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Benjamin Kabak

A Sandy assist for the Gateway Tunnel

by Benjamin Kabak May 30, 2013

written by Benjamin Kabak on May 30, 2013

Whether any of us live to see Amtrak’s Gateway Tunnel become a reality remains to be seen, but it has a few champions in Washington and an assist from Superstorm Sandy. Senator Chuck Schumer, who has recently adopted the cause, announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation will deliver the $185 million Amtrak has requested to preserve space in the Hudson Yards area for two more Hudson River rail tunnels. The money is part of the Sandy relief and fortification funds.

Specifically, the money will go toward an 800-foot-long tunnel box between 10th and 11th Avenues that will carve out the right-of-way for a pair of flood-resistant rail tubes. Without his money, Related Companies’ construction at the Hudson Yards would have moved forward blocking the opportunity to build Gateway for the foreseeable future. Last week, though, Amtrak, the LIRR and Related Companies reached an agreement on the construction of the tunnel box, and the federal dollars assure progress will go forward, inch by inch.

“When Sandy flooded our tunnels it exposed a fatal flaw in our already maxed-out transit infrastructure and demonstrated beyond a doubt we needed a new flood-resistant train-tunnel into and out of Manhattan. This project will build the gate in the ‘Gateway’ tunnel and secures the future of rail for New York City and all of the Northeast Corridor, making our rail infrastructure more efficient and much more flood resistant from storms like Sandy,” Schumer said in a statement. “Today’s announcement is the first step of a long-term mitigation investment in New York. I am pleased that Secretary LaHood will award this much-needed funding to preserve a path for new train tunnels into Manhattan.”

May 30, 2013 6 comments

Event: Problem Solvers tackles transit security on June 5

by Benjamin Kabak May 30, 2013

written by Benjamin Kabak on May 30, 2013

My long-standing series at the Transit Museum continues next Wednesday, June 5, and this time, I’ll be talking transit security with Joseph Nugent, the liaison between New York City Transit and the New York Police Department. In the aftermath of the Boston bombings, Nugent and I will be discussing the extensive security measures — some visible, some not — in place to protect transit riders in New York. It’s not an easy task as the system is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and unmanned access points exist throughout the five boroughs.

Some background on my guest: Nugent is the interagency liaison between the New York Police Department and New York City Transit. He began his career as an officer with the NYC Transit Police Department in 1985, and was promoted to sergeant in 1993. In 2002, he became a lieutenant with the NYPD, retiring in July 2005. Before starting in his current position, he worked as an NYCT investigator in employee misconduct and workplace violence, and later as counterterrorism liaison. He received a B.S. in Business Management from St. Francis College in 2000, and a Masters in Public Administration from Marist College in 2009.

As always, Problem Solvers takes place at the Transit Museum in Downtown Brooklyn, and the program starts at 6:30 p.m. with doors at 6. Admission is free, but the Museum asks that you kindly RSVP right here. See you on Wednesday.

May 30, 2013 1 comment

Penn Station

From four architects, four ideas for Penn Station’s future

by Benjamin Kabak May 30, 2013

written by Benjamin Kabak on May 30, 2013

A set from the next Star Trek movie or an actual rendering of SOM’s plans for Penn Station?

Before I get too far into this little exercise in future planning, let’s remember something about this whole thing: The Municipal Art Society has stressed both to me and to the public that their competition to design a new Penn Station was about transit planning. It was about finding a solution to Penn Station’s train capacity and passenger flow problems while relocating Madison Square Garden and redeveloping the area of Midtown surrounding the train station. It wasn’t supposed to be about undoing the destruction of Penn Station 50 years ago or reclaiming the area for one architect’s ego as has happened with the PATH Hub at the World Trade Center site.

In fact, during a presentation yesterday of the four plans by SHoP, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, H3 Hardy Collaboration and Diller Scofidio & Renfro, Vin Cipolla, head of the MAS, spoke again about the reality-based nature of the designs. Calling the proposals a “range of practical and liberating possibilities for an expanded, world-class Penn Station and a great new Madison Square Garden,” Cipolla said, “These ideas are buildable. I think everyone took pains to emphasize that.”

Buildable for Cipolla may not mean buildable for anyone else. One that has drawn the most attention — SHoP’s reimagining of Midtown West from the Hudson Yards and High Line straight on through to the current Madison Square Garden site — came with a price tag. Vishaan Chakrabarti, a SHoP lead, spoke about how their plan would be self-funded through a variety of payments in lieu of taxes and air rights sales. These deals, he claims, would generate the $9.48 billion necessary to realize their design. That’s almost two whole phases of the Second Ave. Subway for the cost of one train station and a new arean. What a bargain.

