Short-Term
East Shore (SIM1/SIM1C/SIM5/SIM6/SIM7/SIM9/SIM10)
SIM1 needs to be split into "New Dorp via Hylan Blvd" (old X3) and "Eltingville via Father Capodanno" (old X4) patterns. However, in doing so, we need to watch the span of service. The span of the old X3/X4 was relatively short, and we need the span for both to be similar to that of the SIM1 prior to the Winter 2019 (January 13th, 2019) pick changes.
Just for reference, the span of the SIM1 after the October 7th, 2018 changes was as follows:
From Eltingville Transit Center: 5:05am - 9:07am
From Chambers Street: 2:55pm - 8:30pm (the 2:40pm SIM1 was unnecessarily extended to CPS & 6th, overlapping with the SIM7 & SIM10, and should be cut back accordingly)
Now it should be considered that this would result in service adjustments being required to the SIM5 (most likely, service would end up being slightly reduced, while the amount of service on the two "splits" of the SIM1 would exceed the amount currently provided on the SIM1 (though service on the individual splits would be less than that on the current SIM1). This is because the southern split of the SIM1 (let's call it SIM12 for now, though SIM1X might also be a good designation) would provide additional Downtown-bound service on the "Eltingville via Father Capodanno" corridor that is currently only provided by the SIM5.
But in any case, I mention the span because that span is much longer than that of the X3/X4. This provides Father Capodanno Blvd with a longer span of express bus service. In the morning, the difference isn't that much, since the SIM5 had its span extended compared to that of the X8 (4:55am - 9am leaving the ETC, and 3pm - 7pm leaving Frankfort Street). However, in the afternoon, this span extension would provide later service from Downtown to the Father Capodanno Blvd corridor (if you think about it, the SIM6 runs late from Midtown, so it makes sense for the Downtown variant to also run late)
Overall, this should save money which can be reinvested in extending the spans of other routes both within and outside of the East Shore corridor, as well as providing more cushion for the "roll-on"/deadhead time to reach the terminals (especially for second trips)
SIM10 needs to be split into "New Dorp via Hylan Blvd" (old X9 Midtown portion) and "Eltingville via Father Capodanno" (old X7 Midtown portion) patterns. However, in doing so, we again need to watch the span of service. The span of the old X7/X9 was relatively short (not as short as the X3/4, but still not as long as it could be), and we need the span for both to be similar to (or longer than) that of the SIM10 prior to the Winter 2019 (January 13th, 2019) pick changes.
Just for reference, the span of the SIM10 after the October 7th, 2018 changes was as follows:
From Eltingville Transit Center: 4:10am - 9:10am
From CPS & 6th: 2:00pm - 7:56pm (the 2:40pm SIM1 was unnecessarily extended to CPS & 6th, overlapping with the SIM7 & SIM10, and should be cut back accordingly)
http://checkmatechamp1.blogspot.com/2019/07/extending-span-of-peak-variants.html
SIM7/9 need to follow the "Eltingville via Father Capodanno" and "New Dorp via Hylan" pattern (whichever pattern is assigned to whichever number is irrelevant, as long as adequate service levels exist on both to prevent overcrowding).
South Shore (SIM2/4C/22/23/24/25/26)
Bunching on the SIM2 in the morning needs to be monitored. When a bus gets delayed in the beginning of the route, it should run straight up Huguenot Avenue and make the next stop at Arthur Kill Road ("Checkpoint") and let the following bus cover Arden Avenue. Otherwise, you end up with a long gap at the northern end, followed by bunching. Especially since the SIM2 is the only Downtown route serving "Checkpoint", efforts should be made to provide consistent service there. (Also, for those on Arden Avenue who are in a hurry, if they know that they can consistently get a bus at "Checkpoint", they can take the SIM23 there in the event of a delay on the SIM2).
SIM2/4/8 need to have their spans extended (and the SIM4C span reduced accordingly) as per my blog post here: http://checkmatechamp1.blogspot.com/2019/07/extending-span-of-peak-variants.html
SIM22 needs to have more consistent service in East Midtown. If buses are constantly being deadheaded to West Midtown, then they should just start there and make it official and consistent, instead of random trips bypassing stops depending on whoever is the dispatcher that day.
SIM25 needs a span extension at the beginning of the PM rush hour. Can be done by moving the 3:10pm to depart at 3pm, and adding a 2:30pm, while combining the 2:30pm and 2:50pm SIM26 trips into a 2:40pm trip (out of 57th & Lexington)
Excess runtime on 42nd Street in the evenings (after 7pm). Runtime also needs to be looked at along 42nd Street itself now that the bus lane is in effect
North Shore (SIM3/3C/30/31/32/33/33C/34/35)
See other blog post: http://checkmatechamp1.blogspot.com/2019/07/extending-span-of-peak-variants.html
Also, SIM31 stops should be placed with SIM3/8 stops (instead of SIM10 stops) along 5th Avenue so that people in the Castleton Corners and New Springville areas can switch off as necessary.
West Shore (SIM4/4X/4C/8/8X)
SIM4/4X need to have their terminals swapped so that the SIM4 terminates at the SI Mall during the hours when the SIM4X operates (when the SIM4X does not operate, the SIM4 would operate to the South Shore).
