Does anyone take the train from Bay Ridge to Manhattan every day?

[nei]

Originally Posted by checkmatechamp13

There's a bus lane on the BQE in the morning.

Does that mean the Gowanus / BQE only has two lanes for regular cars?

Plus, now with BusTime, it makes it a little more predictable to catch, as opposed to the train which doesn't have any tracking app.

Anyone know if the MTA is planning on adding tracking for all the subways? The ones with the countdown display are trackable, right?

[checkmatechamp13]

Originally Posted by BSL1534

I believe what nei was asking was why take the B63 for a "long" trip from Park Slope to Bay Ridge. Unless the subway is not running, this is only for masochists.

As an experienced X27 bus rider I can say that the evening rush hour is not that bad most of the time. Plus, the problem is rarely the tunnel or the Gowanus; it's downtown Manhattan from Barclay Street to the entrance of the tunnel. It has taken 20 minutes or more to make it from Wall Street to the tunnel, which of course is right around the corner. The Broadway/Battery Place intersection is a bottleneck followed up by the bottleneck that is the Battery Place/West Street intersection a few yards up.

It depends how familiar you are with the route. Apparently, DoomDan didn't realize how slow the bus was, and maybe both his origin and destination were east of 5th Avenue, so he figured the extra walking time would cancel out the quicker subway ride.

And yes, I agree that traffic in Downtown Manhattan can be a mess.

Originally Posted by nei

That seems an unreasonable fear, unless at night; but everyone's comfort level is different

A couple of semesters ago, I would ride back to Sunset Park with a girl at 10PM, and she never had any issues. And she wasn't the only female getting off there either.

In any case, the express bus doesn't run frequently at night, and the last bus leaves Midtown at 12:30 (and on the weekends, it's even earlier).

If anybody is "uncomfortable" riding through Sunset Park, it's not because of any activity taking place on the train or in the stations. Point-blank period. The stations are well-lit and fairly well-used, and everybody getting on or off there is just going about their business.

Now, walking under the BQE is a different story, of course.

Originally Posted by nei

Does that mean the Gowanus / BQE only has two lanes for regular cars?

Anyone know if the MTA is planning on adding tracking for all the subways? The ones with the countdown display are trackable, right?

Honestly, I forget the layout offhand. The last I recall, it was a contraflow lane (so in the morning, there would be 4 lanes eastbound, 2 westbound. In the afternoon, it would be 3 lanes in each direction). I'm looking at it now on Google Streetview, and it shows 3 lanes in each direction, with the additional HOV lane. (For a total of 7 lanes).

I believe they are looking into it. It has something to do with the signal system being different. And yes, the ones with the display are trackable: http://apps.mta.info/traintime/

[on the avenue]

I just looked at the safety map on here to confirm my thoughts and what I've heard about Sunset Park, and it would be understandable if those living in Bay Ridge, which is considered by many to be the best neighborhood in Brooklyn, with virtually no crime and very clean streets, would be concerned about going through Sunset Park. QOL is the complete opposite in the two neighborhoods. Those that drive or use the express bus wouldn't have to worry about stopping in Sunset Park. The express buses serve Bay Ridge only, so there are no safety concerns.

[city living]

Originally Posted by on the avenue

Sunset Park in comparison to Bay Ridge has always been seen as seedy (though it has improved) and that's why many residents in Bay Ridge prefer the express bus. You are riding with residents from your neighborhood, so there is no seedy factor. That was the point I was trying to make. Given the fact that the op is a female it would make sense for her to use the bus at times if safety is a concern for her.

All my years in BR I have NEVER heard anyone say they prefer the express bus because they are scared to roll through Sunset. I used to work in Manhattan and would often go out after work and come home late---never once did I feel unsafe and I'd even get off at 59th sometimes and walk home.

Most residents who take the express bus do so because they have money and live on or near Shore Road. If you look at the map, the express bus runs almost entirely on Shore Road, except for when it hits Bay Ridge Avenue. Most people who live on or near Shore Road are a bit of a walk to the train, so between that and the fact that so many of them work near the stops in Manhattan, they will take the bus. It has NOTHING to do with Sunset Park.

Now if you want seedy, you simply go to under the BQE at night and look for hookers, plain and simple. And they aren't haunting the train stations.

[JMBX]

Yeah anyone living in Bay Ridge (as I used to) would find it laughably ridiculous (as I do) to not take the R simply because it goes through Sunset Park, a neighborhood that no one living in Bay Ridge or SW Brooklyn generally would consider "seedy" lol.