As the U.S. economy weakens and gas prices rise, urban areas — and some suburban regions — have noticed a steady and substantial increase in mass transit ridership figures. Now, as Think Progress’ Matthew Yglesias noted earlier this week, a crowd swell of fiscal support for transit is building in Congress.
In another left-leaning forum, The American Prospect takes a look at how conservatives and conservative ideology should support urban infrastructure investment. Wrote Dana Goldstein:
Policies in favor of dense development shouldn’t be viewed on a left-right spectrum and certainly needn’t be filtered through culture-war rhetoric… In fact, one doesn’t have to be concerned about climate change at all in order to support such policies; values of fiscal conservatism and localism, both key to Republican ideology, can be better realized through population-dense development than through sprawl.
Tom Darden, a developer of urban and close-in suburban properties, said Wednesday, “I’m a Republican and have been my whole life. I consider myself a very conservative person. But it never made sense to me why we would tax ordinary people in order to subsidize this form of development, sprawl.” Darden told the story of a road-paving project approved by North Carolina when he served on the state’s transportation board. A dirt road that handled just five trips per day was paved at taxpayer expense, with money that could have gone toward mass transit benefiting millions of people.
“Those were driveways, in my view, not roads,” Darden said.
More common sense came from Congressman John Mica of Florida, the ranking Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “I can’t just continue to pave over every metro area,” he said. “Our goal is to reduce the negative impact on the environment and also reduce our dependence on energy.”
Perhaps the tide is starting to turn in transit’s favor. Perhaps New York’s transit infrastructure, short on cash, can look to the future for more government funding and fewer fare hikes. At least, we have reason to hope.
For now, though, work continues ad infinitum during the weekends in New York. Click through for the weekend service changes.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, September 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15, 23 trains run local between 96th and Chambers Street due to 96th Street rehabilitation.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, September 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15, there are no 4 trains between Utica and Atlantic Avenue due to track and station work for the Fulton Street Transit Center. Customers should take the 3 instead.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, September 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15, there are no 4 trains between Atlantic Avenue and Brooklyn Bridge due to track and station work for the Fulton Street Transit Center. A special J train provides alternate service to nearby stations. – Those nearby stations include the BMT Brighton stops in Brooklyn and along the BMT Nassau Street Line in Manhattan.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, September 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15, there are no 5 trains between 42nd Street-Grand Central and Bowling Green due to track and station work for the Fulton Street Transit Center. The 4 and special J trains provide alternate service.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, September 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15, free shuttle buses replace A trains between 168th Street and 207th Street due to structural and tunnel lighting at 168th Street.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, September 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15, there is no C train service between 145th Street and 168th Street due to structural and tunnel lighting at 168th Street. Customers should take the A instead.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, September 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15, downtown AC trains skip 50th, 23rd, and Spring Streets due to Chambers Street Signal Modernization.
From 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. Saturday, September 13 and Sunday, September 14, D trains run in two sections due to track and roadbed cleaning:
- Between 205th Street and Bedford Park Blvd. and
- Between Bedford Park Blvd. and Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue
From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, September 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15, Queens-bound E trains run local from Queens Plaza to Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue due to a track-chip out north of Queens Plaza.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, September 12 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15 (and weekends until October 6), Manhattan-bound E trains run local from Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue to Queens Plaza due to a track-chip out north of Queens Plaza.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, September 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15, there are no E trains between West 4th Street and World Trade Center due to the Chambers Street Signal Modernization. Take the A or C instead.
From 12:01 a.m. to midnight Saturday, September 13, Queens-bound ER trains run express from Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue to Forest Hills-71st Avenue due to pump room repair north of Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue.
From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, September 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15, Queens-bound F trains run local from 21st Street-Queensbridge to Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue due to a track chip-out north of Queens Plaza.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, September 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15, uptown F trains skip 14th and 23rd Streets due to cable work south of 42nd Street.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, September 12 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15, (and weekends through October 6), Manhattan-bound F trains run local form Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue to 21st Street-Queensbrigde due to a track chip-out north of Queens Plaza.
From 8:30 p.m. Friday, September 12 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15, there are no G trains between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and Court Square due to a track chip-out north of Queens Plaza.. Customers should take the E or R instead.
From 12:01 a.m. to Saturday, September 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, September 15, Manhattan-bound N trains run on the D line From Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue to 36th Street (Brooklyn) due to track panal installation.
From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, September 13 and Sunday, September 14, Q trains run in two sections due to track rail and plate removal:
- Between 57th Street (Manhattan) and Brighton Beach and
- Between Brighton Beach and Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue
The Cortlandt Street Station is closed until further notice while the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey continues to build on the WTC site. – And considering Mayor Bloomberg’s recent statements and actions, this could be a while.