Archive for June, 2007

Summer weekends are rough for subway travel

Saturday, June 30th, 2007

The headline says it all. Except for the M and the Shuttles, every line has a service advisory attached to it this weekend.
The high points: 4 trains aren’t running from Atlantic Ave. to the Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall Stop; 1 train service runs from 14th St. to 168th St. with shuttle buses and the 2 [...]

MTA extends Metrocard shelf life

Friday, June 29th, 2007

Ever lose your Metrocard in the deep recesses of your apartment only to find it 10 months later long after its expiration date? Better yet, did you even know that your Metrocard, your pay-per-ride Metrocard, has an expiration date?
Well, they do, and the MTA seems to profit off of them. According to news reports, [...]

MTA board members like the F express plans

Wednesday, June 27th, 2007

After a few weeks of campaigning and a last-minute push in support of the petition, Gary Reilly’s F Express petition has reached the MTA. Based on Gary’s reports, it sounds like the tide is in our favor; we may yet get our wish for express service on the Culver Line into Brooklyn.
On Wednesday, Reilly [...]

Subways out after East Side power outage

Wednesday, June 27th, 2007

According to a report on WNBC.com, the East Side is suffering from a major power outage, and subway service on the Lexington Ave. line has been suspended. Nothing like a big power outage right at the start of rush hour.
This should make getting home a huge headache for, oh, millions of people. Stay tuned for [...]

Apparently, the subways are a bit crowded

Tuesday, June 26th, 2007

Graphic courtesy of The New York Times. Edited by me. For the original, click here.
As the debate over the congestion fee rages, New York City Transit decided to release a report this week that came as a surprise to, well, exactly no one. The subways are very crowded, the MTA announced. In fact, the subways [...]

Last hours to sign the F train petition

Tuesday, June 26th, 2007

We’re coming down to the wire on the F Express/V local petition. Gary Reilly of Brooklyn Streets created the petition a few weeks back. I analyzed his plan two weeks ago and reiterated my support yesterday.
Well, now we’re coming down the wire. Gary, as he writes here, is delivering the petition to the MTA [...]

Congestion fee plan not dead yet, but rather pining for the fjords

Tuesday, June 26th, 2007

With apologies to Monty Python…
Monday dawned a new week, and with it, a whole slew of news on the in-limbo congestion fee plan set for by Mayor Bloomberg in his PLANYC2030 package. The coverage, by and large, is falls favorably on the side of those of us arguing in favor of the plan, and [...]

Albany gridlock kills MTA’s golden ticket … for now

Monday, June 25th, 2007

Albany gridlock, long the bane of New York politics, is killing Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion fee plan for now. With the end of the legislative session arriving last week, a battle of political wills between Gov. Eliot Spitzer and State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno left the fate of the congestion fee plan up in [...]

Petition for F express service picking up steam

Friday, June 22nd, 2007

Those F express tracks sit unused, and Brooklyn residents want to see that changed.
When last I checked in on the petition to promote F service along the unused express tracks on Brooklyn’s Culver line, the movement, while presenting a very feasible plan, had yet to gain steam. Well, the last nine days have seen a [...]

Hemmerdinger mum on possible ’08 fare hike

Thursday, June 21st, 2007

It’s all Hemmerdinger, all the time, this week at Second Ave. Sagas. After news about his appointment and news about cranky GOP leaders, we’ve got news about everyone’s favorite MTA topic: the possible 2008 fare hike.
Hemmerdinger, not yet officially the new MTA chair, hasn’t taken a stand on the potential fare hike looming on [...]