Archive for April, 2010
Apr
06
Fare evasion a Select Bus Service problem
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As the MTA and New York City Department of Transportation gear up for a citywide rollout of Select Bus Service — SBS on 1st and 2nd Aves. is rumored to be coming on October 10 — the agencies are still facing some growing pains. In particular, the concept of pre-board fare payment has proved elusive for many riders along Fordham Road’s Bx12 SBS route.
From the get-go, the fare system faced some hurdles. New Yorkers have long paid their bus fares while boarding, and although some passengers skip the MetroCard swipe by hopping in through the back door, the driver has served as a generally adequate deterrent. There is, in any business, the risk of some shrinkage, but with SBS, the MTA has to lower the shrinkage rate to make it work. Because bus rapid transit service relies upon pre-board fare payment in order to cut bus dwell times, drivers aren’t watching people as they board. Rather, the riders are supposed to carry proof-of-payment with them in case of an inspection.
During the early days of the Bx12, the MTA and NYPD vowed increased enforcement of the fare-jumpers on Select Bus Service lines, but according to a Daily News report, that enforcement has failed to materialize. Mike Jaccarino traveled the Bx12 recently and found rampant fare-beating. He writes:
Recent stakeouts by The News at a number of stops along the route found dozens of riders still brazenly boarding the buses, distinctive for their flashing blue lights, without first buying the required tickets at kiosks at the stops. Over the course of an hour at each stop, 40 fare-beaters boarded the bus at Fordham Plaza sans tickets; 22 did so near the Pelham Bay IRT subway stop, and 27 at the stop on Pelham Parkway at Williamsbridge Road…
The Bx12 SBS began rolling June 30, 2008, as a way to speed up the ride across the congested Fordham Road corridor. The line now carries an average of 30,500 riders weekly. A squad of eagle-eyed cops and retired police officers were supposed to enforce the bus honor system with spot checks. The MTA said its has issued 6,532 summonses, each carrying a $100 fine, to date.
Unsurprisingly, those fare-beaters confronted by Jaccarino weren’t too pleased. A few cursed at the reporter, but another offered a half-hearted defense: “I don’t have enough money to feed my kids, and I’m going to pay for a ticket on a bus when no one checks whether I’ve bought one or not? Why should I?” I wonder if the same rationale would fly if he or she were caught stealing from the supermarket.
Those who pay are obviously upset at the free-riders, and it’s hard to understate how the need for enforcement is tied in with the future success of SBS. The MTA and DOT want to bring Select Bus Service to every borough along major arteries, and both the mayor and MTA CEO and Chair Jay Walder see the need to speed up bus service. The MTA, though, has to capture revenue from this new service, and if the solution to this fare-beating problem is a massive week-long crackdown and guerrilla proof-of-payment inspection efforts, so be it. We need SBS; the MTA needs its money; and people should pay for the rides they take.
Apr
06
96th St. and Broadway: Where’s the train?
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Where: Inside thenew headhouse at 96th St. and Broadway.
When: 11:44 a.m. on April 5, 2010
What: While poking around the new stationhouse at 96th St. on the IRT yesterday morning, I discovered that people on the entry level can, in a way, spy on those waiting for the trains. Because the staircases and station are more open to let light down to the platform, there’s a gap between the edge of the stairs and the station walls. Although utility and power lines block the direct view of people waiting for the train, when someone makes the age-old subway move of stepping forward to peer into the tunnel to search expectantly for the light sof the train, they’re clearly visible from above.
As I was standing there taking pictures, straphangers impatient for a downtown express to pull in kept leaning over. It was a quintessential New York moment, and I caught one woman in the act. One day soon, countdown clocks will come to 96th St., but for now, we’re left with the firm New York belief that, by looking into the dark tunnel, the train will arrive sooner. Eventually, the 3 came, and everyone boarded, heading south to destinations unknown.
Apr
06
‘The next stop will be shmrzfmg Street’
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The holding lights might be on, but who knows why? (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)
When it comes to on-board public address systems, Transit just can’t win. Sometimes, the train announcements are non-existent or inaudible. Other times — the new R160s come to mind — the announcements are deafeningly loud, repetitive and downright uninformative. In a city that prides itself on its collective ability to complain about everything, subway train announcements are right there at the top of the list.
But what if the train announcements aren’t there when they need to be? What if straphangers have no idea why a train is delayed, where Transit may be rerouting them or how a potential emergency could impact a commute home? According to a recent study issued by the Straphangers Campaign, that is exactly the problem underground. While regular announcements are generally audible, those concerning delays are hard to hear, if they’re even uttered at all.
