A Bike Got to LaGuardia Airport Faster Than Public Transport

[Via Garibaldi 8]

A Bike Got to LaGuardia Airport Faster Than Public Transport 

By Peter Coy   July 07, 2014

     

Photograph by Frank Eltman/AP Photo

LaGuardia Airport

Poor LaGuardia Airport. In February, Vice President Joe Biden said it looks like a facility in “some Third World country.” Now we learn that the Rodney Dangerfield of airfields is so hard to reach by public transportation that you might be better off riding a bike to get there.

As a publicity stunt, a New York business group devoted to improving the New York area airports staged a seven-way race on June 30 to the Queens airport, which is oh-so-near to midtown Manhattan (9 miles by car) yet oh-so-far when you’re rushing to catch a flight.

The executive director of the Global Gateway Alliance, Stephen Sigmund, rode a CitiBike, which is not exactly a racing machine. It’s a cheery blue but has a heavy frame and only three speeds. Six summer interns fanned out using other means of transportation.

GRAPHIC: New York's Citibike, a Two-Wheeled Tank

An intern named Fiona who hailed a yellow cab on the street got to LaGuardia first, in 25 minutes, benefiting from a smooth ride through the often-scary Queens Midtown Tunnel. Cost: $33 with tip. Alex, a second intern, walked to Grand Central Terminal and got on the NYC Airporter, a $13 shuttle bus, arriving at the airport in 44 minutes for second place.

Third place went to Caroline, an intern who called for an UberX car and got there in 48 minutes. She reported that it would have been faster, but the first car she called for “clean disappeared” from the app and she had to call a second one. She had the most expensive trip at $44.

Sigmund pedaled like mad, weaving around cars and trucks in the bike lines to come in fourth, just a minute after Caroline in 49 minutes. Stopping for red lights was, he wrote, “uh, optional” until a police car got on his tail in Queens. He spent just $2.50, which is what CitiBike charges when people take a bike for more than 45 but less than 75 minutes. Alas, there was no CitiBike drop-off point at the airport.

STORY: Paris Launches a Bike-Share Program for Kids

Lagging behind were the three interns who took the cheap-but-slow train/bus combos that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the operator of the region’s airports, recommends. The 7 subway line to the Q70 bus took 56 minutes and cost $2.50. The Long Island Railroad to the Q70 bus also took 56 minutes but cost $8.25. Dead last, in 61 minutes, was Will S., who took the 4 subway line to 125th Street in Harlem and switched for the M60 Select Bus Service. The price was $2.50, making it (to look on the bright side) the cheapest trip per minute.

To sum it up, the train/bus combo is a good choice if you are short on funds and long on time, or if you enjoy making choices that others spurn. “To my surprise,” wrote intern Mary Kate, one of the lagging interns who took a train and bus, there were “few riders bearing luggage, duffel bags, or any indication they were headed to the airport.”

“With the Port Authority and airlines investing billions of dollars to bring LaGuardia into the 21st Century, we need to do better than public transportation to the airport that can be beat by a three-speed bike,” Joe Sitt, a real estate investor who is founding chairman of the Global Gateway Alliance, said in a press release. The alliance advocates construction of a subway spur from the N line in Queens that would go all the way to LaGuardia. At a minimum, it wants the city to re-brand the Q70 bus, “utilizing a name that connotes air travel as opposed to simply another bus route.”

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-07-07/a-bike-got-to-laguardia-airport-faster-than-public-transport

[Lance]

It's no secret that LaGuardia Airport is the least accessible airport in the area when it comes to mass transit. The problem is, there are few options to improve conditions around the area without large scale construction. The most recent proposal regarding LGA involved extending the Astoria line to the airport, which was met with harsh criticism from residents in the area. So that idea got shelved, and, outside of a few pie-in-the-sky proposals from the mayoral candidates during the last election, there hasn't been much in the way of real ideas on how to fix this problem. Sure, we've got the M60 Select and the Q70 limited, but those aren't really viable options as this article clearly points out.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

Who uses the train from Manhattan to catch the M60 to go to the airport in the first place?

