Comments on January 13th Schedules (Part 2)

So after a bit more review, I have identified some additional issues. Part 1 is available here.

Early Morning Gannon/Watchogue Service

So one of the things pointed out to me (thank you Kristin!) is that when the SIM4C was moved back over to Richmond Avenue, it removed the option for Gannon Avenue residents to have an express bus that could get them to Midtown in time to start work by 6am (which they didn't have before August 19th, but that doesn't mean it's acceptable). Basically, what happens is that the first X10 left Port Richmond at 5am, so they had the first SIM3 leave Port Richmond at 5am and the first SIM33 leave Mariners Harbor at 5am. The first X17 left Arden Heights at 4:05am so they had the first SIM4C leave Annadale at 4am so that the existing X17 riders could still get to Manhattan at the same time as they did before (Annadale is closer to Manhattan than Arden Heights but the SIM4C made the stops on Gannon while the X17 didn't).

I know the North Shore is physically closer to Manhattan than the South Shore & Mid-Island (which is why you have lines like the SIM8 & SIM10 having their first trips leave the terminal at 4:15am and 4:10am respectively) but yeah I do agree service should start earlier. Actually, I made an earlier point that the structure of the SIM4C (combining the busiest portions of the X10 & X17) actually makes for a good overnight route. As I said, one of the main issues with this redesign as a whole is that it wasn't clear (and still hasn't been made clear by the MTA) what the different tradeoffs are. Some people might not be happy about having to transfer to reach their destination, but if they see that in exchange, they have a longer span of service (in this case, overnight service). If I were an early-morning commuter I'd rather have an express bus that gets me Downtown where I can take the train up from there, as opposed to no express bus whatsoever.

So that being said, I showed the new schedules to my dad (who catches a SIM8 around 5am or so) and he agrees that the extra service on the SIM8 at that time is overkill. He's had to stand maybe once or twice at that time since the redesign (and part of it might've been because they eliminated the 4:15am X17J trip from Arden Heights, since they figured that the SIM8 takes a quicker route down Woodrow instead of Arthur Kill so the 4:30am SIM8 would only leave Staten Island 8 minutes later. Also with the SIM4C making extra stops on Gannon, some riders may have taken the SIM8 to avoid that as well). So anyway, he agrees that having both the SIM4C & SIM8 both running to Midtown at the frequencies they do is overkill. The simple solution is to cut those early-morning SIM4C trips back to 23rd Street (and maybe restore the early-morning frequency to the way it was before August. The X17/SIM4C ran every 30 minutes and the X17J/SIM8 ran every 15 minutes around 5am. Doing so would free up one bus from each route that could possibly be used to provide early-morning service along Gannon Avenue & Watchogue Road (and who knows, some people may currently be walking, driving, or even taking the S62 to Richmond Avenue to catch the early-morning express bus when in reality they live further east).

SIM33C Overlap/Gaps

So another issue that needs to be addressed is the gap in service between Gannon Avenue and the Church Street/Broadway corridor. Previously, the X10 (via Church Street) had its first trip out of Port Richmond at 5am, and then the X10B (via West Street) replaced it starting at 6:10am (when the X11 became the Church Street bus). Then at the end of rush hour the reverse happened (the X11 stopped running and then the X10 picked up). Those X10 (via Church Street) trips still bypassed Narrows Road (which was covered by the X14/15 for all of the X10 stops, as well as the X1/2/3/9 for Hylan Blvd and Fingerboard Road). With Church Street being the primary Downtown corridor (compared to West Street), this makes sense. So the simple solution is to have the SIM33 run up Church Street instead of West Street at anytime when the SIM32 isn't operating (so that would be the 5am, 5:20am, 5:40am, and 8:55am trips from Mariners Harbor. You can label them as SIM33C short-turns to 14th Street, since the SIM31 covers Midtown during that timeframe. There's a slight gap between the 9:11am SIM31 out of Slosson and the 9:46am SIM33C out of Slosson but during that timeframe there's still the SIM3 to Midtown as well, and of course the subway from Downtown. Maybe push the 8:00am & 8:30am SIM31 trips out of the ETC to 8:05am and 8:35am respectively to close the gap a little smoother).

