This Past Week In Transit News

THE COMMUTE: I thank Dr. John Rozankowski for filling in for me last week as I enjoyed a week away from New York City and the internet in the Adirondacks. I was limited to the television for accessing the news, most of which was the usual local variety featuring the latest fires and murders. However, there was one story which interested me — Albany’s version of our Select Bus Service or Bus Rapid Transit, which they call Bus Plus. There is currently one Bus Plus route in service with plans for three more. I will explain later why we should care about this and how it affects you.

The current route in operation runs between Albany and Schenectady, a distance of 17 miles. I was intrigued because I wanted to find out why bus rapid transit would be needed for intercity travel and why would it be faster than local service, so I checked out the Capital District Transportation Authority’s (CDTA) website for more information.

Supposedly, time is saved because Bus Plus reduces the number of bus stops by a whopping 80 percent — from 90 stops to 18 — stopping only at the most frequently used bus stops. If that is the case, how much time do buses skipping so many stops save? The CDTA does not say. How much is saved in operational expenses? The CDTA does not say. There is some mention of exclusive bus lanes, probably for a few blocks in Downtown Albany and Schenectady, but certainly not like the exclusive lanes we have here. Those could not be justified with rush hour service of only every 15 minutes and off-peak headways of every 30 minutes.

The service also features low floor buses branded with a special paint scheme, real-time information, transit signal priority, bus shelters and security features. According to the CDTA, patronage in the corridor jumped 20 percent since the introduction of the service. However, I couldn’t find any statistics regarding how much traffic congestion was reduced. Now, here is why you should be concerned.

Although the route currently in service was paid for mostly by federal funds, Senator Charles Schumer is now fighting for $50 million in state money to expand Bus Plus to two additional routes, according to the TV report I heard. Of course, that would not make news downstate. The CDTA press release mentions something about federal funding, but no breakdown of state vs. federal funding is provided. I can only wonder how much of our state money will go to support this project, and where was Senator Schumer when Albany was stealing money from the MTA necessitating the 2010 service cutbacks?

As I questioned the wisdom of Select Bus Service (SBS) on the B44, I also question it in the Albany region. While eliminating stops and shortening travel time does seem to make sense there, because the average trip length seems to be longer than it is here, it seems to me that the same benefits could have been achieved without any special branding, but merely by introducing what we call here “limited stop service,” since, unlike in New York City, special bus lanes and priority signals are only a minor part of the effort, and there is no off-board fare pre-payment.

However, by calling it Bus Rapid Transit, the Albany region is able to procure buses and bus shelters it otherwise would have had to pay for out of its own funds, rather than through state and federal money.

In other news, our B44 SBS begins in two weeks. Despite the upcoming publicity, there is still bound to be confusion at the bus stops regarding the pre-payment of fares, the different route taken by the new service, and the loss of limited stops.

Sandy’s First Anniversary

Also, of course, last week marked the first anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. I was one of the first to give the MTA high marks in how they handled the storm. For those of you who are interested in reading more about the MTA’s efforts in handling the storm and taking preventative measures to minimize damage and disruptions from future storms, The New York Times last week published some in depth articles here and here.

The MTA also offered free rides as a “thank you for understanding” on Sandy’s anniversary to riders who experienced the most inconvenience in Bay Ridge to riders of the R and A riders in the Rockaways. It was a nice PR gesture by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

State Of The Subway Platforms

The Straphangers Campaign last week issued its third annual “State of the Platforms” report last week, in which they measured conditions at 862 subway platforms. Their major finding:

“Substantial Graffiti, Floor Cracks, and Missing Tiles on Platforms Throughout Subways; 24% Have Exposed Wiring. Substantial Water Damage (82%) and Peeling Paint (74%) at Vast Majority of 525 Underground Platforms. Many Subway Platforms Are ‘Grim’ and ‘Dreary,’ Group Concludes.”

You can read about it here.

Ben Kabak’s Second Avenue Sagas printed the MTA’s response, which basically stated that safety is their primary concern, not cosmetics, due to financial constraints and hence the dismal condition of many of the platforms. While I always take these types of reports with a grain of salt, I don’t buy the MTA’s response either. As a subway rider, former Chairman Joe Lhota recognized the need for resumption of the subway station painting program, but did not stick around long enough to see that it actually would happen. Many subway stations have not seen a coat of paint in a generation. There is also no excuse for allowing grime to accumulate on subway tile walls for months or years.

Brighton Line riders have less to complain about than most other riders. All stations have been or are currently being rebuilt and the MTA has been doing a good job of keeping newly-renovated stations looking new. Also the Q line ranked the best in the system, according to Straphangers.

Perhaps Straphanger’s greatest accomplishment in doing these surveys, which began more than 20 years ago, is that they stimulated the MTA into performing its own surveys, partially to prove Straphangers wrong. Before then, the MTA had absolutely no data regarding the system as seen by the passenger. Their surveys measure different aspects of the system, which Straphangers acknowledge, so a direct comparison between the various surveys is not possible.

Conclusion

Since I cannot think of a clever conclusion to tie together these unrelated stories, I will end with an uplifting candid camera type of video for subway conductors published on You Tube last week.

The Commute is a weekly feature highlighting news and information about the city’s mass transit system and transportation infrastructure. It is written by Allan Rosen, a Manhattan Beach resident and former Director of MTA / NYC Transit Bus Planning (1981).

Disclaimer: The above is an opinion column and may not represent the thoughts or position of Sheepshead Bites. Based upon their expertise in their respective fields, our columnists are responsible for fact-checking their own work, and their submissions are edited only for length, grammar and clarity. If you would like to submit an opinion piece or become a regularly featured contributor, please e-mail nberke [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com.