MTA should use its $40-million surplus to benefit Staten Island commuters

[checkmatechamp13]

But there is no way I can see the time it takes to ride SIR the full length (from tottenville to st. george) alone, being comparable to the x17 b/w tottenville & that first dropoff stop along battery place (since that's the closest stop to S. Ferry)..... In other words (Cait Sith), you're conveying to us that the x17 b/w tottenville & the area around S. ferry is almost twice as fast as riding the [sIR from end to end to get to the ferry + the time it takes to ride the ferry to South Ferry].....

 

Sitting on an x17 for 45-60 mins after you boarded in tottenville (middays) would likely have you around somewhere b/w Eltingville & barely entering the Gowanus..... But no way would you be in Manhattan.

 

Agree 100%. But just to clarify, express buses only make the stop by Greenwich Street/Battery Place during rush hour. Off-peak, they go right out of the tunnel and make their first stop at Rector Street.

 

really then by that logic X10's ridership during off-peak hours would plummet if either X14 or X12 ran full-time ehh? Which route would be likely to take the most riders away from the X10?

I know in port richmond they may switch to X14 but do people drive to the X10 so much?

 

Neither of those routes would cause ridership to plummet or anything, but given a choice, the X12 would take more riders away. It's much closer to the X10 (they both share the stint on Richmond, and then Watchogue & Victory are somewhat parallel to N/S Gannon Avenue). Aside from that, the X12 goes through denser areas. Between Forest and Victory, the X14 spends a lot of time alongside parkland.

 

No it wouldn't plummet at all... It gets good usage along Victory Blvd (some of it from the X17 but not all of it) and certainly good usage along the service roads.... Big stops are Woolley, Bradley, Schmidts Lane/Manor Rd, Slosson and Hylan and Fingerboard as well to name a few.

 

It sounds like he's saying that the people getting on by the SIE are driving down from areas further north (by Watchogue, Forest, etc).

 

(Obviously, this is directed at him) While that is true to an extent (people coming from areas like Westerleigh to take the X10), it's not like they constitute the majority of riders. I mean, the areas by the SIE are roughly as dense as Westerleigh further north.

 

Plus, it doesn't make much of a difference, but the X10 serves CSI, whereas the X12 wouldn't (they can make their way to the X17, or transfer to reach the X12, but that's more inconvenient than having the X10).

[B35 via Church]

Agree 100%. But just to clarify, express buses only make the stop by Greenwich Street/Battery Place during rush hour.

Off-peak, they go right out of the tunnel and make their first stop at Rector Street.

Forgot about that.... At best though, that'll knock off 2-3 mins from the duration of the ride (compared to serving the battery stop before the rector stop)..... Hardly enough a difference to support a 45-60 min commute from tottenville.....

 

Just realized I never stated my stance in that whole discussion.... I'd say the x17 is comparable to taking the [sIR + the Ferry]; that same hour & a half is about what it takes to get to lwr. manhattan from that deep in the south shore..... I wouldn't say that $6 bucks is a waste though b/c to be honest, I would take the 17 also if I were a resident of tottenville & I needed lower manhattan (say, if I worked 2nd shift or something).....I wouldn't put up w/ the whole SIR to the ferry bit, even though it's all for the low cost of nothing.......

 

x14 is closer to Randall manor.

Forget about which express bus is closer (enough to make an argument of).... With SI-ers, It's more about which bus runs later & quite frankly, which bus has better service.... I have had a colleague in so many words tell me this..... The patrons w/ cars will drive all over & try/fight for a parking spot in the vicinity to catch a bus that is more frequent than the one they live closer to..... SI's commuters are unique in that regard.....

[qjtransitmaster]

Forgot about that.... At best though, that'll knock off 2-3 mins from the duration of the ride (compared to serving the battery stop before the rector stop)..... Hardly enough a difference to support a 45-60 min commute from tottenville.....

 

Just realized I never stated my stance in that whole discussion.... I'd say the x17 is comparable to taking the [sIR + the Ferry]; that same hour & a half is about what it takes to get to lwr. manhattan from that deep in the south shore..... I wouldn't say that $6 bucks is a waste though b/c to be honest, I would take the 17 also if I were a resident of tottenville & I needed lower manhattan (say, if I worked 2nd shift or something).....I wouldn't put up w/ the whole SIR to the ferry bit, even though it's all for the low cost of nothing.......