According to the report, 80 percent of the so-called “basic announcements” are “clear and accurate.” Yet, 55 percent of announcements regarding delays and service disruptions face problems. The report say the statement from the conductor was “inaudible, garbled or incorrect.” Transit requires an announcement at the time of the delay and again two minutes later. It is, then, discomforting to know that nearly half the time, no announcement is made.
“We’re glad basic subway car announcements are improving, but disappointed most riders are being left in the dark to cope with delays and reroutings,” said Cate Contino, Campaign coordinator who oversaw the survey.
Not surprisingly, the line-by-line breakdown shows a clear dichotomy between the newer cars with their prerecorded announcements and the older rolling stock still in service. On the 6 and the M, the Straphangers’ ratings claimed to hear “clear, ungarbled and correct” announcements 100 percent of the time
The 4, 5, 6, L, M and N lines performed the best in making basic announcements. Our raters heard basic announcements that were clear, ungarbled and correct for a perfect 100% of the time on the 6 and M; all the top-performing lines had automated announcements and performed perfectly or near perfectly. The 4, 5, L and M all had scores of 98 percent or higher. The D, G and 7 lines performed the worst with marks of 61 percent for the G and 62 percent for the D and 7. When I ride the D, I hear station announcements sometimes, and the absence is notable.
Transit issued a brief statement in response to the Straphangers’ report. “We are continuing the effort to improve communications with our customers in all areas, including announcements made on board trains,” the agency said. “While the inclusion of digitized voice announcements on our newer subway car classes has made a huge difference in the announcement quality, we are also working to make certain that train crews keep customers informed when issues arise that may affect their trips.”
This is one of those areas where the MTA’s technology will eventually catch up with the needs and demands of the riders, but even then, people will be unhappy. Is it better to know why the train is sitting in a tunnel for 25 minutes by being bombarded with reminders and automated messages every 120 seconds or are we better off, literally and figuratively, in the dark? It’s important for rider sanity and safety to keep all informed of the goings-on underground, but after hearing for the umpteenth time that the MTA is “apologizing for the unavoidable delay,” I almost yearn for those cars with inaudible announcements.
Apr
05
Inside the new stationhouse at 96th St. and Broadway
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The new stationhouse at 96th St. and Broadway is now open for business. (All photos by Benjamin Kabak)
The familiar green globes will adorn the outside of the station.
Shortly after 11 a.m. this morning, the new stationhouse in the median of Broadway between 95th St. and 96th St. opened for business. Although the station rehabilitation isn’t set to wrap up until September and the stationhouse itself is far from finished, Upper West Side commuters bound for the express stop will find it easier to access the station’s platforms and transfer between the uptown and downtown trains.
As part of the opening ceremonies, the MTA invited a slew of board officials and local representatives to tour the station and discuss the opening. The station remains very much a work in progress, but the MTA says the 40-month, $98-million project is still on time and still on budget. With the opening of the new headhouse, straphangers can now walk directly down from the fare control areas to the platforms, and no longer have to walk below the track level and then up to the platform. Eventually, the station will be fully ADA-compliant with two elevators and an access ramp to the headhouse, and the below-platform walkway will be retained as a transfer point.
During his talk with reporters, MTA Chairman and CEO spoke about the progress the authority has made in modernizing its system. The new headhouse, he said, is opening ahead of schedule because those who live on the Upper West Side have asked the MTA to make accessing this station in progress easier. “We’re proud of how far we’ve come from the dark ages,” he said, “but at the same time we’re not satisfied with the level of service we provide.”
Others were a bit more guarded with their praise. Andrew Albert, the New York City Transit Riders Council’s non-voting representative to the MTA Board, spoke forcefully to me about the juxtaposition between the MTA’s capital improvements and the looming service cuts. “I think it’s wonderful that we’re opening wonderful new stations,” he said, noting how the rehabilitation of 96th St. will make it a more user-friendly station. “But it’s a dichotomy when you consider the service to be cut running through these stations.”
One of the first people to purchase a MetroCard at the new headhouse finishes his transaction.
Despite its in-progress state of being, the new headhouse is a vast improvement over the old cramped and decrepit entrances that marred the northern end of the system’s 27th busiest stop. The inside is now light and airy with numerous turnstiles and wide staircases. Those waiting above can spy on passengers as they board the train, and the new headhouse even has a fully-functional station booth, a rare sighting in this day and age.