In the PM rush, the span of the X10B was 4:06pm - 6:32pm from Park Avenue & 22nd Street and those trips arrived at Vesey Street & West Street between 4:37pm - 7:01pm (I know it started from Midtown, but the SIM3 & SIM31 cover most of those passengers at that time). The 3:20pm trip out of 57th Street (3:46pm from Park Avenue & 22nd Street) actually had a bit of overlap with the X11 (so it should've really been an X10B trip, especially since it bypassed Narrows Road, but still had the "via Narrows/via Gannon" sign, since the "via Gannon" sign was reserved for the X10B). Anyway, the SIM32 & SIM33 spans should be coordinated in both the AM and PM. (I personally favor doing so by expanding the span of the SIM32, rather than cutting back the span of the SIM33 especially SIM3/31 cover Midtown riders. Of course there is the option of running some SIM33C buses starting from 14th Street, but my general stance is that if a certain amount of capacity is required, it should be done by extending the span of the peak variants because they are more efficient and cover more areas on the Staten Island end compared to the off-peak variants)

Anyway, what I propose (for now) is as follows: Add a 3pm SIM33C out of Midtown (ugh, still don't understand why it runs out of CPS & 6th instead of 57th & Lexington), and have the 3:40pm SIM31 out of 57th & Lexington start at 3:30pm) So that fills the gaps in Midtown-Gannon Avenue service. Eliminate the 2:40pm, 3:00pm, and 3:20pm trips out of 14th Street and have the first bus depart 14th Street at 3:40pm. The 3:00pm trip out of Midtown would get to Chambers Street at 3:40pm, and then the SIM32 picks up at 3:55pm. So the span of the SIM33 would still be a little bit longer than that of the X10B (3:40pm - 6:45pm from 14th Street compared to 4:06pm-6:32pm from 23rd Street)

At the end of the PM rush, convert the 7pm SIM33 trip out of 14th Street to a SIM33C trip (so that the gap between the 6:45pm SIM32 and the 7:37pm SIM33C at Chambers Street is filled). Then cut the 6:50pm and 7:10pm SIM33C trips out of Midtown to 14th Street (since the SIM31 is still operating).

SIM3C Overlap/Gaps

The SIM3C & SIM34 don't really have any gaps between them, but during the PM rush they have a lot of overlap that should be eliminated and reinvested elsewhere. For the AM trips on the SIM34, I would move the 9:00am trip out of Mariners Harbor to depart at 9:10am, and then move the 9:35am SIM3C out of Port Richmond to depart at 9:30am (so that closes the gap between the last SIM34 and first SIM3C). Then from 9:30am - 6:30pm I would operate it every 30 minutes, and then run the last 3 buses at 7:30pm, 8:30pm, and 9:30pm (so yes, it would be a 30 minute span reduction since the last SIM3C is currently at 10pm from Port Richmond). I would have the SIM33C run every 30 minutes from Mariners Harbor from 9:15am - 6:15pm, and then 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, and 10pm from Mariners Harbor. (I do believe that reverse-peak service should operate more frequently, in this case every 30 minutes, considering the marginal cost of doing so is much cheaper compared to adding additional peak trips. But if they're insisting on running reverse-peak service once per hour for now then I guess that's what we're stuck with).

I would have similar coordination between the SIM3C & SIM33C in the outbound direction and on weekends in the inbound direction (on weekends in the outbound direction I see some degree of coordination)

In the PM, I would take the 2:25pm, 2:40pm, and 2:50pm SIM3C buses from Midtown and consolidate them into a 2:40pm SIM3, to eliminate overlap with the SIM34 Downtown and provide a quicker option for Midtown riders. The remaining two trips would be reinvested elsewhere (the SIM30 could definitely use an earlier trip, maybe leaving the Midtown terminal at 3:20pm). The remaining trip can be used on either the SIM3 or SIM34 if either of them needs additional service around that time.

Hylan Blvd

Oh boy, Hylan Blvd, everybody's favorite corridor....the star of the show and the main area where the routes and schedules are an issue....so for starters the main thing I notice right off the bat is that they took an hour off the SIM10 span in the morning (last bus is now 8:10am out of the ETC instead of 9:10am) and 78 minutes off the span in the evening (last bus is now 6:38pm out of CPS/6th instead of 7:56pm). Also, a major issue is that the last few PM buses depart CPS/6th as follows: 6:06pm, 6:16pm, 6:20pm, 6:38pm. I don't know if it was a typo and the 6:20pm trip should maybe depart at 6:26pm or if maybe there's some scheduling nuance where they expect that trip to be late anyway, but all I know is I would not want to depend on that 6:38pm trip, because with an 18 minute gap and everybody scrambling to get on the last bus, I guarantee that bus will be packed and likely bypass people (forcing them to scramble to get the SIM1C, SIM6, or SIM11 and make extra, unnecessary transfers)

I expected a reduction in the frequency of SIM10 service with the introduction of the SIM11, but I definitely didn't expect a span reduction. The last SIM10 is even earlier than the last X7/9 (which both left CPS/6th at 6:45pm). Definitely a huge step backwards.

