East Bronx Local Lines to Remain Unchanged in Redesign; No BxM17

[Future ENY OP]

48 minutes ago, Lawrence St said:

Don't people along the M100 use it to transfer from the to the Lexington Av Line and vice versa?

The same could be made for the M101. What are you saying here? 

[Lawrence St]

5 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

The same could be made for the M101. What are you saying here? 

Won't it become a 3 legged transfer for those customers then? 

[NBTA]

23 hours ago, Gotham Bus Co. said:

How does this bode for the Manhattan redesign, especially the long north-south routes whose one-way running times are longer than the MetroCard transfer period?

Most of those lines will probably be split (Like the M101), but that's another topic for another day. 

[B35 via Church]

On 9/14/2019 at 7:42 AM, NBTA said:

I better not hear no person who advocated for everything to stay the same, get upset over the bus service (imma most likely hear someone get upset within the first 24 hours). But, hopefully the west Bronx and the crosstown lines still get what they were getting. 

Yeah, but you're saying this like bus service with whatever finalized setup they concoct & implement, would definitively have it improve.... There's nothing saying that would happen, either... This isn't a [one-or-the-other] situation, it's a [damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't] situation... Why do you think the premise was to have riders choose if they valued frequency or coverage (or vice versa)? No commuter should have to be faced with such a question from any transportation provider....

The MTA is proposing these changes to save a buck, not for any rider benefit.... If a rider actually happens to benefit from any of their routing changes, then so be it....

14 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

Don't people along the M100 use it to transfer from the to the Lexington Av Line and vice versa?

8 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

Won't it become a 3 legged transfer for those customers then? 

What people & what customers along the M100 would these even be?

[Around the Horn]

3 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

 This isn't a [one-or-the-other] situation, it's a [damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't] situation... Why do you think the premise was to have riders choose if they valued frequency or coverage (or vice versa)? No commuter should have to be faced with such a question from any transportation provider....

I understand the argument you're making here but it's pretty common in bus redesigns nationwide nowadays to give riders the "choice" between frequency and coverage. 

[paulrivera]

I’m hoping the Bx23 still gets beefed up at least a little bit to make up for the Bx29 and off-hour Q50 not serving Co-op City.

Also, the fate of the Bx38 as well as the western end of the Bx28 and Bx30 are still unclear until the MTA releases their next report.

Everything else is a win for the East Bronx in my eyes.

[B35 via Church]

1 hour ago, Around the Horn said:

I understand the argument you're making here but it's pretty common in bus redesigns nationwide nowadays to give riders the "choice" between frequency and coverage. 

Sure.... and bus ridership will continue to wane nationwide, due to the implementation of this either-or ideology.

1 hour ago, paulrivera said:

I’m hoping the Bx23 still gets beefed up at least a little bit to make up for the Bx29 and off-hour Q50 not serving Co-op City....

I never really paid much attention to it, but I would like to know how many people in Co-op favor taking the bus to the [Dyre av line or the WPR line], over the Pelham line.....

In theory, the Bx23 should be utilized more than it is, but there has to be some underlying reason that it isn't.....

[paulrivera]

1 hour ago, B35 via Church said:

In theory, the Bx23 should be utilized more than it is, but there has to be some underlying reason that it isn't.....

30 minute headways in each direction most of the day... Ain’t no way I’d wait half an hour to go from say, Section 5 to Pelham Bay. Much less so if the Bx29 isn’t going to run through there anymore. Same thing for Section 1 to Pelham Bay especially if the Q50 won’t run through there anymore.

Even within Co-op City, no one’s going to wait a whole half an hour to get from one end of Co-op to another if the Bx38 lays a big goose egg and doesn’t show up.

[Union Tpke]

2 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Sure.... and bus ridership will continue to wane nationwide, due to the implementation of this either-or ideology.

Except this approach has lead to increases in bus ridership in systems across the country, like Houston.

[B35 via Church]

1 hour ago, paulrivera said:

30 minute headways in each direction most of the day... Ain’t no way I’d wait half an hour to go from say, Section 5 to Pelham Bay. Much less so if the Bx29 isn’t going to run through there anymore. Same thing for Section 1 to Pelham Bay especially if the Q50 won’t run through there anymore.

Even within Co-op City, no one’s going to wait a whole half an hour to get from one end of Co-op to another if the Bx38 lays a big goose egg and doesn’t show up.

What I'm worried about is, even if the MTA does what you hope'll happen (more Bx23 service), I still think there's going to be this shunning of the Bx23...

