Select Bus Service Discussion Thread

[N6 Limited]

2 minutes ago, Union Tpke said:

Are you allowed to go around the whole loop for one fare?

You should be able to. 

[B35 via Church]

1 hour ago, Union Tpke said:

Are you allowed to go around the whole loop for one fare?

Yeah... Done it several times (most recently, as of 2 sundays ago)

[OIG119]

3 hours ago, Union Tpke said:

Are you allowed to go around the whole loop for one fare?

I once did that by accident when trying to fan the LGA shuttle buses.

[Future ENY OP]

Although I'm not a big fan of this blog.. However, it brings up the notion of enforcement of bus lanes in this article:

https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2018/04/27/stringer-blocked-bus-lanes-are-stifling-select-bus-service/

[BrooklynBus]

On 4/26/2018 at 3:02 PM, BrooklynBus said:

http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/sbs-is-not-helping-riders-commutes/article_9070d9c0-e022-56c3-a854-4f590211002a.html

According to this article, MTA spokesman Shams Tarek said, “The Comptroller’s report affirms that SBS runs much faster than local routes and is a vast improvement over regular bus service, and that riders like it.” 

The Comptroller's report says nothing of the sort. The report states: "Over the last decade, bus ridership in New York City has nosedived and many local routes have become less reliable, slower, and increasingly outdated. While Select Bus routes have performed slightly better, there is ample room for improvement." It further states: "Select Bus routes travel only slightly faster than the average local route (8.9 mph versus 7.4 mph) and are identical in their on-time performance – a meager 62 percent (see Chart 5).2""

"Slightly better" and "slightly faster" is not "vast improvement" and "much faster". This is typical of the lies made by the MTA and DOT to gain acceptance of SBS from the public. 

As for passenger satisfaction levels with SBS, the Comptroller's survey showed a 64 percent satisfaction rate whereas the MTA's faulty methodology showed a 95 percent satisfaction rate. The Comptroller does not state if local riders were also surveyed. If not, then the 64 percent approval rating would most likely be even lower since those riders did not opt for the SBS service.

I posted the above last week and I would like your opinion. Would you call someone a liar who interprets the phrase "slightly better" to mean "vast improvement" and "slightly faster" to mean "much faster." I realize there are more polite ways of saying that calling it misleading or deceptive, but to me it still a lie. 

I sent this to Byford this morning informing him that if NYCT is going to get the trust of the public, his staff cannot continue to be engaged in lies. Instead of thanking me for bringing this to his attention, he took offense. Apparently, he doesn't consider this to be lying. I find this disappointing and am now skeptical. 

[MidwoodMartin]

I asked about the B82 SBS at the '#AskNYCT' session last Thursday. Here was the response I got from Darryl Irick: 

Figured I should post this here to keep people updated, especially after reading the past couple of threads of people asking for updates. This does seem like good news to me and shows that the MTA hasn't abandoned the plan, like that KingsCountyPolitics article seemed to suggest. However, it does suggest that the scheduled July launch is not the goal anymore. 
Not sure what "consultation with the community" means here. What are they talking about? Negotiating the hours? The bus lane currently proposed is already only 6 hours. What are they going to do? Make it 2 hours? 

I have also noticed that on those big yellow/orange DOT construction cones (ones that look like this) on the B82 bus stops (the ones that logically are there for vending machines, as they were put on bus stops right after sidewalks were opened up) there is now a little black screw inserted where there wasn't previously, at least not on the stops I observed. Seems to make the cones more difficult to remove or connect them with something. It might just be DOT rolling out what they were scheduled. Then I don't know why there wouldn't be a date or any postponement. 

 

Edited May 2, 2018 by MidwoodMartin

[Brillant93]

38 minutes ago, MidwoodMartin said:

I asked about the B82 SBS at the '#AskNYCT' session last Thursday. Here was the response I got from Darryl Irick: 

Figured I should post this here to keep people updated, especially after reading the past couple of threads of people asking for updates. This does seem like good news to me and shows that the MTA hasn't abandoned the plan, like that KingsCountyPolitics article seemed to suggest. However, it does suggest that the scheduled July launch is not the goal anymore. 
Not sure what "consultation with the community" means here. What are they talking about? Negotiating the hours? The bus lane currently proposed is already only 6 hours. What are they going to do? Make it 2 hours? 