[QM1to6Ave]

So much for the improved M60 lol.

 

It seems like those airporter buses are the best combination of price and time, and they look comfortable enough when I see them on the street. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I've always flown into and out of JFK since I usually go to Europe, and I have never used anything but a cab.  I've had friends that I've went with to LaGuardia via car to pick people up.  I've seen those "express buses" around Midtown to LGA and have wondered how quick they were. Why can't they create something like a shuttle bus to the as an alternative? Or better yet come up with something similar to the Airtrain?  I've used it at JFK numerous times and found it efficient.  If they're going to spend billions to upgrade the airport, it seems like better transportation alternatives would be a no brainer.

 

 

Who uses the   train from Manhattan to catch the M60 to go to the airport in the first place?

Well Grand Central is a commuter hub just like Penn Station, so I could see folks doing that, especially those who can't afford the bus or car service/taxi.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

 

Well Grand Central is a commuter hub just like Penn Station, so I could see folks doing that, especially those who can't afford the bus or car service/taxi.

 

Then why didn't they use the to the to the 60. Or the to the Q70 (although that was an option already). Still doesn't seem feasible for me, if I came from that area, the to the 70 is my best bet. (But the has it's shutdowns almost every weekend, but still, the would be so much quicker than the to the 60).

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Why didn't they use the Times Square shuttle to the and then the 60 (or take the to 59 for the to the 60) instead. It's so much more of a trip doing that.

Yeah but that's even more transfers and the is no picnic with that track set up.... Think about someone with luggage... The fewer the transfers the better.  Also sometimes people just want to get to a hub and figure it out from there.  Saturday night (or rather Sunday morning) there was a couple that got on the BxM2 with me at 35th & 6th with luggage.  Must've schlepped over from Penn Station.  With the bags that they had, I would've definitely hailed a taxi and called it a night, but at $12.00 total ($6.00 X 2 people a head versus probably $45 - 50 w/tip from Midtown to Riverdale, plus tolls, the cost savings is quite noticeable).  It was the last bus of the night so it wasn't crowded and the ride was super quick as usual but still.

[peacemak3r]

So basically saying...if I were running late and a friend drove me to LGA, it would be free and the fastest? Considering the cab got there first?  Hmph...don't use LGA anyway.

 

I guess it's a double-edged sword, because I've heard that the car lanes in LGA and roadway traffic is horrible at LGA so in theory, mass transportation can tie there.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

Yeah but that's even more transfers and the is no picnic with that track set up.... Think about someone with luggage... The fewer the transfers the better.  Also sometimes people just want to get to a hub and figure it out from there.  Saturday night (or rather Sunday morning) there was a couple that got on the BxM2 with me at 35th & 6th with luggage.  Must've schlepped over from Penn Station.  With the bags that they had, I would've definitely hailed a taxi and called it a night, but at $12.00 total ($6.00 X 2 people a head versus probably $45 - 50 w/tip from Midtown to Riverdale, plus tolls, the cost savings is quite noticeable).  It was the last bus of the night so it wasn't crowded and the ride was super quick as usual but still.

 

Only two tracks are used, and you can use any track (but I digress). 

 

Not only is LaGuardia's transit options not the best (within), complete areas don't have it easy, for people that go there (both customers and employees). Like a percentage of LGA's employees originate their trips in the bronx, primarly along the areas the Harlem Line Serves. These people have no choice but to use the Bx41 to to the M60, or the Bx15 to the M60. With the (5)'s weekend shuttle service (which is very frequent), it's not pleasent.

 

 

Forest Hills, all those areas, basically the objective is to find the train and jump onto the Q70.

 

My area (although in reduced quantities), somehow get to the Q47 and then transfer to the free shuttle bus from Marine Air).

 

Northwestern Queens also tries to get to the M60, IN anyway, or in the south, the Q32 to the Q70.

 

South of Queens Blvd, you're better suited going to JFK.

