Rider Report Cards

IRT Locals get the same grade as every other train

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 15, 2008

16bullets.jpg We’re coming down the home stretch of the Rider Report Cards. With just three trains and the Staten Island Railroad left, let’s jump right now.

Today, we find ourselves visiting the 1 and the 6, the IRT Local trains. The 6 pulled down a C; the 1 fared worse with a C-minus. I’m familiar with both trains; the 1 was my ride up to high school for a few years. I probably would have given each a C-plus.

The 1 train runs from South Ferry — where the MTA is constructing a snazzy new terminal — north up 7th Ave. and Broadway where it stops literally everywhere. Why the train has to make six stops from (and counting) Chambers St. to 14th St. and then five stops from (and counting) 14th St. and 34th St. is beyond me. The 1 then shoots up the West Side through Harlem and and Washington Heights before ending at 242nd St.-Van Cortlandt Park. Once upon a time, it ran a skip-stop express service along with the now-defunct 9 train in northern Manhattan and the Bronx.

The 6 runs from Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall (and around the City Hall loop) local up Lexington Ave. and then through the Bronx to Pelham Bay Park. It’s the local service to the 4 and 5 express. Some rush hour trains run express in the Bronx.

The riders, as you would expect, expressed their litany of familiar complaints. Here are the top ten lists:

  1. Reasonable wait times for trains
  2. Adequate room on board at rush hour
  3. Minimal delays during trips
  4. Station announcements that are easy to hear
  5. Train announcements that are easy to hear
  6. Cleanliness of stations
  7. Station announcements that are informative
  8. Sense of security on trains
  9. Sense of security in stations
  10. Working elevators and escalators in stations

  1. Adequate room on board at rush hour
  2. Reasonable wait times for trains
  3. Minimal delays during trips
  4. Station announcements that are easy to hear
  5. Cleanliness of stations
  6. Sense of security on trains
  7. Sense of security in stations
  8. Station announcements that are informative
  9. Train announcements that are easy to hear
  10. Working elevators and escalators in stations

The full grades are after the jump.

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Buses

Report cards coming to bus lines soon too

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 15, 2008

nycbus.jpg Here’s an idea that should have been left on the drawing board: Howard Roberts, president of New York City Transit, wants the city’s bus riders to fill out rider report cards as well. With over 200 bus lines servicing the city, this seems like a colossal waste of money and resources.

“We plan to begin distribution of our report cards to the bus system sometime in the spring,” Roberts said at last Thursday’s City Council hearing.

I can understand why the MTA may want to have report cards for the subway lines. As the City Council noted, it certainly looks good as a PR move, and it helps the MTA prioritize the perceived problems with the system. But do we really need to grade the bus lines?

In an effort to save the MTA time and money, let me help them out with the New York City bus system: The New York City buses aren’t very good because they’re not reliable. Since the city hasn’t figured out that dedicated bus lanes are the way to go, buses are subjected to the whims of traffic. Right off the bat — and this is the number-one problem — they don’t really stick to the schedules posted in stations.

Next, they stop way too frequently. I can understand the idea that buses should provide transport for those who may not be able to walk to the subway, but is it really necessary for some buses in Brooklyn to stop four times in seven blocks? Is it really necessary for the M104 to stop at 82nd, 84th, 86th, 88th, 91st and 93rd Sts.? Buses seem to take forever because they stop everywhere. The MTA should either implement more express bus services along every north-south avenue in Manhattan or cut out half of the bus stops.

Third, buses seem to bunch. Waiting ten minutes for a bus to arrive only to find two of them at once, as is common on Madison and Fifth Aves. where multiple bus routes roam the streets, is annoying and inefficient. Loading passengers on buses should be more efficient, and bus spacing should be better maintained.

Finally, the MetroCard readers on buses are pretty confusing. Many people, used to swiping in the subways, don’t know what to do when confronted with a bus reader, and their inability to follow directions slows up the loading process. With a pre-board payment set up and dedicated bus lanes, the MTA could avoid this problem. With contactless smart card technology, as the buses in Washington, D.C., use, paying and board is as easy as a wave of the hand.

