September 4, 2016 Bus Route and Schedule Changes

[DetSMART45]

Here's the thing with that. If the driver pulls into the curb (which they're supposed to do) then there is no need to kneel the bus. However you have drivers that are just very lazy so they just stop almost in the middle of the street. At that point, the bus should be kneeled as customers now have to step into the street to board. The low floor buses aren't as bad, but express buses require people to step up much higher, so pulling into the curb is almost a must if you aren't going to kneel the bus, and operators know this. The only time complaints are filed is when it is clear that operators are discrimating. Pulling into the curb when women are boarding but not doing so for men and then not kneeling either. That is discrimation. The women boarding are not visibly handicapped either so why do they get the bus pulled to the curb AND kneeled, but the same isn't done with for men (even elderly men)? Equal treatment should apply for all, regardless of sex or age.

Totally agree with what you've been saying, but cannot fathom how in NYC of all places, operators aren't curbing the bus consistently.  Understandable when it comes to parking violators blocking stops or where there's not enough turn-out space, but those should be the exception not the norm.  I would also report those operators, because of safety issues to say the least.  Just pure laziness on the operator's part, plus a sort of discrimination to boot.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Totally agree with what you've been saying, but cannot fathom how in NYC of all places, operators aren't curbing the bus consistently.  Understandable when it comes to parking violators blocking stops or where there's not enough turn-out space, but those should be the exception not the norm.  I would also report those operators, because of safety issues to say the least.  Just pure laziness on the operator's part, plus a sort of discrimination to boot.

The same guy I mentioned I used to get late nights on the BxM2.  I once recorded with my phone to show how egregious the whole thing was.  Here it is late at night, not a car anywhere near the bus stop or on the block for that matter, and this guy comes strolling in stopping almost in the middle of 6th Avenue.  Did this for every stop along the pick up, so everyone would have to step into the street to board and hope there wasn't some crazy guy coming.  

[bobtehpanda]

The Queens map has finally been updated: http://web.mta.info/nyct/maps/busqns.pdf

 

Jesus, those new SBS double labels look atrocious.

 

I wouldn't mind if they made the LGA callout box smaller and, I don't know, put it next to LaGuardia.

[QM1to6Ave]

DOT finally put up the QM31/35/36 signs on the lollipops on Union Tpke west of 188th Street. The MTA put updated timetables in for the QM35 and 36, but not the 31, in the Guide-A-Rides as well. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

DOT finally put up the QM31/35/36 signs on the lollipops on Union Tpke west of 188th Street. The MTA put updated timetables in for the QM35 and 36, but not the 31, in the Guide-A-Rides as well. 

Here in Riverdale along Henry Hudson Parkway, we kept requesting that we had timetables for all of our services (BxM1, BxM2, BxM18, Hudson Rail Link Shuttle Bus & the Bx10 and Bx20).  They eventually worked out split timetables so the BxM1/BxM2 is one timetable, the Bx10/Bx20 on another, and then the Hudson Rail Link & BxM18 have their own timetables.  If they haven't already, they'll likely do that along Union Turnpike.

[Around the Horn]

Here in Riverdale along Henry Hudson Parkway, we kept requesting that we had timetables for all of our services (BxM1, BxM2, BxM18, Hudson Rail Link Shuttle Bus & the Bx10 and Bx20).  They eventually worked out split timetables so the BxM1/BxM2 is one timetable, the Bx10/Bx20 on another, and then the Hudson Rail Link & BxM18 have their own timetables.  If they haven't already, they'll likely do that along Union Turnpike.

 

Does DOT have some aversion to 'double stacked" timetables? You would now have 8 panels instead of only 4.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Does DOT have some aversion to 'double stacked" timetables? You would now have 8 panels instead of only 4.

