Suffolk County Draft Plan Released

[Sylveon]

And now it's postponed until further notice. Great.

[jaf0519]

New schedules are out. No start date from what I have seen however.

[Robert Spire]

On 9/26/2023 at 5:56 AM, B35 via Church said:

There's something to be said about these transit agencies that come out with these redesigned networks, to then go dead silent after a relatively significant amount of time.....

I'll say this much.... I'm all for progression & doing away with antiquity.... At the same time, my problem with these redesigns all of a sudden, is that they very much appear to be happening as part of a trend, more-so than them being done to (attempt to) enhance the commuter's commute/commuting experience.... Yeah yeah, covid, but this is what happens when you're reactive, instead of proactive; scurrying around like roaches when the light comes on, in a whimsical attempt to massively scale back on operating costs...

And why is this trend taking place all of the sudden? I have a lot of questions. 

[Mtatransit]

Some thoughts on the new schedule

SC Clipper: There has to be something wrong with this schedule. There are no return PM trips back to Farmingville

S1: On weekday it looks like there will actually be a service cut. Currently it is every 15 minutes during the peaks, that will be cut to every 30 minutes to make the pulse

S66: I wonder if they really need to go to Riverhead Peconic Center. They could've saved a bus if they didn't go out that way, and force people to transfer at the LIRR station to the S80

That being said, seems like they moved the connections from Riverhead County Center to Riverhead LIRR Station

[checkmatechamp13]

@Mtatransit The S1 service reduction during rush hours was proposed in every variation of the plan. At most, in the frequency-based plan, it would've run every 20 minutes during rush hour. I think part of it is that with remote work, a lot of the office parks along NY-110 aren't as busy as they used to be. (Also, generally speaking, Jarrett Walker's plans tend to revolve around keeping the same frequency all day, for better or for worse).

Yeah, the Clipper schedule is messed up. They also have the directions reversed.

As far as I'm concerned, for the S80, that route shouldn't exist. Extend the S66 to John Wesley Village if it's that important of a development, and call it a day.

I notice that in some cases, they really beefed up the runtime. For example, the S45/3D from Brentwood to Central Islip are scheduled for less than 10 minutes while the S5 is scheduled for over 20 minutes.

In any case, here are the (approximate) timeframes where you can wait at a pulse point and have the option of all routes emanating out of that pulse.

Amityville:

Weekdays 5am - 9pm

Saturdays: 6am - 9pm

Sundays: 6am - 7pm

Bay Shore (Besides the S2)

Weekdays 5am - 9:30pm

Saturdays: 6:30am - 9:30pm

Sundays: 6:30am - 7:30pm

Patchogue (Besides the S55)

Weekdays 5:30am - 9:30pm

Saturdays: 6:30am - 9:30pm 

Sundays: 6:30am - 7:30pm

Riverhead (Where The S80 Clock Symbol Is On The Wrong End of the Route)

Weekdays 6am - 9pm

Saturdays: 7am - 9pm

Sundays: 7am - 7pm (8pm if you exclude the S80)

Smith Haven Mall

Weekdays 6am - 9pm

Saturdays: 7am - 9pm

Sundays: 7am - 8pm

Central Islip LIRR

Weekdays 6:17am - 9:17pm (S52A on evenings doesn't time with other routes)

Saturdays: 6:17am - 9:17pm (S6 & S52A time with each other about 30 minutes later)

Sundays: 6:17am - 8:17pm (S6 & S52A time with each other about 30 minutes later)

Brentwood LIRR

Weekdays 6:03am - 10:03pm 

Saturdays: 7:03am - 10:03pm 

Sundays: 7:03am - 8:03pm 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

4 hours ago, Mtatransit said:

Some thoughts on the new schedule

SC Clipper: There has to be something wrong with this schedule. There are no return PM trips back to Farmingville

Sounds like they want people to just stay at their workplace and keep working (*shrugs*). Live to work. 

Also, less money spend on running the damn thing in the PM. A win-win for SCT and employers . 

4 hours ago, Mtatransit said:

S66: I wonder if they really need to go to Riverhead Peconic Center. They could've saved a bus if they didn't go out that way, and force people to transfer at the LIRR station to the S80

Looking at the S66, it basically goes up to Peconic Bay and then again to Riverhead, then terminating there and laying over. On weekends in particular the layover seems hefty, at 59 minutes. So headed south from the Hospital, you'd have to wait almost another hour? IDK if that's actually how it is or if it was a mistake on their part, but either way, I don't have a problem with the S66 going up there. If anything, it's that ridiculous S80 that needs to kick rocks. You could save a bus that way.

