Update on the Release of the Bronx Bus Network Redesign Final Plan

[Via Garibaldi 8]

1 hour ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

I think part of it also involves beefing up the Midtown ridership base on the BxM2. Without the UES riders, it's going to need another ridership source that can take advantage of the (supposedly) quicker ride down the Henry Hudson Parkway

What does? Lost me... BxM2 riders will use the BxM2 and always has.  Truth be told, the BxM18 has always been marketed as the "Wall Street bus", so despite how many people use the BxM1, BxM2 and BxM18 interchangeably, you have some that either don't want to walk or aren't even aware of the Midtown stops that the BxM18 has.  

[Gotham Bus Co.]

11 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Truth be told, the BxM18 has always been marketed as the "Wall Street bus"... 

Now it can be marketed as the "Hudson Yards and Wall Street" bus.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

6 minutes ago, Gotham Bus Co. said:

Now it can be marketed as the "Hudson Yards and Wall Street" bus.

I guess so since they did such a great job of marketing it serving 5th and Madison... 

[checkmatechamp13]

22 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

What does? Lost me... BxM2 riders will use the BxM2 and always has.  Truth be told, the BxM18 has always been marketed as the "Wall Street bus", so despite how many people use the BxM1, BxM2 and BxM18 interchangeably, you have some that either don't want to walk or aren't even aware of the Midtown stops that the BxM18 has.  

With the BxM18 taken off of 5th Avenue those riders will either need to take the BxM1 or BxM2 if they want to use the express bus. Hence ridership will likely increase (by how much I don't know) on both.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

12 minutes ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

With the BxM18 taken off of 5th Avenue those riders will either need to take the BxM1 or BxM2 if they want to use the express bus. Hence ridership will likely increase (by how much I don't know) on both.

That’s pretty obvious...

[checkmatechamp13]

1 hour ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

That’s pretty obvious...

Not sure how I "lost you" then lol

[FLX9304]

I’ve seen many express buses from the Bronx with one too many empty seats. Nobody is gonna pay $6.50 to ride a bus thru highway traffic to get back & forth to work. The cost of living in New York City is way too high and express bus routes are meant for peak hour service only in areas that are served by subways. 
 

cutting express bus service is not new to the MTA. Back in the 90s, they tried to cut ALL of the express bus routes in Manhattan, Brooklyn & Queens, but leave Staten Island the way it is, but people fought hard against the cuts because at that time, the subway overcrowding was out of control and is was not in tip top shape as is in today’s commute. Only Manhattan’s express service was discontinued in 2010, and one route each in Brooklyn & Queens. 
 

they should’ve at least added another 2 routes in the east south middle Bronx (mainly on Lafayette Ave west of White Plains Rd and another one on 222nd St. That area needs a bus route. 

[engineerboy6561]

12 hours ago, FLX9304 said:

I’ve seen many express buses from the Bronx with one too many empty seats. Nobody is gonna pay $6.50 to ride a bus thru highway traffic to get back & forth to work. The cost of living in New York City is way too high and express bus routes are meant for peak hour service only in areas that are served by subways. 
 

cutting express bus service is not new to the MTA. Back in the 90s, they tried to cut ALL of the express bus routes in Manhattan, Brooklyn & Queens, but leave Staten Island the way it is, but people fought hard against the cuts because at that time, the subway overcrowding was out of control and is was not in tip top shape as is in today’s commute. Only Manhattan’s express service was discontinued in 2010, and one route each in Brooklyn & Queens. 
 

they should’ve at least added another 2 routes in the east south middle Bronx (mainly on Lafayette Ave west of White Plains Rd and another one on 222nd St. That area needs a bus route. 

I mean, you could cover both of those gaps with modified BxM6 and BxM10 service fairly easily though. Just send the BxM6 down Bronx River Av/Story Av/Metcalfe Av/Lafayette Av/Castle Hill Av/Cross Bronx Service Rd/Metropolitan Ave. You drop one stop (Rosedale at Cross Bronx) and add 3 stops on Story, 5-6 on Lafayette, a couple on Castle Hill, and one on the Cross Bronx further down. If you want to preserve service to Rosedale then have it make a big one-way loop along Metropolitan, Unionport, Tremont, Rosedale, and the Cross Bronx, where the oval is the first stop to Manhattan and Rosedale is the last stop from Manhattan. For 222 St, just extend the BxM10 via Eastchester Rd/222 St/Bx8 terminal loop and you'd be all good.