Outside, granite blocks and metal benches serve as a resting spot in the pedestrian plaza on the north side at 96th St. still under construction. Still, though, the station is amidst two lanes of traffic on Broadway, and project planners have worked with the community to limit the dangers. Lois Tendler, the Vice President for Government and Community Relations, talked to me about her work with the Upper West Side Community Board and the area’s elected representatives. NYC DOT narrowed traffic lanes at 95th St., and although sidewalk width on either side of Broadway was cut back from 24 feet to 15 feet, all parties believe pedestrians will still be safe. “People cross streets all the time in New York,” Tendler said.
Meanwhile, the old entrances at the southeast and southwest corners of 96th and Broadway are now closed. Although the neighborhood may mourn the loss of those entrances, the new staircases that lead directly from the platform to the street eliminate that pesky down-up-up exit and down-down-up entrance that used to make the northern end of 96th St. so inefficient.
After the jump, a slideshow of my photos from the afternoon. You can also view the entire photoset on Flickr. Read More→
Apr
05
Near-retirees take advantage of MTA payday
Posted by: | CommentsAs the MTA tries to trim payroll and streamline its operations, the authority has offered payouts — one week’s pay for every year on the job up to $20,000 — for those workers who leave voluntarily. According to a report in The Daily News, some workers close to retirement are taking advantage of the payday to cash out now. These workers have halted the processing of their retirement papers to take the incentive pay while retaining post-retirement benefits. Jeremy Soffin, an MTA spokesman, says that only “a small number” of MTA employees have gone this route, and the authority hopes to trim up to 700 administrative positions this year.
Apr
05
Where we hate to go underground
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The Lower East Side’s 2nd Ave. stop along the IND Sixth Ave. line is among my least favorite stations. (Photo by flickr user CabonNYC)
As we ride around the subways every day, we learn the various ins and outs of the stations we frequent. For instance, I know to look for a faint red light in the southbound B/D tunnel outside of 47th-50th Sts. that will disappear when a train is approaching. I’ve come to love Grand Army Plaza for its wide platforms and ample seating. The Sol LeWitt installation at the renovated 59th St./Columbus Circle stop adds a bright bit of color to the otherwise drab subway system.
On the flip side though are the stations we hate. These are the stations that exude, well, something. Perhaps it is an odor upon which we don’t want to dwell. Perhaps it is the cramped concourses, low ceilings or general sketchiness. Perhaps it’s the interminable wait on a cold winter night that makes us forever hate a station in Astoria, a station along the elevated tracks deep in the heart of Brooklyn or the Howard Beach station outside of JFK Airport.
Over the weekend, SubChat debated that very question. Which station, asked LuchAAA, is your least favorite? His was Lexington Ave. and 59th St. on the N/R/W. That station is always crowded, very dusty and smells pretty bad.
As the thread unfolded, many SubChatters highlighted the same qualifications for that least favorite station. Take, for instance, Osmosis Jones’ view on Chambers St. on the BMT: “It’s ugly and adequately named as it smells like a chamber pot.” Smells were a leading cause of station hatred with many of the BMT stations along the J/M/Z and the R stops in Downtown Brooklyn leading the charge.
But beyond offensive odors were those stations that seem neglected. The 53rd St./7th Ave. station earned numerous votes because of the long walk up from the depths of the lower levels, the smell and the foreboding nature of its nooks and crannies. SubChatters heaped scoren upon the Bowery station along the Nassau St. line. That station just seems forgotten with peeling paint, closed platforms, entrances lost to time and little care.
Then there are the recent monstrosities. The Archer Ave. extension, built in the 1980s, isn’t remembered for its architecture or presentation. Sutphin Boulevard, an entryway to the city from the JFK Airtrain, is dimly lit with ugly floors and dirty ceilings. The rest of those stations hardly inspire pride or confidence in the subways.
As SubChatters continue to discuss their personal subway dislikes, I got the sense that people dislike stations for a few key reasons. Some stations are just too crowded. The Canal St. complex where the BMT and IRT intersect is teeming with people, and the narrow platforms, especially on the N/Q level leading to and from the Manhattan Bridge, make waiting seem treacherous. Other stations smell bad. Still others are just left to rot away by the MTA.
In the end, though, it’s all about waiting. If we don’t feel comfortable waiting at a station — if we feel unsafe, if we feel as though the train won’t arrive because no one has cleaned the stop since the Reagan Administration — we will not have a positive association with that station. Maybe, then, as the MTA addresses concerns of subway security amidst cameras that don’t work and station agents aren’t there, the authority should ask people what they need to feel comfortable waiting at a station. Sometimes, new lighting, a fresh coat of paint, and no bad smells are a deterrent enough. As long as it looks as though someone cares about how the subways look, we all might just be safer.
