New NYC Transit chief Andy Byford vows blueprint to fix struggling MTA bus service

[Via Garibaldi 8]

New NYC Transit chief Andy Byford vows blueprint to fix struggling MTA bus service

DAN RIVOLI JAN 22, 2018 10:28 PM

It’s not only the subway that needs attention — new NYC Transit boss Andy Byford vowed Monday to turn around the MTA’s struggling bus system as well.

Byford, in his first Metropolitan Transportation Authority board transit committee meeting, said the bus network is one of his four equal priorities, along with fixing the subway, paratransit service and accessibility, and work culture.

He called for a Bus Action Plan similar to MTA Chairman Joe Lhota’s Subway Action Plan to stabilize the failing mass transit system.

“We must arrest the decline in ridership,” Byford said in his introductory remarks. “To do that, we must work with the city to clear crowded streets to give our buses a fighting chance of getting through and to do their job.”

Average weekday bus ridership for November tanked by 106,000 people, according to the latest MTA stats. Weekend ridership dropped by 139,000 riders.

Byford, on his fifth day on the job, got a crash course in problems with the bus.

The MTA, as part of a routine tweaking of bus service, had to make 27 schedule changes that cut service. Savings from the cutbacks are covering extra bus service elsewhere. Six schedule changes had to be made because of slow traffic, according to the MTA.

MTA board member Andrew Albert, a riders advocate, said the MTA was sending buses into a death spiral.

“This ... perpetuates the self-fulfilling cycle of death for bus routes,” Albert said. “Because those buses have become slow, riders have opted for a different option, so when the counts are done, the counts show fewer riders. So once again, the service is cut.”

Albert picked out one service change to hold up as an example — the M22 route across lower Manhattan. On weekends, the M22 will run every 30 minutes, instead of every 20 minutes.

“That’s one heck of a big service cut,” he said.

Albert asked MTA to designate a route for the agency and city Department of Transportation to drastically improve to see if riders come back to the line.

We’ve got a lot of new buses on order. I don’t know where they’re going to go because we’re not going to have bus service anymore,” Albert said. “You cannot keep decimating bus service like this.”

Byford agreed and said he’d put his team at NYC Transit on the matter.

“Back to my favorite mantra, what are the root causes of declining ridership across the system and by route?” Byford said. “What interventions might arrest that decline?”

Jon Orcutt, director of advocacy at the Transit Center, which is part of the Bus Turnaround Coalition, said: “Hallelujah.”

The coalition issued a report that said average bus speeds in New York were 7.4 mph.

“As bad as the subways are, the buses are worse,” Orcutt said. “So it’s badly needed.”

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/amp/new-york/new-nyc-transit-chief-andy-byford-vows-fix-mta-bus-service-article-1.3773045

[CDTA]

Quote

“We must arrest the decline in ridership,” Byford said in his introductory remarks. “To do that, we must work with the city to clear crowded streets to give our buses a fighting chance of getting through and to do their job.”

So is he finally going to take on the DOT? I sure hope so.

Quote

Albert asked MTA to designate a route for the agency and city Department of Transportation to drastically improve to see if riders come back to the line.

I also really hope this goes somewhere and won't just be 'looked into'

[Future ENY OP]

1 hour ago, CDTA said:

So is he finally going to take on the DOT? I sure hope so.

 

I wish this new president tons of luck trying to fight the DOT or even come to compromises. The current commissioner is a complete douchebag and so far the mind set she has is its my way or the highway.  

[BreeddekalbL]

4 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

I wish this new president tons of luck trying to fight the DOT or even come to compromises. The current commissioner is a complete douchebag and so far the mind set she has is its my way or the highway.  

Polly is an idiot she is more interested in pedestrians, hell anything that moves is bad as she believes

[Around the Horn]

Quote

Albert asked MTA to designate a route for the agency and city Department of Transportation to drastically improve to see if riders come back to the line.

