1

Select Bus Service Done Wrong

Posted by
on June 8th, 2010 at 1:08 am

Select Bus Service or Bus Rapid Transit is a topic I have opined about on many occasions. I happen to be a fan of the idea as I find it serves many solid purposes to help the commutes of many. So one would most likely assume I am thrilled at yesterday’s announcement of the service coming to the east side of Manhattan. Unfortunately I am not as the proposed service is severely flawed.

Let us first take a look at a report from Sunday prior to the announcement by the New York Times’ Michael M. Grynbaum:

Buses in New York are as slow as snails. It is as sure a thing as Yankees wearing pinstripes and congestion on the Cross Bronx Expressway.

But an ambitious $10 million project to bring European-style rapid-transit buses to First and Second Avenues — among the most highly used and heavily congested bus routes in the nation — is aiming to turn that truism on its head.

Starting in October, buses will be granted an exclusive lane to speed up travel on those avenues from Houston Street to 125th Street, a trip that can last an hour and a half — the length of an Amtrak ride from Pennsylvania Station to Philadelphia.

Tickets will be sold at sidewalk kiosks, allowing passengers to board without stopping to fumble for change or a MetroCard.

Riders will be on the honor system: passengers will not have to produce a ticket unless asked. (A $100 fine awaits the dishonest.) And the buses will be equipped with three doors for quicker boarding and exiting.

The plan, to be announced on Monday, represents the latest move by the Bloomberg administration to siphon away space from private automobiles in favor of other forms of transport. Once dominated by trucks, cars and taxicabs, First and Second Avenues will now gain cycling lanes and concrete pedestrian islands, as well as a bus route meant to function more like a subway.

The city’s Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority hope that bus travel times will improve by about 20 percent.

That could benefit more than 50,000 riders on Manhattan’s transit-starved far East Side, still waiting for its subway line after 80 years.

“New Yorkers are tired of waiting years and decades for changes to make their streets work better,” said Janette Sadik-Khan, the transportation commissioner. “We want to give buses the red carpet.”

Click here for the complete report.

Now let us take a look at an information piece posted by the MTA on their website:

Bus riders will soon have faster and more reliable bus service along the east side of Manhattan with this week’s announcement that new Select Bus Service is coming to First and Second Avenues. MTA Chairman and CEO Jay H. Walder joined Mayor Bloomberg, and Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan to announce the start of construction on dedicated bus-only lanes that will benefit 54,000 daily riders of the M15 bus line.

The first phase of the project will create dedicated bus lanes from 125th Street to Houston Street along the right side of the street on both First and Second Avenues. Select Bus Service along this corridor also calls for use of new articulated three-door buses.

Riders will be able to pay their fare at on-street machines before boarding, some sidewalks will be extended to allow buses to pick up and discharge passengers without having to exit and reenter traffic, buses will be given traffic signal priority and the new service will make fewer stops than the current M15 Limited.

“SBS is the real deal, bringing together faster bus boarding, enforced bus lanes and signal prioritization to improve bus service for New Yorkers,” Chairman Walder said. “It’s a terrific example of the growing partnership between New York City and the MTA, but we’re not stopping there. We’re working with the City to make it clear to drivers that bus lanes throughout the City are for buses only, and a new smart card pilot will pave the way for faster boarding on all of our buses.”

The lack of transit options on Manhattan’s East Side have made the M15 bus on First and Second Avenues the busiest bus route in Manhattan, traveling at less than six miles per hour. The improvement could help increase ridership by more than 10 percent.

Implementation of the bus lanes will begin this month, with street resurfacing starting next week. By October, the dedicated lanes will be completed and in use, while additional improvements continue to be installed.

NYPD enforcement will help keep the dedicated bus lanes clear of vehicles, and taxis will be deterred from using lanes through violations issued by the Taxi & Limousine Commission by using cameras. The City is barred from using cameras to issue violations to motorists using dedicated bus-only lanes, but the Administration has been aggressively seeking the authority utilize cameras to enforce bus-only lanes – a new State law is required to give the City enforcement ability.

The City and MTA will continue community outreach throughout the summer. Phase Two of the project, which will begin in 2011, will include bus priority traffic signals and “bus bulb” curb extensions that will further improve bus lane performance.