Guess what I'm getting at is, folks are still attached to the Qbx1.... That's something people in this city is going to have to get out of.

40 minutes ago, Union Tpke said:

Except this approach has lead to increases in bus ridership in systems across the country, like Houston.

While Houston is an example (Seattle & Austin are others I heard about), some of the other cities that simply underwent changes to its bus network (that are seeing increases on its buses) didn't have people having to make a choice between frequency & coverage...

Let the MTA engage in this frequency vs. coverage bit with local buses across the boroughs & the current trend of decreasing ridership in this city will continue... Not solely due to that reason, but it will continue....

A network redesign here in this city is overdue, but it needs to be more one of reflecting the transit needs of today's times (eradicating antiquity), over, basically, robbing peter to pay paul with current bus service.....

Edited September 15, 2019 by B35 via Church

[Union Tpke]

5 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

 

A network redesign here in this city is overdue, but it needs to be more one of reflecting the transit needs of today's times (eradicating antiquity), over, basically, robbing peter to pay paul with current bus service.....

While the people at NYCT are working hard to improve bus service, unless the budget for the redesigns are not budget neutral, peter will have to be robbdn to pay paul.

[Future ENY OP]

1 hour ago, paulrivera said:

Even within Co-op City, no one’s going to wait a whole half an hour to get from one end of Co-op to another if the Bx38 lays a big goose egg and doesn’t show up.

Just too bad the Bx38 will still face elimination. Thus leaving the work load for the Bx23. 

 

1 hour ago, paulrivera said:

30 minute headways in each direction most of the day... Ain’t no way I’d wait half an hour to go from say, Section 5 to Pelham Bay. Much less so if the Bx29 isn’t going to run through there anymore. Same thing for Section 1 to Pelham Bay especially if the Q50 won’t run through there anymore.

Even with the changes. Co-Op City technically still got screwed. 

[Future ENY OP]

29 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

A network redesign here in this city is overdue, but it needs to be more one of reflecting the transit needs of today's times (eradicating antiquity), over, basically, robbing peter to pay paul with current bus service.....

If the TA didn’t get it right with Staten Island express bus plan. Why should I believe they will get it right with the Bronx (Community opposition is helping out the back end of The Bronx). Oh man O man, I’m waiting for Brooklyn and Manhattan re-designs which to me will be the hardest for them. 

[Lawrence St]

The final draft plan is suppose to come out this week right?

Edited September 15, 2019 by Lawrence St

[B35 via Church]

33 minutes ago, Union Tpke said:

While the people at NYCT are working hard to improve bus service, unless the budget for the redesigns are not budget neutral, peter will have to be robb(ing) to pay paul.

Which is unfortunate.... and farcical.

The MTA has money for what it wants.

6 minutes ago, Future ENY OP said:

If the TA didn’t get it right with Staten Island express bus plan. Why should I believe they will get it right with the Bronx (Community opposition is helping out the back end of The Bronx). Oh man O man, I’m waiting for Brooklyn and Manhattan re-designs which to me will be the hardest for them. 

from our good friends at the Norwood News:

https://www.norwoodnews.org/id=29011&story=bus-redesign-plan-could-axe-norwood-routes-worrying-residents/

 

Bus Redesign Plan Could Axe Norwood Routes, Worrying Residents

By MICHAEL TURAY

The Metropolitan Transit Authority and its proposed Bronx Bus Network redesign plan could affect several Norwood bus lines, a move unseen in decades, and which could affect thousands of riders.

The MTA’s draft plan to improve Bronx bus service released last month shows the Bx28 and the express BxM4, which run through Norwood, are expected to be rerouted, while the Bx38 would be eliminated altogether. In addition, the Bx30 will no longer travel to Norwood.

Under the plan, the Bx28 won’t run through Mosholu Parkway and Paul Avenue respectively, which would make the Bx10 the only alternative for riders to Mosholu Parkway North. In total, 23 stops are proposed to be discontinued, with nine new stops being introduced. The proposed plan will also remove 15 of the 79 remaining stops for the line. This will cut the number of stops by 19 percent and “improve stop spacing to an average of 1,005 feet,” according to the report.

The Bx38 is proposed to have all 49 stops eliminated, five of which run through Bainbridge Avenue in Norwood. The line begins on East 192nd Street and Valentine Avenue traveling all the way to Bay Plaza Mall in Co-op City. Many riders value the convenience of this bus line and don’t understand why it would be terminated.