So in any case, the inbound SIM1C trips departing the ETC between 4:10am and 4:49am should definitely not extend past 14th Street, because from 23rd Street up, that's what the SIM10 is for. Also, I see 2 trips added during that timeframe (compared to the October 7th schedules). Not sure if it's actually an increase in ridership (e.g. construction workers) or if people really don't trust the new system and are leaving super-early before 5am to compensate. In the PM rush, the 2pm SIM1C out of CPS/6th should start at 14th Street to eliminate overlap with the 2pm SIM10.

In any case, the SIM10 needs to keep the original long span (and possibly receive off-peak service. Splitting the SIM1C into a SIM1C starting at 14th Street or 23rd Street, and the SIM10 would definitely work. The question is, would using the SIM6 instead of the SIM10 work better if a North Shore off-peak route covered Narrows Road? But that's for a different post). That pattern is more efficient, covers more areas, and provides quicker, more reliable service overall. Also, as another poster mentioned, with the X24/SIM23 being routed to Barclay Avenue (which it really should be extended to Pollion or Arburtus, but that's a different story) instead of New Dorp, that removes the option of a quick route directly to Midtown (the X24 was faster than the SIM10, but at least the SIM10 is faster than the SIM1C/X1.....now you're pretty much forced to get off Downtown for the subway if you want a quick route to work if you can't get to the last SIM11 in time, and then you have to transfer again to reach West Midtown, which requires another fare because the policy of "if the second route is a SIM route you get another free transfer" was not implemented and only applies to certain bus routes and Downtown subway stations). With the SIM7/9 running until 7:30pm and 7:37pm respectively they keep that aspect of the October 7th schedules (have some SIM1 trips from Downtown, and a couple of SIM1C trips covering the gap between the SIM7/9 and SIM1C off-peak service, except those SIM1C trips should start from 14th Street instead of CPS/6th)

I see they brought back the 3 minute headway in the AM rush on SIM6. Wonder what that's all about. The SIM11 serves East Midtown so if anything I would think there would be slightly less service on the SIM6. On the SIM5, it seems (at a glance, I have to double-check) like they converted a couple of those trips into SIM1 trips. Really both of those routes need increased service, especially with all the complaints of overcrowding on the SIM5.

It seems they moved a few trips from the SIM9 to the SIM7 (which makes sense because the SIM7 takes the busier, more centralized route along Hylan Blvd and goes all the way to the ETC whereas the SIM9 serves the more isolated Father Capodanno corridor and ends at Hylan & Richmond). These routes need to operate the "Eltingville via Father Capodanno" and "New Dorp via Hylan" patterns which should lead to more balanced loads (and will also be cheaper to operate since buses would start from New Dorp instead of Hylan & Richmond and it balances the frequency so that the longer route isn't running more frequently (and thus more expensively).

I see they put a couple of more trips on the SIM22 at the height of the AM rush, and that the SIM4X/8X will have an extra stop at Lamberts Lane. (That makes sense to fill up the buses, but again, I think it would be more cost-efficient to have them extended to the South Shore and have the regular SIM4/8 start from the SI Mall during those hours, because the riders traveling further get the super-express and also the frequency is a little more balanced between the 2 variants because the route with the longer runtime isn't super-frequent while the route with the shorter runtime is at a minimum 20 minute headway).

Spans & Frequencies (Effective January 13th)

All departure times are from the terminals unless otherwise noted.

SIM1:

Inbound: 5:01am - 8:14am, every 4-6 minutes at the height of rush hour, 8-10 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 2:50pm - 7:20pm, every 5-6 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM1C:

Weekday Inbound: 12:00am - 4:49am, 8:22am - 11:00pm, similar to the X1.

Weekday Outbound: 1:30am - 2:00pm, 7:24pm - 1:15am similar to the X1.

Saturday Inbound: Similar to the X1

Saturday Outbound: Similar to the X1

Sunday Inbound: Similar to the X1

Sunday Outbound: Similar to the X1

SIM2:

Weekday Inbound: 4:35am - 9:00am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods

Weekday Outbound: 3:05pm - 8:15pm, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes at shoulder periods (with a 45 minute gap between the 7:30pm bus and the last outbound bus at 8:15pm from Chambers Street)

SIM3:
Inbound: 5:00am - 9:15am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 3:10pm - 6:10pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM3C (Off-Peak)
Weekday Inbound: 9:35am - 10:00pm, every 20-60 minutes