[Cait Sith]

Who uses the train from Manhattan to catch the M60 to go to the airport in the first place?

 

A lot of people do, actually. Most of whom that work at the Airport. That's a pretty airheaded question imo, sarcasm or not.

 

Then why didn't they use the to the to the 60. Or the to the Q70 (although that was an option already). Still doesn't seem feasible for me, if I came from that area, the to the 70 is my best bet. (But the has it's shutdowns almost every weekend, but still, the would be so much quicker than the to the 60).

 

It wouldn't, I've tried this out before. The only positive thing about this is bypassing all the local stops in Manhattan and the stops in Queens on the which can add up to the time when taking the . With the / , you have the M60 which would only make about 2 stops in Manhattan, then you're already in Queens. And with the / being straight Express like 90% of the time, it shortens the time.

 

As for the entire article, IMO, it's a joke altogether.

[trainfan22]

LGA is at Capacity, they won't extend a rail line there cause then the airport would be overwhelmed.

[bobtehpanda]

LGA is at Capacity, they won't extend a rail line there cause then the airport would be overwhelmed.

 

This is the silliest thing I've heard in a long time... the capacity constraints apply to every area airport, since New York is not going to build any new runways anytime soon (and any new ones would run into the same air traffic congestion problems we have today). In fact, the biggest boost to capacity would be to shut down LGA completely, since that would remove a lot of conflicts with JFK and Newark airspace, but the day that happens is the day New York decides to make Stewart Airport its only airport.

 

The capacity constraints have nothing to do with the fact that a lot of business and domestic travelers use LGA but are currently stuck in traffic trying to get there. Subway access would definitely speed up and decongest the area, though it would almost certainly require eminent domain in Astoria. There are multiple ways to do this; subway to people mover, pure subway, and multiple alignments, from the GCP/Ditmars in the west to GCP/Astoria in the east.

 

There was a lot of community opposition to it when Giuliani was in office, but most of the political leaders who opposed it are gone and the area has changed a lot, so it might be politically possible now (although certainly not financially possible).

[trainfan22]

What's stopping the PA from building an Airtain from the Woodside 7/LIRR station to LGA via the BQE? They could also have a branch to the N/Q line with the structure over the highway.

 

This was discussed elseware and that theory seems believable IMO.

[Q43LTD]

It was cheaper to create the Q70. Anyway it's sad that you can get to the airport faster by bike than public transportation...

[B35 via Church]

Who uses the train from Manhattan to catch the M60 to go to the airport in the first place?

The 4 to 125th for the M60? Plenty of people do that.... It's not an anomaly at all.....

 

I've always flown into and out of JFK since I usually go to Europe, and I have never used anything but a cab.  I've had friends that I've went with to LaGuardia via car to pick people up.  I've seen those "express buses" around Midtown to LGA and have wondered how quick they were.

 

Why can't they create something like a shuttle bus to the as an alternative? Or better yet come up with something similar to the Airtrain?  I've used it at JFK numerous times and found it efficient.  If they're going to spend billions to upgrade the airport, it seems like better transportation alternatives would be a no brainer.

- You talking about NYAS (new york airport shuttle)? (I) Rode it once, never again (back in 2012).... Service seemed more like a hustle than anything....To me, they're like dollar vans that run on a schedule - except they seldom ever follow said schedule.... I'm reading the yelp reviews & I'm LMAO because some of it is shit that happened to me.....

 

Don't know if things have improved since then though, to be fair.....

 

- To your second point, If by "they" you mean the MTA:

It's enough that they have to run shuttle buses on weekends in various parts of the city to serve as a buffer when work is being done on certain subway lines... You know as well as I do that this freakin agency aint fin to run shuttles 7 days a week to/from the astoria line & the airport (even though it makes sense, being that there's no people mover that currently exists).... I'm not disagreeing with the idea itself, but also, the MTA aint gonna deter people from embarking on (what I call) their baby - [meaning the SBS, M60] to get to LGA...... The bus stop on that "triangle" at Astoria Blvd subway gets packed w/ folks waiting for M60's, almost about as much folks that boarded in manhattan to get to the airport.....