“You have 43,000 people ready to be affected if they cut this line. This proposal is madness, when you look at it, it’s really going to hurt Co-op [City] more than anybody else,” said Synthia Miller, as she stood outside of Montefiore Medical Center on Bainbridge Avenue waiting for the bus.

The plan also proposes to eliminate BxM4 express service along Jerome and Bainbridge avenues. Riders will no longer get service between Katonah Avenue and East 237th Street in Woodlawn and the Grand Concourse and East 158th Street in Melrose. The bus will no longer run through the Grand Concourse and is proposed to be redirected onto the Major Deegan Expressway. In total, the line could have 30 of its 43 stops discontinued, with two of them being officially removed.

The Bx30 is proposed to no longer travel into Norwood but instead would end at Pelham Parkway and White Plains Road. The last five stops are currently in Norwood, running from Bainbridge Avenue and East 210th Street through East 206th Street and Rochambeau Avenue. This would inconvenience riders heading for Norwood since they would have to transfer buses which would lengthen their travel time. In total the line could have 54 of its 91 stops discontinued, with eight of them being officially removed.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, whose district partially covers Norwood, criticized these suggested changes. In a letter to MTA president Andrew Byford, Dinowitz expressed his frustrations, writing “the draft plan appears to overly burden Norwood with service reductions and it is unclear whether frequency improvements will be sufficient to compensate for this loss in network coverage.”

Dinowitz added, “The Bx10 is chronically plagued by bus bunching and unreliability and I believe it would be significantly overburdened by these changes. The plan proposes to eliminate BxM4 express bus service. There are simply not enough accessible subway stations throughout the city for disabled riders to use the subway instead of the BxM4.”

The proposal aims to address several bus issues such as reliability, wait time, and traffic congestion, a move that aligns with the MTA’s impending Congestion Pricing Plan, which would charge vehicles a fee when they enter Manhattan south of 60th Street. The plan, which won’t be implemented until 2021, looks to reduce congestion and encourage Bronx residents to utilize other ways of transportation. While riders will have no choice but to rise to the occasion, they will no doubt be inconvenienced.

The ridership of elderly and disabled travelers could be affected by these potential sudden changes. With limited options such as Access-a-Ride or an Uber, many fear the route alterations will overburden their commute.

“They can’t get there on time, you call them at night in advance and they still show up late,” said a woman, who declined to be named, on her experience with Access-a-Ride.

“These buses are very slow. Since I’m disabled, I usually take a cab to my doctor appointments, but I feel sorry for the people who have to take these buses, it’s ridiculous,” said Janet Farley, a rider on the Bx30 bus.

The plan also aims to improve overall customer experience. The MTA wants to implement “real-time seat availability information to show how full the bus is via web and mobile applications,” according to the report. They also encourage riders to utilize One Metro New York (OMNY), their new tap-to-pay technology that would eventually eliminate all MetroCards in 2023. All of these facets look to expedite the bus boarding process for customers, one aspect that could help buses run smoothly. It’s a proposal Daniel Pearlstein, policy and communications director for Riders Alliance, a transit advocacy group, looks forward to.

“As bus advocates, we’ve been pushing for a new system because right now what we’ve got is everybody has to board the bus up front, everybody has to dip their card which takes a bunch of time. We’re looking forward to a system of all-door boarding, where you can board and pay a fare at any door of the bus,” said Pearlstein.

Opinions from the community will be vital for the final plan come September, MTA spokeswoman Amanda Kwan acknowledged.

“There’s several rounds of community outreach during the entire process, including another round of open houses to gather public input on the proposed final plan when it’s released in September,” wrote Kwan. “After we review the public feedback on the final plan and make any changes, we will send the proposal to the MTA Board for approval,” she added.

Residents can voice their opinions to the MTA in July. Bronx Community Board 8, which represents Kingsbridge, will host Byford for a “Community Conversation” on July 18 at IN-Tech Academy, located at 2975 Tibbett Ave. The public is encouraged to come out and discuss the Bronx Bus redesign from 7 to 9 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m.

On July 29 from 4 to 8 p.m., the MTA will also have personnel engage with community members using a street van set up on Broadway and West 231st Street.

[MysteriousBtrain]

3 hours ago, paulrivera said:

30 minute headways in each direction most of the day... Ain’t no way I’d wait half an hour to go from say, Section 5 to Pelham Bay. Much less so if the Bx29 isn’t going to run through there anymore.

