Labor Day Parade

[BrooklynBus]

Why can't the MTA provide decent service on the B44 and B49 on Labor Day? 

Service has been a mess on these routes ever since the first parade. I just checked Bus Time. There are service alerts that these routes operate in two sections because of the Parade with no service between Empire Blvd and Eastern Parkway. Fine. 

So why can't service be normal on the rest of these routes? Just took a few screenshots. There are 8 B44s northbound south of the Junction with not a single south bound bus. Most are locals with only two or three SBS buses. In the northern section, there are a total of two buses. 

The B49 shows only one single bus on the entire route. Why do riders on these routes have to suffer every Labor Day. I refuse to believe that nothing can be done, but rather believe the MTA just doesn't care. 

The B46 used to be included in this group of routes with totally screwed up Labor Day service until the parade route was shortened awhile ago. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

12 minutes ago, BrooklynBus said:

Why can't the MTA provide decent service on the B44 and B49 on Labor Day? 

Service has been a mess on these routes ever since the first parade. I just checked Bus Time. There are service alerts that these routes operate in two sections because of the Parade with no service between Empire Blvd and Eastern Parkway. Fine. 

So why can't service be normal on the rest of these routes? Just took a few screenshots. There are 8 B44s northbound south of the Junction with not a single south bound bus. Most are locals with only two or three SBS buses. In the northern section, there are a total of two buses. 

The B49 shows only one single bus on the entire route. Why do riders on these routes have to suffer every Labor Day. I refuse to believe that nothing can be done, but rather believe the MTA just doesn't care. 

The B46 used to be included in this group of routes with totally screwed up Labor Day service until the parade route was shortened awhile ago. 

I guess their solution is running the  train... 

[BrooklynBus]

6 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I guess their solution is running the  train... 

Not a solution. 

I remember the very first parade around 1975. I took the B46 northbound and the bus couldn't go north of Empire Blvd. The driver told us not to worry and he will get us through the parade. He did by diverting all the way to New York Avenue and turning East at St Johns Place back to Utica. Apparently he knew the parade had not reached Nostrand yet and got there ahead of it. 

Try to find ingenuity like that today. He probably didn't even have permission for that reroute but it did the trick. 

Today, the  MTA just gives up. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

16 minutes ago, BrooklynBus said:

Not a solution. 

I remember the very first parade around 1975. I took the B46 northbound and the bus couldn't go north of Empire Blvd. The driver told us not to worry and he will get us through the parade. He did by diverting all the way to New York Avenue and turning East at St Johns Place back to Utica. Apparently he knew the parade had not reached Nostrand yet and got there ahead of it. 

Try to find ingenuity like that today. He probably didn't even have permission for that reroute but it did the trick. 

Today, the  MTA just gives up. 

That was sarcasm...

[BrooklynBus]

37 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

That was sarcasm...

The MTA would say something like that in all seriousness. I remember how they claimed B71 riders who needed to travel a mile along Union St could just walk a half mile to Bergen Street and another half mile back to Union Street as an alternative when the route would be discontinued. That was NO alternative just as the  train isn't in this case. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

49 minutes ago, BrooklynBus said:

The MTA would say something like that in all seriousness. I remember how they claimed B71 riders who needed to travel a mile along Union St could just walk a half mile to Bergen Street and another half mile back to Union Street as an alternative when the route would be discontinued. That was NO alternative just as the  train isn't in this case. 

I would personally just avoid that area entirely...

[checkmatechamp13]

49 minutes ago, BrooklynBus said:

The MTA would say something like that in all seriousness. I remember how they claimed B71 riders who needed to travel a mile along Union St could just walk a half mile to Bergen Street and another half mile back to Union Street as an alternative when the route would be discontinued. That was NO alternative just as the  train isn't in this case. 

I will say that with all the hipsters/transplants moving into those areas, there's a lot of them who avoid the bus even if it's quicker (e.g. They'll be talking about taking a trip from Williamsburg or Bushwick to Crown Heights or Flatbush via backtracking on the (J) to the IRT when the bus would be more direct). 