In a dialogue on Twitter, Chakrabarti later cited to the 7 line extension as a similarly successful project, but that’s a comparison fraught with problems. The 7 line has been under budget because the city cut out half of the proposed train extensions. Furthermore, it has, so far, failed to live up to its economic promises. It likely will recapture a lot of its value, but early returns have not been as high as expected. Attempting to generate $10 billion through a similar program may just be folly.

Diller Scofidio & Renfro’s plans move MSG to the Farley building and convert Penn Station into a destination in and of itself.

Even as the renderings capture our attention, the firms seem in it for the wrong reasons. The designs are based on creating a grand building rather than expanding Hudson River rail capacity. “Nearly 640,000 passengers use Penn Station every day, and yet it does not act as a dignified gateway to one of the world’s greatest cities,” Roger Duffy, the design partner who developed SOM’s plans, said in a statement. “What we propose creates a civic heart for Midtown West – one that is truly public and open to all – while allowing New York City to maintain its position as a global center of commerce, industry and culture.”

So what are we left with then? We’re left with fancy renderings that won’t happen, price tags absurdly out of reach, and talking points for Madison Square Garden to dispute this exercise. What we need are some realistic plans for a better Penn Station and reasonable funding goals and mechanisms. As Hilary Baron said to Crain’s, “We have to be careful, given our fiscal constraints, not to get trapped by the old visions of Penn. This can’t be another World Trade Center PATH station.”

Right now, it is both better and worse than PATH. It’s better because no one has committed to fund these things. But it’s worse because it’s a patently silly exercise in imagination with little attention paid to what we can actually accomplish, what we need to accomplish and how, ultimately, we can get there.

Despite my inherent skepticism, it’s still illuminating to look at the renderings and imagine what we could do if money were no obstacle. Click on the thumbnails for much larger versions.

SHoP

SHoP’s grand hall is reminiscent of a modern-day train station but carries a price tag of nearly 11 figures.

SHoP's grand hall is reminiscent of a modern-day train station but carries a price tag of nearly 11 figures.

SOM

If you look closely enough, you may see Captain Kirk and some Vulcans boarding an Amtrak train.

A set from the next Star Trek movie or an actual rendering of SOM's plans for Penn Station?

If you look closely enough, you may see Captain Kirk and some Vulcans boarding an Amtrak train.

H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture

H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture

May 30, 2013 43 comments

Queens

Photo: Rockaway A train service resumes tomorrow

by Benjamin Kabak May 29, 2013

written by Benjamin Kabak on May 29, 2013

A test train arrives at Broad Channel. (Photo via MTA New York City Transit)

Seven months after Sandy swept through, the A train returns. Beginning tomorrow at noon, the A will again run from Howard Beach to the Rockaways. First announced two weeks ago, this service restoration is approximately a month ahead of schedule, but despite the good news, lots of Sandy-related work looms large in the future.

As part of the relaunch of the A train tomorrow, the MTA will run a Nostalgia Train from Howard Beach to the peninsula. The R1s and R9s will depart at 10:30 a.m. with various agency officials and local dignitaries on board. There will be speeches at Rockaway Park-Beach 116th Street Station, and then regular A/S service begins anew. If you want to ride the H train, get thee to the Rockaways as tonight and tomorrow morning are your last chances.

May 29, 2013 7 comments

View from Underground

Photo: Great Moments in MTA Signage

by Benjamin Kabak May 29, 2013

written by Benjamin Kabak on May 29, 2013

A sign once useful. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)

While roaming the York St. platform Monday afternoon waiting for a Brooklyn-bound F train to arrive, I came across this neat scene. This is no optical illusion. Rather, it is a sign — of half of one — reflecting in a mysterious piece of stainless steel ceiling panel. The letters are cut off slightly above the halfline, and although some are nearly mirror images, many are not. The words are just jumbled.

For the MTA, this sign is another in a long line of poorly placed panels. Perhaps not as egregious as the since-corrected sign fail at Atlantic Ave., this one still shows a left hand/right hand problem. It appears that, due to some structural issues with the York St. ceiling, crews put in place the metallic panel to bolster the ceiling or product passengers from something dripping. Instead of rehanging the sign to make it visible, they…just left it there. And now it’s blocked.