Select Bus Service has been highly successful on Fordham Road in the Bronx, where the first route on the Bx12 was implemented in 2008. Travel times improved by as much as 24 percent and ridership increased by 30 percent.

As I said, I support Select Bus Service or Bus Rapid Transit as it is a very smart way to improve the commute for many riders. However I only support these measures when done right & the announced version for the east side of Manhattan is the exact opposite of that.

The biggest issue with this version is the lack of dedicated bus lanes for the project. There is zero debating that the most important aspects of SBS or BRT is dedicated lanes for bus operation along with 100% enforcement of these lanes being for buses only. To say that they will strongly enforce it is nothing but hot air. When the service debuts, the enforcement will be there. However as time passes, non-bus drivers will get away with using these lanes to their advantage.

To put this bluntly, if the MTA & New York City Department Of Transportation think that painting lanes a different color for buses will help this service reach its full potential, they have a rude awakening coming. Don’t come back & complain later as all I will say is I told you so.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Buses, Manhattan
0

MTA & NYPA Unveil New Water Heating System

Posted by
on June 7th, 2010 at 1:06 am

I originally posted this entry a few days ago. However I must have forgot to re-save the database after the post so it got lost in the server move. Anyhow, I was invited to check out an unveiling by the MTA but I unfortunately had business matters scheduled. The event was to unveil the MTA & NYPA’s team effort on a new solar powered water heating system. Here are more details courtesy of a press release the agency sent me:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and New York Power Authority (NYPA) today unveiled an advanced rooftop-mounted solar thermal array that heats hot water used to wash subway cars at New York City Transit’s Coney Island Overhaul Shop and Maintenance Facility. By lessening New York City Transit’s need for electricity, the array will lower the agency’s power bill by $94,000 and avoid 86 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year.

“The MTA and its agencies are working hard to make sure that every dollar we receive is used wisely, and that applies to our energy bill as well,” said Thomas F. Prendergast, President of MTA New York City Transit. “I want to thank the New York Power Authority and NYSERDA, for helping MTA New York City Transit save money and go even greener.”

“It seems fitting that we’re pioneering this advanced solar-thermal technology in a community whose iconic attractions include the beach and sun,” said Richard M. Kessel, President and CEO of the New York Power Authority. “Initiatives like this contribute to reducing fossil fuel use, which is an imperative we can all agree on, with the disaster in the Gulf now giving us constant reminders every day. We need to take advantage of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, not only for reducing environmental risks like oil spills and global warming, but for capitalizing on the economic development benefits of these clean energy technologies.”

The solar thermal system consists of 48 panels that are mounted on the building’s roof. They capture the radiant heat from the sun and transfer it to water in interconnected pipes. The system functions as a water heater for domestic and other hot water use at the facility. The water is used for cleaning and washing trains during their scheduled maintenance and for domestic-use needs by staff.

Installation of the solar thermal array cost $550,000, which was financed by NYPA with the help of a $150,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). “NYSERDA is pleased to partner with NYPA and the MTA on a system that is notable both for reducing energy use, protecting the environment and reducing costs. We commend the leadership of these two authorities for developing an innovative solar thermal project that we hope will serve as a model for other significant energy users,” said Francis J. Murray, Jr., NYSERDA president and CEO.

The solar thermal project, which began in November, is part of a more than $1.1 million NYPA- and NYSERDA-funded energy efficiency upgrade for the Coney Island Facility, which also includes the installation of high-output fluorescent fixtures that are more efficient, last longer and provide better illumination than the light sources they replaced, saving the MTA $76,000 per year.

All together, the MTA and NYPA have partnered on 85 energy projects for a savings of nearly $5.7 million a year and annual reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of more than 34,000 tons. Among these initiatives have been:

• New subway signal lighting using light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures that are more efficient and brighter than the bulbs they replaced.

• A 200-kilowatt fuel cell at NYC Transit’s New Corona Car Maintenance Facility in Queens, providing a continuous source of non-polluting, on-site power and residual heat for the shop’s domestic hot water system.

• A 300-kilowatt roof-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) array at the Gun Hill Bus Depot in the Bronx

• LED necklace lighting at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, replacing less efficient conventional lights.

