14th Street observations

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14th Street observations
Posted by AlM on Sun Dec 1 18:18:55 2019 After a rough start-up, the bus seems to be working well. Frequent service, less bunching. Traffic on 12th and 13th streets is extremely heavy on weekends and evenings, but quite reasonable during the day. For several straight Sunday mornings, they have been doing a ticket-checking operation on the westbound side at 3rd Ave, just before the buses tend to empty out at Union Square. Four guys come swarming aboard and check everyone out within a minute or two. Usually they haul one or two people off the bus to give them a summons. As an aside, someone mentioned that the fire department personnel tend to park in the eastbound bus lane between 2nd and 1st. In three of four passings, I saw no such cars, but today I did see one. As another aside, I am sure this is well known, but even at Avenue A it does not seem there will be a mezzanine. The new entrance on the south side of the street there serves only the Brooklyn-bound platform. This results in the weird arrangement right now that for Brooklyn-bound during the day you enter on the south side of the street at Ave A, while nights and weekends you enter on the north side at 1st Ave.
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Re: 14th Street observations
Posted by randyo* on Mon Dec 2 00:21:18 2019, in response to 14th Street observations, posted by AlM on Sun Dec 1 18:18:55 2019.* The desire to remove auto traffic from selected bus routes seems to only reenforce the argument for the return to streetcars AKA light rail!
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Re: 14th Street observations
Posted by Spider-Pig* on Mon Dec 2 01:45:31 2019, in response to Re: 14th Street observations, posted by randyo on Mon Dec 2 00:21:18 2019.* No, it doesn’t.
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Re: 14th Street observations
Posted by AlM* on Mon Dec 2 07:05:57 2019, in response to Re: 14th Street observations, posted by randyo on Mon Dec 2 00:21:18 2019.* ??? Light rail would not move any faster on 14th Street than buses. And on Ave A and Ave C it would be a disaster. I am looking forward to battery-powered buses when that day comes, however.
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Re: 14th Street observations
Posted by TransitChuckG* on Mon Dec 2 08:39:13 2019, in response to Re: 14th Street observations, posted by AlM on Mon Dec 2 07:05:57 2019.* Bump
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Re: 14th Street observations
Posted by ChicagoMotorman* on Mon Dec 2 13:21:05 2019, in response to 14th Street observations, posted by AlM on Sun Dec 1 18:18:55 2019.* Thanks. I think I will check it out when I'm there in 2 weeks.
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Re: 14th Street observations
Posted by randyo* on Mon Dec 2 16:29:32 2019, in response to Re: 14th Street observations, posted by Spider-Pig on Mon Dec 2 01:45:31 2019.* Why not? If streets are going to have dedicated lanes for mass transit or even be completely turned over to mass transit, then it is more logical to have light rail rather than buses.
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Re: 14th Street observations
Posted by Spider-Pig* on Mon Dec 2 17:55:20 2019, in response to Re: 14th Street observations, posted by randyo on Mon Dec 2 16:29:32 2019.* I disagree.
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Re: 14th Street observations
Posted by italianstallion* on Mon Dec 2 19:15:07 2019, in response to Re: 14th Street observations, posted by randyo on Mon Dec 2 16:29:32 2019.* It is not necessarily logical. Often, the buses also run on other streets which are not dedicated. But I do agree that if buses run completely on a dedicated busway, light rail is better as it can be set up with multiple cars, thus having more capacity. In addition, people like trains better than buses. And if the buses are not electric, the energy use by LR is favorable.
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Re: 14th Street observations
Posted by Charles G* on Tue Dec 3 18:55:04 2019, in response to 14th Street observations, posted by AlM on Sun Dec 1 18:18:55 2019.* I was in the area a few weeks back, walking up 6th Avenue. I almost didn't notice 14th Street when I got to it, the "feel" of the area is so different now. The ticket blitzes you mention remind me of Zurich, where they would have 10 people cover an entire rush hour tram in about 60 seconds. Very effective, it seemed.
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Re: 14th Street observations
Posted by AlM* on Tue Dec 3 19:09:18 2019, in response to Re: 14th Street observations, posted by Charles G on Tue Dec 3 18:55:04 2019.* One can sometimes actually jaywalk across 14th nowadays!
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