Select Bus Service Coming To M79 In 2017

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Select Bus Service Coming to 'City's Slowest' M79 Bus Next Year: Officials

 

By Shaye Weaver | October 7, 2016 3:42pm | Updated on October 10, 2016 8:48am

 

The M79 will become a Select Bus Service route in the spring of 2017, according to DOT officials.

 

The M79 will become a Select Bus Service route in the spring of 2017, according to DOT officials.

 

DNAinfo/Trevor Kapp

 

UPPER EAST SIDE — Upper Manhattan residents who've been stuck at a crawl on the M79 bus — named the slowest bus in the city in recent years — will get some relief next spring.

 

Select Bus Service is coming to the M79 route, which shuttles 18,000 passengers across town per day, improving bus speed and reliability, according to Department of Transportation officials.

 

The M79 currently runs at an average speed of 4.3 miles per hour, and bunches roughly 8.8 percent of the time, according to Bus Turnaround, a coalition of transit activists calling for a comprehensive overhaul of New York's bus system.

 

DOT representatives announced the plan during Community Board 8's transportation committee on Wednesday.

 

 

Shaye Weaver · DNAinfo Reporter

What do you think about Select Bus Service coming to the M79 line?

 

1 22

VOICE YOUR OPINION ON NHSQ

 

With Select Bus Service, customers will be able to pay their fare on kiosks at bus stops, cutting the time it takes for passengers to board when buses arrive. The street will also be redesigned to include bus lanes so that they can get in and out of stops more quickly, the reps said.

 

The DOT also plans to remove the stop at West 81st Street and Amsterdam Avenue because of low ridership and because the sidewalk is too narrow for a fare machine to be installed there.

 

The DOT did not have further details about the plan, but will release more information after completing a traffic study. Representatives will return to CB8 with a draft proposal, and the service is expected to roll out in spring of 2017.

 

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated which Upper West Side bus stop will be removed. It will be the West 81st Street and Amsterdam Avenue stop.

 

Source: https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20161007/upper-east-side/select-service-m79-bus-on-upper-east-side-and-upper-west-side

[MysteriousBtrain]

Yep. As I figured, every Artic Quill route is bound to be SBS. I did not think the M79 would be left alone while others were worked on.

[Q43LTD]

Let me guess, it will probably be the same as the M86 (stop wise)

[Union Tpke]

The stop at West 81st and Amsterdam will be removed.

[MTA Bus]

Why the hell is every route getting SBS now?

[Jdog14]

Why the hell is every route getting SBS now?

 

Off board fare collection and bus lanes. 

[Cait Sith]

.......Should've been the freaking M14s over this. 79th Street is one of the least congested crosstown corridors.

[East New York]

.......Should've been the freaking M14s over this. 79th Street is one of the least congested crosstown corridors.

Right! Buses bunch only 8.8% of the time.... why even mention that? 91.2% of the time they don't???

 

I think this bus turnaround thing could be good... But for who??? Will it benefit everyone? I'm not hearing any mention of all the bus lines plagued with issues in the "hood." Like no one is talking about the fact that EVERY route in Flatbush depot, and many of the routes out of ENY and the Bronx and Queens need immediate attention.

 

It's crazy to me that MTA introduced artics 17 year ago and it took Brooklyn and Queens more than a decade to introduce them.

[bobtehpanda]

.......Should've been the freaking M14s over this. 79th Street is one of the least congested crosstown corridors.

 

Isn't the M14 and M23 slated to get it before the shutdown anyways?

[Mysterious2train]

The M23 SBS was expected to start last month but still hasn't (what else is new?) I did see fare machines set up at one stop so I guess it will start soon. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Right! Buses bunch only 8.8% of the time.... why even mention that? 91.2% of the time they don't???

 

I think this bus turnaround thing could be good... But for who??? Will it benefit everyone? I'm not hearing any mention of all the bus lines plagued with issues in the "hood." Like no one is talking about the fact that EVERY route in Flatbush depot, and many of the routes out of ENY and the Bronx and Queens need immediate attention.

 

It's crazy to me that MTA introduced artics 17 year ago and it took Brooklyn and Queens more than a decade to introduce them.

Hate to say it but I get the impression that folks in "the hood" as you put it may not be vocal enough at times.  If elected officials aren't aware of the issues in those areas, then that's a big problem.  It starts with the community being vocal, and in turn putting pressure on officials to pressure the to address the problem.  That's the only way the situation gets attention, let alone sees improvement.

[Cait Sith]

Isn't the M14 and M23 slated to get it before the shutdown anyways?

They changed it to where the 14 gets it when the shuts down, if i recall.