For a critique on MTA signage, check out Allan Rosen’s latest on Sheepshead Bites. For more scenes from the subways, follow Second Ave. Sagas on Instagram.

May 29, 2013 1 comment

View from Underground

A backpack bump and other subway annoyances

by Benjamin Kabak May 29, 2013

written by Benjamin Kabak on May 29, 2013

Courtesy is contagious, but it doesn’t start with the guy on the right wearing his backpack on a packed train. (Photo via flickr user Runs With Scissors)

The first hour or so of the Tuesday after Memorial Day is never a fun one. Most folks heading into work or school are feeling the effects, literally or figuratively, of the first three-day weekend in a few months. Trains are crowded; tensions are high; patience is thin. It would be, in other words, a good day for a smooth ride.

Alas, for me, it was not quite to be. My ride into work was a quick one on the Q train, but as it frequently is, the Manhattan-bound trains leaving 7th Ave. in Brooklyn at 8:30 in the morning was packed to the gills. We had enough room in the car to board, and after Atlantic Ave., enough riders got out that we had room to breath as well. Everything was fine except for this one guy who kept bumping into us because he had on a backpack. Even with no room in the car and straphangers jostling for just enough space, this guy carried on, oblivious to the world around him.

An inability to figure out the right approach for a backpack seems to be an epidemic. On my ride home last night, on an much emptier B train, a guy sitting across from me had his backpack splayed across the two empty seats next to him. He might have been willing to move had anyone asked, but New Yorkers tend to avoid those types of subway confrontations like the plague.

I’ve always believed that the proper place for a backpack, especially on a crowded train, is down low. Hold it between your legs; keep at your feet. People take up significantly less space down in the lower extremity areas than they do at the midsection and shoulders. It’s harder to bump people if you’re standing over your backpack, and you allow other riders the space to navigate around you without any of the jockeying for position that takes place while dealing with a backpack to the head or neck. I think of it as common courtesy.

The packpack issue though is just one of many we face on our daily rides. The door-blockers, the panhandlers, the preachers, the breakdancers (who can get violent), the candyhawkers — we deal with it every day. Some are mere annoyances; others are a threat to our space and, potentially, our well-being. My short list doesn’t include the more sinister elements like the gropers and the flashers that women have to confront as well.

A few days ago, I posed this idea to Twitter and I want to present it here: What are the things that annoy you the most about a subway ride? I may put together a little bracket challenge. Do you find yourself getting irrationally angry at people eating on the train or those who insist on pole-hugging? What about those grooming and clipping their nails in a crowded subway car? Pick one; pick ’em all.

May 29, 2013 51 comments

Buses Manhattan

DOT rolls back SBS plans for 125th and the M60

by Benjamin Kabak May 28, 2013

written by Benjamin Kabak on May 28, 2013

Improving traffic flow along the M60 corridor would have benefited bus riders, pedestrians and businesses, but loud objections have quashed some plans.

Can you believe there exists a State Senator who thinks NYC DOT moves too quickly in implementing Select Bus Service improvements? Can you believe there is yet another Manhattan community intent on suffering through crippling crosstown traffic rather than enjoy a realignment of street lanes that would better prioritize transit? In the public farce of New York City, you better believe it.

This time, the corridor in question is the M60 via 125th St. Ostensibly a bus route that feeds Laguardia Airport, most of the M60 ridership uses the bus as a crosstown connection along 125th St. while some use it to access Astoria and Queens. A small portion — some travelers, some airport employees — use it to reach Laguardia. It is absurdly slow as it inches along the congested corridor at 2.7 miles per hour and spend approximately 60 percent of the time at a standstill.

To better accommodate the bus, DOT has proposed a series of changes. Streetsblog summed them up in March:

DOT is proposing off-board fare collection to speed bus boarding, transit signal priority to hold green lights for buses, and converting the M60 to a Select Bus Service route serving six stops along 125th Street. A one-mile stretch of 125th Street between Morningside and Third Avenues would be remade with camera-enforced, offset bus lanes, located between the parking lane and the general travel lane, much like the set-up that has significantly improved bus speeds on First and Second Avenues.

Along with the reduction of general travel lanes in each direction from two to one, DOT will introduce left-turn restrictions at most intersections between Morningside and Third Avenues. Left turns would still be permitted at Madison Avenue, to allow access to the bridge across the Harlem River.

