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AsidesMTA Absurdity

Walder: Panhandling numbers down, not eliminated

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on May 26, 2011

When Mayor Bloomberg two weeks ago announced that there aren’t very many panhandlers left in the subway, he drew the ire of, well, most straphangers and homeless advocates across New York. Panhandling, as anyone who rides the subway knows, is alive and well underground. Beggars, musicians, kids selling candy: you name it, and it’s there. Yesterday, though, MTA head Jay Walder tried to clarify Bloomberg’s comments, and his point is a valid one.

While speaking with reporters after yesterday’s MTA Board, Walder addressed panhandling. He noted that “panhandlers are certainly something that you do see in the system” but allowed for a decrease in numbers lately. “When you compare the situations that you see in the subway today with the situations that some of us will remember from a number of years ago, I think the conditions in the subway today are very, very different,” he said. “I think the N.Y.P.D. has done an excellent job at being able to control and try to deal with this. I would not say that it has been eliminated; I think that is certainly not the case. But I don’t think equally that you can compare what we see today to what you might have seen 30 years ago on the subway.”

It’s tough to deny that panhandling and the presence of homeless people in the subway is has decreased lately, but it’s certainly a problem. Homeless people living in stations create unsafe conditions, and panhandlers of varying degree are a near-daily sight in the subway. As the system is open, cheap and warm, those without reliable shelters will continue to seek safety and change underground. Until the city provides better options, panhandling will be a fact of life underground no matter what the mayor says.

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MTA EconomicsMTA Politics

Put an end to transit raid, says bipartisan coalition

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on May 26, 2011

After countless raids and misappropriations of supposedly dedicated MTA funds, a coalition of MTA workers, business leaders, transit activists and state politicians have started to push for a transit funding lockbox. Spearheaded by State Senator Martin Golden and Assembly Member James Brennan and with the support of Transportation Alternatives, the Straphangers Campaign and the TWU, among others, the bipartisan effort could provide another piece in the MTA funding puzzle, and it is a solution long necessary to protect transit funding in New York.

“Albany must keep its promises. Taxes created to fund the MTA should be spent on the MTA. Albany has to stop raiding funds legally dedicated to transit, the environment, roads and bridges,” John Kaehny of Reinvent Albany, whose group has long called for a transit lockbox, said. “Creating a tax for a special purpose and then spending it on something else, is bad policy and bad government. It undermines public faith in government, and fuels cynicism.”

The measure, announced last week by Golden and Brennan, has garnered little press lately, but Allan Rosen brought it to my attention in his latest COMMUTE column on Sheepshead Bites. The bill currently has been referred to committee in Albany, but with some loud and powerful voices behind it, it could move quickly.

“This legislation is for those who ride the buses and trains in New York City and have been asked to pay more for less service,” Golden said in a statement. “The management of our transit system cannot be built around a misguided policy of increases and reductions. It doesn’t make sense that while the quality of the commute of thousands has deteriorated; it’s costing more for them to travel.”

Brennan, the Democrat, echoed his Republican colleague’s sentiments: “The transit system needs every dollar of dedicated tax revenue to pay for mass transit, not diverted to provide budget relief for the State’s deficits. Further sweeps by the State for the MTA’s dedicated funds will be a disaster for mass transit, and this legislation will provide needed protection.”

The bill, which is available in full here, is a simple one. “Diversion of funds dedicated to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and any of its subsidiaries to the general fund of the state is prohibited,” it says. The bill continues:

The director shall be prohibited from diverting revenues derived from taxes and fees paid by the public into a fund created by law for the expressed purposed of funding the MTA or any of its subsidiaries into the general fund of the state or into any other fund maintained for the support of another governmental purpose. No diversion of funds can occur contrary to this section by an administrative act of the director or any other person in the Executive Branch but can occur only upon a statute enacted into law authorizing a diversion that would otherwise be prohibited by this section.

In other words, the legislature can still divert funds, but if it does so, it must adhere to a series of stringent reporting requirements. Any diversion must include the following:

  • The amount of the diversion from dedicated mass transit funds.
  • The amount diverted from each fund.
  • The amount diverted expressed as both monthly transit passes and EZ-Pass toll crossings.
  • The cumulative amount of diversion from dedicated mass transit funds during the proceeding five years.
  • The date or dates when the diversion is to occur.
  • A detailed estimate of the impact of diversion from dedicated mass transit funds will have on the level of mass transit service, maintenance and security.

Essentially, if anyone in Albany is going to divert MTA funds away from transit, they have to be willing to lay out exactly what it means to the millions who rely on the subways, buses and MTA crossings every single day.

