Comments on: In service cut plan, bus riders hit hardest

By: At the last minute, protesting a bus cut :: Second Ave. Sagas

At the last minute, protesting a bus cut :: Second Ave. Sagas — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:36:09 +0000

[...] associations are finally waking up to the reality of the situation. Although the cuts were first announced in January and the MTA hosted hearings on their plans over the winter, many have either ignored the news or [...]

By: moonbeam

moonbeam — Sun, 23 May 2010 20:17:29 +0000

this is a damn shame. and the current MTA cuts affect me also. with the cut to the B-37 and the elimination of the B-75 its gonna get harder for me to get home from work. well i can take the R train to 9th st and walk up all those hell of a stairs to get the F at 4th ave,but i rather take the B-9, to mc donald ave and get the F. but the B-9 weekday service is being reduced. so my daughter says take the R to 9th and get off and take the replacement for the B-75 which is the B-57 which has been extended. ok but oh the hell with this confusion.

By: Ebert

Ebert — Wed, 05 May 2010 22:04:07 +0000

As a faithful 71 rider, I am not sure what my family and I will do. Without a car, we depend on that bus line to get us from Crown Heights to the only local markets that sell fresh organic vegetables (in Park Slope). Without the 71, we will be forced to take 2 trains and walk further (this with a shopping cart)

By: A Town Hall and an audit won’t fix the MTA :: Second Ave. Sagas

A Town Hall and an audit won’t fix the MTA :: Second Ave. Sagas — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 03:38:50 +0000

[...] Brooklyn and, in particular, Golden’s district are in for some harsh cuts. Bay Ridge is losing numerous bus routes and seeing service along others reduced. The M train will [...]

By: rhywun

rhywun — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:45:12 +0000

> The buses run where the trolley’s used to run

Yeah, that’s true, and pretty much the same story in every city. Wikipedia shows a lot of these routes are combinations of two earlier routes–that’s what leads to the wildly meandering look of the current map. I’ve seen a couple historical maps (like this one) which look a lot more rational to me. Yeah, the city is denser now but the lines mostly stuck to major streets, there was no one-way street nonsense to double the complexity, no weird detours required because of the expressways that eventually tore up many neighborhoods, etc. etc.

By: rhywun

rhywun — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:25:12 +0000

Not gonna happen for anything more than a tiny slice of riders. The distances are simply too great for most people, the weather too uncooperative, and the provisions once one arrives at work (showers to wash off the sweat, somewhere to put the bike) too non-existant. Nothing wrong with pursuing these goals for those who can take advantage of them, but it’s just unrealistic in the long run. Unless the economy gets really, really bad.

By: rhywun

rhywun — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:21:25 +0000

To be fair, cutting bus service is a great option also because it is vastly more expensive to provide.

By: Lawrence CA

Lawrence CA — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:10:22 +0000

One thing both the MTA and non-bus riders don’t realize is that in the outer boroughs a significant portion of the bus ridership is children going to and from schools. With the city not providing reliable school bus service, public buses are the choice of many due to closer proximity to destinations. Buses are also used by many elderly who can’t traverse the stairs necessary to subway use. Neither of these populations are liable to cry foul, so cutting bus service is a great option.

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:14:47 +0000

The buses run where the trolley’s used to run, back when there was little other traffic. It’s as simple as that. And up until now, the MTA hasn’t had the guts to make changes, either to save money or improve service.

There was once a horsecar route that ran up Coney Island Avenue to the border of the City of Brooklyn at Park Circle, where a transfer was available to another car that ran on what is now the B75 route to Downtown Brooklyn. That later became one electrified trolley route, which continued over the Brooklyn Bridge. All this pre-dated the construction of the Smith/9th Street IND subway line.

In a radical development, when buses came in, it was divided into two bus routes at Bartell Prichard Square, the B68 and B75, decades ago.

By: AlexB

AlexB — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:57:06 +0000

It’s not that people think buses are second rate, it’s that the MTA and the DOT treat buses as though it’s the least they can do. If all buses were treated like the SBS Bx12, public perception would be much higher. All the discussions of BRT on the internet have made it clear that a bus can be whatever you want it to be and serve whatever group of people, with the right investment.