DOT also proposed adding parking meters on 125th Street west of Morningside Avenue and east of Fifth Avenue. Between St. Nicholas Avenue and Lenox Avenue, the agency is also considering extending meter hours until 10 p.m. Putting a price on the curb speeds buses because it cuts down on double-parking and cruising for open parking spots.

It all sounds sensible and progressive — which, apparently, is cause for concern. In a letter to DOT, State Senator Bill Perkins urged the agency to “slow down.” (It’s hard to imagine DOT moving any slower on SBS rollouts while still making forward progress, but I digress.)

Despite community meetings and a public comment period, some people don’t like the plan, and they have Perksin’ ear. These folks argue that implementing metered parking along a small section of 125th St. would make parking unaffordable to public housing residents (who can otherwise afford to own a car in Manhattan anyway). And they’re annoyed at the inconveniences turn limits would place on drivers.

DOT has since revised the plan. The bus lane will run only from Lenox Avenue to Third Avenue. The turn limits will be rescinded, and no parking meters will be implemented along the corridor. Yet again there is no balance between the experts and the amateurs as another busy street has decided it prefers the congested status quo to a smoother ride for all.

DNA Info spoke to one person — Detta Ahl — who understood. “It was an holistic approach that would have made things safer for pedestrians and transit users. It’s not just people using the M60 that would have benefited,” she said. If only everyone else would understand as well, then, we wouldn’t have to suffer through sub-par bus service from Manhattan to its closest airport.

May 28, 2013 26 comments

MTA Politics

An MTA surplus and the games politicians play

by Benjamin Kabak May 27, 2013

written by Benjamin Kabak on May 27, 2013

Now that the MTA has a $40 million operating surplus, everyone wants a piece of the action. The TWU has already argued that this one-time windfall should go toward a raise for all unionized employees, and politicians from all over New York are clamoring for a rollback of the 2010 service cuts. One story from Brooklyn though highlights the hypocrisy of the whole thing and the need to figure out just what services should be restored.

Last week, a group of Brooklyn officials gathered to rally for the B37. The Brooklyn Eagle was on hand to file a report. Paula Katinas writes:

One lawmaker, state Sen. Diane Savino (D-Brooklyn-Staten Island), indicated that she’s not above playing a little hardball with the MTA to get the B37 bus back. Savino, whose district includes a section of Bay Ridge, told local residents at the May 19 rally that she wants to extract a promise from MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast nominee that he would restore the shuttered bus line and other transit services when he faces the state senate at his confirmation hearing in two weeks. Governor Andrew Cuomo nominated Prendergast to replace Joseph Lhota, the former MTA chairman who is now running for mayor.

“The only way to get that job is through the New York State Senate,” she said, hinting that she’ll give Prendergast a hard time if he doesn’t cooperate. “It’s time for us to get back on the bus,” Savino said.

The B37 bus ran from Bay Ridge to downtown Brooklyn until the MTA eliminated the bus line in 2010 during a major budget cutting move in which dozens of transit lines were scrapped. The B37 ran on Third Avenue for a long portion of its route and lawmakers and transit advocacy groups charged that the elimination of the bus line is a hardship for senior citizens and the physically disabled who can’t use the R train on Fourth Avenue as an alternative because they can’t navigate the subway stairs. The R train stations in Bay Ridge and Sunset Park are not equipped with elevators.

I’ve highlighted Savino for a reason, and I’ll return to her for a second. The rest of Katinas’ story focuses on the interest groups fighting for the return of the B37. They include seniors who cannot navigate the Bay Ridge subway stops and merchants along 3rd Ave. who understand the need for public transit along their commercial corridor.

It’s hard to say in a vacuum if they’re right. After all, the MTA cut the B37 because barely 3000 people per weekday rode it, and the agency was losing significant money while operating the route. As the MTA addresses this $40 million surprise, its planners will have to figure out how to boost service without re-implementing too many routes that ran empty or near-empty most of the time.

But let’s get back to Savino. In the past, she has freaked out over the plans to send the 7 to Secaucus while Staten Island remains without a subway connection to Manhattan, but that’s hardly her worst offense. In 2010, when the MTA had to cut service, Savino admitted that she voted for a bill that striped $143 million from the agency’s coffers without bothering to read or understand it first. She eventually owned up to the mistake, but the damage was done.

If Savino were alone in her hypocrisy and dereliction of duty, perhaps transit would be better off in New York City, but she’s not. Countless state representatives refuse to stand up for smart investment in the network and argue for spending only when the MTA is flush with money. That’s no way to build a transit system.