 

Only two tracks are used, and you can use any track (but I digress). 

 

Not only is LaGuardia's transit options not the best (within), complete areas don't have it easy, for people that go there (both customers and employees). Like a percentage of LGA's employees originate their trips in the bronx, primarly along the areas the Harlem Line Serves. These people have no choice but to use the Bx41 to to the M60, or the Bx15 to the M60. With the (5)'s weekend shuttle service (which is very frequent), it's not pleasent.

 

 

Forest Hills, all those areas, basically the objective is to find the train and jump onto the Q70.

 

My area (although in reduced quantities), somehow get to the Q47 and then transfer to the free shuttle bus from Marine Air).

 

Northwestern Queens also tries to get to the M60, IN anyway, or in the south, the Q32 to the Q70.

 

South of Queens Blvd, you're better suited going to JFK.

This is becoming more common.... I remember Marine air being a bit of a dead zone when it came to pax waiting for buses (non-employees I'm talkin about).... Now you're starting to get handfuls coming from ((wherever)), either hopping on those Hertz shuttles or Route A (which is the free shuttle bus that serves marine air, and the rest of the other terminals as well)....

 

I think enough people done put the bugs in these tourists ears (or heard it through the grapevine, so to speak) that they don't have to take the (mass advertised) M60 to get from terminal to terminal....

[AndrewJC]

Why can't they create something like a shuttle bus to the as an alternative? 

 

It's called the M60.

[bobtehpanda]

What's stopping the PA from building an Airtain from the Woodside 7/LIRR station to LGA via the BQE? They could also have a branch to the N/Q line with the structure over the highway.

 

This was discussed elseware and that theory seems believable IMO.

 

That was actually planned; the AirTrain was originally envisioned as an LGA-JFK connector, but community opposition in Astoria and along the Van Wyck north of Jamaica stopped it because federal law would've prohibited stations not directly serving an airport or a transfer station.

[Cait Sith]

That was actually planned; the AirTrain was originally envisioned as an LGA-JFK connector, but community opposition in Astoria and along the Van Wyck north of Jamaica stopped it because federal law would've prohibited stations not directly serving an airport or a transfer station.

 

I remember when the JFK Air Train was being thought of, NIMBYs south of Jamaica were flipping their shit because they thought it would cause a huge amount of Van Wyck traffic(which it did during construction). Now that it's up and running, they actually like it.

 

People in my area are strange.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

It's called the M60.

Not the ... I'm talking about LaGuardia... If they're spending 2 billion in upgrades, they should have a premium service.  The M60 apparently doesn't do the job very well despite all of the hype. Another idea would be an express bus service to and from Midtown to LaGuardia... That could be run by the via Bus.

 

- You talking about NYAS (new york airport shuttle)? (I) Rode it once, never again (back in 2012).... Service seemed more like a hustle than anything....To me, they're like dollar vans that run on a schedule - except they seldom ever follow said schedule.... I'm reading the yelp reviews & I'm LMAO because some of it is shit that happened to me.....

 

Don't know if things have improved since then though, to be fair.....

 

- To your second point, If by "they" you mean the MTA:

It's enough that they have to run shuttle buses on weekends in various parts of the city to serve as a buffer when work is being done on certain subway lines... You know as well as I do that this freakin agency aint fin to run shuttles 7 days a week to/from the astoria line & the airport (even though it makes sense, being that there's no people mover that currently exists).... I'm not disagreeing with the idea itself, but also, the MTA aint gonna deter people from embarking on (what I call) their baby - [meaning the SBS, M60] to get to LGA...... The bus stop on that "triangle" at Astoria Blvd subway gets packed w/ folks waiting for M60's, almost about as much folks that boarded in manhattan to get to the airport.....