Apr
02
A Fulton St. update and more service advisories
Posted by: | CommentsIn an effort to keep New Yorkers informed of the status of work at the Fulton St. complex, Transit sent out a month-at-a-glance poster earlier this week. I’ve printed the poster below. The work, according to Transit, will impact the IND platform at Broadway/Nassau this month. The work includes reinforcing the girders over the platform and digging pits on the platform so that crews can partially construct elevator shafts throughout all levels of the station. One day, a transit hub will arise.
After the poster come this week’s service advisories.
Below are the weekend’s service advisories. As always, these comes to me via Transit and are subject to change without notice. Listen to all on-board announcements and pay attention to signs in your local station. These are available in map form from Subway Weekender.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, there are no 1 trains between 14th Street and South Ferry. The 2/3 trains provide alternate service, running local between 14th Street and Chambers Street. Free shuttle buses replace 1 trains between Chambers Street and South Ferry. Please note that during the day 1 trains skip 18th, 23rd, and 28th Streets in both directions. During the overnight hours, 1 trains skip 18th, 23rd, and 28th Streets only in the uptown direction. These service changes are due to Port Authority work at the World Trade Center site and concrete pours at 50th Street and 79th Streets.
From 11 p.m. Friday, April 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, 23 trains run local from 96th Street to Chambers Street due to concrete pours at 50th Street and 79th Street. Note: Overnight, 3 trains run local between 96th Street and 34th Street.
From 11 p.m. Friday, April 2 to 6 a.m. Saturday, April 3, and from 11 p.m. Sunday, April 4 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, Manhattan-bound 4 trains run express from Burnside Avenue to 125th Street due to a track chip out near 149th Street.
From 6:30 a.m. to 12 noon, Sunday, April 4, there are no 5 trains between 149th Street-Grand Concourse and East 180th Street due to track engineering near Jackson Avenue. Customers should take the 2 instead.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, downtown A trains run local from 59th Street-Columbus Circle to Canal Street due to a track chip out at West 4th Street.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, A/C trains skip Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions due to construction work at the Fulton Street Transit Center.
From 10:30 p.m. Friday, April 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, free shuttle buses replace A trains between Far Rockaway and Beach 90th Street due to track panel work.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, Bronx-bound D trains run on the N line from Stillwell Avenue to 36th Street due to switch renewal north of 9th Avenue.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, E trains are rerouted to the F line between Roosevelt Avenue and West 4th Street due to work on the 5th Avenue interlocking signal system. Customers should take the 6FR or shuttle bus instead. Note: Free shuttle buses connect the Court Square G/23rd Street-Ely Avenue E, Queens Plaza E, and 21st Street-Queensbridge F stations.
From 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, there is no G train service between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and Court Square due to fan plant work near Queens Plaza. During the day, customers should take the R. During the overnight hours, customers should take the E, making local stops between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and 36th Street. Note: Beginning 11:30 Friday, April 2, free shuttle buses connect the Court Square G/23rd Street-Ely Avenue E, Queens Plaza E, and 21st Street-Queensbridge F stations.
From 3:30 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 10 p.m. Sunday, April 4, there is no J train service between Crescent Street and Jamaica Center due to track panel installation north of Woodhaven Boulevard. Free shuttle buses and the E train provide alternate service.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, Queens-bound N trains are rerouted to the R line from DeKalb Avenue to Canal Street due to track maintenance.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, Manhattan-bound Q trains are rerouted to the R line from DeKalb Avenue to Canal Street due to track maintenance.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, uptown Q trains run local from Canal Street to 57th Street-7th Avenue due to a concrete pour at Times Square.
From 10:30 p.m. Friday, April 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, A trains replace the Rockaway Park Shuttle S between Broad Channel and Rockaway Park due to track panel work.
Apr
02
MTA employees use vests to deter parking tickets
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A well-placed vest can deter a parking ticket. (Photo via the Daily News)
Over the last few years, a handful of politicians and livable streets advocates have tried to pressure the NYPD into cracking down on parking placard abuse. Too often do people believe they can illegally by flashing some official-looking document. Whether those documents are legit or homemade, the drivers often should not be using the placards in such a manner, and pedestrians and those looking for legal parking spots lose out.
Today, the Daily News reports that MTA employees have gotten in on the act by placing their vests in their car windshields in order to signal to parking enforcers. Of course, it takes two to tango, and the parking enforcement agents shouldn’t allow a simple vest to deter them from writing up an illegally parked car. That hasn’t, however, stopped too many enforcement agents from turning a blind eye. Joe Kemp has more:
Just because you work for the government doesn’t mean you get to park for free, but try telling that to one Queens neighborhood.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority employees that use their orange safety vests to dodge parking fees in municipal lots have long aggravated motorists fighting for a space on a busy Astoria block. And the bright-colored apparel, which bear the MTA logo, on the dashboards of parked vehicles help avoid hefty fines from traffic agents, locals said.