That S80 bus I would use to operate a modified version of the 10C, because good luck with that microtransit zone out east. The Downtowns/centers of East Hampton and Montauk alone are not as close as they look on a map, especially during the summers.

I still think they dropped the ball with this redesign in many ways, the inconsistency with who and what areas get coverage to me is one of the more infuriating parts. The way they go back on stuff that they promised /initially  mentioned are another. Saturday service was initially supposed to go til 10 PM and now they say 9 PM. On top of that, many routes have their last trips much earlier than that (the S92 is an extreme example of that....SMH). Also, apparently timed connections are not guaranteed with all routes at the timed transfer points, based on the legend info on the timetable map.  

Speaking about the S92, you would think that given the S58 has its last trips at 10 PM from Riverhead, you would at least try to have S92 buses meet the S58 bus out there in Riverhead, but nope.

4 hours ago, Mtatransit said:

That being said, seems like they moved the connections from Riverhead County Center to Riverhead LIRR Station

That's one of the few bright spots with this plan. Hated having to go through Riverhead every time because if you missed a bus or had to wait it out, you'd be stuck with some of the other characters waiting out there too.

Not to say that they would disappear at all once the transfer point is moved to the LIRR station, but at least you're no longer stuck with them in the middle of nowhere in particular.  

Edited October 7, 2023 by BM5 via Woodhaven

[The TransitMan]

On 10/6/2023 at 5:49 PM, Mtatransit said:

Some thoughts on the new schedule

SC Clipper: There has to be something wrong with this schedule. There are no return PM trips back to Farmingville

S1: On weekday it looks like there will actually be a service cut. Currently it is every 15 minutes during the peaks, that will be cut to every 30 minutes to make the pulse

S66: I wonder if they really need to go to Riverhead Peconic Center. They could've saved a bus if they didn't go out that way, and force people to transfer at the LIRR station to the S80

That being said, seems like they moved the connections from Riverhead County Center to Riverhead LIRR Station

With the exception of a restroom area, that's a better location compared to the County Center. You have a place to get food, snacks and drinks. There's a library across the street for the restroom but it closes after 5 pm. I think it's a better area.

On 10/6/2023 at 10:26 PM, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

Sounds like they want people to just stay at their workplace and keep working (*shrugs*). Live to work. 

Also, less money spend on running the damn thing in the PM. A win-win for SCT and employers . 

Looking at the S66, it basically goes up to Peconic Bay and then again to Riverhead, then terminating there and laying over. On weekends in particular the layover seems hefty, at 59 minutes. So headed south from the Hospital, you'd have to wait almost another hour? IDK if that's actually how it is or if it was a mistake on their part, but either way, I don't have a problem with the S66 going up there. If anything, it's that ridiculous S80 that needs to kick rocks. You could save a bus that way.

The only thing I can think why the 66 would loop back and "end" at Riverhead LIRR is because there's no layover spot for a termination at Peconic Bay. THey could loop through the parking lot across the street on Roanoke Av BUT that would be wrong...right? 

Also, that 80 route is needed because that John Wesley Village depends on the service IIRC. Maybe by having a "circulator" is a way to make some kind of money...just should have use it for DOWNTOWN purposes instead of relying on the 92. By the way, using Roanoke Av is the first time ANY route has used that part of Roanoke Av...now hopefully people would actually use it. There is a couple of doctor offices and a church on that street.

That S80 bus I would use to operate a modified version of the 10C, because good luck with that microtransit zone out east. The Downtowns/centers of East Hampton and Montauk alone are not as close as they look on a map, especially during the summers.

The REAL test will be the Summer of 2024 for both East Hampton and Montauk Villages.

I still think they dropped the ball with this redesign in many ways, the inconsistency with who and what areas get coverage to me is one of the more infuriating parts. The way they go back on stuff that they promised /initially  mentioned are another. Saturday service was initially supposed to go til 10 PM and now they say 9 PM. On top of that, many routes have their last trips much earlier than that (the S92 is an extreme example of that....SMH). Also, apparently timed connections are not guaranteed with all routes at the timed transfer points, based on the legend info on the timetable map.

The SUMMER schedule for the 92 is going to be interesting. A lot of businesses in Southampton Village, Water Mill and Bridgehampton COULD benefit...especially their employees. Also, I like the hours AND I would definitely use it to travel to Riverhead (from Shinnecock Hills) to catch the LAST LIRR to Ronkonkoma...the 9:42 PM

Speaking about the S92, you would think that given the S58 has its last trips at 10 PM from Riverhead, you would at least try to have S92 buses meet the S58 bus out there in Riverhead, but nope.