Weekday Outbound: 10:20am - 2:50pm, 6:50pm - 1:15pm, every 20-60 minutes

Saturday Inbound: 5:30am - 9:00pm, every 20-30 minutes

Saturday Outbound: 7:15am - 12:00am, every 20-30 minutes

Sunday Inbound: 6:30am - 9:00pm, every 30 minutes until 4:00pm, then every hour until 9:00pm

Sunday Outbound: 7:55am - 10:20pm, every 30-60 minutes

SIM4:

Inbound: 5:15am - 8:25am, every 5-6 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-15 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 3:58pm - 6:45pm, every 5-8 minutes at the height of rush hour

SIM4X:

Inbound: 6:10am - 8:10am, every 20 minutes

Outbound: 4:10pm - 6:30pm, every 20 minutes

SIM4C (Off-Peak)
Weekday Inbound: 4:00am - 5:00am, and 8:35am - 7:00pm, every 15-30 minutes (and then a 45 minute gap between the 6:15pm departure and final inbound 7:00pm departure from Arden Heights)

Weekday Outbound: 10:20am - 2:30pm (every 60-70 minutes), 6:52pm - 12:00am, every 20-30 minutes . Additionally additional short-turns leave Chambers Street every 12 minutes between 3:24pm & 3:48pm and between 6:39pm and 7:27pm.

Saturday Inbound: 4:30am - 7:00pm, every 20-30 minutes

Saturday Outbound: 6:30am - 8:50pm, every 20-30 minutes

Sunday Inbound: 5:00am - 6:50pm, every 30-60 minutes

Sunday Outbound: 6:30am - 8:30pm, every 30-60 minutes

SIM5:

Inbound: 4:55am - 9:00am, every 8-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 3:00pm - 7:00pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM6:

Inbound: 4:50am - 8:50am, every 3-5 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-20 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 2:35pm - 7:50pm, every 5-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM7:

Inbound: 5:00am - 8:30am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 2:30pm - 7:30pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM8:

Inbound: 4:15am - 9:00am, every 5-8 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-15 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 1:55pm - 9:00pm, every 6-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM8X:

Inbound: 6:00am - 8:00am, every 20 minutes

Outbound: 4:00pm - 7:00pm, every 20 minutes

SIM9:

Inbound: 5:00am - 8:30am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 2:45pm - 7:37pm, every 15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM10:

Inbound: 4:10am - 8:10am, every 5-6 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-15 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 2:00pm - 6:38pm, every 6-8 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-15 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM11:

Inbound: 4:50am - 9:00am, every 8-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 3:00pm - 6:50pm, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM15:

Inbound: 4:59am - 9:20am, every 7-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 3:00pm - 7:20pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM22:

Inbound: 5:00am - 9:00am, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 3:00pm - 7:00pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM23 Inbound: 5:10am - 8:35am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes during shoulder periods.

SIM23 Outbound: 2:30pm - 7:30pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes during shoulder periods.

SIM24 Inbound: 5:00am - 8:30am, every 7-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes during shoulder periods.

SIM24 Outbound: 2:45pm - 7:30pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes during shoulder periods 

SIM25:

Inbound: 4:35am - 9:00am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 3:10pm - 8:00pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM26:

Inbound: 4:35am - 9:05am, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 2:10pm - 8:15pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM30:

Inbound: 5:23am - 8:05am, every 7-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods (at height of rush hour, buses alternate between Sunnyside & Rosebank, resulting in 20-30 minute headways for each branch. During shoulder periods, all service runs to Sunnyside)

Outbound: 3:50pm - 7:00pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods (at height of rush hour, buses alternate between Sunnyside & Rosebank, resulting in 20 minute headways for each branch. During shoulder periods, all service runs to Sunnyside)

SIM31:

Inbound: 5:00am - 8:30am, every 8-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods (except for the gap between the 8am departure and final departure of the morning at 8:30am from the ETC)

Outbound: 3:40pm - 7:15pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM32:

Inbound: 6:05am - 8:35am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 3:55pm - 6:45pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM33:

Inbound: 5:00am - 8:55am, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 2:40pm - 7:00pm, every 15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM33C (Off-Peak)
Weekday Inbound: 9:15am - 10:00pm, every 20-60 minutes

Weekday Outbound: 7:10am - 2:40pm, 6:50pm - 1:20pm, every 20-60 minutes

Saturday Inbound: 5:30am - 9:00pm, every 20-30 minutes

Saturday Outbound: 7:30am - 12:10am, every 20-30 minutes

Sunday Inbound: 6:30am - 9:05pm, every 20-60 minutes


Sunday Outbound: 7:55am - 10:20pm, every 20-60 minutes

SIM34:

Inbound: 4:40am - 9:00am, every 8-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 2:55pm - 6:55pm, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods

SIM35:

Inbound: 5:15am - 9:00am, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods

Outbound: 3:20pm - 7:05pm, every 15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods

Comments on Draft Schedules for January 13th (Part 1)

Since from my understanding, these new schedules only have about a week before they become official for the January pick (which I suppose is better than giving no advance notice), I'll make comments piecemeal.