I have also noticed that on those big yellow/orange DOT construction cones (ones that look like this) on the B82 bus stops (the ones that logically are there for vending machines, as they were put on bus stops right after sidewalks were opened up) there is now a little black screw inserted where there wasn't previously, at least not on the stops I observed. Seems to make the cones more difficult to remove or connect them with something. It might just be DOT rolling out what they were scheduled. Then I don't know why there wouldn't be a date or any postponement. 

 

I'm guessing we'll hear about it within the coming months. They're supposed to be a system wide revamp proposal in a few weeks so my money is guessing we'll hear about it then. I think its close to a fifty percent chance they'll reroute it but the other fifty is not doing the small bus lanes and have kings hwy with no treatment. So it is what it is. 

[N6 Limited]

Do the M60 and Q70 have separate machines in LGA?

[danielhg121]

17 hours ago, N6 Limited said:

Do the M60 and Q70 have separate machines in LGA?

No they don't. The ticket they print out just says "LGA" I believe.

[B35 via Church]

On ‎4‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 3:09 PM, BrooklynBus said:

I posted the above last week and I would like your opinion. Would you call someone a liar who interprets the phrase "slightly better" to mean "vast improvement" and "slightly faster" to mean "much faster." I realize there are more polite ways of saying that calling it misleading or deceptive, but to me it still a lie. 

I sent this to Byford this morning informing him that if NYCT is going to get the trust of the public, his staff cannot continue to be engaged in lies. Instead of thanking me for bringing this to his attention, he took offense. Apparently, he doesn't consider this to be lying. I find this disappointing and am now skeptical. 

The blatant embellishment/lie/whatever you wish to call it that you're pointing out is apparent.... No question about it.....

At the same time however, such an antagonistic piece of correspondence like this tends to piss me off; I've gotten my fair share of these over the years in the office & I ignore them each & every single time.....

Quite honestly, I'm surprised he even gave you a response... Answering something like that puts him in a lose-lose situation, either way.

 

Edited May 3, 2018 by B35 via Church

[BrooklynBus]

4 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

The blatant embellishment/lie/whatever you wish to call it that you're pointing out is apparent.... No question about it.....

At the same time however, such an antagonistic piece of correspondence like this tends to piss me off; I've gotten my fair share of these over the years in the office & I ignore them each & every single time.....

Quite honestly, I'm surprised he even gave you a response... Answering something like that puts him in a lose-lose situation, either way.

 

Since the lie was so obvious and not subject to interpretation, I just thought he would care. He could have somehow  try to explain the response without admitting anything wrong and say he would have someone look into it. But I guess I should just be happy he responded. 

[WestFarms36]

5 hours ago, BrooklynBus said:

Since the lie was so obvious and not subject to interpretation, I just thought he would care. He could have somehow  try to explain the response without admitting anything wrong and say he would have someone look into it. But I guess I should just be happy he responded. 

Sometimes there are these in between the wall and sword situations that leave you absolutely no choice.

[mrbrklyn]

On 5/1/2018 at 8:56 PM, MidwoodMartin said:

I asked about the B82 SBS at the '#AskNYCT' session last Thursday. Here was the response I got from Darryl Irick: 

Figured I should post this here to keep people updated, especially after reading the past couple of threads of people asking for updates. This does seem like good news to me and shows that the MTA hasn't abandoned the plan, like that KingsCountyPolitics article seemed to suggest. However, it does suggest that the scheduled July launch is not the goal anymore. 
Not sure what "consultation with the community" means here. What are they talking about? Negotiating the hours? The bus lane currently proposed is already only 6 hours. What are they going to do? Make it 2 hours? 

