M96 Gets Pokey Award for Slowest Bus

[Trainspotter]

And the award for the slowest bus in New York goes to … the M96. The crosstown route on 96th Street, which goes from First Avenue to West End Avenue, was clocked at 3.7 miles an hour, measured in the early afternoon on a weekday, according to two transit advocacy groups, the Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives.

 

That qualified the route for the groups’ annual Pokey Award for the slowest bus route in the city.

 

The groups pointed out in a news release that the M96 moved only slightly faster than the speed that an average person walks: 3 m.p.h. And it was slower, the groups said, than a running chicken, which they claimed can reach velocities in the range of 9 m.p.h. In fairness, however, it was not clear how close a chicken could get to its maximum speed in crosstown traffic.

 

The Pokey Award is represented by an imaginary statuette in the form of a golden snail.

 

The groups also gave an award they call the Schleppie, for the least reliable bus route, measured by the percentage of buses that arrive in bunches or with large gaps in service. The winners were the M101, M102 and M103, a series of routes that overlap on Third and Lexington Avenues (the M101 extends along Amsterdam Avenue, the M102 along Lenox Avenue and the M103 on the Bowery).

 

More than a quarter of all buses on those routes arrived either in bunches or with extra-long gaps between them, according to data compiled by New York City Transit.

 

Here are the award winners and some of the runners-up in each borough:

 

The slowest bus routes by borough:

 

 

• M96, crosstown on 96th Street in Manhattan: 3.7 m.p.h.
  
• B63, between Bay Ridge and Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, 4.9 m.p.h.
  
• Bx19, between the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, 5.3 m.p.h.
  
• Q56, between Jamaica, Queens, and East New York, Brooklyn: 6.1 m.p.h.
  
• S42, between New Brighton and the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island: 11.4 m.p.h.
  

 

 

In four boroughs — the two advocacy groups took into account only routes on which more than 20 percent of buses failed the reliability standard, and no routes from Queens exceeded that threshold — the most unreliable bus routes, measured as those with the highest percentage of buses bunching together or with big gaps in service, were:

 

 

• Bx41, between Wakefield and the Hub on White Plains Road and Webster Avenue in the Bronx: 20.7 percent unreliable
  
• S74, between the St. George Ferry Terminal and Tottenville on Richmond and Arthur Kill Roads on Staten Island: 22.1 percent unreliable
  
• B44, between Sheepshead Bay and Williamsburg on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn: 24.0 percent unreliable
  
• M101, M102 and M103, between Upper and Lower Manhattan on Third, Lexington, Amsterdam and Lenox Avenues: 26.1 percent unreliable
  

 

 

BY WILLIAM NEUMAN

NEW YORK TIMES

NOVEMBER 13, 2008

[Radioguy]

Yeah, I saw that when you did. I'm surprised the M23 didn't get a dishonoroable mention as well.

[mark1447]

Ive never knew Bx19 was slow bus wtf?

 

and 96 well byebye, add more 106s and then we talk~

[Forest Glen]

The Bx19 literally stops on every block. Plus it gets congested around The Hub.

[mark1447]

The Bx19 literally stops on every block. Plus it gets congested around The Hub.

 

well how about Bx19 LTD or yet better +SBS ?

[Y2Julio]

The B63 runs via 5th Avenue which gets VERY crowded in Park Slope, Sunset Park and Bay Ridge, plus the idiots that double park illegally don't help out much either.

[MTR Admiralty]

And the award for the slowest bus in New York goes to … the M96. The crosstown route on 96th Street, which goes from First Avenue to West End Avenue, was clocked at 3.7 miles an hour, measured in the early afternoon on a weekday, according to two transit advocacy groups, the Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives.

 

That qualified the route for the groups’ annual Pokey Award for the slowest bus route in the city.

 

The groups pointed out in a news release that the M96 moved only slightly faster than the speed that an average person walks: 3 m.p.h. And it was slower, the groups said, than a running chicken, which they claimed can reach velocities in the range of 9 m.p.h. In fairness, however, it was not clear how close a chicken could get to its maximum speed in crosstown traffic.

 

The Pokey Award is represented by an imaginary statuette in the form of a golden snail.

 

The groups also gave an award they call the Schleppie, for the least reliable bus route, measured by the percentage of buses that arrive in bunches or with large gaps in service. The winners were the M101, M102 and M103, a series of routes that overlap on Third and Lexington Avenues (the M101 extends along Amsterdam Avenue, the M102 along Lenox Avenue and the M103 on the Bowery).

 

More than a quarter of all buses on those routes arrived either in bunches or with extra-long gaps between them, according to data compiled by New York City Transit.

 

Here are the award winners and some of the runners-up in each borough:

 

The slowest bus routes by borough:

 

 

• M96, crosstown on 96th Street in Manhattan: 3.7 m.p.h.

• B63, between Bay Ridge and Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, 4.9 m.p.h.

• Bx19, between the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, 5.3 m.p.h.

• Q56, between Jamaica, Queens, and East New York, Brooklyn: 6.1 m.p.h.

• S42, between New Brighton and the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island: 11.4 m.p.h.

