Second Ave. Sagas

MTA gearing up for second round of budget projections · For an unprecedented second time this year, the MTA will soon be revising its budget projections, according to a report in Metro. Earlier this year, the MTA updated its financials to project a $900 million budget deficit. As the markets have crashed since that number was released, the agency will meet again to pour over the books in two weeks. What emerges from that meeting will not be good news for the MTA’s bottom line or passengers hoping for a small fare increase next year. This will be ugly. · (2)

Oct

Sander finding life lonely at the top

By Benjamin Kabak · Comments (2) ·

Elliot Sander, the MTA’s first CEO and Executive Director, has a tough job right now. He’s supposed to be wielding the power once left to the chairman of the MTA’s board, and he’s supposed to be guiding a beleaguered public-benefit corporation through some very tough economic times.

While I think Sander has done an admirable job, he has steered something of a bumpy ship. In a very well done piece in today’s Times, transit beat writer William Neuman analyzes Sander’s tenure. The transportation expert-turned-MTA head has his supporters, and while his detractors are rather guarded in their words, they’re still there, assessing his every move.

When Mr. Sander took over the authority in January 2007, he became the first executive director to take full advantage of the expanded powers. But Mr. Sander’s position is also something of an unwieldy hybrid: he has much of the power once held by the chairman but not the broad sway and job security that comes with a fixed term and a vote on the board.

Though Mr. Sander is an employee of the board, he serves at the behest of the governor and can be removed at any time. And the governor he serves today is not the one who appointed him: his friend, Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned earlier this year in disgrace. Though Mr. Sander says he has a strong relationship with Mr. Spitzer’s replacement, Gov. David A. Paterson, the two are clearly not as close.

Richard L. Brodsky, a Westchester assemblyman who helped lead the push for the 2005 change in the authority’s structure, now worries that it was a mistake. Having no fixed term, he says, might undercut Mr. Sander’s ability to make demands of the governor, who is struggling to close his own widening budget shortfall.

“Lee has been a very good C.E.O.-slash-executive director at a time when that was needed to get the M.T.A. functioning again,” Mr. Brodsky said. “But it also needed a 400-pound gorilla who didn’t need the job and could say ‘No’ to governors, and I don’t think Lee ever thought of himself as having that job.”

Neuman’s article goes on to touch upon some of the ammunition Sander’s critics have used against them. He took a significant pay raise a time when the MTA’s finances were in shambles. He promised service increases and then had to roll them back a few weeks later. His State of the MTA speech, while appropriately grand, has approximately no chance of becoming a reality.

In the end, I give Sander a good grade for his effort. He’s overseen the agency through some of its toughest fiscal times while ensuring that the trains continue to run and that service levels remain the same. While there’s trouble brewing on the financial horizon for the MTA, for now, Sander remains the man for the job. He has the expertise and political support to see the MTA through some dark days.

Categories : MTA Politics

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Fare jumpers arrested for more serious crimes · In an effort to boost their revenue streams, the MTA has ramped up enforcement efforts against those who attempt to avoid paying their $2 fare. For the cops, it seems, these efforts have been paying off as around 400 of the 7000 people arrested per month have outstanding warrants for more serious crimes. In light of last week’s shooting in a Queens F station, the cops are now more aware than ever that around six percent of fare jumpers could pose a risk of violence. · (6)

104 and counting · On October 27, 1904, at 1 p.m., the first Interborough Rapid Transit subway car departed City Hall en route to 145h St. For the next six hours, the IRT allowed complimentary pass holders on, and at 7 p.m., the gates opened, at five cents a ride, to the public. The Times wrote about what they called a simple ceremony and expressed remorse that President Roosevelt couldn’t attend. On the first day, from 7 p.m. until midnight, 25,000 per hour rode the rails, and 104 years later, the subways in New York are still going strong. Happy Anniversary. · (3)

Oct

PCAC praises and critiques NYCT handicapped access

By Benjamin Kabak · Comments (2) ·

Every few months, the issue of handicapped accessibility rears its head. Usually, the news focuses around how the MTA is slowly — very slowly — but steadily working to improve access for riders with disabilities, and today’s latest is no different.

Late last week, the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee, the official MTA watchdog, released its assessment of the MTA’s accessibility efforts. The report gave mostly high marks to the transit agency but urged it to do more.

