to 9 AM and 3:30 PM to 7 PM), and every 20 minutes at other times, from 6 AM to midnight weekdays and Saturdays, and 8 AM to 10 PM on Sundays.

 

I did consider other things such as rerouting select S53 and S78 trips, but they would all have required a significant diversion to serve the South Beach Houses. Savings would come from the need for less S78 service along Hylan Boulevard, as its busiest section would have another route, and the S77 and S78 would be re-scheduled on weekday middays and weekends to provide 10 minute headways between Reid Avenue and Tysens Lane. With 20-minute headways on the S78, all S78 trips would run to and from Bricktown Mall, decreasing deadhead costs from Charleston to Eltingville.

Edited April 26, 2014 by aemoreira81

[Culver]

Arrochar/South Beach/Dongan Hills/Grant City

 

The S52 route has what looks like a weird diversion in South Beach, taking a long diversion from Sand Lane. The purpose of that diversion is because at the western end of McClean Avenue, there is a housing project, the South Beach Houses. (You can see the rooftops from Hylan Boulevard and Mallory Avenue; a block of Mallory Avenue was deleted to make room for this. The S52, however, seems to be the definition of a coverage route, and while the S53, S78, and S79 are not too far away, they are all uphill. I would thus make this proposal, to provide better access in that area of South Beach to the shopping areas along Hylan Boulevard and within Bay Ridge, with a new route, the S77 (likely to come out of a Brooklyn garage because of ease of deadhead), running from Bay Ridge to New Dorp. Such would also improve Brooklyn connections for riders who used to use S79 local stops along Hylan before it was converted to SBS, especially through the shopping areas. The route would run as follows.

 

1. To Bay Ridge: Start at Tysens Lane from the S57 stand. Run along Hylan Boulevard, due north, until Reid Avenue. Make a right onto Reid Avenue, and then follow Reid Avenue to its eastern end, where it becomes McClean Avenue. Continue down McClean to Lily Pond Avenue, and follow the S53 into Brooklyn.

2. To New Dorp: From the S93 stand, follow the S53 into Staten Island, and return to New Dorp via the same route.

 

I would propose this route to run along 15-minute headways during the rush hour (6 AM to 9 AM and 3:30 PM to 7 PM), and every 20 minutes at other times, from 6 AM to midnight weekdays and Saturdays, and 8 AM to 10 PM on Sundays.

 

I did consider other things such as rerouting select S53 and S78 trips, but they would all have required a significant diversion to serve the South Beach Houses. Savings would come from the need for less S78 service along Hylan Boulevard, as its busiest section would have another route, and the S77 and S78 would be re-scheduled on weekday middays and weekends to provide 10 minute headways between Reid Avenue and Tysens Lane. With 20-minute headways on the S78, all S78 trips would run to and from Bricktown Mall, decreasing deadhead costs from Charleston to Eltingville.

 

Isn't there some provision in labor contract that only Staten Island depots can do S routes?

[qjtransitmaster]

Isn't there some provision in labor contract that only Staten Island depots can do S routes?

Dude the DH alone would not permit that this ain't Philadelphia boss.

[Q43LTD]

When the MTA updates it's budget (financial) plan this July and hopefully it includes service enhancements for 2015, I have a proposal that I hope that can be considered and it is:

 

-A new or extended local bus route between Staten Island and Newark Liberty International Airport.

 

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Where in Staten Island would this route start? Is there demand for such a route?