If they can turn around the M42, then they can turn around any bus in the city...

[EastFlatbushLarry]

On 1/23/2018 at 4:00 PM, CDTA said:

“We must arrest the decline in ridership,” Byford said in his introductory remarks. “To do that, we must work with the city to clear crowded streets to give our buses a fighting chance of getting through and to do their job.”

an example of him doing exactly this in Toronto was the King Street pilot... equivalent to Fulton Mall. I'd love to see him battle the DOT to get some things done. I wish Byford nothing but success.

[Future ENY OP]

23 minutes ago, EastFlatbushLarry said:

an example of him doing exactly this in Toronto was the King Street pilot... equivalent to Fulton Mall. I'd love to see him battle the DOT to get some things done. I wish Byford nothing but success.

 I could see 1 or 2 more corridors in the city that can use a Fulton Mall type bus only thruway. 

1) Fordham Plaza from Jerome Avenue to Southern Boulevard 

2) Jamaica Center area would be the 2nd. 

However, you are dealing with an stubborn Polly Trottenberg and those DOT cronies who to me don't know how to manage the critical issues of this city in regards to transportation. 

[EastFlatbushLarry]

I'm assuming you mean Jamaica Avenue from Sutphin to Merrick, because lord have his mercy, I've thought it a million times operating the Q56 😂

[Future ENY OP]

Just now, EastFlatbushLarry said:

I'm assuming you mean Jamaica Avenue from Sutphin to Merrick, because lord have his mercy, I've thought it a million times operating the Q56 😂

Yes. Correct. But also, I was also thinking Parsons and Archer  

[Future ENY OP]

Delete. 

[EastFlatbushLarry]

6 minutes ago, Future ENY OP said:

Yes. Correct. But also, I was also thinking Parsons and Archer  

Parsons/Archer? I'd love to see it, especially the fact that it would (attempt to) lock the dollar vans off from poaching customers off the (J/Z) 

[EastFlatbushLarry]

23 minutes ago, Future ENY OP said:

 I could see 1 or 2 more corridors in the city that can use a Fulton Mall type bus only thruway. 

1) Fordham Plaza from Jerome Avenue to Southern Boulevard 

2) Jamaica Center area would be the 2nd. 

However, you are dealing with an stubborn Polly Trottenberg and those DOT cronies who to me don't know how to manage the critical issues of this city in regards to transportation. 

Another area came to mind: Roosevelt Avenue by the line.

[Brillant93]

51 minutes ago, Future ENY OP said:

 I could see 1 or 2 more corridors in the city that can use a Fulton Mall type bus only thruway. 

1) Fordham Plaza from Jerome Avenue to Southern Boulevard 

2) Jamaica Center area would be the 2nd. 

However, you are dealing with an stubborn Polly Trottenberg and those DOT cronies who to me don't know how to manage the critical issues of this city in regards to transportation. 

I think Avenue J from the Q train station to Coney Island Avenue would work. 

[N6 Limited]

1 hour ago, EastFlatbushLarry said:

Parsons/Archer? I'd love to see it, especially the fact that it would (attempt to) lock the dollar vans off from poaching customers off the (J/Z) 

I attempted to take the Q6 or one of those buses, from the Jamaica Bus Terminal to Jamaica Center (big mistake) Every stop had like several people boarding, and then you had the traffic and red traffic signals. I learned to just walk. But if I'm in a semi rush, I'll walk to Archer Ave and try to pick up one of the Merrick Blvd Route routes to Jamaica Center.

As for the dollar vans, people prefer them even with the free transfer to bus, that's how bad it is.

 

[EastFlatbushLarry]

19 minutes ago, N6 Limited said:

I attempted to take the Q6 or one of those buses, from the Jamaica Bus Terminal to Jamaica Center (big mistake) Every stop had like several people boarding, and then you had the traffic and red traffic signals. I learned to just walk. But if I'm in a semi rush, I'll walk to Archer Ave and try to pick up one of the Merrick Blvd Route routes to Jamaica Center.

