When last we saw the double-decker buses, the MTA was gearing up for a test-run along some busy city arteries. Since then, however, New York City Transit has run into a little problem: As predicted, the bus the MTA is using for its trial is too tall. While passengers love the bi-level buses, the MTA had to postpone trial runs along Riverside Drive and Fifth Ave. because the tree branches hang too low. Oops.
While Ikea’s free shuttle bus service has been something of a transportation boom for non-Ikea bound Red Hook travelers, the Swedish furniture giant announced yesterday that they will soon be cutting back this service. Starting Oct. 1, Ikea plans to curtail morning shuttle service and will decrease the frequency of their shuttle buses. Due to fewer-than-expected number of passengers after Labor Day, the buses will run every thirty minutes from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. So it’s back to the MTA for all the free-loading passengers.
Five months, the New York City Department of Transportation and the MTA unveiled plans for Select Bus Service along 34th Street. As part of the plans, buses would enjoy camera-enforced dedicated lanes up and down the crowded 34th Street corridor.
Well, along came David Gantt and his murder of our efforts at home rule. Gantt, as you may recall, resides in Rochester, a town with a profitable transit system (but more on that coincidence later).
Today, New York has triumphed over Gantt as DOT and the MTA launched the 34th Street bus service this morning. Streetsblog’s Brad Aaron reports:
The 34th Street route stretches from 1st to 11th Avenues, and its lanes will be enforced from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. — unlike those on the Bx12 SBS line, which are only enforced during morning and evening rush. The lanes are in effect as of today.
Sources tell Streetsblog that the city is bypassing Albany by installing stationary automated traffic cameras to keep taxis out of the lanes, but DOT would not confirm ahead of the presser. The media release says that the red SBS lanes are “the first step in a series of improvements planned to improve bus speeds and reliability” along the corridor.
I’m not quite sure how the city is able to bypass Albany. It must have something to do with the nature of stationary cameras as opposed to the plan Gantt shot down which would have allowed for cameras on buses to combat cars in the BRT lanes.
All told, this is a positive step for the city as it attempts to make public transit more efficient while discouraging driving without the benefits of a congestion fee. Until the congestion fee movement rises up again, these little steps should be applauded.
At the end of last week, I noted that, while everyone in the Bronx loves the new Select Bus Service lines, equipment shortages are leading to delays in NYC Transit’s implementing other lines. Atlantic Yards Report is dismayed with this news and bemoans the fact that we may be waiting out four years until BRT service is running up and down busy Flatbush Ave., a very obvious choice for dedicated bus service.
This bus is on loan to New York from Belgium. (Photo courtesy of NYC Transit)
Outside of red telephone booths, nothing screams “London” quite like a double-decker bus. The ubiquitous vehicles line the streets of England’s capital day in and day out, and they are positively European.
Four months ago, NYC Transit President Howard Roberts mused about the return of double-decker buses to New York City. His dreams, it seems, will become a reality.
In an effort to increase bus capacity and respond to ridership demands, the MTA is set to audition double-decker buses on the streets of New York. The first prototype, a bus on loan from a Belgium-based transportation company, will hit the streets on Thursday and will run as part of a 35-day test as the transit authority attempts to assess how these buses navigate New York City streets and traffic, what level of maintenance they require and how they handle loading and unloading.
“This is not for show. This is not just to titillate the New York public. We really like this bus,” MTA CEo and Executive Director Elliot “Lee” Sander said during a press conference yesterday. “There is a very real chance that New Yorkers will see this in the future. We hope it passes the test.”
Pete Donohue of The Daily News has more on this unique bus:
The agency will seek rider opinions, which likely will include notice of low ceilings. The first level measures 71 inches – 5 feet 11 inches – from floor to ceiling. The upper deck is just 67inches, or 5-feet-7. The average American man is 5-feet-9.
Except for tourist buses, double-deckers haven’t been a regular feature of the city streetscape since the early 1950s, when Dwight Eisenhower was President, gasoline was 20 cents a gallon and television shows were in black and white.
A double-decker with 81 upholstered seats and tinted windows will start making runs on Thursday. The largest bus currently in service, the so-called accordion or articulated bus, has 62 seats. During the 35-day test, the double-decker is expected to be deployed on several routes, most likely including the x17 express between Manhattan and Staten Island, the M5 Limited and the M15, officials said.
It’s tough to get a sense of how much standing room these buses have. But it sounds as though these buses will more than complement the buses currently on the street. Notably, these double-decker buses are more fuel-efficient than the articulated buses current running on the crowded Manhattan streets. As they also take up less horizontal space, it’s a win-win situation for both the MTA and other Manhattan drivers.
On the down side, these buses can’t handle cross-park traffic. The transverses in Central Park don’t feature clearance high enough to allow these double-decker buses to run across town through the park.
In the end, it’s hard not to like this idea. It combines practicality, environmentalism and nostalgia all in one. These buses, if they pass the test of a public not so keen on the buses, would be a welcome addition to the New York City public transit system.
Everyone loves the new Select Bus Service lanes in effect in the Bronx, reports The Times’ William Neuman. So hopefully, New York City Transit will begin a quick roll-out of these lanes, right? Well, not so fast. Due mainly to bus supply problems and some logistical issues, we’re going to be waiting at least 18-24 months until the Manhattan routes debut. At least this delay gives the MTA plenty of time to get the BRT plans right and to straighten out the enforcement issues.
With their new $100 fare-beating fines in place, the MTA is set to make some waves. As soon as it can iron out a deal with the NYPD over the costs of a potential program, New York City Transit is set to begin a crackdown on bus fare-beaters. Numerous routes feature riders who feel entitled to enter through the back of the bus without paying a fare. These riders, when called out by bus drivers, often get belligerent and attack the drivers. A crackdown on this behavior would be most welcome.
Following last week’s news that the subways are mostly adequately air conditioned, New York City Transit released the bus air conditioning figures over the weekend. The buses, according to NYCT, are nearly perfectly air conditioned. Of the 2200 buses tested, 97 percent of them were found to be under 78 degrees, and just 78 buses overall were too hot. Now if only the buses moved with any speed through the City…
Remember when, last month, David Gantt singlehandedly squashed any effective BRT-lane enforcement measures? Of course you do. Well, so does The New York Times, and today, a full 36 days after Gantt’s back-room dealings, the newspaper of record decided to opine on the issue. In an editorial today, the Gray Lady says that Gantt must go. Well, duh.
With fare evasion fines now sitting at $100 and an experiment in place in the Bronx that could revolutionize bus service in New York, the MTA is going to ramp up its fare-evasion countermeasures. According to Daily News reporters Tayanika Samuels and Pete Donohue, transit officials are going to stop warning people who don’t pay their fares and will instead hand out tickets to those attempting to sneak onto the BX12 buses.
My favorite part of the story is this quote from Bronx resident Nadya Medina: “”Electricity’s high. Rent is high. Everything is increasing. Now, they want to fine you $100 to take the bus. It’s not fair.” No, Nadya. They just want you to pay your fare. It’s not that hard to figure out.