Comments on: MTA enters the 21st century kicking and screaming http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/ A New York City Subway Blog Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:34:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Second Ave. Sagas | Blogging the NYC Subways » Blog Archive » MTA, Siemens at odds over technology projects http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/#comment-7919 Second Ave. Sagas | Blogging the NYC Subways » Blog Archive » MTA, Siemens at odds over technology projects Thu, 20 Dec 2007 06:33:45 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/#comment-7919 [...] years, New Yorkers have bemoaned the state of the MTA’s technology. While London has advanced tracking systems that show how far away, in minutes, the next Tube [...] [...] years, New Yorkers have bemoaned the state of the MTA’s technology. While London has advanced tracking systems that show how far away, in minutes, the next Tube [...]

]]> By: ‘Who are you texting 50 service alerts a day?’ ‘IDK, my bff, MTA.’ at Second Ave. Sagas | Blogging the NYC Subways http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/#comment-2870 ‘Who are you texting 50 service alerts a day?’ ‘IDK, my bff, MTA.’ at Second Ave. Sagas | Blogging the NYC Subways Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:08:55 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/#comment-2870 [...] plan — similar to ones already in place in New Jersey and Washington, DC — is a welcome development. It first hit the news one week after the flood and was featured as a [...] [...] plan — similar to ones already in place in New Jersey and Washington, DC — is a welcome development. It first hit the news one week after the flood and was featured as a [...]

]]> By: KidTwist http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/#comment-1167 KidTwist Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:22:16 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/#comment-1167 How hard would it be to put a simple computer terminal in each token booth so the clerks could get email updates about service changes instead of relying on phone calls? How hard would it be to put a simple computer terminal in each token booth so the clerks could get email updates about service changes instead of relying on phone calls?

]]> By: Marc Shepherd http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/#comment-1166 Marc Shepherd Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:14:50 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/#comment-1166 Now <I>that's</I> a brilliant idea. You seem to forget that most of the subway system and bus lines were originally operated by private companies. Those companies went bankrupt. Running a subway isn't a profit-making venture. That's why every municipal subway system in the world, as far as I know, is operated by a governmental entity. Of course, I am not suggesting that the MTA is doing a perfect job of it. But private companies aren't perfect either. Just look at bankruptcy filings. A capitalist system requires that some firms must fail. That might be okay if it's a restaurant or a Broadway show. It's not so great when it's your subway system. Now that’s a brilliant idea. You seem to forget that most of the subway system and bus lines were originally operated by private companies. Those companies went bankrupt. Running a subway isn’t a profit-making venture. That’s why every municipal subway system in the world, as far as I know, is operated by a governmental entity.

Of course, I am not suggesting that the MTA is doing a perfect job of it. But private companies aren’t perfect either. Just look at bankruptcy filings. A capitalist system requires that some firms must fail. That might be okay if it’s a restaurant or a Broadway show. It’s not so great when it’s your subway system.

]]> By: Hugek http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/#comment-1165 Hugek Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:58:48 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/#comment-1165 There's no reason they cant do it like Jersey transit and send email or text updates every morning when the service is slow or down. There is also no reason why they cant buy $200 GPS transmitters for every bus and relay that information on their websites giving direct access to the information to the consumer. There is also no reason they can't install LED screens at subway station ($500 a pop) that would relay the information via wifi modems from the website. The solutions are there, many small business track their delivery vehicles in the tri state area, and call if there's a delay. If a small business can do it, if the big distribution companies that deliver everything from liqueur to bread can do it, the MTA has to do it. MTA cant clean it's cars and it's station but it's great at giving excuses for everything from delays to slow reaction to downed websites. MTA has to go. Outsource the damn subways to logistics companies that can run it as a business and let them break the unions, thats the only way to save transportation in NYC without taxing the poor more and more every year. There’s no reason they cant do it like Jersey transit and send email or text updates every morning when the service is slow or down. There is also no reason why they cant buy $200 GPS transmitters for every bus and relay that information on their websites giving direct access to the information to the consumer. There is also no reason they can’t install LED screens at subway station ($500 a pop) that would relay the information via wifi modems from the website.