So there you go. I guarantee that every bus rider report card will come out with similar complaints. Does the MTA really need to spend more cash on a program that will just return results that we all know already?

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Congestion Fee

Money for congestion fee may not go to transit

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 15, 2008

It’s been a while since we’ve checked in on Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed congestion fee. As the various panels have examined the plan and proposed lesser alternatives, news has been slow. Last week, however, we heard that the plan enjoys greater public support if they money goes toward improving mass transit. Today, the news is worse.

According to two reports — one in the Post and one in the Daily News — the money from the congestion fee may not go to transit. I don’t think this guy is going to be too happy to hear this one.

Adam Lisberg from the News’ City Hall Bureau has more:

Drivers may soon be forced to pay up to $8 to drive into Manhattan – but there’s no way to ensure the money would go for mass transit as promised, the head of the City Council’s Finance Committee said Sunday.

“There is no guarantee that any of that money would be specifically earmarked,” said David Weprin, who represents a part of eastern Queens with poor subway access. “We shouldn’t be taxing the middle class if it’s not going to make a difference…”

Mayor Bloomberg and the MTA say the money should be used for bus and subway improvements that would get more drivers out of their cars and onto mass transit. But Weprin and former Councilman Walter McCaffrey fear government could instead use that money to offset other transit funding, or even to pay for projects upstate.

This statement by Weprin is not good, to say the least. First, without beating around the bush, it would be a tragedy if Albany used New York City’s congestion fee revenue to pay for upstate projects or use it to offset transit funding. I wouldn’t put past our upstate representatives who seem to have little love for this tiny geographical sliver of the state that is responsible for nearly the entire New York economy.

But more important is the money. Any money the city draws in from the congestion fee should, after paying for congestion enforcement efforts, go toward improving mass transit. If the congestion fee is implemented, a good number of drivers will eschew their cars for the cheaper confines of the subway and Bus Rapid Transit lanes that should be in place. But for the MTA’s various systems to handle the increased volume, they will need increased funding. That money should come from Albany and the congestion fee. It should not come only from the congestion fee with Albany’s thinking that they can slouch off on their financial contributions.

Right now, 60 percent of New Yorkers would support congestion pricing if the money goes to mass transit. The MTA and the mayor both expect those funds to go to mass transit, but Albany could still throw a wrench into their plans. Hopefully, our state representatives won’t do that. With Albany, however, all bets are off, and the congestion fee plan and mass transit upgrades are facing yet another hurdle in the state capital.

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Rider Report Cards

Catching up on the MTA’s (bad) grades

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 14, 2008

nwbullets.jpg As loyal readers of Second Ave. Sagas may have noticed, I’ve fallen down on the job a bit with the results of the Rider Report Cards. With only six subway lines and the Staten Island Railroad left, I haven’t posted the results in a while.

Honestly, I grew tired of the report cards. Basically, you know the drill: Riders don’t like the crowds, the wait or the announcements. Some lines are seemingly less safe than others, and the subways should be cleaner. These complaints are nothing new, and it’s little wonder than that the City Council criticized the MTA for running the report card project as a publicity stunt. Did they really have to spend a reported $15,000 per subway line just to find this out?

But now we return to the Rider Report Cards. I want to have all of the results up before posting my annotated report card later this week. So stay tuned for that.

Meanwhile, let’s turn our attention to the N and W lines. The N — the Broadway Express — runs from Coney Island to Astoria via the Sea Beach line, the Fourth Avenue line, the Manhattan Bridge, the Broadway line and the Astoria line. The W — the part-time Broadway local — runs from Whitehall St. up the Broadway and Astoria lines to Ditmas Boulevard. The W runs from 6:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. during the week, and during the weekends, the N takes the Montague Street tunnel instead of the Manhattan Bridge.

You know the drill with these lines: They’re not the most reliable; they’re a bit sluggish; and they can get fairly crowded. The report cards reflect this reality. The N received a C-minus, and the W pulled down a D-plus. That’s hardly a vote of confidence for the only trains servicing Astoria and large parts of South Brooklyn.