SIM8/8X need to have their terminals swapped so that the SIM8 terminates at the SI Mall during the hours when the SIM8X operates (when the SIM8X does not operate, the SIM8 would operate to the South Shore). This would provide reasonably quick service for those along Woodrow Road (not as quick as the old X23, but that is the most that can realistically be done without tangling up the South Shore express network and forcing Arden Avenue residents to take an even longer ride up Richmond Avenue). Plus Woodrow Road has (and would have) a longer span of service with the SIM8/8X compared to the X23. Additionally, this complements the SIM23/24 by maintaining a reasonably quick route directly to 42nd Street, while the SIM23/24 cover 34th Street.
SIM2/4/8 need to have their spans extended according to my previous blog post: http://checkmatechamp1.blogspot.com/2019/07/extending-span-of-peak-variants.html
SIM4C has excess runtime between Arden Heights & Eltingville Transit Center on weekends.
On the SIM4C, there is no need for westbound buses to loop through Annadale Road. The X17C never did that (and in the medium/long-term, there should be a restructuring of South Shore express bus service so that the SIM4 runs down Annadale Road en-route to areas further on the South Shore).
Excess runtime after 7pm along 42nd Street
Medium Term
East Shore
The span of the SIM10 should be expanded so that buses run well into the off-peak periods. During the timeframes where the SIM1C currently operates every 15 minutes or better (4 buses per hour or more), service should be split so that the SIM1C covers areas south of 23rd Street and the SIM10 covers Midtown (I also have a proposal to reroute the SIM10 to Hudson Yards. See below). The frequency would be 2 buses per hour (or better) for the SIM10 and 3 buses per hour (or better) for the SIM1C (Since there is less runtime on each individual route, the savings should be reinvested into more trips for the overall corridor. Hence why I am proposing a minimum of a 1 bus per hour increase in service).
The SIM10/31 should also be routed to West Midtown instead of East Midtown, to serve Hudson Yards and also provide easier access to subway connections (the only real connection on the SIM31 is at 23rd & Park which is next to a local station on the #6 line and a short walk from another local station on the R/W, whereas coming across 34th Street gives you access to express stations). The routing should be West Street-10th Avenue-34th Street-Madison Avenue (6th Avenue for the SIM10) inbound, and 5th Avenue-34th Street-11th Avenue-West street heading outbound.
The SIM7/9/33 should be extended to 23rd Street & Broadway (with a stop at 23rd Street & 6th Avenue) to accommodate riders who previously took the SIM10/31 in that area. SIM10 riders can also use the SIM6/11, and SIM31 riders seeking 23rd Street service can either make their way to the SIM33, or take a local bus to the SIM3 (previously when it was the X31 serving the area, they would've had to do the same thing: Either take the X10 or make their way to the X42).
South Shore
The SIM4/4X need to be extended deeper into the South Shore (either Arden & Drumgoole, Annadale SIR station, Huguenot SIR station, Drumgoole & Maguire or Hylan & Huguenot). This would provide additional Downtown service from the South Shore and relieve pressure from the SIM2, which is currently the only Downtown route that penetrates the South Shore in any meaningful way.
A Downtown route needs to be created running along the SIM26. Likely it would do something similar as the SIM2 and detour a bit to cover more areas on the South Shore (the SIM2 was originally planned to run straight up Huguenot Avenue, but in March 2018 they changed the plan and had it run up Woodrow Road and Arden Avenue. Likewise, this new route, let's call it SIM27 for now, would run up Woodrow Road and Rossville Avenue like the old X22). It should run on a standard rush hour span (say, 5-9am and 3-7pm from the respective terminals), and start off on 15-20 minute headways to gauge demand (that's 3-4 buses per hour, so a few trips can be pulled from the SIM2, SIM25, and SIM26, since those riders would be getting a bus directly to/from their destinations and would no longer need to drive or transfer to/from those routes). However, the total number of trips should be increased (so the total number of trips on the SIM2/25/26/27 should be more than the number of trips currently on the SIM/25/26).
Long Term
Off-peak/reverse-peak service needs to be expanded to provide more coverage on the Staten Island side, even if it means giving up some coverage on the Manhattan side. A good time to take a second look at this is when the local bus network is restructured.
The service pattern I would look for would be something along the lines of the following:
SIM1C: Truncated to 23rd Street & Broadway. SIM10 runs off-peak via above routing (via 10th/11th Avenue-34th Street-5th/6th Avenue).
SIM2
SIM4 (extended deeper into the South Shore as discussed above)
SIM26 (off-peak routing stops at "Checkpoint" and also runs up South Avenue to Forest Avenue to provide some off-peak service for Mariners Harbor/Graniteville residents, as well as anyone who may have a reverse-peak commute to the Teleport. It wouldn't go inside the Teleport like the local buses, only stop along South Avenue)
SIM32 (with off-peak buses serving Narrows Road)
SIM34 (with alternate buses running to Port Richmond)
I was thinking of adding either the SIM5 or SIM6 (or a combination of both, that runs up the FDR Drive and Water Street, similar to the post-2010 X14), but I think a local bus that runs along the Giffords/Nelson/Hylan/Father Capodanno corridor would be a better use of resources.
Routes like the SIM8 & SIM31 could get a span extension into more of the off-peak period, without getting full off-peak service.
I would try to have all of those routes operate every 30 minutes or better where possible, and also have them run as late as possible (any neighborhood which currently has off-peak service should have a similar or better span to what they have now).
I would also propose a SIM4N, which would operate from Arden Heights to Downtown via Woodrow-Arden-Arthur Kill-Richmond-Victory-Gannon-Narrows (that would take over when the SIM2/4/32 don't operate).