[B35 via Church]

What I don't particularly like about bustime is that a bus just up & disappears when it goes off course... I just got through watching 2 EB B12's (the B12 is being detoured btw) within a 5 min. span disappear after having served the Utica Av stop.... Right now, nothing is shown as being in service (EB or WB) on the B12 east of Utica....

 

 

Same shit with the B43... Right now, there's nothing being shown as being in service south of Flushing av

[BrooklynBus]

9 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

What I don't particularly like about bustime is that a bus just up & disappears when it goes off course... I just got through watching 2 EB B12's (the B12 is being detoured btw) within a 5 min. span disappear after having served the Utica Av stop.... Right now, nothing is shown as being in service (EB or WB) on the B12 east of Utica....

 

 

Same shit with the B43... Right now, there's nothing being shown as being in service south of Flushing av

I know bustime is not perfect and just because it shows only one bus on a route like it did with the B49, doesn't mean that there are not more buses on the route. You say when a bus goes off course, it no longer shows up on Bus Time. But neither the B44 or the B49 were supposed to be going off course. Only that there would not be any buses between St Johns Place and Empire Blvd because the routes operated in two sections. So why should I have seen what I saw on BusTime if the MTA was at all monitoring service. One or even three buses on the entire B49 and 8 northbound B44s and no southbound buses south of the Junction is just unacceptable. 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

27 minutes ago, BrooklynBus said:

I know bustime is not perfect and just because it shows only one bus on a route like it did with the B49, doesn't mean that there are not more buses on the route. You say when a bus goes off course, it no longer shows up on Bus Time. But neither the B44 or the B49 were supposed to be going off course. Only that there would not be any buses between St Johns Place and Empire Blvd because the routes operated in two sections. So why should I have seen what I saw on BusTime if the MTA was at all monitoring service. One or even three buses on the entire B49 and 8 northbound B44s and no southbound buses south of the Junction is just unacceptable. 

There was a detour for the B44 and B49. The B44 one was unplanned due to NYPD activity. The B49 was using NY Avenue in both directions for a stretch,

[Future ENY OP]

6 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

There was a detour for the B44 and B49. The B44 one was unplanned due to NYPD activity. The B49 was using NY Avenue in both directions for a stretch,

B44 detour was on Brooklyn Avenue for a while. There was 2 shootouts on Nostrand in the early afternoon hours of the parkway. Got caught by the NYPD parade of cars going to the scene as I was looking for parking in the area. 

[B35 via Church]

9 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

There was a detour for the B44 and B49. The B44 one was unplanned due to NYPD activity. The B49 was using NY Avenue in both directions for a stretch,

2 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

B44 detour was on Brooklyn Avenue for a while. There was 2 shootouts on Nostrand in the early afternoon hours of the parkway. Got caught by the NYPD parade of cars going to the scene as I was looking for parking in the area. 

There was another incident over by Clarkson/Rogers too.....

9 hours ago, BrooklynBus said:

I know bustime is not perfect and just because it shows only one bus on a route like it did with the B49, doesn't mean that there are not more buses on the route. You say when a bus goes off course, it no longer shows up on Bus Time. But neither the B44 or the B49 were supposed to be going off course. Only that there would not be any buses between St Johns Place and Empire Blvd because the routes operated in two sections.

So why should I have seen what I saw on BusTime if the MTA was at all monitoring service. One or even three buses on the entire B49 and 8 northbound B44s and no southbound buses south of the Junction is just unacceptable. 

The B44 & the B49 weren't supposed to be detoured, but they ended up being so.... Such is life.

You said it yourself, just because it only shows 1 bus on a route like it did with the B49, doesn't mean that there aren't more buses along the route.....

You ask why can't service be decent/normal.... Well, buses yesterday ran on a Sunday schedule & the parade obviously affected service, so IDK what exactly you're trying to insinuate, or otherwise asking with this thread of yours here....

 

[BrooklynBus]

On 9/4/2018 at 9:56 AM, B35 via Church said:

There was another incident over by Clarkson/Rogers too.....

The B44 & the B49 weren't supposed to be detoured, but they ended up being so.... Such is life.

You said it yourself, just because it only shows 1 bus on a route like it did with the B49, doesn't mean that there aren't more buses along the route.....

