Official: LI transit getting $6.5M for improvements

[User]

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/official-li-transit-getting-6-5m-for-improvements-1.6108350

Long Island's transportation infrastructure is getting a $6.5 million infusion of grant money for improvements ranging from the purchase of new buses to upgrading diesel engines on commuter trains, said state Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. (R-Merrick).

Fuschillo, chairman of the Senate's Transportation Committee, said Thursday the grant money is part of the state budget and that "undertaking these new projects will strengthen our transportation infrastructure, promote economic development, and create jobs."

Fuschillo in a news release from his office also praised the state legislature and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo for making "additional infrastructure investments a priority in this year's state budget.

According to the release, the grant money will be used as follows:

More than $1.3 million in combined funding will go to NICE Bus, Suffolk Transit, Long Beach Bus and Huntington Area Rapid Transit to undertake capital improvements. The funds can be used to purchase new buses and/or make needed upgrades to transit facilities.

$2.75 million for upgrading diesel train engines on the Long Island Rail Road to improve emissionsstandards.

$2.5 million for track expansion at the Brookhaven Rail Terminal, a multimodal freight rail facility that provides rail-based shipping, warehousing and logistic services. Expanding freight rail access will help ease congestion and protect the environment by removing more trucks from the roadways.

[Turbo19]

Unfortunately the funds can't be used to improve service, as it seems like the funds are reserved for equipment and facility upgrades.

[qjtransitmaster]

Unfortunately the funds can't be used to improve service, as it seems like the funds are reserved for equipment and facility upgrades.

So NICE can be on-time more often.

[Turbo19]

So NICE can be on-time more often.

In a statistical way I suppose. New equipment would correlate to less breakdowns and transit facilities could be upgraded, thus increasing appeal to discretionary riders.Only time will tell.

[dmouse]

You can barely buy 3 buses with 1.3 mil, I guess just system upgrades

[Hound]

So NICE can be on-time more often.

Yeah-great. What happens after the money runs out?

[Turbo19]

Yeah-great. What happens after the money runs out?

I would assume that the upgrades that took place in the years prior would still suffice for a few years after.

 

Furthermore when the funding expires NICE has the ability to view alternate means of funding.

[Vistausss]

@dmouse: 3? LMAO. What standards are you trying to live the buses up to? Or are American bus builders that expensive? Because in Europe conventional low-floor buses as big as, say, the last Orion gen ever made are starting at a price of 180.000 euros (depending on which manufacturer you order from). The quality is just as good as well. So for 1.3m one could get quite some buses.

[Turbo19]

Average cost of a forty foot transit bus in North America is roughly five hundred thousand dollars, give or take.

[mac5689]

Average cost of a forty foot transit bus in North America is roughly five hundred thousand dollars, give or take.

 

At that rough price it would sound like 1.3 million would only get you two buses, unless my math is wrong. 

[MTA Bus]

NICE should use some of this money to upgrade Hempstead Transit Center.

[Vistausss]

How can NICE upgrade HTC? I thought HTC isn't owned by NICE?

(aside from the fact that I don't see what's wrong with it other than they could create one spot for Greyhound so that Greyhound doesn't have to stop at that weird, uncomfortable stop on the street anymore)

[Turbo19]

At that rough price it would sound like 1.3 million would only get you two buses, unless my math is wrong. 

Really it varies due to many factors, which is why I said give or take.

 

What could buy two New Flyer Xcelsior Diesel 40 foot buses could perhaps buy three Gillig Advantage 40 foot buses.

[mac5689]

Really it varies due to many factors, which is why I said give or take.

 

 

I know that factors vary between manufactures which is why I said 'at that rough price it sounds like.', meaning if that was the rough price for a bus from any manufacture then you maybe only able to afford two buses. I didn't mean for what I said to be taken as the 500,000 was the set price for every manufacture. 

[Vistausss]

@Turbo19: Yeah, and aside from that: let's not forget NICE isn't depended on *only* state and county funding. They have Transdev backing 'em too so if really needed, they could always for some money there.

[PinePower]

NICE should use some of this money to upgrade Hempstead Transit Center.

 

Pretty sure MTA owns HTC. I think this additional money should be used to add real time GPS bus tracking (Bustime) and maybe replace those Godawful seats on the 1700s...as far as Suffolk Transit goes, they could use something similar, to be used by dispatch. You dont know how many times I hear dispatch ask buses where they are, GPS would solve that.

[Turbo19]

I know that factors vary between manufactures which is why I said 'at that rough price it sounds like.', meaning if that was the rough price for a bus from any manufacture then you maybe only able to afford two buses. I didn't mean for what I said to be taken as the 500,000 was the set price for every manufacture. 

Just attempting to clarify from what I understood.

 

My apologies if I misinterpreted.