As for the dollar vans, people prefer them even with the free transfer to bus, that's how bad it is.

 

Trust me, I'm well aware. I used to live on Parsons & 89 some years back when I worked at Kingsbridge. Instead of driving, I used to take the Q44 to the Bx9. I'm more than used to walking Jamaica Avenue from parsons to Sutphin, as opposed to taking any of the JFK depot runs, letalone any line in general on Jamaica. it's god awful, even with that fake bus lane, which is automatically eliminated by the NYPD's CSU parking.

[Future ENY OP]

4 hours ago, Brillant93 said:

I think Avenue J from the Q train station to Coney Island Avenue would work. 

2 things I see wrong with this location 

1) That won't fly with the folks in that neighborhood. 

2) Only 2 bus lines B6/B11 serve that area. It's not really warranted. Yes, given the fact that the area can experience intermittent SRO's from the    However, this  situation I'm referring to is multiple bus lines that serve an area. Southeast Queens  LIRR , Central Queens   LIRR are definite identifiable areas that can be serviced this way.   

 

[JeremiahC99]

1 hour ago, Future ENY OP said:

2 things I see wrong with this location 

1) That won't fly with the folks in that neighborhood. 

2) Only 2 bus lines B6/B11 serve that area. It's not really warranted. Yes, given the fact that the area can experience intermittent SRO's from the    However, this  situation I'm referring to is multiple bus lines that serve an area. Southeast Queens  LIRR , Central Queens   LIRR are definite identifiable areas that can be serviced this way.   

 

Would a curbside bus lane work on Avenue J? How about a curbside HOV 2+ or 3+ lane during weekdays?

[Brillant93]

13 minutes ago, JeremiahC99 said:

Would a curbside bus lane work on Avenue J? How about a curbside HOV 2+ or 3+ lane during weekdays?

With double parked truck and dumb idiots who love to double park their cars I highly doubt that area would agree to it. 

[QM1to6Ave]

If they assigned a few NYPD Traffic tow trucks to sit there all day and immediately tow any double Parked cars, it would help with a lot of issues. 

[N6 Limited]

I rode two buses after 10:30pm tonight,  and slowness of buses cannot be scapegoated on traffic. OMG were both buses (M55 & Q1)  slow as molasses and there was no traffic to blame. From my observations the issues were sedated B/Os and traffic signals. 

They drive like the bus has a 15mph governor and there is no power steering. (perhaps trying not to be early?) And if the bus dares to service a bus stop then the traffic signals turn red. It's paid torture. 

It was really a relief to get on a NICE bus and feel like we weren't traveling  at tricycle speed.

Some Queens riders would rather take NICE bus and try to jump out when someone is boarding than to take their actual bus route. I can't blame them, I took the Q36 to Springfield Blvd during the evening when it runs limited, being limited made no difference, a bike would have been faster. 

 

[bobtehpanda]

13 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

 I could see 1 or 2 more corridors in the city that can use a Fulton Mall type bus only thruway. 

1) Fordham Plaza from Jerome Avenue to Southern Boulevard 

2) Jamaica Center area would be the 2nd. 

However, you are dealing with an stubborn Polly Trottenberg and those DOT cronies who to me don't know how to manage the critical issues of this city in regards to transportation. 

Am I in some alternate universe or something? DOT has never met a bus lane they didn't like and are implementing several of them.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

7 hours ago, N6 Limited said:

I rode two buses after 10:30pm tonight,  and slowness of buses cannot be scapegoated on traffic. OMG were both buses (M55 & Q1)  slow as molasses and there was no traffic to blame. From my observations the issues were sedated B/Os and traffic signals. 

They drive like the bus has a 15mph governor and there is no power steering. (perhaps trying not to be early?) And if the bus dares to service a bus stop then the traffic signals turn red. It's paid torture. 