• Wireless equipment for the remote control of electric resistance heaters on the third-rail systems that provide power to the subways. The remote-control feature contributes to minimizing electricity use when the weather conditions don’t warrant heater use.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Technology
0

Service Diversions 06-04-10

Posted by
on June 5th, 2010 at 2:31 pm

I have just updated the “Service Diversions” page with the latest information for the weekend & following week (beyond in some cases). For riders going near the Broadway-Nassau & Fulton Street stations, do not forget to read this entry to see what service is affected.

I suggest you print out a copy of the diversions to carry with you or use your mobile device to access the phone friendly version of Transit Blogger. Have a safe & wonderful weekend!

P.S. Sorry these were unavailable to view. I had updated them yesterday but a server change was taking place which made the site inaccessible.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Service Diversions
0

Cablevision Submits Wi-Fi Proposal To The MTA

Posted by
on June 3rd, 2010 at 12:25 am

If you have spent any time on a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) or Metro-North Railroad train, you will see how tech savvy most riders have become. If they are not messing around on the latest & greatest smartphones, others are using iPads, laptops, & such. So this news might excite them as Cablevision has officially submitted a proposal to offer Optimum Wi-Fi on both commuter railroads. Kelly Riddell of Bloomberg has more in this report:

Cablevision Systems Corp., the fifth- largest U.S. cable operator, has submitted a proposal to offer Wi-Fi on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North commuter rail trains to expand wireless coverage of New York City.

The connections will let Cablevision’s high-speed Internet subscribers access the Web on the trains for free, and provide a “reasonable access option” for non-customers, the Bethpage, New York-based company said in an e-mailed statement today.

Cablevision has been expanding its wireless coverage in New York City as it steps up competition with phone provider Verizon Communications Inc., which has been extending its fiber-optic television service in the area. Cablevision already gives its customers access to Wi-Fi hotspots in the region. Extending network access to commuter trains may help retain existing customers while luring new ones.

The company submitted the proposal to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and said the network can be running within 12 months of selection at no cost to New York City taxpayers or the MTA.

Cablevision rose 71 cents to $25.08 at 4:02 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock has gained 18 percent this year.

This is great news as in a culture where being on top of things is vital to so many. So if the MTA can somehow help in those regards is a positive in many ways. While the agency is behind the curve in terms of technology, it is good to see them try & change that.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Technology
3

Fulton Transit Center June Work Schedule

Posted by
on June 2nd, 2010 at 5:57 pm

Once again work on the Fulton Transit Center will lead to service diversions at the station for 3 of the 4 weekends in June. As it did last month, MTA NYC Transit is issuing a schedule of the work in advance. Here are the complete details courtesy of the press release they sent me earlier:

Due to ongoing construction of the Fulton Street Transit Center, the following service changes will be in effect for weekends in June:

June 5-7:

• Queens-bound A Train trains skip Broadway-Nassau Street. (A Train trains run on the F Train line from West 4th Street to Jay Street)

• No C Train service.

• No 2 Train & 3 Train service at Fulton Street.

—-

June 12-14:

• Normal Service

—-

June 19-21:

• A Train trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.

• C Train trains run between 168th Street and World Trade Center.

• No transfers between the A Train, 2 Train, 3 Train, 4 Train, & 5 Train at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau St.

—-

June 26-28:

• No A Train or C Train service at Broadway-Nassau Street.

• No transfers between the A Train, 2 Train, 3 Train, 4 Train, & 5 Train at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau Street.

____

MTA NYC Transit apologizes for any inconvenience to our customers. Service changes at Fulton Street-Broadway Nassau station complex will continue for most weekends through October. As weekends approach, customers should:

• Pick up brochures that detail alternate travel options

• Look for signs and service change posters in stations

• Visit the website at www.mta.info and click on “Planned Service Changes” and/or “Current Service Status”

• Sign up for free email or text message alerts at www.mta.info

• Follow changes on Twitter at nyctsubwayscoop

• Call Travel Information at 718-330-1234

The Fulton Street Transit Center:

Some of the work being done at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau during these weekends include reinforcing girders over the AC platform. There will also be elevator work, which consists of digging the pits on the AC platform and at least partially constructing the shafts up through all levels of the station.

For more information on the construction project itself, log on to www.mta.info. Once at the home page, click on Capital Construction (under “MTA Agency Links”), then click on Fulton Street Transit Center under Programs.

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Fulton Transit Center, Service Diversions