 

@Turbo19: Yeah, and aside from that: let's not forget NICE isn't depended on *only* state and county funding. They have Transdev backing 'em too so if really needed, they could always for some money there.

Personally I haven't seen any backing from a financial perspective to NICE's portfolio, though it's a possibility for the future.

 

[Vistausss]

@Turbo19: I know. That's what I said "they could" ask Transdev for money *if needed*.

[mac5689]

My apologies if I misinterpreted.

 

 

It may have been me that misinterpreted what you had said. 

[Burrstone]

The money should be used first to study traffic patters and (traffic) lights.

 

Then money should be spent to redo the light system to help traffic flow, this would improve on time operations, anything else would be futile, if you have brand new buses or well maintained buses sitting in traffic buses will still be late.

 

Also they should look into traffic lights for rewarding motorists for doing the speed limit, those who do the speed limit on major roadways (usually) get every green light and those who want to speed get almost every red light.  I know other areas have done this and IMHO would curb the horrible speeding problem on Long island, and make the roads safer.

[N6 Limited]

The money should be used first to study traffic patters and (traffic) lights.

 

Then money should be spent to redo the light system to help traffic flow, this would improve on time operations, anything else would be futile, if you have brand new buses or well maintained buses sitting in traffic buses will still be late.

 

Also they should look into traffic lights for rewarding motorists for doing the speed limit, those who do the speed limit on major roadways (usually) get every green light and those who want to speed get almost every red light.  I know other areas have done this and IMHO would curb the horrible speeding problem on Long island, and make the roads safer.

how does that work on 2 way roads? The reason why this works in Manhattan is because they'r one way streets, and most people just want to get to their destination, if they know they can constantly cruise up or down the avenue then they're less anxious and concerned with sitting at lights. 

 

they also do this in

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

how does that work on 2 way roads? The reason why this works in Manhattan is because they'r one way streets, and most people just want to get to their destination, if they know they can constantly cruise up or down the avenue then they're less anxious and concerned with sitting at lights. 

 

they also do this in

Good point, but they still need to redo some of the lights.

[Burrstone]

how does that work on 2 way roads? The reason why this works in Manhattan is because they'r one way streets, and most people just want to get to their destination, if they know they can constantly cruise up or down the avenue then they're less anxious and concerned with sitting at lights. 

 

they also do this in

 

I don't think 1 way or two way roads would make a difference as they use this system in other cities/towns on 2 way roads.

[bobtehpanda]

I don't think 1 way or two way roads would make a difference as they use this system in other cities/towns on 2 way roads.

 

The problem is that green waves only work in one direction - the other direction is going to get the short end of the stick if it's a two-way road.

 

I'm not too familiar with how Suffolk's traffic patterns work, but are they as heavily unidirectional as the city's?

[Trainmaster5]

I can only speak about traffic on Sunrise Highway from Valley Stream to Bay Shore but here are some observations I've noticed. During rush hours traffic is bad in either direction but mainly in the peak direction as far as the flow. I've always avoided Sunrise Highway when traveling between Valley Stream and Suffolk County when possible. Before I retired I relocated from Brooklyn to Brentwood so I had the opportunity to compare traffic flow between those points on the Southern State, Northern State and Sunrise Highway.on a regular basis. Going westbound to work I always took the Southern Parkway because I rarely encountered traffic. I left Suffolk County at noon so the only traffic was the funeral cars returning to Nassau, Queens and Brooklyn from Pinelawn. Sagtikos Parkway to New Lots Yard in 50-55 minutes on average. If there was a backup on the Parkway due to an accident I'd exit south to Sunrise Highway. Even at mid day traffic was always slow heading westbound with shoppers and commercial delivery trucks. This is traveling westbound from RT 110. At that hour there is no green wave in either direction so you might travel 3 lights maximum before stopping. I'd try to get past the accident scene on the parkway and head back north to the Southern State ASAP. Massapequa Park, Freeport, and Valley Stream are guaranteed slowdown areas mid days. Heading home around 10 pm if there was work on the Southern State I'd take Sunrise eastbound, sometimes all the way. That's when the green wave is in effect. Traffic moves well through Valley Stream, slows down in Lynbrook, and picks up again in Baldwin. After passing Freeport and the Meadowbrook Parkway it's usually clear sailing to RT 110 where the speed limit is 55 (65) from that point on. I used to watch the e/b LIRR trains make station stops from Rockville Center to the Massapequa Park station. The lights heading eastbound at that time were timed so that I could pace the train without speeding. It worked out well for me but the people traveling in the other direction were traveling against that same wave. I don't think it's possible to have traffic signals synchronized for 2 way optimum travel. I can only see it working in one direction or on one way streets. BTW the  travel time difference between the parkway and Sunrise e/b at that time is 15-20 minutes from NL Yard to my house. Just my observation. Carry on.