You realize the Bx23 would be more frequent with or without Co-op City changes? Not to say the new plan is better, but there's no way the MTA would leave Pelham-Co-op riders with 30 minute headways if they're "getting rid of" the Q50.

[Future ENY OP]

3 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Which is unfortunate.... and farcical.

The MTA has money for what it wants.

from our good friends at the Norwood News:

https://www.norwoodnews.org/id=29011&story=bus-redesign-plan-could-axe-norwood-routes-worrying-residents/

 

Bus Redesign Plan Could Axe Norwood Routes, Worrying Residents

By MICHAEL TURAY

The Metropolitan Transit Authority and its proposed Bronx Bus Network redesign plan could affect several Norwood bus lines, a move unseen in decades, and which could affect thousands of riders.

The MTA’s draft plan to improve Bronx bus service released last month shows the Bx28 and the express BxM4, which run through Norwood, are expected to be rerouted, while the Bx38 would be eliminated altogether. In addition, the Bx30 will no longer travel to Norwood.

Under the plan, the Bx28 won’t run through Mosholu Parkway and Paul Avenue respectively, which would make the Bx10 the only alternative for riders to Mosholu Parkway North. In total, 23 stops are proposed to be discontinued, with nine new stops being introduced. The proposed plan will also remove 15 of the 79 remaining stops for the line. This will cut the number of stops by 19 percent and “improve stop spacing to an average of 1,005 feet,” according to the report.

The Bx38 is proposed to have all 49 stops eliminated, five of which run through Bainbridge Avenue in Norwood. The line begins on East 192nd Street and Valentine Avenue traveling all the way to Bay Plaza Mall in Co-op City. Many riders value the convenience of this bus line and don’t understand why it would be terminated.

“You have 43,000 people ready to be affected if they cut this line. This proposal is madness, when you look at it, it’s really going to hurt Co-op [City] more than anybody else,” said Synthia Miller, as she stood outside of Montefiore Medical Center on Bainbridge Avenue waiting for the bus.

The plan also proposes to eliminate BxM4 express service along Jerome and Bainbridge avenues. Riders will no longer get service between Katonah Avenue and East 237th Street in Woodlawn and the Grand Concourse and East 158th Street in Melrose. The bus will no longer run through the Grand Concourse and is proposed to be redirected onto the Major Deegan Expressway. In total, the line could have 30 of its 43 stops discontinued, with two of them being officially removed.

The Bx30 is proposed to no longer travel into Norwood but instead would end at Pelham Parkway and White Plains Road. The last five stops are currently in Norwood, running from Bainbridge Avenue and East 210th Street through East 206th Street and Rochambeau Avenue. This would inconvenience riders heading for Norwood since they would have to transfer buses which would lengthen their travel time. In total the line could have 54 of its 91 stops discontinued, with eight of them being officially removed.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, whose district partially covers Norwood, criticized these suggested changes. In a letter to MTA president Andrew Byford, Dinowitz expressed his frustrations, writing “the draft plan appears to overly burden Norwood with service reductions and it is unclear whether frequency improvements will be sufficient to compensate for this loss in network coverage.”

Dinowitz added, “The Bx10 is chronically plagued by bus bunching and unreliability and I believe it would be significantly overburdened by these changes. The plan proposes to eliminate BxM4 express bus service. There are simply not enough accessible subway stations throughout the city for disabled riders to use the subway instead of the BxM4.”

The proposal aims to address several bus issues such as reliability, wait time, and traffic congestion, a move that aligns with the MTA’s impending Congestion Pricing Plan, which would charge vehicles a fee when they enter Manhattan south of 60th Street. The plan, which won’t be implemented until 2021, looks to reduce congestion and encourage Bronx residents to utilize other ways of transportation. While riders will have no choice but to rise to the occasion, they will no doubt be inconvenienced.

The ridership of elderly and disabled travelers could be affected by these potential sudden changes. With limited options such as Access-a-Ride or an Uber, many fear the route alterations will overburden their commute.

“They can’t get there on time, you call them at night in advance and they still show up late,” said a woman, who declined to be named, on her experience with Access-a-Ride.

“These buses are very slow. Since I’m disabled, I usually take a cab to my doctor appointments, but I feel sorry for the people who have to take these buses, it’s ridiculous,” said Janet Farley, a rider on the Bx30 bus.

The plan also aims to improve overall customer experience. The MTA wants to implement “real-time seat availability information to show how full the bus is via web and mobile applications,” according to the report. They also encourage riders to utilize One Metro New York (OMNY), their new tap-to-pay technology that would eventually eliminate all MetroCards in 2023. All of these facets look to expedite the bus boarding process for customers, one aspect that could help buses run smoothly. It’s a proposal Daniel Pearlstein, policy and communications director for Riders Alliance, a transit advocacy group, looks forward to.