 

Forget about which express bus is closer (enough to make an argument of).... With SI-ers, It's more about which bus runs later & quite frankly, which bus has better service.... I have had a colleague in so many words tell me this..... The patrons w/ cars will drive all over & try/fight for a parking spot in the vicinity to catch a bus that is more frequent than the one they live closer to..... SI's commuters are unique in that regard.....

What I am saying is which express would have the most riders should they have equal service levels and frequency X10, X12 , or X14 or X30 should they have the same service off peak ect? What would the true demand look like? Checkmate was right about the x10 SIE areas.

[Olegkha]

How about helping out employees with a small increase in pay, i do believe we have deserved it.

[Turbo19]

How about helping out employees with a small increase in pay, i do believe we have deserved it.

Wouldn't it be best to contact you're local union representatives for that?

 

And besides, it's to my knowledge these funds are to be used specifically for service improvements.

[Vistausss]

How about helping out employees with a small increase in pay, i do believe we have deserved it.

 

That's necessary yeah, but let's first fix things (on SI) before we raise paychecks.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Wouldn't it be best to contact you're local union representatives for that?

 

And besides, it's to my knowledge these funds are to be used specifically for service improvements.

lol... More service means more work for them... 

[Turbo19]

lol... More service means more work for them... 

That's true, thanks for pointing that out. One thing though, that does little for Olegkha who is operating out of Flatbush.

 

On a side note, when the TWU representatives begin protest because of a conflict of interest between the and the ATU the riders will know who to thank, Mr. I can't keep my mouth shut.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

That's true, thanks for pointing that out. One thing though, that does little for Olegkha who is operating out of Flatbush.

 

On a side note, when the TWU representatives begin protest because of a conflict of interest between the and the ATU the riders will know who to thank, Mr. I can't keep my mouth shut.

I see most Flatbush routes getting busier so he would probably benefit as well.

[161 New York]

I personally think the 40 million dollars should be used for some SI commutes, and other boroughs as well. Regarding the X22, why dont we just give it it's own midday service instead of having an extended X17 (long enough pre-extention).

 

Agreed. According to the schedule it takes one hour to get from the first Tottenville x17 stop to Eltingville Transit Center. Hourly/1.5 hour x22 service to about 3pm should be sufficient.

 

 

If your going to midtown yes I meant downtown.  But I will try X17 to find out soon.

 

As a weekend rider of the x17, it takes 15 minutes from the first stop (Huguenot/Woodrow) to Eltingville Transit Center and we are typically in Lower Manhattan 45 minutes later. So it takes me less than an hour from Arden/Woodrow to Chambers/Church or Waverly Pl (my usual jump-off spots for the       ,

 

It's the midday....no traffic

 

And no stops? It takes one hour (yes, thats sixty minutes) to get from the first x17 stop in Tottenville to Eltingville Transit Center according to the schedule. By comparison, it takes one hour for my x19 to get from Barclay/Broadway to Arden/Woodrow with minimal traffic.

 

 

I know what's he's talking about and he didn't say anything about midnight. He asked why wasn't it extended to run later during the evenings to Tottenville and I stated that the X22 runs at that time (evenings). I said I agree with it running until 24:00 on Saturdays but running it's normal route (NOT to Tottenville). 

 

I'm sick of the catering to the South Shore and Mid Island already.  They keep cutting express bus service on the North Shore and doing everything possible to give them more service down there.  Now they need it but spread the damn service out so that folks on the North Shore aren't driving to Hylan (which is what many are doing now) inflating ridership stats for Mid Island and South Shore express buses because North Shore service ends so damn early.  The other reason I disagree with running the X17 down there later is because the X1 runs 24/7.  They can drive from the ETC to Eltingville.  If the X17 extension sees enough ridership down in Tottenville then they could consider running more X17's down there but I think before any more service goes down there, they need to restore the X16, X18, and run the X30 and X14 later on the North Shore, at least until 19:00, which is more than reasonable.  That would be maybe 1 - 2 more buses tops for the X14 and X30.  The X16 could run until 18:30 and the X18 could run until 19:00.

 

I personally think that the X10 should run 24/7 because if the South Shore can get 24/7 then dammit so should the North Shore.  

 

 

It's not that much of an exaggeration.  I've gone from New Dorp to 34th in about 35 - 40 minutes at night.  Very possible if you get a B/O who knows how to drive and this was on the X1.