I have also noticed that on those big yellow/orange DOT construction cones (ones that look like this) on the B82 bus stops (the ones that logically are there for vending machines, as they were put on bus stops right after sidewalks were opened up) there is now a little black screw inserted where there wasn't previously, at least not on the stops I observed. Seems to make the cones more difficult to remove or connect them with something. It might just be DOT rolling out what they were scheduled. Then I don't know why there wouldn't be a date or any postponement. 

 

From the ground up it has been a bad idea and undoable.  There shouldn't even be a B82.  The limited is virtually unused compared to the local.  Making a super limited is doubling down on a bad idea.  They need to break that bus into two different routes, like it was originally before the budget cuts.

[mrbrklyn]

On 5/1/2018 at 9:40 PM, Brillant93 said:

I'm guessing we'll hear about it within the coming months. They're supposed to be a system wide revamp proposal in a few weeks so my money is guessing we'll hear about it then. I think its close to a fifty percent chance they'll reroute it but the other fifty is not doing the small bus lanes and have kings hwy with no treatment. So it is what it is.  

If they are really intent on wasting money on putting a through route, it has to go down Avenue P.  What would be more useful would be a SBS B82 limited service that extended to JFK.

[mrbrklyn]

On 4/26/2018 at 3:02 PM, BrooklynBus said:

http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/sbs-is-not-helping-riders-commutes/article_9070d9c0-e022-56c3-a854-4f590211002a.html

According to this article, MTA spokesman Shams Tarek said, “The Comptroller’s report affirms that SBS runs much faster than local routes and is a vast improvement over regular bus service, and that riders like it.” 

The Comptroller's report says nothing of the sort. The report states: "Over the last decade, bus ridership in New York City has nosedived and many local routes have become less reliable, slower, and increasingly outdated. While Select Bus routes have performed slightly better, there is ample room for improvement." It further states: "Select Bus routes travel only slightly faster than the average local route (8.9 mph versus 7.4 mph) and are identical in their on-time performance – a meager 62 percent (see Chart 5).2""

"Slightly better" and "slightly faster" is not "vast improvement" and "much faster". This is typical of the lies made by the MTA and DOT to gain acceptance of SBS from the public. 

As for passenger satisfaction levels with SBS, the Comptroller's survey showed a 64 percent satisfaction rate whereas the MTA's faulty methodology showed a 95 percent satisfaction rate. The Comptroller does not state if local riders were also surveyed. If not, then the 64 percent approval rating would most likely be even lower since those riders did not opt for the SBS service.

You can't trust the MTA to be honest in its accessement of anything.  They have their own agenda and that is not the publics agendo, nor is it for the public good.  The Controllers report is actually very generous.  In truth, the SBS has shown to be a waste of money.  The best part of it from the city's prespective is that it generates revenues from ticketing cars.  I generally don't approve of that.

[Lil 57]

Is there any new SBS services comming to SI anytime soon?

[checkmatechamp13]

1 hour ago, Lil 57 said:

Is there any new SBS services comming to SI anytime soon?

The Bus Action Plan has off-board fare payment and stop consolidation citywide. Hopefully there's more bus lane expansion as well. But no specific SBS routes planned for Staten Island (and no, the S53 as it is right now should not be an SBS route)

[Lil 57]

5 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

The Bus Action Plan has off-board fare payment and stop consolidation citywide. Hopefully there's more bus lane expansion as well. But no specific SBS routes planned for Staten Island (and no, the S53 as it is right now should not be an SBS route)

Why can't the S53 be an SBS route, one day it took the bus 15-20 mins to go from Richmond Road to Clove Road, (Usually takes 1-2 mins)

[SevenEleven]

7 minutes ago, Lil 57 said:

Why can't the S53 be an SBS route, one day it took the bus 15-20 mins to go from Richmond Road to Clove Road, (Usually takes 1-2 mins)

Because that's a bottleneck due to the turn lane setup at Clove and Howard Av, coupled with a short light. If both lanes went straight through, that traffic build up would not exist during the PM rush.