 

 

In four boroughs — the two advocacy groups took into account only routes on which more than 20 percent of buses failed the reliability standard, and no routes from Queens exceeded that threshold — the most unreliable bus routes, measured as those with the highest percentage of buses bunching together or with big gaps in service, were:

 

 

• Bx41, between Wakefield and the Hub on White Plains Road and Webster Avenue in the Bronx: 20.7 percent unreliable

• S74, between the St. George Ferry Terminal and Tottenville on Richmond and Arthur Kill Roads on Staten Island: 22.1 percent unreliable

• B44, between Sheepshead Bay and Williamsburg on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn: 24.0 percent unreliable

• M101, M102 and M103, between Upper and Lower Manhattan on Third, Lexington, Amsterdam and Lenox Avenues: 26.1 percent unreliable

 

 

BY WILLIAM NEUMAN

NEW YORK TIMES

NOVEMBER 13, 2008

 

The M103 is a real pain in the rear. How about some +SBS on those 3 lines? In fact, how about merging the M103 with the M101 and M102, in other words, just send M101 and M102 to City Hall, instead of turning at 8th Street.

[R32 3348]

This bus is ridiculous. It takes 10 minutes to go from Madison to 5th W/B. The ride gets better after it enters Central Park.

[MTR Admiralty]

This bus is ridiculous. It takes 10 minutes to go from Madison to 5th W/B. The ride gets better after it enters Central Park.

 

You would not believe this yourself. But over the summer, around July. I was around Union Square and I wanted to get down to Chinatown. So I decided to take a ride on the 103. Jesus Christ, I had to wait 45 minutes for that bloody bus to come. There were M9s, M101s, M102s and a bus going OOS. I could've taken the . And the ride was pathetic too, took another 30 minutes to get to Bayard Street.

[I Run Trains]

The M103 is a real pain in the rear. How about some +SBS on those 3 lines? In fact, how about merging the M103 with the M101 and M102, in other words, just send M101 and M102 to City Hall, instead of turning at 8th Street.

 

The M103 was made to stop and save time on the M101/2 from going to city hall. That was a hell of a route for the 101. If anything I say combine the 101 and 103 and send the 102 to city hall, but over all. I don't care. I'd never take the 101 from city call from my house on 184 st...

I think the M101 is already the longest local route in the MTA! Making to longer is crazy

[MTR Admiralty]

The M103 was made to stop and save time on the M101/2 from going to city hall. That was a hell of a route for the 101. If anything I say combine the 101 and 103 and send the 102 to city hall, but over all. I don't care. I'd never take the 101 from city call from my house on 184 st...

I think the M101 is already the longest local route in the MTA! Making to longer is crazy

 

I'm not quite sure about length... lol

But the M103 is evidently a poor substitute for the 2nd Avenue El; sufficient for the 50s and 60s, but not now.

[RokuSix]

The Bx19 is slow. It just passes through really traffic-ridden areas. These surveys make it seem like it's the fault of the bus...like the bus doesn't want to move. But it's external factors that mess it up.

[I Run Trains]

I'm not quite sure about length... lol

But the M103 is evidently a poor substitute for the 2nd Avenue El; sufficient for the 50s and 60s, but not now.

 

I remember 1 driver telling me the the M101 is the longest local route in the . And as I though about all the routes in the I dunno see any other routes as long as that!

 

And why would M103 be a sub for the 2nd Av El on Lex and Third?

Wasn't the 103 made to shorten up the 101 and 102 like I said before?

[Novabus 5000]

And the award for the slowest bus in New York goes to … the M96. The crosstown route on 96th Street, which goes from First Avenue to West End Avenue, was clocked at 3.7 miles an hour, measured in the early afternoon on a weekday, according to two transit advocacy groups, the Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives.

 

That qualified the route for the groups’ annual Pokey Award for the slowest bus route in the city.

 

The groups pointed out in a news release that the M96 moved only slightly faster than the speed that an average person walks: 3 m.p.h. And it was slower, the groups said, than a running chicken, which they claimed can reach velocities in the range of 9 m.p.h. In fairness, however, it was not clear how close a chicken could get to its maximum speed in crosstown traffic.

 

The Pokey Award is represented by an imaginary statuette in the form of a golden snail.

 

The groups also gave an award they call the Schleppie, for the least reliable bus route, measured by the percentage of buses that arrive in bunches or with large gaps in service. The winners were the M101, M102 and M103, a series of routes that overlap on Third and Lexington Avenues (the M101 extends along Amsterdam Avenue, the M102 along Lenox Avenue and the M103 on the Bowery).

 

More than a quarter of all buses on those routes arrived either in bunches or with extra-long gaps between them, according to data compiled by New York City Transit.

 

Here are the award winners and some of the runners-up in each borough:

 

The slowest bus routes by borough:

 

 

• M96, crosstown on 96th Street in Manhattan: 3.7 m.p.h.

• B63, between Bay Ridge and Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, 4.9 m.p.h.

• Bx19, between the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, 5.3 m.p.h.

• Q56, between Jamaica, Queens, and East New York, Brooklyn: 6.1 m.p.h. DAMN!!:mad:

• S42, between New Brighton and the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island: 11.4 m.p.h.

 

 

In four boroughs — the two advocacy groups took into account only routes on which more than 20 percent of buses failed the reliability standard, and no routes from Queens exceeded that threshold — the most unreliable bus routes, measured as those with the highest percentage of buses bunching together or with big gaps in service, were:

 

 

• Bx41, between Wakefield and the Hub on White Plains Road and Webster Avenue in the Bronx: 20.7 percent unreliable

• S74, between the St. George Ferry Terminal and Tottenville on Richmond and Arthur Kill Roads on Staten Island: 22.1 percent unreliable

• B44, between Sheepshead Bay and Williamsburg on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn: 24.0 percent unreliable

• M101, M102 and M103, between Upper and Lower Manhattan on Third, Lexington, Amsterdam and Lenox Avenues: 26.1 percent unreliable

 

 

BY WILLIAM NEUMAN

NEW YORK TIMES

NOVEMBER 13, 2008

 

Look at what i say