 

Hate to say it but I get the impression that folks in "the hood" as you put it may not be vocal enough at times.  If elected officials aren't aware of the issues in those areas, then that's a big problem. 

 

Not for nothing, while this is wrong, it's pretty obvious that most elected officials focus on areas with more political clout, and the Upper East Side has a lot of that. There's been massive complaints on both M14s with its service, meanwhile that one still gets overlooked. The M23 got accelerated because of a push by politicians, same for the M86(granted, the M86 needed it). The M79 is just repeating the trend.

 

There's complaints all over the system, but you of all people should know that certain areas and/or routes tend to get overlooked to cater to another group.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Not for nothing, while this is wrong, it's pretty obvious that most elected officials focus on areas with more political clout, and the Upper East Side has a lot of that. There's been massive complaints on both M14s with its service, meanwhile that one still gets overlooked. The M23 got accelerated because of a push by politicians, same for the M86 (granted, the M86 needed it). The M79 is just repeating the trend.

There's complaints all over the system, but you of all people should know that certain areas and/or routes tend to get overlooked to cater to another group.

I'm not saying that there aren't complaints, but what happens in some neighborhoods is that they have political clout because people are active (and I mean seriously active).  My neighborhood for example has people that form privately to sign petitions and volunteer and get the ball rolling when we can't get elected officials to act.  The question is how active are the people trying to get things done in other areas of the city and how far are they willing to go to see that changes are implemented?  For example, I have taken off of work on numerous occasions to attend meetings in my community, and we get the word out through e-mail, posting at local spots, etc. so that important events are very well attended to show that we care and want action taken. I'm not sure if some people are willing or have the time to do that, so my point is that it can take much more than just complaining.  You need dedicated people who are willing to organize and be consistent with getting things done and that isn't so easy for some if they can't just take off and need to work, etc.  Additionally, you need people who are willing to spend their own money if need be and that too takes serious funding.  I am part of several groups in my community and receive e-mails to attend all sorts of events, but ultimately that's what makes the difference.  Furthermore, you have to have elected officials who are willing to fund certain things.  For example, I proposed having countdown bus stops throughout my neighborhood and they will be installed in the near future, but those clocks aren't cheap.  Funding had to be allocated for them, but the elected official I contacted was willing and able to take my suggestions and implement them. 

 

In the case of the M79, I can personally say that I used to use it a lot when I frequented restaurants on the Upper East Side coming to and from the Upper West Side, and living in Riverdale, I would say that the bunching has worsened.  Sometimes when I wait for the BxM2 by Central Park West and 81st, you can have two or three M79s come at once and this is not during rush hour either.  It isn't exactly clear what causes the congestion though.  I feel as if 86th street needed it, but 79th street baffles me since more of it is residential, thus you would expect less congestion.  Nevertheless, I don't disagree with the SBS designation. While the M14 could use SBS, the is there to compensate. There is no subway along 79th to assist.

[Around the Horn]

  The question is how active are the people trying to get things done in other areas of the city and how far are they willing to go to see that changes are implemented?  For example, I have taken off of work on numerous occasions to attend meetings in my community, and we get the word out through e-mail, posting at local spots, etc. so that important events are very well attended to show that we care and want action taken. I'm not sure if some people are willing or have the time to do that, so my point is that it can take much more than just complaining.  You need dedicated people who are willing to organize and be consistent with getting things done and that isn't so easy for some if they can't just take off and need to work, etc.  Additionally, you need people who are willing to spend their own money if need be and that too takes serious funding. 

 

How many people in say East New York or Brownsville can afford to take off work to attend meetings or spend their own money to get things done?

 

Lets face it, the current "system" to get things done leans much, much more heavily towards the people with more money.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

How many people in say East New York or Brownsville can afford to take off work to attend meetings or spend their own money to get things done?

 

Lets face it, the current "system" to get things done leans much, much more heavily towards the people with more money.

While that is true, neighborhoods that have clout get it because they work damn hard and are constantly involved.  Money is just a part of it.    

[Cait Sith]

While that is true, neighborhoods that have clout get it because they work damn hard and are constantly involved.  Money is just a part of it.    

 

And its also because they have the politicians by the balls....or in their pockets. Staten Island is the prime example of that.

[bobtehpanda]

While that is true, neighborhoods that have clout get it because they work damn hard and are constantly involved.  Money is just a part of it.     

 

Well, time is money, and in general if you make more money you have the opportunity for more time as opposed to the person doing two or three jobs to scrape rent for the month. When you work 16-hour days, what other time do you have to spare?

[Union Tpke]

The M23 SBS was expected to start last month but still hasn't (what else is new?) I did see fare machines set up at one stop so I guess it will start soon. 