For the report cards, 6,384 riders graded the N, and 1174 riders graded the W. The top ten complaints are what you would expect:

  1. Reasonable wait times for trains
  2. Minimal delays during trips
  3. Adequate room on board at rush hour
  4. Cleanliness of stations
  5. Station announcements that are easy to hear
  6. Train announcements that are easy to hear
  7. Sense of security in stations
  8. Station announcements that are informative
  9. Sense of security on trains
  10. Cleanliness of subway cars

  1. Reasonable wait times for trains
  2. Minimal delays during trips
  3. Adequate room on board at rush hour
  4. Train announcements that are easy to hear
  5. Station announcements that are easy to hear
  6. Cleanliness of subway cars
  7. Station announcements that are informative
  8. Cleanliness of stations
  9. Sense of security in stations
  10. Sense of security on trains

After the jump, full grades.

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AsidesMTA Absurdity

NYCT is on top of the weather

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 14, 2008

Despite the fact that the NOAA is now predicting just 1-2 inches of snow for New York City, the MTA is on the case. New York City Transit says they are prepared for 5-7 inches and have the de-icing machines ready to go. They don’t expect any A.M. rush hour problems, and neither do I because, well, it just won’t be snowing that much. [New York City Transit]

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MTA TechnologyRider Report Cards

Roberts wants to fix that whole public address problem

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 14, 2008

Oh, those pesky Rider Report Cards. The City Council thinks they were just a grand publicity stunt, but the MTA seems set on responding to the issues raised by the hordes of disgruntled riders.

After adding service on just two of the 22 lines in response to rider complains, the MTA is skipping the next two complaints — more room on board at rush hour and fewer delays — and moving on to the fourth complaint because they can actually solve this problem. In a stunning move, the MTA is planning on addressing the shortcomings in their public address system. They’re going to start by outfitting the remaining 86 stations currently lacking PA systems with the appropriate technology. Pete Donohue has more:

Every subway station should have a public-address system in about two years, NYC Transit President Howard Roberts declared [last week]. “I would like to be able to go into the Rail Control Center, pick up a microphone and speak to everybody that’s on every platform in the system,” Roberts said at a City Council Transportation Committee meeting.

Roberts, who became president last year, said he was surprised to learn that 86 of the 468 hubs lack public-address systems. He said he is seeking to secure funding in the MTA’s next capital plan, now being drafted, to rig up the hubs.

That’s not a mistake; nearly twenty percent of all New York City subway stops are without a public address system. The City Council members were not thrilled to hear this on Thursday, and many expressed concerns that the MTA is not adequately prepared for an emergency if they don’t have a way to communicate throughout the system. Of course, this criticism ignores the fact that the stations lacking PA systems are aboveground, but the point is still a valid one.

Now, it’s all well and good for the MTA to equip these 86 stations, but what about the PA systems in the other 382 stations? Right now, the PA systems in the subway run the gamut from the crisply audible to the unintelligible gibberish. If Roberts is serious about responding to concerns over the PA system, he would do well to look at how to get comprehendible public address systems installed in the subway.

Since most of the stations suffering from the gibberish syndrome are underground and in more populous and popular areas, it’s probably more important to address these problems than it is to outfit a few stations in the far reaches of the city’s outer boroughs with public address sytems that won’t be all that vital to subway operations.

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MTA AbsurdityService Advisories

Weekend brings service changes, no pants

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 11, 2008

Everywhere, a group of New Yorkers gather on the subway in early January to drop their drawers. They board the train discretely, fully clothed. Once the train pulls away, all bets – and all pants – are off.

Sponsored by Improv Everywhere, it’s No Pants 2K8. At 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, the group is meeting at Foley Square near the Brooklyn Bridge stop on the East Side IRT. The organizers want everyone to bring a backpack for storage purposes and a MetroCard. (I recommend an Unlimited Ride card if you’re a frequent traveler.)

Here’s how it’s going to work:

Sit in the car as you normally would. Read a magazine or whatever you would normally do. Your team leader will have already divided you into smaller groups, assigning your group a specific stop where you will depants. Sit near your group.