“As bus advocates, we’ve been pushing for a new system because right now what we’ve got is everybody has to board the bus up front, everybody has to dip their card which takes a bunch of time. We’re looking forward to a system of all-door boarding, where you can board and pay a fare at any door of the bus,” said Pearlstein.

I've always thought that Co-op City was always more vocal than Norwood.. Right now this the time for Norwood & Woodlawn residents speak up in regards to their service.

Its appears that the Bx10 will officially be the workhorse for most of Norwood and the Bx28, Bx30 and Bx38 are just going to be on hot air at this point. If anything utilize the Bx38 as a rush hours only line to Co-op to help out the Bx28. However, don't eliminate it completely.

Again, I don't expect the TA is going to get it right with the Bronx.. Most of the changes really needed to be at West Farms territory and NOT Gun Hill and Kingsbridge territory.

[checkmatechamp13]

@Future ENY OP The meandering of the routes in Norwood (mostly the Bx10 & Bx28) benefits a few but is detrimental to riders on the route overall. They should've straightened those routes out.

I would've had the Bx10 branch (one to the Bx34 terminal via Valentine/Bainbridge and the other to Gun Hill/WPR via Montefiore). Then straighten out the Bx28 as planned by running straight down to Bedford Park Blvd instead of up Mosholu Parkway.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

2 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

I've always thought that Co-op City was always more vocal than Norwood.. Right now this the time for Norwood & Woodlawn residents speak up in regards to their service.

Its appears that the Bx10 will officially be the workhorse for most of Norwood and the Bx28, Bx30 and Bx38 are just going to be on hot air at this point. If anything utilize the Bx38 as a rush hours only line to Co-op to help out the Bx28. However, don't eliminate it completely.

Again, I don't expect the TA is going to get it right with the Bronx.. Most of the changes really needed to be at West Farms territory and NOT Gun Hill and Kingsbridge territory.

This article is dated and is from July, which is after the original draft was released, so it's a bit misleading.  Since then, I have been in close contact with Assemblyman Dinowitz about the BxM4 and our rejection of the BxM4 proposal. Additionally, we wrote some eight pages worth of feedback on the proposed Bronx express bus changes and submitted them directly to the MTA planners for their review, so it is too early to say what will happen.  One of the senior planners stressed that these were only proposals and that the  was open to making changes because there has been A LOT of feedback and pressure on the  to make changes, not just from elected officials but from the communities themselves, and they have been far more open to listening.  

It's important to note that Byford was not a part of the Staten Island redesign from the start, and thus the results of that project don't really fall on him.

Overall riders in our group supported the following:

-The addition of 96th and 3rd/96th and 5th as a stop for the BxM6-BxM10

-Changes to the BxM3

Our group does not support the following:

-Changes to the BxM1, BxM2, BxM4, BxM5 (currently the BxM11), BxM6, BxM8, BxM9 BxM10 and BxM18. We have made it very clear we will petition if need be should they go through with the BxM4 proposals and will consider legal action if need be to fight using ADA accessibly, which has been done previously on lines such as the X27.

 

Edited September 16, 2019 by Via Garibaldi 8

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Just now, checkmatechamp13 said:

@Future ENY OP The meandering of the routes in Norwood (mostly the Bx10 & Bx28) benefits a few but is detrimental to riders on the route overall. They should've straightened those routes out.

I would've had the Bx10 branch (one to the Bx34 terminal via Valentine/Bainbridge and the other to Gun Hill/WPR via Montefiore). Then straighten out the Bx28 as planned by running straight down to Bedford Park Blvd instead of up Mosholu Parkway.

They explained their reasoning for keeping lines such as the Bx10 as is.  They spoke up in Kingsbridge at the Fast Forward Open House that I attended and stated they were trying to keep important connections in play, so Montefiore is a perfect example.  The meeting was held down in Kingsbridge, but it was meant for us in Riverdale, as Byford addressed us by that neighborhood when he spoke, as our community has been quite vocal and active about our service (both local and express).  We have many people who live in Norwood but work in Riverdale, and many people who live in Riverdale and go to Montefiore for medical appointments, etc., so many would be upset if the line were severed.  There's really no real way to "straighten out the Bx10", not unless you want to lose connections to Bronx Science, Lehman College, and other important links.  Include the terrain and things like the reservoir as another challenge.  

