Far Beyond Rush Hour: The Incredible Rise of Off-Peak Public Transportation

[Turbo19]

Take a look at the above photo of a New York City subway platform and guess what day and time it was taken. If your snap glance absorbed only the crowd, you probably guessed a weekday rush hour. But look more closely. You don't see grey-haired men in flannel suits with solemn faces, you see All The Young Dudes in jeans just kind of slouching there, dude-like. You don't see businesswomen striding for the stairs, you see ponytails and a lime green T-shirt that wouldn't fly even on the most casual of Fridays.

This is not the picture of a platform at morning or evening rush on a weekday in Manhattan. It's the picture of a platform at half past one. In the morning. On a weekend. In Brooklyn. It's also a sign of things to come.

The growth of midday, evening, and weekend transit use is not unique to this particular stop on the New York City subway. More critically, the rise of off-peak ridership is not unique to New York City or to subway systems, either. Metropolitan areas across the United States — whether their primary mass transit system is a metro rail or a commuter train or a bus network — are recognizing that city residents can't get by on great rush-hour service alone. They need frequent, reliable transit all hours of the day and long into the night.

"The growth in transit ridership is happening in the off-peak hours," says transportation planner David King of Columbia University. "It's strange. You get on a train at five o'clock in morning and it's jammed."

Take the New York City subway in a broader sense. Since 2007, ridership on the weekends has grown at a much greater rate than ridership on the weekdays. During the period from 2007 to 2012, weekday ridership grew at just under 7 percent. During that same stretch, weekend ridership grew at just over 10 percent. A planning director at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority told the New York Times in 2011 that to find a similar explosion in weekend subway use you'd have to go back to a time when people worked six days a week.

"The New York City subway has seen tremendous growth on the weekends over the years," says MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan. "Weekend growth has outpaced regular growth."

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[Missabassie]

Nassau County needs to see this... wake up & smell the horseshit.

[realizm]

They are certainty right on the upwards trend of weekend ridership, which is reaching new highs. More than ever everyone is heading toi Manhattan to hang on the weekend. Just look at the IND Queens Blvd Line on the weekends -- it looks like rush hour @ 74th Street Jackson Heights on a given Saturday. In fact its busy around the clock at this critical Queens subway junction. Times Square is another dead ringer as well as 14th Street on the and  , off peak. Weekend service needs to be increased which NYC Transit is attempting to do with for example the extension to Essex on weekends to be activated this summer. Its about time.

 

Good place to start IMO is the on Saturdays and Sundays . Headways are crap, not adequate for weekenders. The in the Bronx is another captain obvious. I'm not happy with the fact this continues to not be addressed.

[Missabassie]

The D & F (D)e(F)initely need improvements....

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I think the is going to continue to try to squeeze by with the bare basics when they need to be increasing service.  Saturday service is decent but Sunday service still lacks big time,  and not just on the subways, but they need to be better with bus service too. Run service more frequently and later on Sundays too.

[Andrew]

Good article. I operate the D train on the PM tour and even on my last trip, whether it is going to 205th st or Stillwell, the train is packed for a good portion of the trip. The C should run 24 hours.

[realizm]

Good article. I operate the D train on the PM tour and even on my last trip, whether it is going to 205th st or Stillwell, the train is packed for a good portion of the trip. The C should run 24 hours.

 

In total agreement. +1.

[realizm]

I think the is going to continue to try to squeeze by with the bare basics when they need to be increasing service.  Saturday service is decent but Sunday service still lacks big time,  and not just on the subways, but they need to be better with bus service too. Run service more frequently and later on Sundays too.

 

They are increasing service.

 

Didnt I just point that out, save for a couple of lines that I feel they can focus on in the future? For the record surface transit and rapid transit service that includes lines such as the and the .

[Via Garibaldi 8]

They are increasing service.

 

Didnt I just point that out, save for a couple of lines that I feel they can focus on in the future? For the record surface transit and rapid transit service that includes lines such as the and the .

On some subway lines yes... Bus lines no... Very stingy with service.  Subways are like rush hour trains on the weekends and some buses are too.

[realizm]

On some subway lines yes... Bus lines no... Very stingy with service.  Subways are like rush hour trains on the weekends and some buses are too.

 

Wow. Let me list them for you:

 

1) Increase of   service to eight minute headways 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

 

2) Addition of S93 service middays and evenings until 10 p.m.

 

3) Extention of   service to the Delancey Street-Essex Street station from the Myrtle Avenue station on weekends

 

4) Add Q77 service on Sundays

 

5) Extend the Bx24 to Hutchinson Metro Center from Westchester Square

 

6) Restoration of B37 service along 3rd Avenue between Bay Ridge and Atlantic Avenue- Barclays Ctr. station 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

 

7) Restoration of the B70 to 7th Avenue

 

8) Restoration of B8 service to Bay Ridge-95th St. R station at all times

 

9) Implement a to-be-determined Select Bus Service route

 

10) Restoration of Q31 service on weekends

 

11) Eltingville area super express bus restructuring in Staten Island

 

12) Restoration of M8 service on weekends

 

13) Reroute M100 in Inwood from Broadway across Dyckman Street to 10th Av and 215th St

 

As you were saying?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Wow. Let me list them for you:

 

1) Increase of   service to eight minute headways 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

 

2) Addition of S93 service middays and evenings until 10 p.m.

