Comments on: A summer rollout for the service cuts

By: Frank

Frank — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 03:18:16 +0000

I will cut the V train

By: To staff or not to staff? :: Second Ave. Sagas | A New York City Subway Blog

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:29:31 +0000

[...] with an appropriate MTA funding package, as part of the Doomsday budget, the transit agency will be eliminating numerous station agents and shuttering token booths at the end of July. In fact, New York City Transit has already begun reducing staffing levels at [...]

By: Todd

Todd — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:51:31 +0000

Headway from eight to ten minutes on nearly every lettered subway line….Overnight headway will be reduced to an anemic 30 minutes

and this is in MTA time! I mean, last night we waited 45 minutes for an N train. What does 30 minutes equal in real time? 2 hours?

By: James D

James D — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:30:02 +0000

Re: “What’s amusing is how they’re counting terminating the G at court square nights and weekends a service cut when they’ve already been doing that for a while now.”

Crews still pick the non-jobs annd still get paid for them.

By: Mellisa

Mellisa — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:13:11 +0000

Benjamin,

I am not blaming any one in regard to safety or lact there of. I still ride that train sometimes. My mother uses the B25 instead of the A or C, because she feels safer when she leaves her job late at night, and lots of people do. It is just a fact.

Also, I have been consistenly calling my local state senators and writing letters, and having more people get involved with that process. Unlike you though, I equally blame Albany and the MTA. Thanks for taking the time..

By: Mellisa

Mellisa — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:48:10 +0000

Benjamin,

Just wanted you to know that I am linking some of your articles to our web site. I am not sure what the proper etiquette is for this, but hope its cool. Thanks

boycottmta.com

By: Benjamin Kabak

Benjamin Kabak — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:37:49 +0000

So hundreds – actually, it’s thousands – of people take that train daily and you don’t feel safe? Subway crime is down and you don’t feel safe? I don’t think that’s the MTA’s fault though. How exactly do you feel unsafe?

Anyway, I don’t think boycotting the MTA targets the right people. The State Senates wants people to believe we don’t like the MTA. We might not like the MTA, but we have to show them right now that we need fully funded mass transit in NYC. While I see from your site that you understand this, a boycott, I think, sends the wrong message.

The MTA doesn’t want to cut service. They don’t want to raise fares. They are legally mandated to do so. As I’ve said over and over again, the Senate has a few plans to fund the MTA, and the State Senate has opted to do nothing about it. Boycotting the MTA adds to the confusion and adds to the misinformation about the MTA, and it doesn’t send the right message to the right people.

By: Mellisa

Mellisa — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:33:13 +0000

I am still amazed that they are cutting that many bus lines. In response to the secret conductor, yes the Bus Line runs above the A, C lines. But have you been on that particular train lately. It is disgusting, and hardly safe. I grew up around that area, and hundreds of people take that train daily.

We are organizing a boycott of all MTA services on June 1st, 2009 in response to the fare increase and service reduction. Please visit us at boycottmta.com

Thanks

By: Ed

Ed — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 04:56:51 +0000

No one likes cuts, but I think the MTA may have gotten this one right. The one caveat is that I have no idea where these bus lines run and they may have cut the wrong bus lines.

In general, the MTA seems to be shutting down lines entirely rather than reducing (giving crappier) service along the entire system, which I think is the right approach. Consider a city with no mass transit system. If you are instituting a system for the first time, you would put in a few lines, make sure service on those lines is up to standard, expand, make sure service on the new lines is up to standard, and so on. It should work the same way with shrinking a mass transit system, which is where we are at now.

I’ve also noticed that many of these “cuts” have already happened. For example, except on the 6 line, the waiting time for trains at night is 30 minutes or greater already. I’m not sure what the strategy is behind announcing removal of service that doesn’t exist as a cut.

By: The Secret Conductor

The Secret Conductor — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 04:25:50 +0000

I don’t think Albany will come through. The is juat not enough political power behind it nor enough public outrage toward Albany (there is plenty for the MTA). I also think that it is part of the American psychy of cars and roads first, mass transit second.

And finally the people who ride the trains may not be as politically involved as someone who drives from the suburbs. Train riders will grumble but car drivers will call and write.

I don’t know aboutt all the bus lines, but I am not surprised by the B25 bus. That bus runs totally above the A and C trains. As for the trains, the Q probably should always go to Astoria and eliminate the W all together and the G ending at Court Square perminatly doesn’t make much differeence from what already takes place. All the other cuts seem pretty harsh.