 

It will become SBS on November 7th. http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/transit/2016/09/26/q70-becomes-select-service-bus--becomes-laguardia-link.html

[Via Garibaldi 8]

And its also because they have the politicians by the balls....or in their pockets. Staten Island is the prime example of that.

That is true of the South Shore and to some extent the Mid Island... 

 

Well, time is money, and in general if you make more money you have the opportunity for more time as opposed to the person doing two or three jobs to scrape rent for the month. When you work 16-hour days, what other time do you have to spare?

This is true, but I think the question is what will the do aside from making routes SBS to address the issue of poor bus service citywide?  In one of the latest articles I posted, an elected official (IIRC) demanded more BRT-style bus routes, and that seems to be what the wants as well.  There doesn't appear to be any other solutions outside of that, as SBS alone won't cut it.  What they have done in some cases is elongated schedules using real-time data from BusTime, which is a start, but that just means that passengers will now know that a commute that should take one hour, will likely be almost double that, in essence demonstrating how bad the situation is to begin with and where choke points in the route exist that aren't being addressed.  It also has to increase the costs of certain trips, making them more expensive to run, even if they are fairly cost-friendly overall.  I personally have been on SBS routes really late at night such as the M34 and have been stuck in traffic because the bus lanes were clogged with parked NYPD cars, etc., so does the think that it can only control the boarding process and not address the other contributing factors?  So far that seems to be the case.  I predict more SBS routes with schedules that reflect headways similar to what you would find on the subway with off-peak service running every 10-15 minutes.  More artics means fewer bus operators and buses needed, which is how the will try to keep costs down as trips take longer and longer to complete.  It's a loss overall for the commuters.

[trainfan22]

They can take their sweet time with the M23 SBS... I want to ride a D60 on it one last time 

 

I rode one on the M23 years ago but you can never get too many rides on a D60!

[bobtehpanda]

That is true of the South Shore and to some extent the Mid Island... 

 

This is true, but I think the question is what will the do aside from making routes SBS to address the issue of poor bus service citywide?  In one of the latest articles I posted, an elected official (IIRC) demanded more BRT-style bus routes, and that seems to be what the wants as well.  There doesn't appear to be any other solutions outside of that, as SBS alone won't cut it.  What they have done in some cases is elongated schedules using real-time data from BusTime, which is a start, but that just means that passengers will now know that a commute that should take one hour, will likely be almost double that, in essence demonstrating how bad the situation is to begin with and where choke points in the route exist that aren't being addressed.  It also has to increase the costs of certain trips, making them more expensive to run, even if they are fairly cost-friendly overall.  I personally have been on SBS routes really late at night such as the M34 and have been stuck in traffic because the bus lanes were clogged with parked NYPD cars, etc., so does the think that it can only control the boarding process and not address the other contributing factors?  So far that seems to be the case.  I predict more SBS routes with schedules that reflect headways similar to what you would find on the subway with off-peak service running every 10-15 minutes.  More artics means fewer bus operators and buses needed, which is how the will try to keep costs down as trips take longer and longer to complete.  It's a loss overall for the commuters.

 

As far as I know, the MTA will be rolling out transit signal priority on its buses soon. The Council is also pushing for the MTA and DOT to come up with a network plan of improvements to make (since, you know, the MTA was founded to be a far-sighted planning and transit coordination agency). but their response was to point to the neighborhood scale studies and say that everything else is just peachy.

[TransitJusticeForAll]

Wait, isn't the Bx6 planned for +SBS conversion come Spring 2017?

[Q43LTD]

Right! Buses bunch only 8.8% of the time.... why even mention that? 91.2% of the time they don't???

 

I think this bus turnaround thing could be good... But for who??? Will it benefit everyone? I'm not hearing any mention of all the bus lines plagued with issues in the "hood." Like no one is talking about the fact that EVERY route in Flatbush depot, and many of the routes out of ENY and the Bronx and Queens need immediate attention.

 

It's crazy to me that MTA introduced artics 17 year ago and it took Brooklyn and Queens more than a decade to introduce them.

And too boot, the first Queens route wasn't a TA route

[Via Garibaldi 8]

As far as I know, the MTA will be rolling out transit signal priority on its buses soon. The Council is also pushing for the MTA and DOT to come up with a network plan of improvements to make (since, you know, the MTA was founded to be a far-sighted planning and transit coordination agency), but their response was to point to the neighborhood scale studies and say that everything else is just peachy.

Which is certainly far from true....

[FamousNYLover]

I used to ride M79 bus when M86 was not SBS because M79 bus was faster.