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Proposed revisit of long ill-fated Utica ave subway line - Page 2 — Brooklynian

Proposed revisit of long ill-fated Utica ave subway line

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  • southeast
    southeast
    Thank you very much @homeowner.
  • southeast
    southeast
    edited July 2015
    yeah sometimes i wonder if deblasio knows he's not getting reelected so he just says shit to make himself sound good? hm
    He seems to be trolling. Even if money were no object (ha), I suspect there'd be some NIMBY opposition.

    I agree that there should be a transfer created between the Livonia Ave/Junius St stations between the L and the 3 lines. The MTA finally made a transfer between Lawrence Street and Jay Street happen; this seems like a no-brainer.
    DN: Brooklyn official wants transfer at 2 nearby subway stations in East New York http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/brooklyn-pol-transfer-east-new-york-subway-stations-article-1.2283534
  • Brooklyneya
    Brooklyneya
    A car service like Monaco usually costs around $35 to JFK. Not sure if it's the same for them to pick you up from there. Cheaper than hailing a cab and probably Uber.

    When I'm going on a short trip with light luggage and feel like taking public transport, I take the S shuttle to the C. Then transfer to the A at either Nostrand (have to go downstairs) or Utica where it's on the same platform. Then Air Train. It's not that bad. Only the first transfer from the S to the C is annoying. Takes roughly an hour and costs $5 Airtain and an extra metrocard ride if you dont already have an unlimited to use.
  • Brooklyneya
    Brooklyneya
    Never tried the bus though I guess I could take the 3 then the B15. Does the B15 drive by all of these terminals or only certain ones?
  • ehgee
    ehgee
    If you are cheap you can also take the A to the Q10, which I believe only goes to Terminal 4.

    It's just as fast if you would have needed to let a Lefferts A pass to get a Far Rockaway one.
  • steadyblogging
    steadyblogging
    To get back to the original subject line, MTA just launched SBS service on the B46 route, i.e., up and down Utica Av:


    As noted in the WSJ headline, this is Brooklyn's most heavily-used bus route (#3 in the city in 2015, according to MTA:
    http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffbus.htm#routes), and as noted above, this is a route a lot of people in East Flatbush use to get to the subway.

    Contrary to why_not's comment above, I don't think SBS is destined to fail. I ride the B44-SBS fairly regularly, and it seems to be working. Drivers mostly respect the bus lane (I believe they're camera-enforced? I'm not sure exactly how that works--cameras on the front of the buses?); the pre-payment & all-door boarding greatly reduces "dwell times" (how long a bus sits at a stop), and the limited stops means the buses really cover ground (e.g., one stop from Empire Blvd to St John's Pl)

    Also they've started installing countdown displays at the stops (see photo here:  with MTA's BusTime app, this is really handy for knowing if you have time to grab a coffee, etc before the next bus.

    Anyways, hopefully the B46-SBS service is similarly successful. I drove along the route earlier this week, and there were definitely a lot of bus lane scofflaws (partly due to the industrial/commercial nature of a lot of Utica), but hopefully that will improve with enforcement. 

    And hopefully all this will build momentum for more SBS-type service across the city.
  • BryceTC
    BryceTC
    steadyblogging said:
    To get back to the original subject line, MTA just launched SBS service on the B46 route, i.e., up and down Utica Av:


    As noted in the WSJ headline, this is Brooklyn's most heavily-used bus route (#3 in the city in 2015, according to MTA:
    http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffbus.htm#routes), and as noted above, this is a route a lot of people in East Flatbush use to get to the subway.

    Contrary to why_not's comment above, I don't think SBS is destined to fail. I ride the B44-SBS fairly regularly, and it seems to be working. Drivers mostly respect the bus lane (I believe they're camera-enforced? I'm not sure exactly how that works--cameras on the front of the buses?); the pre-payment & all-door boarding greatly reduces "dwell times" (how long a bus sits at a stop), and the limited stops means the buses really cover ground (e.g., one stop from Empire Blvd to St John's Pl)

    Also they've started installing countdown displays at the stops (see photo here:  with MTA's BusTime app, this is really handy for knowing if you have time to grab a coffee, etc before the next bus.

    Anyways, hopefully the B46-SBS service is similarly successful. I drove along the route earlier this week, and there were definitely a lot of bus lane scofflaws (partly due to the industrial/commercial nature of a lot of Utica), but hopefully that will improve with enforcement. 

    And hopefully all this will build momentum for more SBS-type service across the city.
    While I am very happy that the B46 is going the SBS route, the main issue with it is going to be all of the dollar vans along Utica as well as the immense amount of double parked cars once you go farther down to where a lot of the mechanics and car repair shops are. Police may have to crack down more on those to make the V46 SBS as efficient as possible.

    Like you I take the B44-SBS pretty frequently but some areas like Fulton Street often prove to be a bottleneck for the service with the constant traffic there.
  • steadyblogging
    steadyblogging
    Yes, you're right regarding the bus lane double-parkers obstructing SBS, along both Nostrand and Utica (perhaps less of an issue NB along Rogers since there's less commercial?)

    My understanding is that camera enforcement is coming--all the SBS buses are equipped with cameras that will take photos of said violators and automatically issue parking violations, but a driver told me they're not operational yet.

    (Which contradicts this DOT press release from Jan 2016: 

    Camera enforcement is also already in effect for the following routes:

      • Bx12, along the Fordham Road SBS corridor
      • M15, along the First Avenue and Second Avenue SBS corridors
      • M34, along the 34th Street SBS corridor
      • B44, along the Nostrand Avenue and Rogers Avenue SBS corridor
      • S79, along the Hylan Boulevard-Richmond Avenue SBS corridor
    bNot surprisingly, there is political resistance from local drivers and hence politicians about camera enforcement, loss of a driving lane, and loss of parking spots: 

    Cf this re Sheepshead Bay City Councilman Chaim Deutsch (and includes a quote from our State Senator Jesse Hamilton:





  • BryceTC
    BryceTC
    The traffic cops are enforcing this new SBS line pretty heavily. As I drove down Utica on Friday, I ran into at least 3 traffic cop vehicles driving down the bus lane and making every car double parked either move or face getting ticketed.

    Traffic seems to be moving way better than ever before with the clearly marked turning lanes, etc. It's doing much better than I initially thought it would.
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    http://www.gothamgazette.com/city/6767-little-progress-made-on-utica-avenue-subway-expansion-study
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