That's one of the few bright spots with this plan. Hated having to go through Riverhead every time because if you missed a bus or had to wait it out, you'd be stuck with some of the other characters waiting out there too.

Not to say that they would disappear at all once the transfer point is moved to the LIRR station, but at least you're no longer stuck with them in the middle of nowhere in particular.

The area around the Riverhead LIRR Station is rather interesting in itself.

 

[checkmatechamp13]

First day of the new system will be Sunday, October 29th. Interesting enough the S92 will switch to the winter schedule on Wednesday, November 1st.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

In a seemingly interesting addition, the 10B and 10C routes are also included with the S110 under the section "Buses operating Weekdays At Certain Times". However, they link to their current timetables, which indicate more than weekday service. 

https://sctbus.org/Routes-and-Schedules

Edited October 20, 2023 by BM5 via Woodhaven

[checkmatechamp13]

3 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

In a seemingly interesting addition, the 10B and 10C routes are also included with the S110 under the section "Buses operating Weekdays At Certain Times". However, they link to their current timetables, which indicate more than weekday service. 

https://sctbus.org/Routes-and-Schedules

I think it's generally intended as a catch-all for routes that run less than 7-day hourly service. Yeah, those routes are going to be running for another month or so until they get the microtransit situation sorted out. Keep an eye out for updates on that SCT page.

 

[checkmatechamp13]

A few updates from the page:

Unfortunately, due to a manufacturer vehicle recall, the new East Hampton on-demand zone will not be launching October 29th. Service on the 10B and 10C will continue according to existing schedules at this time. While we do not yet have an exact date for the launch of the new zone, announcements will be made as soon as more information is available. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and look forward to launch of new on-demand service soon. Please continue to check back to this website for more information.

Please Note: The 92 will operate on its Winter Schedule, effective October 29, 2023.

Service Note: Effective October 29, 2023, the northbound 92 scheduled to depart Bridgehampton LIRR at 8:00 AM will now depart East Hampton LIRR at 7:30 AM and Sag Harbor Main St at 7:46 AM, with continued service according to the regular schedule from Bridgehampton LIRR at 8:00 AM. The northbound 92 scheduled to depart East Hampton LIRR at 1:20 PM will terminate at Orient NYS 25/Main St at 4:15 PM, and the northbound 92 scheduled to depart Bridgehampton at 2:15 PM will terminate at Orient NYS25/Main St at 4:45 PM

[N6 Limited]

Did they say why they’re getting rid of the “S” route prefixes?

[The TransitMan]

On 10/24/2023 at 10:58 PM, checkmatechamp13 said:

A few updates from the page:

Unfortunately, due to a manufacturer vehicle recall, the new East Hampton on-demand zone will not be launching October 29th. Service on the 10B and 10C will continue according to existing schedules at this time. While we do not yet have an exact date for the launch of the new zone, announcements will be made as soon as more information is available. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and look forward to launch of new on-demand service soon. Please continue to check back to this website for more information.

Please Note: The 92 will operate on its Winter Schedule, effective October 29, 2023.

Service Note: Effective October 29, 2023, the northbound 92 scheduled to depart Bridgehampton LIRR at 8:00 AM will now depart East Hampton LIRR at 7:30 AM and Sag Harbor Main St at 7:46 AM, with continued service according to the regular schedule from Bridgehampton LIRR at 8:00 AM. The northbound 92 scheduled to depart East Hampton LIRR at 1:20 PM will terminate at Orient NYS 25/Main St at 4:15 PM, and the northbound 92 scheduled to depart Bridgehampton at 2:15 PM will terminate at Orient NYS25/Main St at 4:45 PM

Didn't know that the 92 serves Bridgehampton LIRR directly. The station itself is about 5-10 minutes north of Montauk Hwy and it's a VERY  tight turn-around for the 40 ft bus especially if the turn-around (parking lot) is full.

[checkmatechamp13]

Just now, The TransitMan said:

Didn't know that the 92 serves Bridgehampton LIRR directly. The station itself is about 5-10 minutes north of Montauk Hwy and it's a VERY  tight turn-around for the 40 ft bus especially if the turn-around (parking lot) is full.

Whoops, misread the schedule...it says "Montauk Highway & Corwith Street" as the Bridgehampton timepoint.

Side note, the 10B & 10C will now officially run until 12/31/23 as per the website, until they get the microtransit zone up and running.

[Gotham Bus Co.]