It was really a relief to get on a NICE bus and feel like we weren't traveling  at tricycle speed.

Some Queens riders would rather take NICE bus and try to jump out when someone is boarding than to take their actual bus route. I can't blame them, I took the Q36 to Springfield Blvd during the evening when it runs limited, being limited made no difference, a bike would have been faster. 

 

LOL Two reasons for the slow speeds... B/O's afraid of arriving early so they drive at a snail's pace, and on top of that, there's Vision Zero, with the stupid lack of syncing of the traffic lights (on purpose) so that it makes difficult to get any real speed going.

[FLX9304]

"Albert picked out one service change to hold up as an example — the M22 route across lower Manhattan. On weekends, the M22 will run every 30 minutes, instead of every 20 minutes."

He must be referring to the June 27, 2010 Service cuts that saw the M22's weekend service was cut to run 20 minutes.

But in this case, how would Byford, let alone Albert fix Manhattan bus routes where some of the routes are actrocis. Esspecially both the M10 & M20. They run slower than shit going up and down 7th, 8th & CPW. 

As for the SBS, How many of them are Crosstown service? 23, 34, 79, & 86, and soon, when the L shutdown begins, the M14 will be converted to SBS unless something miracle happens.   

[checkmatechamp13]

4 hours ago, FLX9304 said:

"Albert picked out one service change to hold up as an example — the M22 route across lower Manhattan. On weekends, the M22 will run every 30 minutes, instead of every 20 minutes."

He must be referring to the June 27, 2010 Service cuts that saw the M22's weekend service was cut to run 20 minutes.

But in this case, how would Byford, let alone Albert fix Manhattan bus routes where some of the routes are actrocis. Esspecially both the M10 & M20. They run slower than shit going up and down 7th, 8th & CPW. 

As for the SBS, How many of them are Crosstown service? 23, 34, 79, & 86, and soon, when the L shutdown begins, the M14 will be converted to SBS unless something miracle happens.   

No, he is referring to the minor service reductions that will take effect in April 2018.

In June 2010, the MTA implemented a minor span reduction to the M22. (Other cuts that have been proposed at different times were the elimination of weekend service, and the elimination of service west of City Hall). 

[LGA Link N Train]

On 1/25/2018 at 12:04 PM, EastFlatbushLarry said:

Another area came to mind: Roosevelt Avenue by the line.

That place REALLY needs to have a Fulton Style bus hub. But construction would be HELL. You'd have to find a way for All of the business to chip in. You'd have to expand the building, clean out the Elevated structure that the uses. Expand the mezzinane find lanes for cars to go by, it's a lot to think about for that area.

On 1/25/2018 at 5:44 PM, Future ENY OP said:

2 things I see wrong with this location 

1) That won't fly with the folks in that neighborhood. 

2) Only 2 bus lines B6/B11 serve that area. It's not really warranted. Yes, given the fact that the area can experience intermittent SRO's from the    However, this  situation I'm referring to is multiple bus lines that serve an area. Southeast Queens  LIRR , Central Queens   LIRR are definite identifiable areas that can be serviced this way.   

 

Well speaking of central queens, that be nice to have a bus hub there (or at least something interchangeable between subway, bus, and Hopefully Commuter Rail with a new hub at sunnyside)

On 1/25/2018 at 7:35 PM, Brillant93 said:

With double parked truck and dumb idiots who love to double park their cars I highly doubt that area would agree to it. 

Adding police tow trucks for this reason.

 

I LOVE IT. 

On 1/26/2018 at 8:11 AM, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

LOL Two reasons for the slow speeds... B/O's afraid of arriving early so they drive at a snail's pace, and on top of that, there's Vision Zero, with the stupid lack of syncing of the traffic lights (on purpose) so that it makes difficult to get any real speed going.

Every NYCT bus in a nutshell