Golden, not a supporter of either the Ravitch plan or congestion pricing, has taken on an important role in New York City transit policy. He sits on the Capital Program Review Board, and despite his tenuous relationship with last decades’ funding measures, he has been vocal in calling for an end to these transit raids. With the right allies — including transit workers — this measure could gain momentum.

“The diversion last year of funding for public transportation resulted in the largest service reductions in New York City history,” John Samuelsen, head of the TWU, said. “Pinched funds this year will lead to additional service cutbacks, more dangerous stations and platforms, increased breakdowns of the rolling stock, and a needless decrease in quality-of-life throughout the transit system. The Lockbox legislation is a rational and necessary approach to protect this vitally essential public service, and to speed the economic recovery not only for the City but for the entire region.”

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7 Line Extension

Living above the other construction zone

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on May 25, 2011

While we’ve heard a lot about the folks on the Upper East Side who are living amidst subway construction, stories of those impacted by the 7 line work are few and far better. In its “NY1 For You” report this week, though, the local news station highlighted a couple who have been dealing with the noise since they moved in May. The story though is hardly a sympathetic one.

Renters Anjanette Clisura and Dominic Sinesio moved from California in the beginning of May into the new MiMA building on 42nd Street, but not before asking about the huge construction site right outside their window. “They said that the MTA was doing the 7 line extension but don’t worry everything stops at 6 o’clock,” Clisura said. It didn’t take long for these renters to realize that wasn’t the case. “I’ve hardly slept for 16 nights,” Clisura said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s construction company has a 24-hour work permit which was issued in November. NY1 contacted the MTA and a spokesman told us the need for overnight work should gradually subside and end at some point in the fall…[A spokeswoman] told us that their realtors only represent to residents the hours of construction they control. She says they can’t speak to adjacent projects.

So essentially, a couple moved into an apartment above a long-term construction site, were reportedly lied to by their rental agent and now are finding that subway work is indeed disruptive. I certainly am sympathetic toward the plight of those who have been living amidst organized (or disorganized) chaos along Second Ave., but people who move into construction areas without adequately preparing themselves for the experience aren’t the types of sob stories over which I shed too many tears.

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Buses

MTA set to order 328 buses from Nova

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on May 25, 2011

The MTA has entered into a non-competitive deal with Nova Bus LFS to purchase 328 low-floor articulated clean diesel buses for just over $700,000 per bus. The summary, found on page 79 of today’s MTA Board books, notes that this price is $14,000 lower per bus than Nova had originally proposed. This latest order comes on the heels of a 90-bus trial from 2010, and the MTA says the results of the pilot were “very favorable.”

According to the board documents, these new articulated buses will be delivered from August 2011 through April 2013, and some bus routes may see less service as a result. The document explains:

The majority of these buses will be used to replace high floor articulated buses which have reached the end of their 12 year useful life and been in service since 1998 (20 buses) and 2000 (260 buses); the remaining 48 will be used to expand ariculated bus service throughout the 5 boroughs. Converting a route to articulated bus operation has an immediate impact on operating costs because 4 standard buses are replaced with 3 articulated buses resulting in a reduction in operator-related costs, fewer miles being driven and a need for fewer buses to meet peak service requirements.

The project has a local component as well as all of the buses will be manufactured upstate in Plattsburgh, New York. Finally, the MTA says it will soon open a competitive bidding process for an even larger order of articulated buses. New Flyer is currently testing its own low floor articulated clean disel bus, and once those vehicles pass their structural integrity tests, Transit will order a 90-bus pilot. If those buses are successful on the city streets, it will open the RFP process for even more new buses.

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Queens

Pending board vote, Famous Famiglia to rent Jackson Heights space

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on May 25, 2011

As the economy improves, the retail spaces at 74th St./Roosevelt Ave. in Jackson Heights should fill up.

Following years of conflict with its Jackson Heights neighbors as well as one failed lease attempt in the mid-2000s, the MTA Board will vote today to rent nearly 3000 square feet of empty space at the 74th St./Roosevelt Ave. station to the Famous Famiglia restaurant, according to documents released this week. In approving the 20-year lease, the authority should put an end to what one city councilman called in November a “shining example of MTA incompetence” while appeasing neighborhood groups who have clamored for just about anything to go into the space.

According to the MTA documents, this two-level space, subject to much hand-wringing over the last five years, had been leased to a company called Cosanba, Inc. in 2006. The company was to open a Korean bakery but was “unable to complete the process of submitting plans for code review.” The MTA decided to cancel the least last year and relet the space. Last December, they requested proposals for a 20-year lease, and Famous Famiglia’s bid of nearly $2.6 million topped a list of 13 that included Ottomanelli & Sons, Starbucks and McDonalds.