On 10/24/2023 at 10:58 PM, checkmatechamp13 said:

Please Note: The 92 will operate on its Winter Schedule, effective October 29, 2023.

Service Note: Effective October 29, 2023, the northbound 92 scheduled to depart Bridgehampton LIRR at 8:00 AM will now depart East Hampton LIRR at 7:30 AM and Sag Harbor Main St at 7:46 AM, with continued service according to the regular schedule from Bridgehampton LIRR at 8:00 AM. The northbound 92 scheduled to depart East Hampton LIRR at 1:20 PM will terminate at Orient NYS 25/Main St at 4:15 PM, and the northbound 92 scheduled to depart Bridgehampton at 2:15 PM will terminate at Orient NYS25/Main St at 4:45 PM

 

Is there really enough through riding between the South and North Forks to justify keeping the 92 as a single route? Would it run better as two routes?

[checkmatechamp13]

41 minutes ago, Gotham Bus Co. said:

Is there really enough through riding between the South and North Forks to justify keeping the 92 as a single route? Would it run better as two routes?

Yes, it would definitely be better as two routes.

On top of that, the span of service ends much earlier than all of the other routes. Regardless of whether it is run as one route or two, it should at least connect with the last buses in the 10pm hour out of Riverhead. To my understanding, the depot is down in Southampton...if that's the case, then the last four buses should all be running in-service to Southampton rather than out-of-service.

For what it's worth, they seem to have built some recovery time into the route at Riverhead. Southbound trips from Riverhead to Flanders are scheduled for 13 minutes, while northbound ones are scheduled for almost 30 minutes. Likewise, from the railroad station to Main Street & Old Country Road is scheduled for 7 minutes southbound, and 17 minutes northbound.

[The TransitMan]

3 hours ago, Gotham Bus Co. said:

 

Is there really enough through riding between the South and North Forks to justify keeping the 92 as a single route? Would it run better as two routes?

They have been discussing that for years. However, the ridership does not want a two-seat ride through Riverhead...and now with that traffic concerns on the south fork every morning, that could also be a concern.

Edited October 29, 2023 by The TransitMan

[checkmatechamp13]

I took a trip on the new system yesterday.

Long story short, they need to enforce the timed connections better. Buses were leaving early (a Greenport-bound S92 left Riverhead almost 15 minutes early), and some of the instructions for the B/Os were unclear (for example, my S12 showed up using a minibus with no signage...at Bay Shore, he interlined with the S7 and ended up swapping out the minibus for a full-size bus with the B/O operating the arriving S12). Also, at Riverhead LIRR, the directions seemed to indicate for buses to make a right onto Railroad Avenue (and terminate by this parking lot here rather than at the old stop by the LIRR station here which had the signage...though an S80 B/O insisted that the parking lot was the correct stop, despite the return directions saying to make a left at the deli, and there is no deli in the other direction). My S62 at first made a right turn onto Railroad Avenue, and then when he was confused about the lack of a bus stop, ended up waiting for the S92 to see what he would do...the S92 made a left, but didn't hold at the LIRR station, which meant that the S62 passenger (who boarded by the commercial area near the Peconic Bay Medical Center who needed that connection ended up having to wait another hour for the next bus...even more of a reason for the S92 to be split...that way there is no confusion about whether or not buses need to hold at that point, since it's the first stop). 

That 311 number only seems to be available during standard office hours (a passenger on the S7 complained that he called 311 and was left on hold for an hour before he gave up).

No semblance of any timed connections at Brentwood. My S7 arrived late due to so many people on the bus having questions...there were only 10-15 people on the bus, but it felt like a lot more with all of the chaos, with everyone going to the front and asking questions and pulling timetables from the holders, etc. I explained some passengers that this was basically the old S41 with some elements of the S45 mixed in, so that helped alleviate some of the confusion). For what it's worth, a friend of mine joined me on the trip and we thought that there was a second stop outside the parking lot, but there wasn't so he ended up missing the S7. I told him to get on the S11 and meet me in Brentwood...it was basically just him and one other person who got on further up the route. Also, we ended up just missing the gates at Brentwood (even though the train had to wait to pick up people at the station) so anybody who needed to make the westbound train was SOL...likewise the eastbound train passed shortly after the northbound bus left, so they managed to screw people in both directions). 