I agree, the S53 does not need SBS. I find myself in trouble trying to stay on time (not early), all the time. From what I've seen in previous plans, the S40 and the Victory Blvd corridor are candidates. 

[Lil 57]

3 minutes ago, SevenEleven said:

Because that's a bottleneck due to the turn lane setup at Clove and Howard Av, coupled with a short light. If both lanes went straight through, that traffic build up would not exist during the PM rush.

I agree, the S53 does not need SBS. I find myself in trouble trying to stay on time (not early), all the time. From what I've seen in previous plans, the S40 and the Victory Blvd corridor are candidates. 

But the S53 could use limited service as in this plan,

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rO_mP36pv_uJYzR8nPginT62XA2bAm_rIBplsA5XYr0/edit?usp=sharing

[checkmatechamp13]

5 hours ago, Lil 57 said:

Why can't the S53 be an SBS route, one day it took the bus 15-20 mins to go from Richmond Road to Clove Road, (Usually takes 1-2 mins)

Unfortunately, I've dealt with that on the S53/93, since my office is in Grasmere. The worst part is, some idiots from Transportation Alternatives want to remove a lane of traffic to put in a two-way bike lane (and the irony is, the S53/93 are the only routes with bike racks, so if they got those buses to move quicker, people could just put their bikes on the bus for most of the trip). 

In any case, it would be tricky putting in a bus lane, because there's so much general traffic, so you would have to show that more passenger-minutes are saved by the bus riders compared to the time lost by the car drivers. Between the merge from the Clove Road off-ramp, and the fact that the right lane of Clove Road is for right-turns onto Howard Avenue, that's definitely a bad traffic spot (and there's no space to even widen the road). Maybe retiming the signals might work, but that's about it.

5 hours ago, SevenEleven said:

Because that's a bottleneck due to the turn lane setup at Clove and Howard Av, coupled with a short light. If both lanes went straight through, that traffic build up would not exist during the PM rush.

I agree, the S53 does not need SBS. I find myself in trouble trying to stay on time (not early), all the time. From what I've seen in previous plans, the S40 and the Victory Blvd corridor are candidates. 

I see some logic in that since they have the "After Stop, Right Turn Permitted on Red" sign over there, so they want to keep the right lane free. However, what they should at least do is make that lane a bus lane (since you can make right turns from a bus lane anyway). That way, at least the buses can use that lane when they're there (and if it's a green light anyway, they're not even blocking anybody from turning). The issue of course, as you mentioned is that the traffic jam extends back onto Narrows Road North much of the time, so it would only really help the B/Os with making the green light at Howard Avenue (which is better than nothing, but still doesn't solve the main issue)

5 hours ago, Lil 57 said:

But the S53 could use limited service as in this plan,

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rO_mP36pv_uJYzR8nPginT62XA2bAm_rIBplsA5XYr0/edit?usp=sharing

I agree with that.

[WestFarms36]

11 hours ago, Lil 57 said:

But the S53 could use limited service as in this plan,

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rO_mP36pv_uJYzR8nPginT62XA2bAm_rIBplsA5XYr0/edit?usp=sharing

Excellent Job on the S89 modification, it would be great having it that way.

[Lil 57]

5 hours ago, WestFarms36 said:

Excellent Job on the S89 modification, it would be great having it that way.

It'll make more people from SI connect easily to NJT services to Manhattan with the S119 LTD, S113 & S114 services

[WestFarms36]

8 hours ago, Lil 57 said:

It'll make more people from SI connect easily to NJT services to Manhattan with the S119 LTD, S113 & S114 services

has these routes with potential of providing a wide range of options to get to places and they are too busy ripping their hair off that they don't even realize that what they have infront of them can be a powerful tool for good, but no they screw over that route making it deplorable and making people stop using it to the point where they do their go 2 move CUT... CUT... DISCONTINUED!

[Kingjunior34]

Any updates on the B82 SBS ?

is construction still bring done ?

has any machines or roadworks been stared ?

Are they still implementing bus lines on kings hwy ?

Are Eny still get xd40s and xd60s