 

3) Extention of   service to the Delancey Street-Essex Street station from the Myrtle Avenue station on weekends

 

4) Add Q77 service on Sundays

 

5) Extend the Bx24 to Hutchinson Metro Center from Westchester Square

 

6) Restoration of B37 service along 3rd Avenue between Bay Ridge and Atlantic Avenue- Barclays Ctr. station 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

 

7) Restoration of the B70 to 7th Avenue

 

8) Restoration of B8 service to Bay Ridge-95th St. R station at all times

 

9) Implement a to-be-determined Select Bus Service route

 

10) Restoration of Q31 service on weekends

 

11) Eltingville area super express bus restructuring in Staten Island

 

12) Restoration of M8 service on weekends

 

13) Reroute M100 in Inwood from Broadway across Dyckman Street to 10th Av and 215th St

 

As you were saying?

lol... Most of those are service restorations NOT increases.

[realizm]

lol... Most of those are service restorations NOT increases.

 

Yes it is. Another case of disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing? Rather then sticking to facts?

 

I just dont see how you are even contributing to this discussion with these contradictions you make factual or imagined. 

[peacemak3r]

If weekend bus service matched weekday bus service in my neck of the woods, I would probably drive less.  But then again I'm barely in the city area on the weekends all together to even take use of public transportation.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Yes it is. Another case of disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing? Rather then sticking to facts?

 

I just dont see how you are even contributing to this discussion with these contradictions you make factual or imagined. 

The point is from the 's point of view they are all increases, even though many of these are restorations of service that was previously cut.

[realizm]

The point is from the 's point of view they are all increases, even though many of these are restorations of service that was previously cut.

 

FYI it was Albany that caused the service cuts. Read up on it and educate yourself.

 

Disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing doesnt make your argument too credible here. More like laughable.....

[Via Garibaldi 8]

FYI it was Albany that caused the service cuts. Read up on it and educate yourself.

 

Disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing doesnt make your argument too credible here. Moe like laughable.....

Doesn't matter who caused the cuts... They were cuts that are now restorations.  If you consider those increases then sure they're increases technically.  That's the way the sees it also.  They've advertised all of those restorations on the schedules as service increases.

[LTA1992]

Isn't restoring previously cut services, by technicality, service increases?

[realizm]

Doesn't matter who caused the cuts... They were cuts that are now restorations.  If you consider those increases then sure they're increases technically.  That's the way the sees it also.  They've advertised all of those restorations on the schedules as service increases.

 

So what explains Andrew Cuomos recent robbing of 400 Million dollars plus to pay off supposed bonds when he caused the 2010 service cuts in the first place leading thjo said service cuts to be resored then increased? 

 

Have you ever heard of an to Essex via the Christie St cut? maybe you didn't know but now i am telling you so. Everything isnt about express buses in a great city like New York

Isn't restoring previously cut services, by technicality, service increases?

 

Attention whore logic I never quite got it myself LTA, I'm equally baffled. And then why would you like posts that contradicts your points to begin with? Tell you some people here...

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Isn't restoring previously cut services, by technicality, service increases?

Let's put it to you this way... If I give you $20.00 then take it away and give it back to you again, did I give you more money?

[realizm]

Let's put it to you this way... If I give you $20.00 then take it away and give it back to you again, did I give you more money?

 

Ask your favorite governer that question. He robbed the MTA twice now leading to a transportation fund deficit. Your analogy cant apply here. Of curse you cant listen a skill you lack so I cant help you here I'm afraid. Your knowledge in rapid transit knowledge sorely lacks btw I suggest you do more research rather than acting like you know it all about MTA Subways from history to RTO operations to politics. Thank you.

 

Didnt Lance tell you this before many times?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Ask your favorite governer that question. He robbed the MTA twice now leading to a transportation fund deficit. Your analogy cant apply here. Of curse you cant listen a skill you lack so I cant help you here I'm afraid. Your knowledge in rapid transit knowledge sorely lacks btw I suggest you do more research rather than acting like you know it all about MTA Subways from history to RTO operations to politics. Thank you.

 

Didnt Lance tell you this before many times?

LMAO... Like I said before, yes technically it's an increase.  I don't think the riding public views it that way though.  They view those restorations as restorations... Service that they are getting back as opposed to service that they already have and are now getting more of.

[realizm]

LMAO... Like I said before, yes technically it's an increase.  I don't think the riding public views it that way though.  They view those restorations as restorations... Service that they are getting back as opposed to service that they already have and are now getting more of.

 

Then whats the point of your rant? 

 

Technically an increase? Are you kidding me? That was not what you said. You said the polar opposite. Not that its true, because contrary to what you originally said just to create a debate here, its an increase the restorations. 

 

Maybe you need to cut out the coffee...

[cl94]

Getting back on topic...

 

Quite a few lines could see increased weekend service. The are crush loaded on weekends. If someone took a picture at 59th Street on a Sunday afternoon, it would look like rush hour. Except the headways are miserable. 5-10 minutes on the Lex is too long. People can't fit on the train. The Lex needs rush hour service 19/7, if not more, until the starts running. I'd say the same for the until they build another line to eastern Queens (not likely any time soon). The needs more service, period.

[realizm]

Getting back on topic...

 

Heard that VG8? It helps to stick to the point of the OP then going off on your temper tantrums. Also helps to LISTEN when in the subway subforum.

 

Ok back to your regularly scheduled program -   Absolutely the Lex is congested, listed as the busiest transit line in the nation. R62As and narrower door spaces on the doesnt help but hey we do need R188s to handle  CBTC on the so catch 22  .....

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Getting back on topic...

 

Quite a few lines could see increased weekend service. The are crush loaded on weekends. If someone took a picture at 59th Street on a Sunday afternoon, it would look like rush hour. Except the headways are miserable. 5-10 minutes on the Lex is too long. People can't fit on the train. The Lex needs rush hour service 19/7, if not more, until the starts running. I'd say the same for the until they build another line to eastern Queens (not likely any time soon). The needs more service, period.

I use the Lex on weekends and was at 59th street last weekend and yes the crowds were insane... Just like rush hour...