The S5 only had one other passenger who got on somewhere in Smithtown and was seeking the S58 (which was either missing or had left already...for what it's worth, we didn't see it at Brentwood either). At Smith Haven Mall, there were some ambassadors who were helping passengers. They said the main thing they heard was that the timed transfers weren't being held, and they also heard some complaints about some corridors having service eliminated (e.g. Sayville - Ronkonkoma, Kings Park, Udall Road, etc). There were also a lot of S51 buses (apparently, the B/Os were given the wrong code, so the northbound buses were signed up as southbound buses and vice versa). There didn't seem to be much of a semblance of a schedule with the S51...the southbound bus got to Smith Haven at 3:04pm, which is when he was due to arrive at Ronkonkoma...when my S62 left around 3:22pm, there were two S51s that left with us (even though the schedule indicates they should pass around :46).

The only people on my S62 were my friend and myself, two transit fans who got on somewhere in Rocky Point, and then the person who was seeking the Greenport-bound S92 in Riverhead. On the S66, only my friend and myself got on at the LIRR station, two people got on at the County Center (presumably having come off the S92), we skipped SCCC due to the campus being closed, and then we picked up and dropped off a few people throughout the rest of the route into Patchogue. 

At Patchogue, I got on the S2, and oddly enough I was the only one on the bus all the way to Amityville...FWIW we got to Amityville 20 minutes early, so I don't know if anybody missed that interval due to that.

Also, FWIW it was only myself and one other passenger (who got on in Deer Park) who were on the S12 towards Bay Shore. I saw an S12 passing in the other direction around Deer Park and didn't see anybody on it (through the windows anyway). So it seems it'll take a bit of time before the Sunday service catches on. (Not sure where the other person got on the S11, but my guess is it was probably somewhere along Brentwood Road, since that previously had S45 service...as far as I recall, all of the people who got on my S7 were using either former S41 or S45 stops...also FWIW, I don't believe I saw any new stops installed along Candlewood Road, and all of the old stops still have the old schedules...the Riverhead LIRR one even has the S90 schedule still attached). Same on the S5 (Smithtown) and S62 (the person in Riverhead seeking S92 service to Greenport). On the S12, the B/O and passenger seemed to know each other, so probably the passenger found out from the B/O.

There was also a bit of hesitancy in using the timed connections (understandably). At Patchogue, there was a passenger who needed to go to Wyandanch, so I told him to take the S2 to the S12, and he was a bit worried if there was going to be a connecting bus in Bay Shore at that time. I assured him there would be, but he ended up taking the S51 to Ronkonkoma for the LIRR. 

[The TransitMan]

47 minutes ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

I took a trip on the new system yesterday.

Long story short, they need to enforce the timed connections better. Buses were leaving early (a Greenport-bound S92 left Riverhead almost 15 minutes early), and some of the instructions for the B/Os were unclear (for example, my S12 showed up using a minibus with no signage...at Bay Shore, he interlined with the S7 and ended up swapping out the minibus for a full-size bus with the B/O operating the arriving S12). Also, at Riverhead LIRR, the directions seemed to indicate for buses to make a right onto Railroad Avenue (and terminate by this parking lot here rather than at the old stop by the LIRR station here which had the signage...though an S80 B/O insisted that the parking lot was the correct stop, despite the return directions saying to make a left at the deli, and there is no deli in the other direction). My S62 at first made a right turn onto Railroad Avenue, and then when he was confused about the lack of a bus stop, ended up waiting for the S92 to see what he would do...the S92 made a left, but didn't hold at the LIRR station, which meant that the S62 passenger (who boarded by the commercial area near the Peconic Bay Medical Center who needed that connection ended up having to wait another hour for the next bus...even more of a reason for the S92 to be split...that way there is no confusion about whether or not buses need to hold at that point, since it's the first stop). 

That 311 number only seems to be available during standard office hours (a passenger on the S7 complained that he called 311 and was left on hold for an hour before he gave up).

No semblance of any timed connections at Brentwood. My S7 arrived late due to so many people on the bus having questions...there were only 10-15 people on the bus, but it felt like a lot more with all of the chaos, with everyone going to the front and asking questions and pulling timetables from the holders, etc. I explained some passengers that this was basically the old S41 with some elements of the S45 mixed in, so that helped alleviate some of the confusion). For what it's worth, a friend of mine joined me on the trip and we thought that there was a second stop outside the parking lot, but there wasn't so he ended up missing the S7. I told him to get on the S11 and meet me in Brentwood...it was basically just him and one other person who got on further up the route. Also, we ended up just missing the gates at Brentwood (even though the train had to wait to pick up people at the station) so anybody who needed to make the westbound train was SOL...likewise the eastbound train passed shortly after the northbound bus left, so they managed to screw people in both directions). 