You ask why can't service be decent/normal.... Well, buses yesterday ran on a Sunday schedule & the parade obviously affected service, so IDK what exactly you're trying to insinuate, or otherwise asking with this thread of yours here....

 

In Post 1850 of the Select Bus Service Discussion a B44 bus driver stated that on Labor Day buses were running only every 30 to 40 minutes. I don't know if that is a combined headway for the SBS and local or for each service but I am sure the Sunday schedule calls for more frequent service. Why couldn't each section of the route follow the normal Labor Day schedule? 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

4 minutes ago, BrooklynBus said:

In Post 1850 of the Select Bus Service Discussion a B44 bus driver stated that on Labor Day buses were running only every 30 to 40 minutes. I don't know if that is a combined headway for the SBS and local or for each service but I am sure the Sunday schedule calls for more frequent service. Why couldn't each section of the route follow the normal Labor Day schedule? 

Technically, that can't happen, as long as the parade is there. You would need to rewrite the schedules in order to account for the parade.

[BrooklynBus]

12 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

Technically, that can't happen, as long as the parade is there. You would need to rewrite the schedules in order to account for the parade.

Since this has been happening for 40 years, maybe they should. Don't they have special schedules for New Years Day. Is service just as screwed up every time Fifth Avenue is closed for a parade? 

[MysteriousBtrain]

13 minutes ago, BrooklynBus said:

Since this has been happening for 40 years, maybe they should. Don't they have special schedules for New Years Day. Is service just as screwed up every time Fifth Avenue is closed for a parade? 

Pretty sure not all parades/holidays are the same thing.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

18 minutes ago, BrooklynBus said:

Since this has been happening for 40 years, maybe they should. Don't they have special schedules for New Years Day. Is service just as screwed up every time Fifth Avenue is closed for a parade? 

With the Manhattan events, usually buses run in one piece, so operators just follow their traditional schedule whether or not they're rerouted. If their terminal is not where they normally terminate, they'll usually try to get to the terminal by the time they normally get to their normal terminal. Reliefs are done at corresponding locations. 

Schedulea can't be maintained due to the detour and the traffic, but that's how it's usually done. 

[B35 via Church]

16 minutes ago, BrooklynBus said:

....Don't they have special schedules for New Years Day. Is service just as screwed up every time Fifth Avenue is closed for a parade? 

Modified schedules/train additions for the RR's.... Buses/trains however, Sunday schedule.

As for 5th avenue, it's not so much that (frequency of) service that's affected, as much as it is riders walking around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to find what streets buses are running along & what stops they're going to be making along the detoured route..... So, no, I wouldn't say the 5th/Madison routes are just as screwed up as what you're describing in the OP....

[SubBus]

On 9/3/2018 at 11:47 AM, BrooklynBus said:

Not a solution. 

I remember the very first parade around 1975. I took the B46 northbound and the bus couldn't go north of Empire Blvd. The driver told us not to worry and he will get us through the parade. He did by diverting all the way to New York Avenue and turning East at St Johns Place back to Utica. Apparently he knew the parade had not reached Nostrand yet and got there ahead of it. 

Try to find ingenuity like that today. He probably didn't even have permission for that reroute but it did the trick. 

Today, the  MTA just gives up. 

I remember that buses went through the parade(late 80s to mid 90s).  I remember the NYPD stop the parade traffic and the B46 would continue through Eastern Pkwy to its destination.  However, the B14/17 always stop short of the Utica Ave terminal for obvious reasons.....

[bobtehpanda]

On 9/6/2018 at 7:08 AM, B35 via Church said:

Modified schedules/train additions for the RR's.... Buses/trains however, Sunday schedule.

As for 5th avenue, it's not so much that (frequency of) service that's affected, as much as it is riders walking around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to find what streets buses are running along & what stops they're going to be making along the detoured route..... So, no, I wouldn't say the 5th/Madison routes are just as screwed up as what you're describing in the OP....

The MTA really needs to work on relaying customer information about buses. Even borough bus maps in shelters would be a start.

There's so much real estate to work with too. No one gives a shit about the clear glass that ends up getting shattered.