NY1’s Bobby Cuza filed a story about the report. As the PCAC did, Cuza highlighted how the MTA is actually ahead of schedule in bringing its subway stations in line with ADA requirements, but enforcement of these measures lags significantly. Cuza writes:

The report does acknowledge the significant progress the MTA has made. Back in 1992, the agency promised that 67 key subway stations would be made fully accessible by the year 2010 – a milestone the MTA reached this past summer, two years ahead of schedule.

But the report notes even so-called accessible stations often have broken-down elevators. And it recommends that stations display floor plans showing where elevators are located.

“We’d like to be able to use the elevators, but we need to know where they are,” said Dr. Jan Wells, associate director of PCAC. “And we think there should be diagrams posted in good places in the subway, and on the website.”

Despite these shortcomings, the PCAC did praise the New York City Transit for its recent efforts. “Given the magnitude of the challenge in making a 100-year old subway system accessible, NYCT should be applauded for the strides that have been made. Reaching the goal of 67 ADA accessible stations well ahead of the 2010 deadline is to be commended,” the report says.”PCAC recognizes, too, the support for improving accessibility expressed by current NYCT President Howard Roberts, especially in tight fiscal times, and we hope that this backing will continue.”

But despite this praise, the PCAC still urged NYC Transit to do more. I’ve included the full recommendations after the jump, but we’ve heard it all before. The agency should better present information about elevator outages, and the agency should quickly address elevator problems. Signage could be improved in stations, and train announcements should be clearly. For the most part, these are quality-of-life changes that would improve service for everyone while being of particular benefit to disabled riders.

Of course, the report hardly mentions the 800-pound gorilla in the room. “Despite the advances that have been made to date,” the watchdog committee wrote, “ensuring accessibility throughout the system is a long, costly, and continuing process.”

While the MTA must make any station it renovates handicapped-accessible and ADA-compliant, the agency doesn’t exactly have the money to voluntarily upgrade stations right now. In fact, if — or when — the MTA has to start cutting expenditures, voluntary services may be the first to go. We won’t see any steps backwards in addressing compliance, but the commendable forward progress may slow a bit over the next few years if funding starts to dry up.

Categories : New York City Transit

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Oct

Weekend service harkens back to the 1990s

By Benjamin Kabak · Comments (5) ·

A view down the tracks of the Manhattan Bridge. (By flickr user Ioan Sameli)

In 1986, the city embarked a renovation project of the Mahattan Bridge that would take 18 years. The bridge had to be repaired because the subway cars that rumble by the northern and southern sides of the bridge cause the structure to sway.

For 18 years, various parts of the bridge were closed. Sometimes, the N went through the Montague St. Tunnel. Other years, the B and D didn’t make across the bridge. The Q turned from yellow to orange and back to yellow again depending upon the state of renovations. For the last four years, as Brooklyn has undergone a population boom, the easy access over the Manhattan Bridge has been one of the driving forces behind this push.

This weekend, we’ll return to the glory days for the 1990s, if only for 53 hours. The bridge is due for its biennial inspection as the city has to make sure its fixes are holding. As such, service along the Broadway and Sixth Ave. lines as they cross the bridge is fairly wacky.

The Q and N are running local in Manhattan and are heading into and out of Brooklyn via the Montague St. Tunnel. After DeKalb Ave., the trains will run along the Brighton and Sea Beach lines, respectively, out to Coney Island. That’s the easy part.

The D meanwhile is all over the place. In Manhattan, the train will run in two section. First, it goes as normally would to 34th St. At 34th St., the D will run local along the R and into and out of Brooklyn via the Montague St. Tunnel. After DeKalb Ave., the D will run express to Coney Island. Meanwhile, a shuttle will operate between W. 4th St. and Grand St. There will be a quiz on this on Monday.