The S5 only had one other passenger who got on somewhere in Smithtown and was seeking the S58 (which was either missing or had left already...for what it's worth, we didn't see it at Brentwood either). At Smith Haven Mall, there were some ambassadors who were helping passengers. They said the main thing they heard was that the timed transfers weren't being held, and they also heard some complaints about some corridors having service eliminated (e.g. Sayville - Ronkonkoma, Kings Park, Udall Road, etc). There were also a lot of S51 buses (apparently, the B/Os were given the wrong code, so the northbound buses were signed up as southbound buses and vice versa). There didn't seem to be much of a semblance of a schedule with the S51...the southbound bus got to Smith Haven at 3:04pm, which is when he was due to arrive at Ronkonkoma...when my S62 left around 3:22pm, there were two S51s that left with us (even though the schedule indicates they should pass around :46).

The only people on my S62 were my friend and myself, two transit fans who got on somewhere in Rocky Point, and then the person who was seeking the Greenport-bound S92 in Riverhead. On the S66, only my friend and myself got on at the LIRR station, two people got on at the County Center (presumably having come off the S92), we skipped SCCC due to the campus being closed, and then we picked up and dropped off a few people throughout the rest of the route into Patchogue. 

At Patchogue, I got on the S2, and oddly enough I was the only one on the bus all the way to Amityville...FWIW we got to Amityville 20 minutes early, so I don't know if anybody missed that interval due to that.

Also, FWIW it was only myself and one other passenger (who got on in Deer Park) who were on the S12 towards Bay Shore. I saw an S12 passing in the other direction around Deer Park and didn't see anybody on it (through the windows anyway). So it seems it'll take a bit of time before the Sunday service catches on. (Not sure where the other person got on the S11, but my guess is it was probably somewhere along Brentwood Road, since that previously had S45 service...as far as I recall, all of the people who got on my S7 were using either former S41 or S45 stops...also FWIW, I don't believe I saw any new stops installed along Candlewood Road, and all of the old stops still have the old schedules...the Riverhead LIRR one even has the S90 schedule still attached). Same on the S5 (Smithtown) and S62 (the person in Riverhead seeking S92 service to Greenport). On the S12, the B/O and passenger seemed to know each other, so probably the passenger found out from the B/O.

There was also a bit of hesitancy in using the timed connections (understandably). At Patchogue, there was a passenger who needed to go to Wyandanch, so I told him to take the S2 to the S12, and he was a bit worried if there was going to be a connecting bus in Bay Shore at that time. I assured him there would be, but he ended up taking the S51 to Ronkonkoma for the LIRR. 

AH! So we must have missed each other. I went to Southampton and arrived around 10:15 via LIRR Montauk Branch. While passing through Babylon, I saw Orion #1070 on the 2 (Patchogue RR via Montauk Hwy)...I knew I wasn't crazy when I read your post about the 2 going to Amityville. Bus #1070 sat in the parking lot like an old S40 and went back east. Meanwhile in Patchogue I saw Orion #1059 on the 2. Have to admit, the new signage looks really good...especially on the Orions. The New Flyers...ABOUT DAMN TIME they put those signs to good use. I mean "S41 NRTHPRT"...really? However, not ALL buses had the new signage. Saw a couple with the old S92 signage and one with "Suffolk County Transit". 

From Southampton, I took the 92 (New Flyer #7005) to Riverhead and I love how they attached a note onto each sign...LOL! By the way, New Flyer #7032 was also on the 92, guess they are putting those buses to good use...former 8A buses (#7031-7033). When we got to the County Center, the driver was asked by someone who had a bike, "do any buses go to Tanger Outlets?" As the driver tried to explain to the customer to get the bus at Riverhead RR, the customer just gave up and remained at the County Center. Again, he has a bike. It's not that far by bike...maybe about 15-20 minutes. By the way, that County Center looked empty compared to when it use to be. As we left the County Center, the 92 doubles back to the traffic circle and no longer uses Center Drive North, which is puzzling because Peconic Av has traffic ALL day and evening. Once I got to Riverhead RR, I saw the "connection", which are WAY back at the other end of the block, near the corner of Railroad Av and Griffing Av. Saw Orion #1021 on the 66 signed Patchogue RR via Mastic Beach. Also I saw what YOU saw with that bus making the right turn off of Griffing Av and onto Railroad Av. Drivers must been confused because the 80 is supposed to be on Roanoke Av in BOTH directions. What this driver did, which I saw was travel along Osborn Av, made the left onto Court St, left onto Griffing Av and then right onto Railroad Av to stand. By the way, NO bus stopped at the bus stop in front of Riverhead RR Station, so look for a NEW bus stop to be placed there. Would not surprise me if they turn that area of Railroad Av into what I saw in Brentwood RR...like I said, we must have missed each other.