Yeah that's the one... The white bus with the blue and green lettering... How is the other bus that goes to Newark that runs along 42nd? Sometimes they use MCI's but of late I've seen much older buses... The fare seems high ($15??) for what looks like a lack of comfort...

 

-No, not the ... LaGuardia...

[bobtehpanda]

I remember when the JFK Air Train was being thought of, NIMBYs south of Jamaica were flipping their shit because they thought it would cause a huge amount of Van Wyck traffic(which it did during construction). Now that it's up and running, they actually like it.

 

People in my area are strange.

 

Certain kinds of NIMBYism usually go hand in hand with some sort of delusion. Exhibit A would be that WSJ editor going on some crazy rant about the all-powerful bike lobby.

 

Concerns about the Van Wyck being under construction are moot anyways, since that road has been under construction since before I was born. What are they even doing?

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

Not the ... I'm talking about LaGuardia... If they're spending 2 billion in upgrades, they should have a premium service. The M60 apparently doesn't do the job very well despite all of the hype. Another idea would be an express bus service to and from Midtown to LaGuardia... That could be run by the via Bus.

 

Yeah that's the one... The white bus with the blue and green lettering... How is the other bus that goes to Newark that runs along 42nd? Sometimes they use MCI's but of late I've seen much older buses... The fare seems high ($15??) for what looks like a lack of comfort...

 

-No, not the ... LaGuardia...

 

All new services have to be made towards MTA NYCT. The Q52 and Q70 were exemptions because they replace or substitute other MTA Bus services. So, the bus would have to be based out of Quill or Casey Stengel.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

All new services have to be made towards MTA NYCT. The Q52 and Q70 were exemptions because they replace or substituted other MTA Bus. So, the bus would have to be based out of Quill or Casey Stengel.

Oh yeah? Why is that?

[Cait Sith]

Certain kinds of NIMBYism usually go hand in hand with some sort of delusion. Exhibit A would be that WSJ editor going on some crazy rant about the all-powerful bike lobby.

 

Concerns about the Van Wyck being under construction are moot anyways, since that road has been under construction since before I was born. What are they even doing?

 

Nothing south of Jamaica. North of it, making new exit/entrance ramps by Queens Blvd(I think it's by Queens Blvd)

[B35 via Church]

I remember when the JFK Air Train was being thought of, NIMBYs south of Jamaica were flipping their shit because they thought it would cause a huge amount of Van Wyck traffic (which it did during construction). Now that it's up and running, they actually like it.

 

People in my area are strange.

I remember that as well....

 

(What you just described is your prototypical NIMBY btw.... of course they like the advent of AIRTrain now - because it's fully functional & it benefits them..... It reminds me of what a new Syosset station would yield for those folks, with that crazy curve/gap(s) at that current station - and all its 200+ warnings about watching the gap plastered throughout the station....)

 

Yeah that's the one... The white bus with the blue and green lettering... How is the other bus that goes to Newark that runs along 42nd? Sometimes they use MCI's but of late I've seen much older buses... The fare seems high ($15??) for what looks like a lack of comfort...

 

 

-No, not the ... LaGuardia...

- I've never been to EWR by bus from NYC, so I wouldn't know.....

 

- Oh, alright..... Route C express to Central Terminal does have a nice ring to it.... Or it could be an express variant of Route B (which serves every terminal except marine air; the most isolated terminal in LGA).....

 

FYI, current map of LGA shuttles, route a (red) & route b (black):

 

Concerns about the Van Wyck being under construction are moot anyways, since that road has been under construction since before I was born.

 

What are they even doing?

Funny, same thing my mother (who's in her 50's) says about the manhattan bridge!

 

Anyway, as for your question, here's a PDF that summarizes the work to be done for that project......

 

All new services have to be made towards MTA NYCT.....

 

......The Q52 and Q70 were exemptions because.....

...............

 

Nothing south of Jamaica. North of it, making new exit/entrance ramps by Queens Blvd (I think it's by Queens Blvd)

Kew Gardens interchange project.

[N6 Limited]

Why did no one try the or to Jackson Heights?