And now on to everything else.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, October 25, Manhattan-bound 1 trains skip 238, 231, and 225 Sts. due to emergency track work. For service from these stations, take a Bronx-bound 1 to 242 St and transfer to a Manhattan-bound 1. For service to these stations, take the 1 to Dyckman St and transfer to a Bronx-bound 1.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, October 26, downtown 1 trains skip 207th St. due to emergency track work. For service from this station, take the A at 207 St-Broadway and transfer to the 1 at 168 St, Or take an uptown 1 to 215 St and transfer to a downtown 1. For service to this station, take the 1 to Dyckman St and transfer to an uptown 1.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, there are no 1 trains between 34th Street and South Ferry due to signal work near South Ferry. Customers may take the 2 train between 34th Street and Chambers Street. A free shuttle bus will operate between Chambers Street and South Ferry.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, uptown 2 trains skip 79th and 86th Sts. due to several jobs, including track chip-out north of 135th Street, and communication and cable installations.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, there are no 2 trains between 96th Street and 241st Street due to several jobs, including track chip-out north of 135th Street, and communication and cable installations. Free shuttle buses replace the 2 between 96th Street and 149th Street-Grand Concourse. 5 trains replace the 2 between 149th Street-Grand Concourse and 241st Street.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, 2 trains run local between 96th Street and Chambers Street due to signal work near South Ferry.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, there are no 3 trains running due to a track chip-out north of 135th Street station. Free shuttle buses and 24 trains provide alternate service.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, there are no C trains running. Customers should take the A instead. Uptown A trains run local from Euclid Avenue to 168th Street. Downtown A trains run local from 168th Street to West 4th Street, then on the F line to Jay Street, then resume local service to Euclid Avenue. These changes are due to Chambers Street Signal Modernization.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, D trains run in two sections due to the biennial inspection of Manhattan Bridge:

Between 205th Street and 34th Street-6th Avenue D station and
Between the 34th Street-Broadway Q station and Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, no D trains between 34th Street-6th Avenue and DeKalb Avenue due to the biennial inspection of Manhattan Bridge. A special shuttle S train runs between West 4th Street and Grand Street stations.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, Manhattan-bound F trains skip Ft. Hamilton Parkway, 15th Street-Prospect Park, and 4th Avenue due to construction of employee facilities at Church Avenue station.

From 8:30 p.m. Friday, October 24 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, there are no G trains between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and Long Island City-Court Square. Customers should take the E or R instead.

From 1 a.m. Saturday, October 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, J trains run in two sections due to structural work at Canal Street:

Between Jamaica Center and Essex Street and
Between Essex Street and Chambers Street

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, free shuttle buses replace L trains between Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway and Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs. due to removal of the old concrete roadbed at Bushwick Avenue-Aberdeen Street.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, N and Q trains run on the R between DeKalb Avenue and Canal Street due to the biennial inspection of the Manhattan Bridge.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, N and Q trains run local between Canal Street and 57th Street due to the biennial inspection of the Manhattan Bridge.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, Manhattan-bound Q trains skip Neck Road and Avenue U due to manhole excavation and conduit work.

Categories : Service Advisories

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Cemusa still getting NYC street names wrong · At the end of September, a few alert New Yorkers noted a glaring mistake on a new Cemusa bus shelter announcing its location as Bowery St. It seems that this misnomer wasn’t the only error on the septic new street furniture. City Room earlier this week spotted a Harlem mistake. The Spanish company believed the station to be located along Frederick Douglas Boulevard. They have since ordered a sign with the proper spelling (Douglass with a second S), but I wonder how many more mistakes are out there. · (2)

Oct

Shocking delays, cost increases rock South Brooklyn project

By Benjamin Kabak · Comments (9) ·

Who would believe that this project won’t wrap up on time? (Source: flickr user Betty Blade)

When the MTA announced earlier this week that the long-anticipated Culver Viaduct rehabilitation project would take longer and cost more than originally anticipated, Brooklynites the world over were shocked — shocked, I tell you! — by the news.

No, wait. They weren’t.

According to The Brooklyn Paper, this project and our dreams for an F Express train will have to wait longer than we had hoped. The MTA, according to the paper, still plans to begin the project next year, but the completion date for the station renovation at Smith and 9th Sts. has been pushed back to 2011.

Worse still for the cash-strapped agency is the price tag. Originally set at $187.8 million, the rehabilitation plan will now cost “upwards of a quarter-billion dollars,” as MTA spokesperson Deirdre Parker told Mike McLaughlin.

So that’s the bad news, and while I’m poking fun at the MTA’s inability to finish most major rehabilitation projects on time and at budget, there’s more at work here than simply business as usual. While The Brooklyn Paper story doesn’t get into the why’s of this delay and significant cost increase, we are well versed in these problems.

First, as with any other contractor in the city, costs are spiking. The economy is suffering through its worst downturn since the Great Depression, and with financial institutes collapsing and consolidating, a lot of construction projects are left unfunded and unfinished. The MTA, as a public benefit corporation, isn’t in danger of collapsing, but it will face rising costs. This 33 percent increase probably won’t be the last that we’ll see in regards to this project.

