Roosevelt Island Red Bus Service - How Are They Doing?
It has been over a month since the new Roosevelt Island Red Bus schedule, resulting from a collaboration between RIRA and RIOC, has been in place. The changes, as reported in the Main Street Wire, involved using the cross island road south of the Sportspark as a bus turnaround instead of the circle by the Tram Station thereby returning the north bound subway bus stop. In addition, the Parking Garage/Gristedes bus stop was eliminated during the morning rush hours. There is also the continuing designation of certain bus routes as Octagon Express, Octagon Local and Firehouse Local as well.
Since moving from Manhattan Park to Southtown, I do not often have a reason to ride the Red Bus. While at Manhattan Park, I was annoyed and frustrated by the overcrowding and bunching of buses that occurred during the morning and evening rush hours and usually walked to and from the Tram or Subway. Have the changes helped at all?
Rooseveltisland360 takes us on a typical Red Bus ride from the Tram via video.
6 comments :
I have always been wondering why the Red Bus never served the entire island, including the Goldwater campus in the south. It's really not that hard to keep a bus route on such a small island like hours. Keep the bus go round and round and don't sync up with the tram. The tram runs often enough that people can very well wait for the next one to leave.
Also, the whole spiel with three different "bus lines" is a joke. What is the purpose of an Octagon Express bus? Just let all buses do the entire round and have a nus leave every 5 minutes during rush hours and maybe every 15 minutes during regular hours. Create a timetable and post the departure times at each stop.
I really wonder why it is so hard to get a decent bus route and schedule implemented here. One bus, one street, and no one capable of putting something together.
Kudos on the permanent linkage from the NY Times City Blog home page! - Eric
I totally agree with what anonymous said. It should go round and round - no need to wait at the tram. I do think that the bus should go in a circle. Southtown buildings (Riverwalk)- three now, six more to come also deserve to have a stop. It would relieve alot of traffic back and forth from dropping off groceries, etc from the parking garage and helpful if you have packages from Cristedes. Since the entrances to the buildings are on the Queens side, it is the farthest from existing bus stops than anyone else has (Other than the hospital).
Agree with others - as far as I am concerned, they never ran "on schedule" anyways. What makes the Octagoners so special? By the way, that traffic "circle" by Blackwell house just causes confusion and is silly as laid out - drivers should simply be able to bear left - it is a 2-lane road.
I have noticed some young ladies on the bus that I would like to do the horizonal hoola hoop with.
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