tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post5256385900899332024..comments2024-02-01T04:37:41.878-05:00Comments on Cap'n Transit Rides Again: The Helix and the XBLCap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-44183697236942053392010-12-21T00:42:37.673-05:002010-12-21T00:42:37.673-05:00No need for an all day XBL, Joel? Maybe, but ther...No need for an all day XBL, Joel? Maybe, but there's certainly a need for one on weekends. I've sat in traffic on that ramp from the Turnpike many Sunday evenings.<br /><br />The main value to an all-day XBL is predictability. They're always available for buses, 24/7. You don't need to move miles of barriers, just in the merge zones at either end.Cap'n Transithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-84722217200380137362010-12-15T17:04:40.814-05:002010-12-15T17:04:40.814-05:00There is no need for an all day XBL. AM Peak (two ...There is no need for an all day XBL. AM Peak (two lanes to NY) and PM Peak (one in each direction) are enough. The lack of priority in the PM peak to Manhattan destroys bus schedules and increases costs.jazumahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00890764412679388559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-88449390363805934542010-12-14T00:39:26.314-05:002010-12-14T00:39:26.314-05:00I don't think I said that the helix was good b...I don't think I said that the helix was good because of the buses. I said that good use of the money would be making the XBL all-day, in both directions.<br /><br />All transportation construction costs are out of whack in the US, not just rail construction costs. Look at the Tappan Zee Bridge, for example.Alon Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12195377309045184452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-7968863801830889352010-12-13T13:26:54.340-05:002010-12-13T13:26:54.340-05:00The helix takes a pounding and the geometry on it ...The helix takes a pounding and the geometry on it is very tight. The point of good road maintenance is to fix things before they fail. I think that the XBL can take a second lane as long as they allow charter buses in it AND they upgrade JFK Boulevard to take the overflow traffic. This is a project that can benefit everyone.<br /><br />Rail construction costs are out of whack in this region. It is going to be buses that bring the next phase of relief until the MTA turns its Capital Construction department into an actual construction company and hires its own workers.jazumahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00890764412679388559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-4944544344838008892010-12-13T11:23:40.168-05:002010-12-13T11:23:40.168-05:00No other three-tube tunnel? Well you learn someth...No other three-tube tunnel? Well you learn something new every day. Thanks, Jonathan!<br /><br />...of course that doesn't mean we couldn't put a bus lane in the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel or the Holland Tunnel. It just makes it a bit more difficult politically.Cap'n Transithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-88619857657868586392010-12-13T10:29:04.054-05:002010-12-13T10:29:04.054-05:00Thank you for the informative post. I would just l...Thank you for the informative post. I would just like to use this space to point out that the key to the XBL is that the Lincoln Tunnel is the world's only three-tube tunnel, with six lanes of traffic total going under the river. The Holland, the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, and the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel are only two-tube tunnels. <br /><br />Kudos to the Port Authority for thinking ahead.Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08520811734907587902noreply@blogger.com