First things first, I'm glad my comments were taken into consideration to coordinate the SIM25 & SIM26 in the evening (every 30 minutes individually, but every 15 minutes if you live in an area where you can use either one, such as Travis, Rossville, or Tottenville). It would be nice if they did the same thing at the beginning of rush hour (before say, 4pm) but whatever. I like how the SIM2 keeps its last bus at 8:15pm (It's basically the Downtown equivalent of the SIM25/26 in terms of offering direct evening service to the deep South Shore). Of course, I would prefer seeing it run until 1am (with the SIM4C divided up into the SIM2, SIM4 and possibly the SIM8) but I guess it's a step in the right direction that they kept it.

However, they eliminated the first 3 X19/SIM2 buses of the evening (the X19 started at 2pm, while the SIM2 will start at 3:10pm). And to make matters worse, they continue to run the SIM4C once an hour around that timeframe. They must really have something against that route. First they combine the X17 with the Gannon portion of the X10 and run it once an hour. Now they separate the Gannon portion and give it to the SIM33C and they cram all of the Arden Heights riders into one bus per hour. I mean seriously look at the options to Arden Heights before 3pm under the old schedule. You had the X19 leaving Worth Street at 2pm, 2:25pm, and 2:50pm, and the X17 leaving Worth Street at 2:11pm, 2:31pm. 2:45pm, and 3pm. Now all of that gets replaced with one bus leaving Chambers Street at 2:10pm coming from Midtown. Yeah, combining 6 buses worth of people into one bus.....somehow I don't see that working out too well......

And here's the other thing, with the SIM8 running essentially the same route as the SIM4C on Staten Island (the only difference being that the SIM8 runs straight down Woodrow Road instead of taking Arthur Kill Road to Arden Avenue), there's no need for the SIM4C to operate to Midtown when the SIM8 is running. At most it should be running up to 23rd Street (I personally think it shouldn't run past Chambers Street, but some may disagree). The 4:20am, 4:40am, 5:00am, 8:35am, and 8:50am inbound trips should all be cut back to 23rd Street. In the PM rush, the 2:30pm SIM4C trip and every single trip between 6:52pm and 8:55pm should be starting at 23rd Street (or "22nd Street" as they list the stop on the schedule). Fill up those SIM8 buses, get people out of Manhattan quickly and efficiently, and reinvest that service where it's needed. If the SIM8 is too crowded, then add a couple of more SIM8 trips that will complete their trips more quickly (and therefore cheaply) than the SIM4C. And while they're at it, why are the SIM4C buses making that pointless Annadale Road loop? That loop is only intended for the X17A/SIM4 to terminate and was never served by the X17C.

I see some gaps in Gannon Avenue service (which you can maneuver around using Staten Island local buses, but still, not acceptable when there's overlap in other portions of the schedule. Random gaps and overlap....seriously they need to get it together.....the SIM33 & SIM33C overlap heading outbound in the early PM (I can't see the times for 14th Street on the SIM33C but that there's buses leaving 23rd Street at 2:45pm and 3:05pm when the SIM33C is already running at 2:40pm from 14th Street. For that matter, the SIM33C overlaps with the SIM34 for those going to Mariners Harbor  I'm exhausted and will write a more detailed plan tomorrow but all I know is that the overlap must be eliminated because on the other end of rush hour there's a gap in Gannon Avenue service between the 6:45pm SIM32 from Chambers Street and the 7:37pm SIM33C from Chambers Street.

For the SIM3C it's the same story. For some reason there's 4 buses between 2pm and 3pm (even though there's a giant gap in Midtown service between the 2:40pm SIM33C and 3:40pm SIM31). It's like they took the October 7th schedule and just compressed the buses during that timeframe. The 2:25pm, 2:40pm, and 2:50pm buses from CPS/6th all overlap with the SIM34 once they get Downtown. Replace those trips with a single SIM3 trip at 2:40pm and use the remaining buses to add service to where it's needed (on the SIM4C & SIM33C, or even the SIM30 for that matter. That could use some earlier service). At the end of the PM rush, it's coordinated well with the SIM34 (at least in theory. In practice it will likely be jam-packed with riders who actually need the SIM33C)

So that brings me to 2 other issues: Why are all the off-peak routes out of CPS/6th? (The X10 & X17 were out of 57th & Lexington and so should the SIM33C & SIM4C). The other issue is why are the SIM3C & SIM33C not coordinated? They both serve the same stops in Graniteville and both serve the same general area in Castleton Corners (Victory Blvd vs. Gannon Avenue). I'm sure a lot of people would love the flexibility to switch off between them but are deterred by the fact that buses are basically every 30 minutes but scheduled back-to-back instead of coordinated like the SIM25 & SIM26 in the evening.