The topography was something I spoke about with one of the lead Bronx planners in the first meeting we had, and I made it very clear that the hilly topography would be a challenge, and they clearly realized that too, which is why very few stops were removed on certain lines.

[checkmatechamp13]

12 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

They explained their reasoning for keeping lines such as the Bx10 as is.  They spoke up in Kingsbridge at the Fast Forward Open House that I attended and stated they were trying to keep important connections in play, so Montefiore is a perfect example.  The meeting was held down in Kingsbridge, but it was meant for us in Riverdale, as Byford addressed us by that neighborhood when he spoke, as our community has been quite vocal and active about our service (both local and express).  We have many people who live in Norwood but work in Riverdale, and many people who live in Riverdale and go to Montefiore for medical appointments, etc., so many would be upset if the line were severed.  There's really no real way to "straighten out the Bx10", not unless you want to lose connections to Bronx Science, Lehman College, and other important links.  Include the terrain and things like the reservoir as another challenge.  

The topography was something I spoke about with one of the lead Bronx planners in the first meeting we had, and I made it very clear that the hilly topography would be a challenge, and they clearly realized that too, which is why very few stops were removed on certain lines.

Re-read my proposal. Does it remove any connections to those destinations on the Bx10? No, it maintains them.

And those people at the Kingsbridge meeting were coming for the Bx34 reroute which would move it further away from the senior center at Bainbridge & 198th (and again, those people are covered by my proposal). I was at the meeting.

[paulrivera]

8 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

-The addition of 96th and 3rd/96th and 5th as a stop for the BxM6-BxM10

I get why a 96th/5th stop is needed on the BxM6/7/8/9/10 (Mt. Sinai mainly), but if you're on a bus that follows the old route heading downtown, the trip goes so much faster because they avoid the bottleneck around that area from all the cabbies circling the hospital.

I guess I can tolerate it if it gets more butts in the seats, but as a selfish Midtowner I wanna get to Midtown faster, and the ECH buses are actually competitive with the subway timewise.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

7 minutes ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

Re-read my proposal. Does it remove any connections to those destinations on the Bx10? No, it maintains them.

And those people at the Kingsbridge meeting were coming for the Bx34 reroute which would move it further away from the senior center at Bainbridge & 198th (and again, those people are covered by my proposal). I was at the meeting.

There's nothing for me to re-read, I'm simply stating the  's position... Nothing more nothing less, and your comments about how only a few would benefit. Coming to a meeting does not necessarily convey the needs of people that live and work in the area. It seems like you feel that you know what the needs of the community are because you come to some meetings, but coming to meetings and living some place is two different things.

Edited September 16, 2019 by Via Garibaldi 8

[Via Garibaldi 8]

6 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

I get why a 96th/5th stop is needed on the BxM6/7/8/9/10 (Mt. Sinai mainly), but if you're on a bus that follows the old route heading downtown, the trip goes so much faster because they avoid the bottleneck around that area from all the cabbies circling the hospital.

I guess I can tolerate it if it gets more butts in the seats, but as a selfish Midtowner I wanna get to Midtown faster, and the ECH buses are actually competitive with the subway timewise.

There's almost a 40 block gap from 86th to 125th, which is just absurd. We've had numerous commuters asking for some sort of stop in between, ideally at 96th Street, and while 96th and 5th/3rd aren't perfect, it is better than the current set-up. The stop at 125th (technically 122nd Southbound and 121st respectively) were requested years ago by riders which is the only reason they were added, hence the huge gap.

Benedetto secures Bronx–Harlem express bus stop

Your voice has been heard.

“For too long, Bronx residents have been inconvenienced. After speaking with members of the community and learning about their need for an express bus stop in Harlem, I fought to make it happen. No longer will people need to transfer at Mid-town Manhattan to get to their jobs, family or friends.”

— Assemblyman Michael Benedetto

https://www.assembly.ny.gov/member_files/082/20060509/

[checkmatechamp13]

7 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

There's nothing for me to re-read, I'm simply stating the  's position... Nothing more nothing less, and your comments about how only a few would benefit. Coming to a meeting does not necessarily convey the needs of people that live and work in the area. It seems like you feel that you know what the needs of the community are because you come to some meetings, but coming to meetings and living some place is two different things.

Good, and the routing I am suggesting is consistent with both the MTA's position and that of the community. It maintains access to the destinations the community has been emphasising (Montefiore, Bronx HS of Science, Lehman College, etc)