Heading back home via the LIRR Greenport/Ronkonkoma Branch, I saw New Flyer #7041 on the 52A at Ronkonkoma station...THAT will be my next adventure. Then I saw New Flyer #7029 on the 11 leaving Brentwood RR (looks like a NEW exit...didn't recognize that before) and while pulling into the station, I saw Orion #1008 on the 7 and Orion #1001 on the 5. Now THAT new terminal at Brentwood RR on the northside,..with NEW bus stop signage I like! That gets the buses out of the traffic on Brentwood Rd. Although at both Brentwood RR AND Riverhead RR, no sign of the 58. Will check that too as you can now get to Riverhead from Brentwood. Oh yeah I saw a New Flyer on the 6 on Wheeler Rd and Orion #1061 layover "Returning to the Yard" at Central Islip.

So it was an interesting day and I will be back out there to rides some of these NEW or updated routes.

[checkmatechamp13]

Just spoke with Suffolk Bus and there's two eastbound trips on the 58 that are diverting to serve Calverton Hills (they will arrive at 9:45am and 4:45pm). No westbound service will be offered (Riders will have to backtrack through Riverhead or one of the transfer points heading west). 

[checkmatechamp13]

Service Adjustment: The eastbound 58 departing Brentwood LIRR at 8:05 AM will stop at Toppings Path and Edwards Avenue at 9:45 AM. The eastbound 58 departing Brentwood LIRR at 3:05 PM will stop at Toppings Path and Edwards Avenue at 4:50 PM. There will be no service to NYS25 between Edwards Avenue and Riverhead LIRR on these trips. For access to NYS25, please transfer to a westbound 58 at Riverhead LIRR

[The TransitMan]

On 11/7/2023 at 1:18 PM, checkmatechamp13 said:

Just spoke with Suffolk Bus and there's two eastbound trips on the 58 that are diverting to serve Calverton Hills (they will arrive at 9:45am and 4:45pm). No westbound service will be offered (Riders will have to backtrack through Riverhead or one of the transfer points heading west). 

 

On 11/11/2023 at 4:02 PM, checkmatechamp13 said:

Service Adjustment: The eastbound 58 departing Brentwood LIRR at 8:05 AM will stop at Toppings Path and Edwards Avenue at 9:45 AM. The eastbound 58 departing Brentwood LIRR at 3:05 PM will stop at Toppings Path and Edwards Avenue at 4:50 PM. There will be no service to NYS25 between Edwards Avenue and Riverhead LIRR on these trips. For access to NYS25, please transfer to a westbound 58 at Riverhead LIRR

...and THAT didn't take long! I knew those residents in Calverton Hills were not going to go quietly! Taking away the 8A and replacing it with...nothing. Yeah, that did not take long. I'm surprised that is not on Google maps yet...LOL!

I see more changes coming.

[checkmatechamp13]

I took another trip out to Suffolk (this one was a bit less intensive...basically the S4 from Wyandanch to Smith Haven, the S51 from Smith Haven to Patchogue, and the S6 from Patchogue to just short of Walt Whitman Mall. (Walked over to the Huntington LIRR station afterwards).

They're doing a somewhat better job of holding at the timed connection points, but the issue is that the wait times are generally too long...at Brentwood I get it, but at Central Islip, there is no need to  put a good 10 minutes of padding into the schedule when there was another connection point a few minutes away at Brentwood...we saw a train at Deer Park, and the next train after that caught up to us at Central Islip...that's how much padding there is at Brentwood & Central Islip (at Brentwood I get it...if anything there was still one of the two S11 buses that we should've waited for...but at Central Islip there's no need for all of that padding...on the S6 going back oddly enough nobody got on or off at Central Islip). The S58 also left early from Smith Haven (which meant anybody coming off the S51 who wanted to head out east had to wait the full hour). 

In any case, I have an idea regarding some restructuring in the Brentwood/Central Islip area as follows:

S5: Operates from Babylon - Central Islip via Udall Road, Heartland Industrial Park, and Pilgrim Psychiatric Center...once it gets to Wicks Road it makes a left down Wicks Road/Moreland Avenue, and heads down Oser Avenue, Old Willets Path, Rabro Drive, and Simeon Woods Road to the NYS Office Building. Then it heads down the S17 route to Central Islip LIRR to terminate. Service reduced to hourly. For more frequent service from Hauppauge to the Main Line, take the S6, S11, or S58. Transfers to all of the Brentwood routes are still available elsewhere along the route (S4 at Deer Park, S7 at SCCC, S11/58 at Hauppauge).