As soon as the doors shut at the stop before yours, stand up and take your pants off and put them in your backpack…If anyone asks you why you’ve removed your pants, tell them that they were “getting uncomfortable…”

Exit the train at your assigned stop and stand on the platform, pantless…You will wait on the platform for the next 6 train to arrive. Stay in the exact same place on the platform so you enter the next train in the same car as you exited the last train.

When you enter , act as you normally would. You do not know any of the other pantless riders. If questioned, tell folks that you “forgot to wear pants” and yes you are “a little cold”. Insist that it is a coincidence that others also forgot their pants. Be nice and friendly and normal.

The group plans to travel to 125th St. and then back down to Union Square. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. They also discourage gawkers; if you want to watch, you have to participate unless you’re discrete about watching.

This is the seventh such mission, and it’s not illegal. Since the arrests in 2006, the cops have left well enough alone even if they show up in a public safety capacity. Just wear underwear.

If you’re out of town, worry not. You can participate in No Pants 2K8 in Toronto, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Portland, Salt Lake City, Baltimore and Adelaide, Austrlia. So you’re pretty much covered.

Meanwhile, what will all of those pants-less and pants-wearing riders have to deal with this weekend? Well, lots and lots of service advisories, of course. Click through for the details.

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MTAWMATA

DC Metro on time less often than NYCT

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 11, 2008

When it comes to subways, the concept of “on time” is a rather amorphous one. Most New Yorkers would consider the subway to be on a time if a train were pulling into a station and getting ready to open its doors right as we were making our way down (or up) the staircase to the platform. In reality — pesky thing that — the folks who run subways have a stricter definition of “on time” that even involves some schedules, and according to recent reports, New York is faring pretty well with that “on time” thing.

The recent report to which I am referring is one that comes from Washington, D.C. The Metro, according to WTOP News, is suffering from a performance gap. More trains are arriving off schedule. Adam Tuss has more:

On the rails, Metro has set a goal of 95 percent when it comes to on-time peak service during the morning and afternoon rush periods. The actual on-time performance statistics during November, the latest month Metro crunched its numbers, show 85 percent of trains were on-time for a.m. service, a full 10 percentage points off. Even lower at 83 percent was p.m. service.

By itself, that’s not a very impressive figure. When we start to compare it to New York, it looks even worse. According to the most recent NYCT performance indicators, the numbers for 2007 were down compared to 2006, but trains were still running on time — that is, within five minutes of their scheduled times — 93 percent of the time for the first eight months of 2007.

So there, Washington! Take that.

Now, I’m sure some of you are wondering why I’m making such a big deal about this. Just this week I finished Zachary Schrag’s The Great Society Subway, an excellent history of the D.C. Metro. In it, Schrag highlights on more than one occasion the fact that the Metro’s planners didn’t want the system to be like New York’s; rather, they wanted to be better than New York’s.

I’ll give the book a proper review next week, but after reading how D.C. officials, who lord over what I consider to be a very nice-looking subway that offers mediocre service, consider their system far superior to New York’s, it’s comforting to get concrete information that Washington’s system isn’t as good as New York. For all our complaints about service, the MTA is better at being “on time,” whatever that means.

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MTA Construction

Capital Construction chief calls it quits

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 10, 2008

Mysore Nagaraja, the head of MTA Capital Construction, has called it quits after two years, and the Daily News speculates that rising capital costs and frequent delays may be a motivating factor in his departure.

Pete Donohue has more:

The MTA official in charge of mega-construction projects, including the LIRR extension to Grand Central Terminal, is leaving – amid concerns about rising costs and delays.

Mysore Nagaraja, 65, president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Capital Construction Co., is departing at the end of the month to be a private-sector consultant, ending more than two decades with the authority. His knowledge is unsurpassed when it comes to the MTA’s most ambitious construction and system expansion plans, MTA board member Barry Feinstein said. “Losing Mysore is a significant loss.”

I have no intimate knowledge of the situation, and the MTA has yet to issue a release about Nagaraja’s departure. But it’s certainly true that capital projects across the board seem to take longer than expected to complete. Rising costs are as much related to the shaky economy than they are to the man in charge, but if Nagaraja or some institutional issues are causing project delays, a change at the top can sometimes kick start a sagging department.

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