No they had double stacked timetables in the past, but it couldn't hold all of the schedules.  There was always one line left out and I wrote in to complain about it, as did many other riders.  With the split timetables now it makes more sense and everything can fit.  The only thing that sucks is there is no room for the maps.  Many riders aren't aware of all of their options.  For example they use the BxM1 and BxM2 for East and West Midtown, but don't know that the BxM18 also stops in Midtown along 5th and Madison (giving them a much faster commute), but since the BxM18 is marketed by the as the Downtown bus, no one would know unless they could actually see the map.

 

This is what one of the stops that I use (Henry Hudson Parkway West and West 236th street) looked like back in 2012 before they started with the split timetables:

 

 

As you can see there is room technically for eight timetables, but there are three express bus routes, two local routes and the Hudson Rail link shuttle, so something has to be left out with that set up.

[QM1to6Ave]

Here in Riverdale along Henry Hudson Parkway, we kept requesting that we had timetables for all of our services (BxM1, BxM2, BxM18, Hudson Rail Link Shuttle Bus & the Bx10 and Bx20).  They eventually worked out split timetables so the BxM1/BxM2 is one timetable, the Bx10/Bx20 on another, and then the Hudson Rail Link & BxM18 have their own timetables.  If they haven't already, they'll likely do that along Union Turnpike.

 

Yup, the timetables are split on single pages for QM5/QM35 and QM6/QM36. They seem to have forgotten to print QM1/QM31 split schedules smh.

 

I also thought the lollipop signs would have 1 sign for QM1/5/6 MIDTOWN and a second sign for QM31/35/36 EAST MIDTOWN. Instead, they have a QM1/QM31 MIDTOWN, a QM5/QM35 MIDTOWN, and a QM6/36 MIDTOWN sign. That kind of defeats the whole purpose of the numbering changes. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Yup, the timetables are split on single pages for QM5/QM35 and QM6/QM36. They seem to have forgotten to print QM1/QM31 split schedules smh.

 

I also thought the lollipop signs would have 1 sign for QM1/5/6 MIDTOWN and a second sign for QM31/35/36 EAST MIDTOWN. Instead, they have a QM1/QM31 MIDTOWN, a QM5/QM35 MIDTOWN, and a QM6/36 MIDTOWN sign. That kind of defeats the whole purpose of the numbering changes. 

lol... It does.  Same deal in Riverdale... In the example I showed above, they have the BxM1 and BxM2 sharing a sign to Midtown, which leads to people getting on and asking a thousand questions about where said bus goes since there are no maps.  They got rid of the double stacked timetables once they split the schedules which means no room for any maps at all.    Along 3rd Avenue they have the mini signs for the QMs which looks horrible.  Too small IMO.

[Gotham Bus Co.]

As you can see there is room technically for eight timetables, but there are three express bus routes, two local routes and the Hudson Rail link shuttle, so something has to be left out with that set up.

 

 

With two boxes, I would ditch the route maps and fill the eight panels with six schedules plus two advertisements.  (Yes, I suggested selling ad space on Guide-A-Rides.)

[Via Garibaldi 8]

With two boxes, I would ditch the route maps and fill the eight panels with six schedules plus two advertisements.  (Yes, I suggested selling ad space on Guide-A-Rides.)

The thing is I don't think the wants to go back to two boxes.  Since they did the split routes along Henry Hudson Parkway, they removed them. There is just one box with the schedules for all of the routes and nothing else.  The split route set up started sometime last year IIRC.

[IAlam]

Yup, the timetables are split on single pages for QM5/QM35 and QM6/QM36. They seem to have forgotten to print QM1/QM31 split schedules smh.

 

I also thought the lollipop signs would have 1 sign for QM1/5/6 MIDTOWN and a second sign for QM31/35/36 EAST MIDTOWN. Instead, they have a QM1/QM31 MIDTOWN, a QM5/QM35 MIDTOWN, and a QM6/36 MIDTOWN sign. That kind of defeats the whole purpose of the numbering changes. 

The same things should've been done with the schedules too. One for 3rd ave buses only and another for 6th ave buses

[QM1to6Ave]

The same things should've been done with the schedules too. One for 3rd ave buses only and another for 6th ave buses

100% agree. I thought that was what they were going to do