 

The only risks to that would be that the current BxM6 riderbase would decide that at 70-75 minutes to 23 St the subway is a better option for them, and so you'd trade one rider base for the other. Based on my personal experience as someone who used the BxM3 every day for work for two years I'd stick with the express bus in that situation and just grab an earlier bus because it's easier to sleep on the express bus than on the subway.

Other than mildly pissing off the people who get on at Rosedale (who are now the last stop back and third stop inbound, and will probably see an extra 20 minutes added to their commutes) you wouldn't do that much damage, and (assuming you're right about the new markets, which I don't know enough about the neighborhoods in question to be sure of) you'd make the BxM6 viable and give the 10 a little boost too.

Edited October 30, 2019 by engineerboy6561

[Deucey]

12 hours ago, FLX9304 said:

 

I’ve seen many express buses from the Bronx with one too many empty seats. Nobody is gonna pay $6.50 to ride a bus thru highway traffic to get back & forth to work. The cost of living in New York City is way too high and express bus routes are meant for peak hour service only in areas that are served by subways. 
 

 

You’d be surprised by how many people over 40 take it just to avoid the subway - LRT alone seniors with mobility impairments 

[FLX9304]

4 minutes ago, Deucey said:

You’d be surprised by how many people over 40 take it just to avoid the subway - LRT alone seniors with mobility impairments 

And you’re right. 20% of the Bronx subway stations are ♿️ equipped, so that gives the people with mobility impairments no availability to gain access to the subway. 
 

as for the express routes, I was looking at the BxM routes and BxM3, 4 & 6 are the hardest hit (That’s what you get, MTABC! 😂😂😂!) But the 6 is almost identical to the 10, so it gives them the distinction only past the Sheridan. The 4 & new 5, you’re not gonna see any kind of favoritism the 4 usually gets. 
 

I would like to see them add two more local route (Bx48, span Lafayette Ave east & west of the Bronx River to connect to the 2/5 at Intervale Ave and the Bx8 at TNX), one on 222nd St (Bx45 running from WP Rd to Pelham Manor SC, a little east of the city line) and a new BxM (BxM12) Route from Soundview south of the Bruck to West Midtown vía 5/Mad with super peak (5:35-8:00a & 4:05-6:40p) one way direction, every 25 minutes. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

14 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

Not sure how I "lost you" then lol

Your comment wasn't clear.  You should've just said that from the start.

[paulrivera]

On 10/26/2019 at 6:51 AM, MysteriousBtrain said:

There is no reason the MTA could of not mentioned at least planning to reduce service on express routes. This was in fact a slick move to the officials and the public just to justify the cuts to the express routes. Not sure if this was already known but I did want to point that out.

I saw a footnote in one of their budgetary items from a few months ago (can't recall which one in particular) that they were seeking substantial savings for MTA Bus in FY20. Something like $20 million, but idk if that's annually or over the course of 2 or 3 years..

I'm not an accountant, but cutting service goes a substantial way in cutting down that kind of cost. But yea, the plan was there all along behind the scenes.

[FamousNYLover]

BxM2 should add stop near AMNH in both direction as well.

[limitednyc]

8 minutes ago, FamousNYLover said:

BxM2 should add stop near AMNH in both direction as well.

what is that

[B35 via Church]

10 minutes ago, limitednyc said:

what is that

If it wasn't him that posted, I'd have never guessed it...

He's talking about the planetarium (CPW & W 79th).....

 

[Future ENY OP]

37 minutes ago, FamousNYLover said:

BxM2 should add stop near AMNH in both direction as well.

How about this. NO STOP at AMNH. There is no market for that. 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

50 minutes ago, Future ENY OP said:

How about this. NO STOP at AMNH. There is no market for that. 

That's not that far-fetched of an idea. The existing BxM2 does just that. You would have to run up Columbus and Amsterdam between from 66th and 72nd Streets, respectively. The difference is, that the stop would have to move from 81st to 79th.

If they decided to keep the BxM2 strictly as a West Side/Midtown bus, and if there was (theoretically) coordination to make the express section relatively decent for the express buses, I wonder why they can't have buses serve Hudson Yards during the off-peak hours.

Edited October 30, 2019 by BM5 via Woodhaven

[Future ENY OP]

19 minutes ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

That's not that of a far-fetched idea. The existing BxM2 does just that. You would have to run up Columbus and Amsterdam between from 66th and 72nd Streets, respectively. The difference is, that the stop would have to move from 81st to 79th.