I will post more in my next post. I see a lot of changes for Hylan Blvd. They really (excessively IMO) cut into the SIM10 when they created the SIM11 for starters.....

Questions for Mariners Harbor Civic Association Meeting (Part 2)

·         What can be done about lack of enforcement on the NJ Turnpike HOV lane?

·         What is the status of the bus lane along 42nd Street?

·         What can be done about NYPD holding up traffic at the intersections along 42nd Street (6th Avenue, 7th Avenue, 8th Avenue, and 9th Avenue)?

·         What is the status of getting turning arrows installed at 5th Avenue & 42nd Street and 42nd Street & Madison Avenue?

·         On the November 15th "snowstorm", the "via NJ" routes weren't rerouted via Brooklyn even though traffic apps said it would be an hour faster (despite traffic on the Gowanus). Why wasn't this done? One of the perks of this new system was that it would be easier to reroute buses along the nonstop portion.

·         Can either the SIM23 or SIM24 be returned to 42nd Street? That worked well because it was the quicker approach into/out of the Lincoln Tunnel.

·         How is the Battery Place & Washington Street drop-off stop performing objectively? I personally feel it is great that we are allowed off before the bus has to wait to make the left turn onto Greenwich Street, but others complain that it is further from the subway entrance and also blocked by other vehicles.

·         Being that this is a more transfer-oriented system (and even under the old system, a lot of people transferred), can we get more bus shelters and benches at transfer points? In the Mariners Harbor area, a busy transfer point (for both local and express buses) is Forest Avenue & Richmond Avenue, and only one out of the four stops there (the eastbound S48/98 stop) has shelters. I know there were issues in the past with there being fire hydrants near the stops but can we look into either moving the hydrants or building some type of modified shelter. The southbound S44/59/89/94 stop at Monsey Place, as well as the westbound S48/98 stop are both busy stops where a lot of people transfer.

·         Can reverse-peak local bus service (heading away from the ferry in the AM and towards the ferry in the PM) be increased to accommodate both intra-island local riders and those transferring from express buses? I'm specifically thinking of the eastbound S74 in the PM rush (with people coming off the SIM2 looking for Aspen Knolls service) and the eastbound S62 in the PM rush (with people coming off the SIM2/25/26 because there were issues with the SIM4/8). Reverse-peak service can often be expanded at minimal cost because buses are often deadheading in that direction anyway. In the case of the S74 part of it may be able to be solved by better coordination with the S56 (as well as reminding SIM22 operators that they are to pick up any transferring riders).

·         Can some sort of riders' guide be created that shows people the exact entrances of subway stations as well as gives people advice as to which lines may suit their preferences better? (For example, taking the slower but less crowded R/W as opposed to the faster but more crowded 4/5). Some people may be willing to transfer to the subway but prefer not to use crowded lines or transfer at crowded stations (or complicated stations that involve running around a maze instead of going down 1-2 flights of stairs). Google Transit & the MTA Trip Planner don't have this information.

·         Additionally, coming from the subway, can some of the signs direct people to where the SIM buses stop? (And for that matter, the Manhattan local buses). Some people get frustrated running around the subway stations and/or the streets above once they get out, not knowing where to exit to reach their bus.

·         The SIM15 routing should be restored to Park Place instead of Warren Street. It is my understanding that construction along Park Place has been completed.

·         What will be the detour in effect when the Christmas Tree comes up in Rockerfeller Center? Will it be 7th Avenue-42nd Street-5th Avenue for the buses that normally run straight down 5th? What about the "via NJ" routes?

Questions for Mariners Harbor Civic Association Meeting

·         What is the status on getting us the universal 3-legged transfers that were originally promised at the June 2018 Community Board 2 meeting? (And also getting that information published somewhere. Three months after the changes, and we’re still passing around screenshots of somebody’s email because the transfer information isn’t posted on the MTA website). Also, can we get a full list of the official transfer points between express buses (on both the Staten Island and Manhattan side. Also, have BM1/2/3/4 operators been informed that they need to accept transferring riders? Apparently, the BM1/2/3/4 are considered Queens Division even though the routes serve Brooklyn out of a depot physically located in Brooklyn and some operators have not been informed)?