 

The x22 should run until at least 10pm on weekdays at a minimum. I agree that the x17's should run until midnight on weekends back to Staten Island on the regular route (i'm usually the last passenger at Arden/Woodrow on the weekends).

 

The weekend service and x1 24/7 hour service is really nice. But people should ask the riders of the (DOT/EDC-funded) Atlantic Express x23/x24 rush hour service (4pm -7pm) if the MTA, NYC/NYS has has bent over or backwards (or at least lent an ear) to improve their commutes. I hear horror stories of hour long waits at 34&6th for buses. Thankfully, I can (and willing) to divert to the     / x19 or take the x22 (to the x19), or after 7pm (x23/x24) as it really is an hour wait for a bus with seats on those lines.

 

I know that many South Shore residents on the off-peak hours drive to the x10 stops.When I had a car and worked nights (after the toll hikes), I would take drive to the last stop to catch the last x10's if I missed or couldnt get to the x1 in time (this was before hourly x1's).

 

As for the overall topic at hand (not mentioned above):

- I think that there should be some modifications to the x17 during the outbound rush hour period, particularly on Sundays.

- The MTA needs to fix the SIR on weekends/off-peak. Thankfully with the new x1 being a 24/7 service, an appearance on the SI Ferry/SIR will be extremely rare. But this would help others.

- Local service on the s79/s59/s74/s55/s56/s89 (the only lines I use) seems adequate.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

The x22 should run until at least 10pm on weekdays at a minimum. I agree that the x17's should run until midnight on weekends back to Staten Island on the regular route (i'm usually the last passenger at Arden/Woodrow on the weekends).

 

The weekend service and x1 24/7 hour service is really nice. But people should ask the riders of the (DOT/EDC-funded) Atlantic Express x23/x24 rush hour service (4pm -7pm) if the MTA, NYC/NYS has has bent over or backwards (or at least lent an ear) to improve their commutes. I hear horror stories of hour long waits at 34&6th for buses. Thankfully, I can (and willing) to divert to the     / x19 or take the x22 (to the x19), or after 7pm (x23/x24) as it really is an hour wait for a bus with seats on those lines.

 

I know that many South Shore residents on the off-peak hours drive to the x10 stops.When I had a car and worked nights (after the toll hikes), I would take drive to the last stop to catch the last x10's if I missed or couldnt get to the x1 in time (this was before hourly x1's).

 

As for the overall topic at hand (not mentioned above):

- I think that there should be some modifications to the x17 during the outbound rush hour period, particularly on Sundays.

- The MTA needs to fix the SIR on weekends/off-peak. Thankfully with the new x1 being a 24/7 service, an appearance on the SI Ferry/SIR will be extremely rare. But this would help others.

- Local service on the s79/s59/s74/s55/s56/s89 (the only lines I use) seems adequate.

Drive to the X10 back then?? Why not just take the X1?? Of late the trend has been those on the North Shore going to the Mid Island and South Shore routes to get express bus service.

[161 New York]

Drive to the X10 back then?? Why not just take the X1?? Of late the trend has been those on the North Shore going to the Mid Island and South Shore routes to get express bus service.

 

It was something ridiculous as me actually missing (or probably) the x1 bus by one minute or so at Eltingville Transit Center.

[qjtransitmaster]

Drive to the X10 back then?? Why not just take the X1?? Of late the trend has been those on the North Shore going to the Mid Island and South Shore routes to get express bus service.

which parts mostly? I assume it is because the North shore lacks a full-time express bus that just serves the north shore.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

which parts mostly? I assume it is because the North shore lacks a full-time express bus that just serves the north shore.

Of course... From all over the North Shore...  If the X10 is a mess or has stopped running, they just flock to the X1 or X17.

[qjtransitmaster]

Of course... From all over the North Shore...  If the X10 is a mess or has stopped running, they just flock to the X1 or X17.

I knew the north shore needed a full time express bus.

[LTA1992]

The only thing I'd like to see changed is FASTER FERRIES.

[bobtehpanda]

The only thing I'd like to see changed is FASTER FERRIES.

 

^This.

 

If you speed up the ferry, then it makes it easier to access Staten Island for people who don't have express bus cards.

 

I once made the mistake of trying to get back to Glen Oaks from Grasmere at 11PM... A faster ferry definitely would've made that trip better.