Second, the MTA itself has no money. The agency is attempting to reorganize internally and coax more money out of the state legislature. As such, it has to scale back their aggressive timetables for many of its top-priority projects. This is, of course, a double-edged sword. The longer these projects are delayed, the more they will cost. If the government were to provide for proper funding, the MTA would be able to improve its cost and timetable efficiency.

I know it’s rather naïve of me to think that a third Bloomberg term would deliver more respect to the MTA. But if we’re truly heading down that path, I hope the Transit Authority is allotted more financial resources over the next few years. If its not, we’ll be paying the price long past the completion of one long-delayed project in South Brooklyn.

Categories : MTA Construction

Comments (9)

Oct

L line manager to introduce real-time train data

By Benjamin Kabak · Comments (5) ·

A TV monitor at the Myrtle-Wyckoff L stop will test the real-time train data. (Photo by Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times)

In my morning missive on GPS-based advertising, a few commenters wondered why, if an advertiser can employ GPS, the MTA can’t get its own GPS bus arrival board project off the ground. While some questions are simply unanswerable, the MTA — or more specifically, the L train’s line manager — is making strides to deliver real-time train location information to passengers.

As William Neuman reported today in The Times, by taping into the L’s computerized operating system, the MTA can show where the trains are on TV screens purchased at Circuit City. It’s a simple technological fix to a problem that has long plagued New York City Transit. The Gray Lady’s transit writer has more:

Beginning in December, officials will install a computer screen at each end of the platform showing a graphic representation of the entire L line and the location of every train on it. Waiting passengers can watch the trains move along the tracks as the data is updated every 15 seconds. That way, passengers can see for themselves if there really is another train “right behind this one.”

If the system works, and riders like it, it could be installed in other stations on the L line, said Greg Lombardi, the line’s general manager, who helped create the system. Ultimately it could be used on other lines as well.

“There’s no end to the possibilities,” said Wilson M. Milian, a director of technology projects at the transit agency. He said that the same information could some day be displayed on the Internet, so that riders could quickly check the location of trains before heading to the subway.

Imagine that. Real-time train information in New York City. This could be the push the MTA needs to update the rest of its technology.

As Cap’n Transit writes, the MTA could introduce this technology across its agencies, incorporate it with service advisories and provide a historical database of real-time train information. The possibilities are truly limitless, and if this is the innovation coming out of the nascent line manager program, by all means should it be continued and expanded.

Categories : MTA Technology

Comments (5)

Oct

The pitfalls of GPS-based advertising

By Benjamin Kabak · Comments (13) ·

The most compelling two seconds of a bus you’ll ever see.

In its ever-increasing quest to wrangle money out of the exposed services of its buses and subways, the MTA earlier this week announced yet another new source of advertising revenue. While the agency isn’t yet slapping product promotions on the names of its stations – do it! — it will now feature rotating, GPS-targeted ads on digital panels on the outsides of some buses. This will not end well.

Holly M. Sanders, writing in The Post, explored the ins and outs of this $800-million, ten-year advertising deal between the MTA and Tital Worldwide:

Titan Worldwide, which has a 10-year, $800 million-plus contract to sell ads throughout the city’s bus and commuter-train systems, said that using GPS technology, it can wirelessly beam ads based on the bus’ location and the time of day.

For instance, the screens can show an ad for Saks Fifth Avenue while in Manhattan and change to Target in Brooklyn. The ads can even change languages according to the ethnicity of a neighborhood

“In the morning, we can show Starbucks, and on the way home from work, a Budweiser ad,” said Dave Etherington, Titan’s global marketing director.

As Jossip noted, these ads are rife with the potential to display inadvertently racist message because the GPS is set to include ethnicity and demographic information as the buses travel the city streets. I will leave the pitfalls of this approach up to your imagination. But installing these monitors on buses that, for example, travel from the UN to Harlem (M104) or any myriad buses that run up and down Flatbush Ave. could lead to some social faux pas.

The MTA is currently running these screens on the ever-popular trial basis along the slow M23 route. If this is deemed a feasible source of advertising — and a with a ten-year deal in the works, why not? — these panels will annoyingly come to a bus near you next year.

Categories : Buses, MTA Economics

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Sander finding life lonely at the top

PCAC praises and critiques NYCT handicapped access

Weekend service harkens back to the 1990s

Shocking delays, cost increases rock South Brooklyn project

L line manager to introduce real-time train data

The pitfalls of GPS-based advertising

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