JeremyZ

I hope they were thinking "look at all of the hosers eating their Tim Horton's, eh?" Otherwise, they're not gettin' home through Laguardia.

Real furriners are getting in to NY through JFK, EWR, one of the cruise ship docks, or that blimpport in Jersey. If they're predisposed to get all judgey, they'll hit one of those first anyway.

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

While I too use the Q33 and it normaly takes me an hour to an hour fifteen from Chelsea, an express bus from LGA to say the N train station (which distance wise is probably the closest to LGA) would seem to make sense. Could run every 30 minutes during non peak and every 15 minutes during peak. But again its the MTA.

Analise

So for the love of God, it is actually quite reasonable and, yikes, not a "poor reflection on the city". ^

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.601 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

The scheduled run time of the M60 from the LGA CTB to the N/Q station is 18 minutes. An express would probably not shave more than 5 or 6 minutes off of that, so it's hard to see the sense of adding an express.

By the way, the Junction Boulevard #7 station is about the same distance: scheduled run time from the CTB is 19 minutes.

TA

appreciate your points, all.

I'm not complaining about the $2.25, that part of it is great. I just think that maybe for a little bit more $, airport travelers would flock to a service that offers more convenience. But maybe it's not enough to recoup the costs of a new route for passengers that a city views as not its core mission...

I do think however, that the quality of public transportation to and from a major airport is highly reflective of what is on a city's priority list...

sent

You took the Q33 in rush hour. That's the issue. In non-rush hour, I've made the trip from Jackson Heights to the first stop at the Central Terminal in 20 minutes and vice versa.

If you are going to Central Terminal, you have to get off at the stop immediately after the Marine Air Terminal and walk across the street to Central Terminal. I never realized this until I saw that this is where the employees all would get off the bus while I was the last sucker left with luggage as the bus made it's way all around the other airport terminals before reaching the front door of the Central Terminal. Saves at least 5+ minutes off your ride.

TA

Do you mean the Q47, going to the Marine Air Terminal? Perhaps this is a good tip, but most people unaware of this are going to the main terminal and so take the Q33 bus as instructed.

Could the Q47 and Q33 trips to LGA be merged into some sort of more-express service?

sent

Nope, I'm talking about riding the Q33 going from Jackson Heights to the airport. Once the bus turns into the LGA area, the first stop is Marine Air Terminal and the next one is this stop, in between the Marine Terminal and where Central Terminal begins. The stop is near one of those red flag-like pavilions labeled "Walkway."


One time, the bus driver actually made an announcement telling passengers they would save time if they got off at the early stop rather than waiting for the bus to loop around the terminals. Most of the times the bus driver can't be bothered. If I was an international visitor coming to NYC for the first time, I would be majorly turned off by the bus service to get out of LGA. There are some very unfriendly Americans driving those busses.

JeremyZ

Ooonce again, LGA is really not an international airport. It's the third-largest airport in the city, basically serving domestic destinations and Canada only.

Does that mean that it shouldn't have its own rail link? Well, no. But it's truly close enough to the city that a taxi is inexpensive, and getting to the subway isn't a big deal. Also, if you remember the drama involved in putting up the JFK train, it may just be the right decision to let things be unless we all want some $50/ticket "LaGuardia modernization/widows' and orphans' fee."

Hopefully our international friends are a little more thoughtful and open-minded than they're being portrayed. SEPTA's R1 is very convenient and speedy. Way better than riding a bus in traffic. But it takes you to Philly, so there's that.

magiciansampras

LOL ^

Analise

Your complaint is about the local streets and the traffic which you endured during your 45 minute ride at rush hour. An express bus isn't going to fly above the traffic. Thus, it won't be faster at rush hour.

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

The M60 (up to the N/Q stop) and the Q33 use side streets so backed up traffic on the GCP does not pose a problem. The way I see it, there not enough M60 buses to avoid excessive crowding and the Q33 can really poke along at certain times of the day. That is why it would seem that an Express Bus to Jackson Heights would possibly avoid some of the overcrowding (remember many of the people getting on are airport workers that live along the routes in Queens) but yet get travelers to the major subway lines going into Manhattan faster.

Still, given the MTA I would say any solution is only a dream.

dstan

This is basically how the JFK Airtrain is set up.

While I'd certainly like to have a similar option at LGA, in the end, I'd probably still end up cabbing it, as we are a bit of a hike from the nearest subway stop in Manhattan.

nerd

Isn't the stop much, much closer to the Central Terminal than the Marine Air Terminal? Like near the taxi circle on the west end of the terminal?

I've only taken the M60, but I believe it makes the same stop there.

JeremyZ

Thank you.