But the free ride may soon be over. A city councilman is calling for the city to start ticketing the illegally parked cars. “The city is taking placards away from people who legitimately need them,” said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria). “While their agents are overlooking orange vests in the windshield, which is completely unfair.”
It is at least somewhat comforting to see a politician speaking out against this practice, but Vallone is hardly being pro-pedestrian. He just wants those who have legitimate placards to have a place to use them. In my opinion, the city should rescind every placard and begin reissuing them with far more stringent criteria, but that’s neither here nor there right now.
For its part, the MTA said this practice of using vests for parking should be stopped. “We do not condone this practice of using the vests as a parking placard,” Deirdre Parker, a Transit spokesperson, said to the News. “Anyone who does this should be ticketed like anyone else who violates the law.”
Apr
02
Three arrested in 2 train murder
Posted by: | CommentsFollowing last Sunday’s 2 train murder that left two men dead and another wounded, police have charged three men with murder. According to the NYPD, Brenddy Garcia, Franklin Varella and Diogenes Hernandez will be charged with second-degree murder, and Garcia will face a charge of criminal possession of a weapon. Although initial investigations were hampered by a lack of security cameras, the police were able to track down suspects based on witness statements. Originally, news outlets reported the murder as an unprovoked attack brought on when an errant bag of garbage tossed from the train car hit the alleged killer in the chest. Today, though, NY1 reports that the two groups of young men were provoking each other before the stabbings occurred. Color me unsurprised.
Update (3:52 p.m.): According to a recent WNYC report, two of the three suspects were let go. Varella and Hernandez will not, according to sources, be charged due to “a lack of evidence.” Manhattan DA Cy Vance has charged Brenddy Garcia with second-degree murder, but Garcia says he acted in self-defense after getting struck in the hit with an empty beer bottle.
Apr
02
A nation in support of public transportation
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For much of the last two years, New Yorkers have witnessed a battle of mass transit funding and public transportation policy. While New York City, the state’s economic driver and only area of New York experiencing a population growth, needs and relies on its mass transit system to function efficiently and productivity, the state legislators holding the purse strings have not readily embraced making tough choices over public transportation funding.
We don’t have congestion pricing or bridge tolls, and we don’t have a commuter tax with proceeds funneled to the network that brings commuters to work. Instead, we have an MTA teetering on the edge of financial ruin that is preparing to slash services and may need to raise fares for the third year in a row. It is a political mess and one most New Yorkers do not support. If we had our druthers, the state would be investing heavily in city-based and city-oriented transit networks.
Across the country, as transit ridership increases but the costs of running a public transportation network do as well, municipalities are, by and large, facing cuts to their transit options. A new survey by the American Public Transportation Association released yesterday revealed that 84 percent of transit agencies have had to raise fares, cut service or consider both options since the start of 2009 in order to meet budget. Another 69 percent of those surveyed are trying to close budget deficits this year, and 11 percent of all transit agencies have a budget gap of 20 percent or more for the current fiscal year. Needless to say, this is dismaying news.
It shouldn’t, according to the American people, be like this though. In fact, most Americans want to see more transit investment and more federal support for local public transit networks. In a new poll released this week, Transportation for America found overwhelming support for public transportation. In fact, 82 percent of those polled said that “the United States would benefit from an expanded and improved transportation system, such as rail and buses.” More comforting too were people’s traffic-mitigation preferences. Take a look:
On an economic level, though, the true preferences were encouraging. Currently, the federal government spends approximately 17 cents out of every transportation dollar on public transit. Fifty-eight percent of poll respondents said that the feds should spend more, and most people thought that the government should be willing to more than double that amount to 37 cents per transportation dollar. The full poll and all of the results are available here.
Right now, it’s tough to find much joy in these numbers because it often seems as though no one is listening. We as New Yorkers, we as Americans, want a greater investment and a stronger commitment to the railroads, subways and buses that transport us. Yet, politicians are hesitant or unwilling to make that commitment, and even more are just downright hostile toward public transportation.
As the MTA, the nation’s largest transit agency, struggles to stay afloat, these dramas I write about every day are repeating themselves on a smaller scale across the country. As public transit networks fail, Americans want more rail and bus options. They want to have cheaper, reliable and efficient transportation options, and they want the government to spend money on it. Maybe one day, those we elect to represent us will wake up to that truth. For now, we just have to hope the MTA and its brethren can weather this bad economic storm.