S6 branched to operate via Old Willets Path/Jericho Turnpike and Veterans Memorial Highway. Weekend/evening service operates via Old Willets Path/Jericho Turnpike.

New S9 route created to operate from Babylon to Huntington Square Mall via Deer Park Avenue (Slight diversion up Commack Road to serve the back to Tanger Outlets and Nicholls Road on the north side of the LIRR tracks...riders closer to Deer Park Avenue can use the S12 if necessary to connect with the S9). Half-hourly service provided south of Tanger Outlets/Stop & Shop shopping plaza. S3 rerouted similar to old S23 north of Wyandanch, since the S9 covers Deer Park Avenue. 

S10 broken into S8 (Airport Plaza - Amityville via Albany Avenue) and S10 (Airport Plaza - Babylon via NY-109). 

S11: Operates from Bay Shore - Smith Haven Mall, using the existing route up to Motor Parkway & Adams Avenue...it makes a right on Adams Avenue, right on Oser Avenue, heads over to the NYS Office Building, and then continues up NY-347 (Smithtown Bypass), NY-111 (Hauppauge Road), CR-15 (Maple Avenue), and then Jericho Turnpike to terminate at Smith Haven Mall. I think Smith Haven & Smithtown could use the direct connection to Bay Shore/North Bay Shore & southern Brentwood moreso than they could use the (much more meandering) connection to Babylon.

S17 truncated to operate from Central Islip LIRR station to Islip LIRR station. Given that there's no timed transfer to the S2 anyway, anybody who wants to connect to the S2 would have plenty of time to walk down to Montauk Highway to make the connection (Plus with the apartments and supermarket near the Islip LIRR station, there should be a decent amount of ridership generated from that area).

S58 routed up Calebs Path instead of Joshuas Path.

[checkmatechamp13]

Service Adjustment: Beginning on December 1st, Route 51 service to Stony Brook University Hospital will now stop on Health Sciences Drive.

Service Adjustment: Route 3 will no longer operate on Livingston Avenue and Hubbards Path in Babylon, NY. Route 3 will now serve Park Avenue (west of Livingston Avenue) and Belmont Avenue.

[B35 via Church]

On 11/22/2023 at 2:16 AM, checkmatechamp13 said:

They're doing a somewhat better job of holding at the timed connection points, but the issue is that the wait times are generally too long...at Brentwood I get it, but at Central Islip, there is no need to  put a good 10 minutes of padding into the schedule when there was another connection point a few minutes away at Brentwood...we saw a train at Deer Park, and the next train after that caught up to us at Central Islip...that's how much padding there is at Brentwood & Central Islip (at Brentwood I get it...if anything there was still one of the two S11 buses that we should've waited for...but at Central Islip there's no need for all of that padding...on the S6 going back oddly enough nobody got on or off at Central Islip). The S58 also left early from Smith Haven (which meant anybody coming off the S51 who wanted to head out east had to wait the full hour). 

Well hell, if the wait times are still/generally too long, then how bad was it before (as in, compared to the first time you went out there) ?

Even with all the cuts to the system, SCT's bus system is still too large to organically pull off timed connections at multiple/major xfer points in the network.... While well-intentioned, it's just not realistic.... Weird feeling, but in regards to this particular facet of the new network, I'm sitting back reading this sneering & chortling, while concurrently irritated.....

Back when you & @Mtatransit were stoked, or otherwise (apparently) optimistic about these timed connections, the very thing you're now reporting here with this, is what I figured was going to end up happening - having buses sitting idle for minutes on end, mid-route, in an attempt to make these timed connections work... Too many variables at play to have it all be pulled off naturally smoothly, or otherwise within reason.... Speaking of which, I'd go as far as to say it's unreasonable to riders that aren't seeking those particular mid-route connections; I would personally be livid if I was sitting at one stop for 10 minutes in an attempt to guarantee a connection (I'd say 5 is even pushing it, but that's the greatest amount of leeway I'd give it)... Like how much time is some poor rider on the #4 traveling between say, Deer Park & Smith Haven, having being pissed away sitting at Brentwood and at Central Islip waiting for connections that he/she doesn't need.....

To me, all it shows is how the powers that be, views the bus system.... The new network is not *the little engine that could* (so to speak)... It is not small at all, but it appears to me that the decision makers in all this, views SCT as some small bus network....

My plan was to ride the new system the first week of the new year (while I'm off work), but the more I read your posts/reports & listen to pinepower's videos regarding the new network, I want no part of this crap.