The pizza restaurant, known throughout the New York region, will operate a 24-hour restaurant at the popular subway hub. The menu will include pizza, pasta, salads, sandwiches and breakfasts, and the MTA, per the documents, is confident that the company can take a challenging space and turn it into a successful restaurant. Famous Famiglia, for better or worse, has buit a business on doing the same in airports, sports stadiums and shopping malls throughout the country.

Famous Famiglia’s proposal, the highest by nearly $1 million, and it “exceeded the appraised value of the space.” Those expecting a pizza joint to open soon though might be in for a bit of a wait. The company will have to bring a gas line into the building and will have to develop a “raw” space. “Famous Famiglia has had significant successful experience in building out spaces,” the MTA document says, “and has demonstrated that it has the financial resources sufficient to complete construction.”

For the MTA, that this lease will represent a big increase over the initial one may portend a sign of better commercial real estate options for the authority. As it seeks to lure an Apple Store into Grand Central, it has netted itself a fine establishment for a space that has remained empty for far too long.

Still, those in the neighborhood are going to be a bit wary until construction starts. This story first came to light in November, over six months ago, and those in the neighborhood told me then that they expected the space to remain empty until late 2012 at the earliest. Perhaps Famous Famiglia’s past experience can speed up the process, but for now, this empty eyesore is moving closer toward a tenant. It’s a clear step in the right direction.

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MTA Technology

Breaking: Another new look for MTA.info

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on May 24, 2011

The new look for the MTA's website went live a few minutes ago.

For the second time in two years, the MTA has redesigned its homepage. In an effort to simplify the amount of information on its public landing page and better present customers with directions, service alerts and useful transit apps, the authority has just flipped the switch on a simplified design that borrows from transit agencies across the country and world. For a peak at the new site, check out MTA.info.

“Despite last year’s complete overhaul of our website, there was still room for improvement,” MTA Chairman Jay H. Walder said in a statement. “Today’s redesign improves further on the customer experience, adding new features and making it even easier to get real-time service information and easy-to-use travel planning.”

The website, which the MTA says was created and built in house, features a “new minimalistic design” that is “better organized and geared toward enabling customers to quickly identify the information they need.” With the new look comes some new functionality as well. The MTA has unveiled an App Center that highlights third-party transit-related apps for iPhone, Android and other mobile platforms. The new Innovation section has been designed to showcase technological improvements that improve customer service. Here, the MTA has given customers the ability to comment on these changes as well.

Finally, an enhanced Trip Planner Plus creates what the authority calls “a truly regional trip planner for the first time.” Users will receive directions for Metro-North and the LIRR as well as subways and buses, and these directions will incorporate planned service changes.

Following the debut of its January 2010 redesign, the MTA saw web traffic increase by nearly 65 percent on a daily basis. If the new redesign is a success, if information is better presented and easy to find, the authority will likely continue to see an increase in use. It is, after all, completely about customer service and putting the best face forward.

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AsidesView from Underground

Link of the Day: Subways That Open into Buildings

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on May 24, 2011

Due to the accident of history, New York City subway stations feature some interesting architectural quirks, and many have been incorporated into the buildings that sprung up on top of them. Noah Brier recently noticed how many major landmarks – Rockefeller Center and the Port Authority Terminal make his list – feature subway stations that open into their lobbies or basements, and he wondered how many other stations enjoy that quirk. With the help of SAS reader Ian Westcott, Brier put together a thorough, if incomplete, list of stations with subway entrances in them, and as I’ve pondered the list, more come to more.

This feature is of course most prevalent in midtown as real estate developers needed to secure easements from the city during construction of huge skyscrapers. In exchange, these developers often incorporated entrances into their buildings. For instance, when I used to work at 1185 Avenue of the Americas, I could exit the subway directly into my building’s basement and ride up an escalator to the lobby without going above ground. It was quite convenient on stiflingly hot summer mornings or rainy evenings.

Today, many of those building entrances have been shuttered as management companies have not wanted to spend the money to maintain them. The Park Place subway station, for example, features an entrance into the Woolworth Building that is rarely, if ever, open. Anyway, check out Noah’s list and feel free to add some stops. I contributed info about the exits from Atlantic Ave. into the Atlantic Terminal Mall to it.

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New York City Transit

The trains are late but by how much?

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on May 24, 2011

New York City’s subway trains are later than ever, and as the MTA Board grapples with these internal findings, the metrics are coming under question. What does it mean for a train to be late? Should we the straphanging public be concerned? Is subway service actually getting worse?