The solutions are there, many small business track their delivery vehicles in the tri state area, and call if there’s a delay. If a small business can do it, if the big distribution companies that deliver everything from liqueur to bread can do it, the MTA has to do it.

MTA cant clean it’s cars and it’s station but it’s great at giving excuses for everything from delays to slow reaction to downed websites. MTA has to go. Outsource the damn subways to logistics companies that can run it as a business and let them break the unions, thats the only way to save transportation in NYC without taxing the poor more and more every year.

]]> By: Marc Shepherd http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/#comment-1168 Marc Shepherd Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:09:34 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/#comment-1168 I certainly agree that this is fixable without rocket science. But I think your allocation of the blame is misplaced. The problem is not MTA luddites, but the huge capital cost of wiring every subway station and bus stop. The available capital is limited, in turn, by the amount politicians are willing to allocate to mass transit. As it is, the current capital program came in below what the MTA requested from the legislature. The fact is that the capital budget could double, triple, or quadruple, without being adequate to remedy decades of neglect in the '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s, and '70s. London understood the importance of investment in mass transit; New York didn't. The people to blame for it are long gone, and it certainly isn't the fault of the current MTA bosses, who actually do want to fix it—within the constraints of what the legislature will allocate. If you want all of this technology within current capital constraints, you have to identify the projects you'd prefer they didn't do, so that the funds will be available. If you want more capital investment overall (as most of us do), you should blame the legislature. Better yet, get involved directly. Write your state senator and assembly member. Obviously, before more capital can be allocated, the MTA needs to have strong advocates arguing for it. But there is only so much they can realistically do, in the face of constituents who oppose tax increases, and in the face of upstate legislators who oppose spending more money on New York City. At any rate, several of the top jobs at the MTA have changed in the last year, and they are working with an inherited capital budget that they can't just change willy-nilly. I think you need to give them a bit of time before declaring their efforts a failure. I certainly agree that this is fixable without rocket science. But I think your allocation of the blame is misplaced. The problem is not MTA luddites, but the huge capital cost of wiring every subway station and bus stop. The available capital is limited, in turn, by the amount politicians are willing to allocate to mass transit. As it is, the current capital program came in below what the MTA requested from the legislature.

The fact is that the capital budget could double, triple, or quadruple, without being adequate to remedy decades of neglect in the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. London understood the importance of investment in mass transit; New York didn’t. The people to blame for it are long gone, and it certainly isn’t the fault of the current MTA bosses, who actually do want to fix it—within the constraints of what the legislature will allocate.

If you want all of this technology within current capital constraints, you have to identify the projects you’d prefer they didn’t do, so that the funds will be available. If you want more capital investment overall (as most of us do), you should blame the legislature. Better yet, get involved directly. Write your state senator and assembly member.

Obviously, before more capital can be allocated, the MTA needs to have strong advocates arguing for it. But there is only so much they can realistically do, in the face of constituents who oppose tax increases, and in the face of upstate legislators who oppose spending more money on New York City. At any rate, several of the top jobs at the MTA have changed in the last year, and they are working with an inherited capital budget that they can’t just change willy-nilly. I think you need to give them a bit of time before declaring their efforts a failure.

]]> By: fhdogs http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/#comment-1169 fhdogs Mon, 13 Aug 2007 05:40:17 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/08/13/mta-enters-the-21st-century-kicking-and-screaming/#comment-1169 It's amazing that some MTA buses have tracking technology that informs the drivers, and obviously MTA HQ wether the bus is on time (or more likely, how far off time it's running) yet they can't figure out how to put this system to a beneficial use. Personally I'd rather see the MTA use this system to track bus drivers and stop them from illegally using private streets for a shortcut, thus bypassing several seldom used but important stops. It’s amazing that some MTA buses have tracking technology that informs the drivers, and obviously MTA HQ wether the bus is on time (or more likely, how far off time it’s running) yet they can’t figure out how to put this system to a beneficial use.

Personally I’d rather see the MTA use this system to track bus drivers and stop them from illegally using private streets for a shortcut, thus bypassing several seldom used but important stops.

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