MTA Expanding Bus Service
Earlier tonight it was reported that, the MTA would be expanding bus service. The expanded service mainly focuses on Brooklyn but one part of the expansion involves a Queens bus route. The plans include sending the B83 to service The Gateway Center Mall. Also we will see an extension of the B61 & B77 to service the Ikea Store that is scheduled to open in Red Hook. Here is a brief article with all the details courtesy of AMNY:
New York City Transit will expand bus service to two shopping spots in Brooklyn and introduce 24-hour service along a Queens route.
The B83 route will carry shoppers to the Gateway Center Mall in East New York starting in November. The route now connects Broadway Junction, East New York and the Spring Creek Towers development in Brooklyn.
Residents of Spring Creek, also known as Starrett City, now have to transfer to other bus routes to reach the mall, separated from the complex by a canal. The almost one-mile extension will also connect commuters to five subway lines at Broadway Junction and the No. 3 line at Pennsylvania Avenue station.
Transit will extend service in January on the B61 to B77 lines to the Ikea store scheduled to open in Red Hook. The agency in January will also introduce 24-hour service on the Q59 line to serve passengers in Williamsburg, Maspeth, Elmhurst and Rego Park.
The line now runs from 4:30 a.m. to midnight on weekdays, and on a shorter weekend schedule.
This is exciting news for those who depend on these lines. I imagine this will be a big boost for the local economy in & around Starrett City.
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Question Of The Week 09-24-07 – 09-30-07
I have updated the “Question Of The Week” section on Eye On Transit. The update includes last week’s poll results, update of the archives page, & most importantly this week’s question. This week’s question focuses on the MTA’s 88 page storm report & future handling of storms.
As usual the voting ends on Sunday at 11:59 p.m. EST so get your vote in now! To cast your vote go here!
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Local Politician Vs. Vehicles That Block Buses
NYC councilwoman Gail Brewer wants to tackle vehicles that block buses. She released a report which contained among many, an idea to install cameras on NYC buses. The cameras would enable buses to photograph vehicles illegally parked in bus lanes. Afterwards the owners of such vehicles would get mailed a summons for illegally parking in bus lanes. The idea is similar to the system currently in place that photographs vehicles who run red lights.
Here is an article about her proposal courtesy of AMNY:
on board bus cameras could be trained on illegally parked cars, ultimately helping to ease city traffic, a councilwoman proposed Sunday.
Gail Brewer released a report that offered the camera idea as well as others meant to cut congestion and convince people to leave their cars at home.
The on board camera could photograph license plates of cars parked in bus lanes, she proposed. Drivers would then get a summons just like motorists who run red-light cameras, the report said.
Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh (D-Manhattan) introduced a bill for on board cameras earlier this year.
Brewer’s report also recommends using Smart Cards universally to pay for bus fare. Such cards, which are already in use on Lexington line subway stations, are already scheduled for testing on MTA buses next year.
The report sprung from a public hearing she hosted in March 2006 that included constituents and MTA representatives.
Brewer said installing the technology before a congestion-pricing plan takes effect — or even without it — could encourage people to use mass transit.
On Staten Island, the MTA and the city are already testing devices that would let buses change red lights to green as they approach intersections, MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin said.
The MTA is also testing a new GPS system that shows riders waiting at shelters the location of the next bus.
“Clearly, New York City Transit is committed to exploring and deploying those technologies that can assist us in meeting our mission to providing the best quality service we can to the 2.5 million average weekday riders who rely on our buses,” Soffin said.
I for one support the idea as the illegal parking in bus lanes is out of control! I have always noticed how many drivers have a lack of respect for mass transit vehicles who are depended on by millions every day! Anything that can lower that lack of respect should be seen as a good thing. Maybe a hit to the wallet will have these rule breakers think twice before committing an illegal action!
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Bike Lane Experiment Coming Soon…..
Today’s AMNY has an article about a bike lane experiment that is being conducted in NYC. The experiment calls for a strip of pavement & a lane of parked cars to serve as a barrier between auto & bicycle traffic. The experiment will take place on 9th Avenue between W. 16th Street & W. 23rd Street. Here is a brief article about the experiment courtesy of AMNY:
NEW YORK – Bicycles and cars are grudging partners on Manhattan’s congested streets, dodging and sometimes cursing each other as they share the road. But soon they won’t have to, at least for a few blocks.
The city plans to experiment with a heavily buffered bike lane in one part of the Chelsea neighborhood, City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said. Bicycles will be separated from auto traffic by both a strip of pavement and a lane of parked cars.
The design, which has been tried in Europe, will be installed within the next month on Ninth Avenue between West 16th and West 23rd streets, Sadik-Khan said.
“It represents the kinds of innovative ideas that we can explore to make the streets more livable,” she said.
The project will condense cars from four lanes to three, but Sadik-Khan said traffic in the area was light enough that the change wouldn’t be a problem.
The city announced a $1 million bike safety ad campaign Tuesday, aiming to get drivers and cyclists to look out for each other. Sadik-Khan has said 300 cyclists were seriously injured last year, 94 percent of them due to inattention or failure to follow traffic signs.
The city also is promoting bicycle riding through helmet giveaways and other means, and one cycling advocate said he thought the protected bike lane would prove a powerful incentive.
Noah S. Budnick, the deputy director of Transportation Alternatives, said many would-be city cyclists “say the traffic is too scary.”
“If you provide protected space for riding bikes, New Yorkers are going to use it in droves,” he said.
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Information from: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com
This sounds like an interesting idea which I do plan on checking out. I will make an effort to stop by the area & get pictures as the experiment takes place.
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One Last Thing…..
I promise this will be the last entry about my ride down to The San Gennaro Feast. I had to control myself from laughing out loud. I am sure I have seen the ad before but for some reason it really struck my funny bone. The ad was about some sort of job placement with a parking company.
The headline of the ad was something along the lines of “CHANGE YOUR LIFE” with this career move. Career move??? I know having a job or finding a way to make a living is important. However should ads completely try & bullshit you? Who in their right mind would think that getting a job parking cars for $10 an hour is a career move? If someone out there actually feels this way, do yourself a favor & quit at the game of life since you are clearly not going to win this game…..
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