The news, as first reported by Michael Grynbaum at City Room and available in raw form this MTA Board document, goes something like this:

The Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 lines all recorded significant drops in on-time performance in March, the most recent month for which statistics were available, according to figures disclosed on Monday at an agency committee hearing. The numbered lines also performed worse than the lettered lines on nearly every major metric.

Nearly 90 percent of No. 3 trains were marked as “on time” in March 2010; one year later, only 71.8 percent of the line’s trains arrived on time. Compared with a year ago, the No. 2, 4 and 5 lines fell by 14 percent, and the No. 7 line, which has had significant problems because of troubles in its East River tunnel, dropped by 12.2 percent.

Over all, about 81 percent of trains on the numbered lines, including the Grand Central shuttle, were considered on time in March, a 10 percent drop from a year ago. That was far worse than both the BMT and IND lettered lines, the latter of which improved in March from a year ago. A subway train is considered on time if it reaches its terminal station within five minutes of its scheduled arrival.

Some of the board members were not pleased to hear this news. The recently-appointed Charles Moerdler, who has become a vocal member of the MTA oversight body not afraid to ask tough questions, pondered the root causes. “The IRT service continues to be pretty bad,” he said. “What long-term plans do we have to get that service up to snuff?”

Meanwhile, the story has been picked up by amNew York and New York 1, among others. Before we delve into the panic, let’s step back a bit. First, what does it mean to be late? Most straphangers just roll their eyes when told the subways are on any sort of schedule, and the MTA’s own metrics define a train as late if it arrives at the terminal after five minutes of its scheduled time.

In a vacuum, that’s not the most useful measure of anything. Wait assessments tell a better tale, and Transit head Thomas Prendergast recognized as much. “We’re still bound by the principle that evenness of service is by far the most important thing rather than just late, although we’d like to do both,” he said. “But evenness of service is more important because that way you’re having less impact on customers.”

Meanwhile, despite the hand-wringing, these numbers have improved between February and March. Far more 2, 4, 5 and 6 trains were on time in March than in February, and the 6 and 7 didn’t show statistically significant differences in on-time performance. Maybe then the story isn’t that trains are later; after all, a recent change in the way the MTA calculated “on-time performance” could account for the year-to-year difference. Maybe instead the story is off a small but incremental month-to-month improvement.

We’re still left though with the question of the quality of service, and Moerdler put it best. “The public really doesn’t give a damn whether the stats are right, or the stats are wrong,” he said. “If the service ain’t good, it ain’t good.” How ain’t good the service is remains a question without a solid answer.

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AsidesMTA

In the news: The future Lady McCartney

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on May 23, 2011

Now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag and everyone knows current MTA Board member Nancy Shevell is set to marry Paul McCartney, The Times decided to profile her. The article, which appeared in yesterday’s New York section, is light on details and high on fluff. The current board member will carry the honorific Lady McCartney due to the former Beatle’s knighthood, and her fellow board members will fete her at some point.

While Shevell couldn’t be reached for comment, the pieces notes that her term will expire at the end of next month. As she is a freight executive who was once chided for missing too many board meetings, I’ve recently questioned whether she will be reappointed. Now if only The Times would profile other MTA Board members who aren’t set to marry folks as famous as Paul McCartney.

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AsidesMTA Economics

GCT Apple Store rumors percolating again

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on May 23, 2011

The on again/off again rumors surrounding an Apple Store at Grand Central appear to be on again, according to a story in today’s Wall Street Journal. The MTA will issue a request for proposals today on the current space inhabited by Metrazur, and despite steep costs, sources expect Apple to submit a response, Andrew Grossman reports today.

Grossman offers up a few details on the MTA’s attempts at extracting more money from its valuable retail spaces. Metrazur’s lease currently runs through 2019, and although the restaurant is making money, it plans to close on July 1 because the MTA, which is making only $400,000 a year off of the substantial space, is going to ask the next tenant to pay the restaurant’s owners a substantial termination fee. “It’s an offer that’s hard to refuse,” Chef Charlie Palmer said. “It’s hard to compete with whatever that company might be that’s taking the space.”

With retail experts believing that a Grand Central Apple Store could become more popular than the city’s other premiere locations, the MTA is looking for a deal focuses around a low base rent and a share of any story’s profits. The price may be steep, but for a chance to take up such a high-profile space in one of the nation’s busiest train terminals, it just be might worth. The authority too is looking to boost its own bottom line. “We believe that this special site in Grand Central Terminal can generate more revenue to support transit services,” agency spokesman Jeremy Soffin said.

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