If they decided to keep the BxM2 strictly as a West Side/Midtown bus, and if there was (theoretically) coordination to make the express section relatively decent for the express buses, I wonder why they can't have buses serve Hudson Yards during the off-peak hours.

My only rationale about is that the bus shouldn’t be making too many stops in Manhattan. I get the current BxM2 makes the 79th Street stop across from the Historical Society. However, from my past experiences taking the 2 that stop carries air. 

I get your reasoning on this and no argue meant here.

AMNH should only be an off peak stop and not on peak. After Lincoln Center, make Mount Sinai stop than Bronx Express. 

[Future ENY OP]

DELETE. DOUBLE POST. 

Edited October 30, 2019 by Future ENY OP
DELETE. DOUBLE POST.

[FLX9304]

8 hours ago, engineerboy6561 said:

I mean, you could cover both of those gaps with modified BxM6 and BxM10 service fairly easily though. Just send the BxM6 down Bronx River Av/Story Av/Metcalfe Av/Lafayette Av/Castle Hill Av/Cross Bronx Service Rd/Metropolitan Ave. You drop one stop (Rosedale at Cross Bronx) and add 3 stops on Story, 5-6 on Lafayette, a couple on Castle Hill, and one on the Cross Bronx further down. If you want to preserve service to Rosedale then have it make a big one-way loop along Metropolitan, Unionport, Tremont, Rosedale, and the Cross Bronx, where the oval is the first stop to Manhattan and Rosedale is the last stop from Manhattan. For 222 St, just extend the BxM10 via Eastchester Rd/222 St/Bx8 terminal loop and you'd be all good.

 

The only risks to that would be that the current BxM6 riderbase would decide that at 70-75 minutes to 23 St the subway is a better option for them, and so you'd trade one rider base for the other. Based on my personal experience as someone who used the BxM3 every day for work for two years I'd stick with the express bus in that situation and just grab an earlier bus because it's easier to sleep on the express bus than on the subway.

Other than mildly pissing off the people who get on at Rosedale (who are now the last stop back and third stop inbound, and will probably see an extra 20 minutes added to their commutes) you wouldn't do that much damage, and (assuming you're right about the new markets, which I don't know enough about the neighborhoods in question to be sure of) you'd make the BxM6 viable and give the 10 a little boost too.

I wasn’t talking about extending bus routes, because you’re taking the BxM6 and BxM10 off their way. In my previous topic, I explained on what three new routes would be added so that way they can provide service to the still underdesired areas that do need bus service so badly

[engineerboy6561]

5 minutes ago, FLX9304 said:

I wasn’t talking about extending bus routes, because you’re taking the BxM6 and BxM10 off their way. In my previous topic, I explained on what three new routes would be added so that way they can provide service to the still underdesired areas that do need bus service so badly

If you mean express buses, then I suggested what I did because the BxM6 makes exactly three stops and is always at least partially on the chopping block as a result. If you meant that the towers on Lafayette west of WPR need express bus, rolling it into the BxM6 makes more sense than creating a new route; instead of having a low-performing route and an experimental route we'd have a single higher-performing route. The BxM10 is generally pretty solid, but that route already ends three blocks away from 222 St, so the extension would add maybe 5-10 minutes of runtime. If you meant local bus service, then you're right, but I'd rather rearrange the BxM6 and tweak the BxM10 in a way that improves ridership than add two routes that parallel existing stuff or are short (a 222 St express bus is walking distance from the BxM10 and BxM11, and the new route by Lafayette would be too short).

If you mean local buses, then you're right about adding new routes.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I was interviewed last week in the Riverdale Press regarding the proposed express bus cuts. The story should be online in the next few days.

[GreatOne2k]

They should give 24 hour service to the Bx5 and full Bx39 so people wouldn't be stranded late nights

[Future ENY OP]

2 hours ago, GreatOne2k said:

They should give 24 hour service to the Bx5 and full Bx39 so people wouldn't be stranded late nights

What are the current options for Soundview patrons and besides I think the Bx39 has overnight service. 

[S78 via Hylan]

40 minutes ago, Future ENY OP said:

What are the current options for Soundview patrons and besides I think the Bx39 has overnight service. 

It only runs overnight between Wakefield and Gun Hill Road to interlink with the Bx41.