May 27, 2013 21 comments

Service Advisories

L outage headlines weekend work impacting 12 trains

by Benjamin Kabak May 24, 2013

written by Benjamin Kabak on May 24, 2013

It’s time for a nice, relaxing three-day weekend. Unfortunately, the weather doesn’t plan on cooperating this weekend, and some of the subway routing isn’t much better. Despite local protests, the MTA has gone ahead with the Memorial Day weekend L train shutdown. From tonight through Tuesday morning, there will be no L trains between Lorimer St. and 8th Avenue. The M will run, but that’s hardly a comforting thought (especially without a transfer between the G and M/J).

Meanwhile, trains that are running will operate on a Sunday schedule for the Monday holiday. Beware, tough, as some of these service changes last through Monday as well. Here’s everything:

From 3:45 a.m. Saturday, May 25 to 10 p.m. Monday, May 27, 2 service operates in two sections due to track panel installation north of Gun Hill Road:

Between Flatbush Avenue and East 180th Street*
Between East 180th Street and 241st Street

*2 trains from Flatbush Avenue are rerouted to Dyre Avenue at East 180th Street during this time.

From 5:45 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, May 26, downtown (Brooklyn-bound) 4 trains skip 176th Street, Mt. Eden Avenue, 170th Street, 167th Street and 161st Street due to rail and tie renewal south of 170th Street.

From 3:45 a.m. Saturday, May 25 to 10 p.m. Monday, May 27, 5 service is suspended due to track panel installation north of Gun Hill Road. Customers may take the 2 and/or 4 instead. For service between:

Dyre Avenue and 149th Street-Grand Concourse, take the 2 instead (the 2 operates between Dyre Avenue ad Flatbush Avenue during this time.)
149th Street-Grand Concourse and Bowling Green, take the 4 instead.

From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 24 to 6:30 a.m. Saturday, May 25, from 11:45 p.m. Saturday, May 25 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, May 26, from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, May 26 to 6:30 a.m. Monday, May 27, and from 11:45 p.m. Monday, May 27 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, May 28, downtown (Queens-bound) A trains run express from 59th Street-Columbus Circle to Canal Street due to track tie block renewal north of Spring Street.

From 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, May 25, Sunday, May 26 and Monday, May 27, downtown (Brooklyn-bound) C trains run express from 59th Street-Columbus Circle to Canal Street due to track tie block renewal north of Spring Street.

From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 24 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 27, 205th Street-bound D trains run express from 145th Street to Tremont Avenue due to prep work on the Concourse line for upcoming Fastrack maintenance.

From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 24 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, May 28, World Trade Center-bound E trains run express from 34th Street to Canal Street due to track tie block renewal north of Spring Street.

From 9:45 p.m. Friday, May 24 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, May 28, Jamaica-bound F trains are rerouted via the M line from 47th-50th Sts to Queens Plaza due to station work at Lexington Avenue-63rd Street for Second Avenue Subway project.

From 11:30 p.m. Friday, May 24 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, May 28, there is no L train service between 8th Avenue and Lorimer Street due to pump plant replacement south of 3rd Avenue. L service operates between Rockaway Parkway and Lorimer Street. The F, J, M, M14 bus and free shuttle bus provide alternate service. For service between Manhattan and Brooklyn, customers may use the J or M. For service between 8th Avenue and 1st Avenue, use the M14 bus.

From 6 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, May 25 and from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, May 26 and Monday May 27, M trains run to and from 57th Street-6th Avenue F station to augment service between Manhattan and Brooklyn due to L suspension. (Note: At all times until late August 2013, M trains bypass Central Avenue in both directions due to station rehabilitation work at Central Avenue.)

From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 24 to 6:30 a.m. Saturday, May 25, from 11:45 p.m. Saturday, May 25 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, May 26, from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, May 26 to 6:30 a.m. Monday, May 27, and from 11:45 p.m. Monday, May 27 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, May 28, Brooklyn-bound N trains are rerouted via the Q line from Canal Street to DeKalb Avenue due to station painting at Jay Street-MetroTech and work in the Montague tube.

From 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, May 25, Sunday, May 26 and Monday, May 27, Brooklyn-bound R trains are rerouted via the Q line from Canal Street to DeKalb Avenue due to station painting at Jay Street-MetroTech and work in the Montague tube. There are no Brooklyn-bound N or R trains at City Hall, Cortlandt Street, Rector Street, Whitehall Street, Court Street or Jay Street-MetroTech. Customers may use the 4, A or F trains at nearby stations.