[Q10 Airport]

I would not be surprised if we just see the status quo. The   touts its SAS and   extension while STILL refusing to restore some of the service lost in budget cuts a couple of years ago.

 

Sincerely,

A disgruntled Queens straphanger 

[S79 Select bus servi]

The only thing I'd like to see changed is FASTER FERRIES.

LOL, that way if the ferry takes only 15 minutes and 5 minutes to board, ferries can run every 20 (10 in rush)  and 40 at nite.

That great kills-manhattan ferry seemed like a great idea. It took 45 minutes to get to lower manhattan, comparable to the X1/4/5/7/8/23

 

But enuff about express routes. Lets focus on routes that actually have high ridership. We can help the X1 out if you want, but thats it. Maybe a:   5*  15  5* 20 60

     20 15 15 20 60

     30 15 15 30 60

*Take the other routes if u don't like the 1.

 

Lets take care of the S53, S79, S46, S48, S44, even the S78.

 

S78/S79 needs higher frequency. Offer Suggestions

S53 needs desperate frequency fixes. Even a new local route, maybe running to St. George since they have no direct link to brooklyn

S46- minor frequency fixes on weekends. MAJOR fixes on weekdays. A S96 at least off-peak and peak, from 6-9am and 2-10 pm

S44-48 Some fixes in weekday service, including starting S98 at 2:30 pm

MAJOR fixes in weekend frequency, even adding S98 service to NWAirport-Jersey Gardens mall

S59 should be extended to bayyone, since the S89 probably doesnt have the riders to go on weekends.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

LOL, that way if the ferry takes only 15 minutes and 5 minutes to board, ferries can run every 20 (10 in rush)  and 40 at nite.

That great kills-manhattan ferry seemed like a great idea. It took 45 minutes to get to lower manhattan, comparable to the X1/4/5/7/8/23

 

But enuff about express routes. Lets focus on routes that actually have high ridership. We can help the X1 out if you want, but thats it. Maybe a:   5*  15  5* 20 60

     20 15 15 20 60

     30 15 15 30 60

*Take the other routes if u don't like the 1.

 

Lets take care of the S53, S79, S46, S48, S44, even the S78.

 

S78/S79 needs higher frequency. Offer Suggestions

S53 needs desperate frequency fixes. Even a new local route, maybe running to St. George since they have no direct link to brooklyn

S46- minor frequency fixes on weekends. MAJOR fixes on weekdays. A S96 at least off-peak and peak, from 6-9am and 2-10 pm

S44-48 Some fixes in weekday service, including starting S98 at 2:30 pm

MAJOR fixes in weekend frequency, even adding S98 service to NWAirport-Jersey Gardens mall

S59 should be extended to bayyone, since the S89 probably doesnt have the riders to go on weekends.

Actually what Staten Island needs is MORE express bus service to and from Manhattan (particularly for the North Shore since the South Shore and parts of the Mid-Island have the X1) and BETTER local bus service WITHIN Staten Island.

[Vistausss]

Or even better: they should put the money into reopening the North Shore Branch.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Or even better: they should put the money into reopening the North Shore Branch.

That would be nice but they first need to restore the lost express bus service (X13, X16, and X18 for starters).

[Vistausss]

That would be nice but they first need to restore the lost express bus service (X13, X16, and X18 for starters).

 

North Shore Branch reopening+local bus service connecting to it (perhaps by making a few stops timing points) = win for all?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

North Shore Branch reopening+local bus service connecting to it (perhaps by making a few stops timing points) = win for all?

Yes, that too.  Local bus service still sucks in general on Staten Island, even with Bus Time.

[qjtransitmaster]

That would be nice but they first need to restore the lost express bus service (X13, X16, and X18 for starters).

How about we add offpeak service to the X30& 14 first buddy then talk restorations.

North Shore Branch reopening+local bus service connecting to it (perhaps by making a few stops timing points) = win for all?

Wanna make it useful have it go to NJ to Cranford and Elizabeth for interstate connections or to Brooklyn over the bay ridge as triboro express and SIR converted to triboro local to queens and Bronx or one line to Jamaica.

Yes, that too.  Local bus service still sucks in general on Staten Island, even with Bus Time.

Want to improve local bus service send it somewhere people are going to S55-57 to NJ anyone S54 can merge with S42 and go to st George.