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Bus issue in the Latino Community


alekr

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http://queenstribune.com/getting-around-transportation-an-issue-in-latino-community/

 

This article is interesting. What surprised me that the MTA is not planning to put artics on the Q66 anytime soon. They should do that because the current low floor buses can't handle the amount of people. Wished that they would kept the high floor old buses to keep the capacity. The Q66 ridership seems to be increasing.  

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Funny how that article seems to omit the other routes that run in those areas.

 

I also find it strange that the article ignores the fact that people can transfer from the 7 to the E,F,M, and R trains at Broadway-74th Street.

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 What surprised me that the MTA is not planning to put artics on the Q66 anytime soon. They should do that because the current low floor buses can't handle the amount of people. Wished that they would kept the high floor old buses to keep the capacity. The Q66 ridership seems to be increasing.  

 

(1) Can the lifts at CP even handle artics?

 

(2) Increasing ridership can be handled with standard buses, too.

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Which the (MTA) apparently lacks... I'm still puzzled as to how they cut bus service in 2010, are short on buses, but are creating new routes, and they can't even service the current routes.

 

Planning for the future is a bit difficult when your budget is determined five years beforehand. Keep in mind that five years ago we were in the depths of the recession, so it's not like the State or City were going to provide some extra money that the MTA could match with the feds to buy buses (on top of funding the capital projects, resignalling, CBTC, new train cars, station rehabilitations, etc.)

 

They can service routes, just at their current service levels. Most of the service restorations don't involve an extremely large amount of buses, so it's not that big of a deal. The priority right now is to replace buses that are getting older, since buses have a comparatively shorter lifespan than trains.

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Planning for the future is a bit difficult when your budget is determined five years beforehand. Keep in mind that five years ago we were in the depths of the recession, so it's not like the State or City were going to provide some extra money that the MTA could match with the feds to buy buses (on top of funding the capital projects, resignalling, CBTC, new train cars, station rehabilitations, etc.)

 

They can service routes, just at their current service levels. Most of the service restorations don't involve an extremely large amount of buses, so it's not that big of a deal. The priority right now is to replace buses that are getting older, since buses have a comparatively shorter lifespan than trains.

Yeah but they've been retiring buses for a while now, so if their budget was so tight, they could've held on to some buses longer.  It's poor planning in any event.  Aside from that with the amount of bus service that was cut, I don't understand how they're still short on buses.  They've been very frugal with bus service in general. 

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Another idea mentioned by Ferreras is turning the Willets Point/Mets Long Island Rail Road station into a full-time LIRR train. She said this will help alleviate the overcrowding on the local trains and buses and give another public transit option for commuters, even if it is a little more costly than paying for a subway ride.

This has to be a joke.....

 

That wouldn't do SHIT for Q66 riders, (7) riders, Q32 riders, and any other local bus or subway that directly serves the "latino community" in question (way to sensationalize the general point that (consistent) service is lacking along Northern Blvd (west) btw).... I don't think ridership is growing all that much on the Q66 - especially to the point where Mets-Willets point should have full time service, aside from on game days.....

 

 

Furthermore, Bisono's & (one of) Ferraras' suggestions are in direct conflict....

- Bisono: "....because the area is made up of mostly low-income families, many of them have to work two jobs to make ends meet and spend even more time traveling to and from their jobs."

 

 The suggestion by Ferraras I'm referring to, is the one I quoted to start off this post....

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If they have a shortage then you don't retire them if you need buses to make service. 

 

We have enough buses to make the service that is currently running, and the service improvements don't really require more buses (since a good chunk of it is off-peak improvements, where there are less buses being used in the first place.) Adding brand new service to the peak not only requires more buses, but is just in general more expensive (since that means more drivers need to be utilized during the peak, but not during the midday or off-peak times). On top of that, not all depots are configured to handle articulated buses, not all drivers are trained to drive them, and the capital plan was determined five years ago, so the MTA has exhausted its options this capital plan. The next one will be submitted in October, so hopefully the MTA will include more purchases of artics this time around.

 

Considering that there's been a few bus fires within the past year, retiring buses seems like a good idea. Buses don't keep nearly as well as trains do.

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We have enough buses to make the service that is currently running, and the service improvements don't really require more buses (since a good chunk of it is off-peak improvements, where there are less buses being used in the first place.) Adding brand new service to the peak not only requires more buses, but is just in general more expensive (since that means more drivers need to be utilized during the peak, but not during the midday or off-peak times). On top of that, not all depots are configured to handle articulated buses, not all drivers are trained to drive them, and the capital plan was determined five years ago, so the MTA has exhausted its options this capital plan. The next one will be submitted in October, so hopefully the MTA will include more purchases of artics this time around.

 

Considering that there's been a few bus fires within the past year, retiring buses seems like a good idea. Buses don't keep nearly as well as trains do.

Not from what I've heard... Some lines use artics just to ensure that there's enough 40 footers to make service...

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Bob, must you insist on being an MTA apologist.....

 

Not from what I've heard... Some lines use artics just to ensure that there's enough 40 footers to make service...

I wanna see it come to a point where MCI's are being ran on local routes.... Because after all, we have enough buses...

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Q66 service in the AM rush was just increased in April, from a 4 minute headway to a 3.8 minute headway, to bring loads from 91% to 85% of guideline. Overall, it was a 6.0% increase in revenue miles.

 

http://www.subchat.com/buschat/read.asp?Id=289556

 

The guideline capacity for an artic is higher than for a standard bus, so converting to artics would result in longer waits.

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This has to be a joke.....

 

That wouldn't do SHIT for Q66 riders, (7) riders, Q32 riders, and any other local bus or subway that directly serves the "latino community" in question (way to sensationalize the general point that (consistent) service is lacking along Northern Blvd (west) btw).... I don't think ridership is growing all that much on the Q66 - especially to the point where Mets-Willets point should have full time service, aside from on game days.....

 

 

Furthermore, Bisono's & (one of) Ferraras' suggestions are in direct conflict....

- Bisono: "....because the area is made up of mostly low-income families, many of them have to work two jobs to make ends meet and spend even more time traveling to and from their jobs."

 

 The suggestion by Ferraras I'm referring to, is the one I quoted to start off this post....

The LIRR, as stated by their spokesperson in that arcticle, has no desire to make the Willets Point stop, a regular stop.  Not stated, but in my opinion, they do not desire to turn the Port Washington Branch into a 'defacto subway line', and service the population that lives near its western portion.   They only seem to want to cater to their 'East End' constituents, and affluent visitor's to the various stadium events.  Similar to the MTA adding a Yankee Stadium stop on the Hudson MN line.....not for Bronx daily riders, but geared toward visitor's wanting a ffast trip without having to 'brave' a ride on the subway....

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The LIRR, as stated by their spokesperson in that arcticle, has no desire to make the Willets Point stop, a regular stop.  Not stated, but in my opinion, they do not desire to turn the Port Washington Branch into a 'defacto subway line', and service the population that lives near its western portion.   They only seem to want to cater to their 'East End' constituents, and affluent visitor's to the various stadium events.  Similar to the MTA adding a Yankee Stadium stop on the Hudson MN line.....not for Bronx daily riders, but geared toward visitor's wanting a ffast trip without having to 'brave' a ride on the subway....

 

The Yankees E 153rd St stop is year round though

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