·         We never received a full report of all of the statistics that were used to justify any of the decisions made throughout the planning process (both before the August 2018 implementation and afterwards). When will such a report be available? Northeast Queens and Co-Op City received reports of over 100 pages for relatively minor changes that affected only portions of boroughs, and in the meantime, we only received a little 25 page PowerPoint. I understand that the planners wanted to keep the report simple to get the basic concepts across, but the more detailed data should be available for those who are interested. We can’t have a full discussion without statistics.

·         The entire structure of the off-peak service needs to be reevaluated. I actually like the concept of limiting the length of the express bus routes on Manhattan surface streets even during off-peak hours, and I believe that the discussion of Staten Island coverage vs. Manhattan coverage needs to be had. There are more alternatives on the Manhattan side than the Staten Island side, and so I think it makes more sense to provide express bus service to the entire swaths of neighborhoods where the only off-peak alternative is a Staten Island local bus that runs every 20-30 minutes, as opposed to duplicating Manhattan subway and local bus lines that run every 5-10 minutes. Some of the planners expressed concerns that this may be hard politically, but you know what, this is politics right here, and you can’t assume everybody has the same concerns. Back in the June 2017 Community Board 1 meeting when this plan was first presented, the primary concern wasn’t that the X12/SIM34 was cut back to Downtown, it was that we weren’t getting enough in exchange for it. We wanted later service, more frequent service, and an overnight express bus route for the North Shore, and we were told “If you didn’t have it before, you probably won’t get it now”, so on the surface, it looks like an excuse to cut service. Andy Byford said that you guys learned a lot of lessons from this restructuring, and using those lessons, we need to have that discussion about the off-peak service structure, if not now then at least when the local bus study gets completed.

·         One of the issues that has always been the case (especially on Downtown buses for some reason in my experience) is that when two buses pull into the stop at the same time, the driver in the back is afraid to open the doors because the passengers will yell at them for messing up the line. That causes delays for all of the passengers. Has there been any progress on getting platform conductors/dispatchers at busy stops to direct people to board the back bus properly and leave the driver alone?

·         What is being done about excess runtime on schedules systemwide? BusTime doesn’t tell you if a bus is on-time because the schedule is actually accurate for the conditions at the time, or if the driver had to “drag the line” and operate slowly and wait at stops in order to avoid running early. With all of this emphasis on speed, it makes sense to avoid excess runtime. I had mentioned this issue on the evening SIM8, and the October schedules were the same as the August schedule in that regard.

·         Can we get real-time information on how well the HOV lane is moving? Right now, Google Maps shows the general traffic, but not the HOV lane traffic? (So the regular lanes might be congested, but the HOV lane may or may not be congested, and people need this information in order to make their travel decisions).

·         On days when the travel via Brooklyn is congested, can the SIM2 & SIM4 be rerouted via the Bayonne Bridge & Holland Tunnel (along with other routes if warranted)? Right now, there’s plenty of days when traffic is backed up so badly that you can see it from the Richmond Avenue overpass, and you’ll see a whole crowd of people let SIM4 buses go by even if they work Downtown because they know on those days, the HOV lane gets backed up and it is quicker to take the SIM8 to Midtown and backtrack (which causes overcrowding on that route). If people knew the bus would take an alternate route to avoid the traffic, they would be more likely to stay on the SIM4 (which was one of the issues the planners brought up with the redesign, people switching off between routes and making it difficult to schedule proper service levels).

·         Has any progress been made with NYCDOT restriping Deppe Place approaching Richmond Avenue to create an additional lane and ease the congestion that affects SIM3/34 riders? (Especially those who need to make local bus connections at the stop around the corner at Richmond & Armand?)

·         Can the SIM4X/8X be extended to the South Shore (and the SIM4/8 cut back to the SI Mall when the SIM4X/8X operate)? This would allow for more balanced loading between the routes (of course, assuming adequate service levels were provided on all variants). Right now, one of the major complaints is that service on the regular SIM4/8 was reduced, and those buses are overcrowded while the SIM4X/8X have spare capacity. This would especially be useful on the SIM8X where the SIM23/24 have been shifted to 34th Street, this would allow Arden Heights to maintain a relatively quick connection to the 42nd Street corridor (which has the less congested approach out of the Lincoln Tunnel).

·         Can the SIM4/4X be extended to Arden Avenue & Drumgoole Road to provide Downtown coverage for riders who used to take the X19 from that area? (Ideally even further into the South Shore, such as the SIM23 terminal or the Huguenot SIR station). This can be considered in conjunction with the restructuring mentioned above (which is why I said “South Shore”)

·         Can the outbound SIM22/23 be routed to bypass “Checkpoint” in the afternoon and use the Arden Avenue exit of the West Shore Expressway? (With proper schedule adjustments to the SIM24/25 of course) This idea seems to have worked fairly well on the SIM26 (except for the first few and last few trips in both directions, which will hopefully be remedied when the SIM25 receives a span extension)

·         The inbound SIM8 stop at Woodrow & Shotwell does not have a corresponding outbound stop. Can this be addressed?

·         Can a stop be added at Woodrow & Arthur Kill for the SIM8, since it has a longer span than the SIM22? (It also covers more of the Aspen Knolls development)

·         Can the SIM2/24 stop at Hylan & Luten be moved from its current desolate location to the centralized location originally proposed at Hylan & Huguenot.

·         Can the Hylan & Lincoln drop-off stop on the SIM1/7/10 be moved to Hylan & Midland, for easier transfers to the S51 towards Midland Beach (the SIM5/6/9 can remain at Hylan & Lincoln since those routes already serve Midland Beach).

·         Can the SIM23 be extended slightly to Pollion Avenue (or even Arburtus Avenue or Huguenot Avenue) to provide better service in Southeast Annadale (at little to no cost)

·         Can the Church Street & Park Place stop be restored for easy subway connections? I've mentioned numerous times that if somebody is on the fence about taking the subway, having them run up and down through numerous passageways instead of entering through a simple entrance isn't going to make them a huge fan of making that transfer.

·         Has there been any progress made on better communications between the Port Authority and MTA regarding the closure of the Dyer Avenue bus lane?

·         Is it possible to at least run some reverse-peak trips on the SIM2 since they're deadheading from the Charleston Depot to Manhattan anyway? Reverse-peak service in general (on the old X1/10/17 and the new SIM1C/3C/4C) is inadequate, especially considering how poor the other alternatives are. Even if those trips were short-turns to Downtown, it would help greatly.

·         Off-peak buses use Battery Place even when the Rector Street exit is open (which wasn’t the case under the old system). The timepoint should be moved back to Rector Street so they can save time and bypass Battery Place. Additionally, what is being done about the closing of that exit during rush hour? It was my understanding that the only issue was that buses couldn’t safely make it over to the right lane in time to use the exit, but apparently, that’s not the issue and the NYPD is closing the lanes of their own accord (even though that Rector Street exit is MTA/TBTA property)

·         Will the SIM25 be coordinated with the SIM26 when the span is extended? Right now, many trips depart 57th & Lexington at the same time, even though both routes serve the same general areas. In the evening, the SIM26 runs every 25-30 minutes, so the SIM25 buses should be coordinated to fill those gaps (e.g. SIM26 at 7:20pm, 7:45pm, and 8:15pm, and a SIM25 at 7:30pm, 8:00pm, and 8:30pm). 

·         The same question applies to the SIM3C & SIM33C. Will there be any attempt at coordination between these off-peak routes so they don't arrive together?

·         Will the SIM33C take West Street or Church Street/Broadway in Lower Manhattan (Church Street/Broadway would be better, more centrally located, more convenient for subway transfers and more similar to the old off-peak X10)?

·         What will be the turnaround route for the off-peak SIM33? Will it take Holland Avenue like the S48/98, but continue to end at South Avenue & Richmond Terrace? If it's going down Holland Avenue anyway, can a stop be considered near the Arlington Terrace Apartments? (Late at night, apparently the Request-A-Stop policy doesn't officially apply to express buses. Can we at least get that policy to apply on the drop-off portions of express buses systemwide?)

·         The extension of the SIM1 & SIM34 to Houston Street has brought concerns about reliability (especially from SIM34 riders), since you have the crosstown traffic (between the Manhattan/Williamsburg Bridges and the Holland Tunnel). How will this be addressed?

·         With the creation of the SIM11 covering the (northern) Hylan Blvd-East 23^rd Street market, can the SIM10 and SIM31 be routed up West Street & 10^th/11^th Avenue to either 23^rd Street or 34^th Street (if it’s 34^th Street, the SIM7/9/33 would have to be extended to 23^rd Street). The SIM31 lost its West Midtown subway connections and also the flexibility to route buses through New Jersey when there’s issues in Brooklyn (which is often).

·         What is the status of splitting the SIM1/10 to operate “New Dorp via Hylan” and “Eltingville via Father Capodanno Blvd”?