Author

Benjamin Kabak

The Fulton St. month ahead and weekend changes

by Benjamin Kabak April 30, 2010

written by Benjamin Kabak on April 30, 2010

With a new month upon us, the MTA has released its look ahead at Fulton St. Here we go:

May 1-3
A/C trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the A/C, 2/, and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau.
No 2/3 trains at Fulton Street.

May 8-10
A trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the A, 2/3 and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau St.
C trains operate between 168th Street and 2nd Avenue F station (from West 4th Street C trains are rerouted along the F line to Broadway-Lafayette and Lower East Side-2nd Avenue F stations).
No 2/3 trains at Fulton Street.

May 15-17
No 4/5 trains at Fulton Street; customers should take the special J shuttle.
A trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the A, 2/3 and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau St.
No C service; customers should take the A instead. (Note: the 207th Street-bound A trains operate on the F line from Jay Street to West 4th Street.)

May 22-24
A trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the A, 2/3 and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau St.
C operates between 168th Street and Lower East Side-2nd Avenue F station.

May 29-31
AC trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the AC, 2/3 and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau St.

The rest of the service advisories are as follows. Grab ’em in map form at Subway Weekender.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, there are no 2 trains between Manhattan and Brooklyn:

2 trains are will operate between Wakefield-241st Street and South Ferry. (2 trains will be rerouted at Chambers Street to the 1 line.)
Customers traveling to and from Brooklyn may switch to the 4 at Bowling Green. (Free out-of-system transfers are available between the 2 at South Ferry and the 4 at Bowling Green.)
Weekend 5 service is extended to Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn. Manhattan-bound 5 trains run express from Franklin Avenue to Atlantic Avenue.
During the overnight hours, 2 shuttle trains operate between Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue. Atlantic Avenue-bound 2 shuttle trains run express from Franklin Avenue to Atlantic Avenue.
Customers may transfer between the 4 and 2 shuttle trains at Atlantic Avenue.

These changes are due to a chip out at Borough Hall, a track dig out between Wall and Fulton Streets, and a cable pull south of Nevins Street.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, 2 trains run local between 96th Street and Chambers Street due to reconstruction work on the track bridge underpass at 96th Street.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, 3 trains run local between 96th Street and Times Square-42nd Street due to reconstruction work on the track bridge underpass at 96th Street.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, there are no 3 trains between 14th Street and New Lots Avenue due to a chip out at Borough Hall, a track dig out between Wall and Fulton Streets and a cable pull south of Nevins Street. For service between Manhattan and Brooklyn, customers should use 4 service which is extended to New Lots Avenue. During the overnight hours, 3 service is extended to 14th Street.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, 4 train service is extended to/from New Lots Avenue to replace the 3 in Brooklyn due to a chip out at Borough Hall, a track dig out between Wall and Fulton Streets and a cable pull south of Nevins Street. Note: Manhattan-bound 4 trains skip Eastern Parkway, Grand Army Plaza and Bergen Street.

From 6:30 a.m. to 12 midnight, Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2, 5 service is extended to Flatbush Avenue due to a chip out at Borough Hall, a track dig out between Wall and Fulton Streets and a cable pull south of Nevins Street. Manhattan-bound 5 trains skip Eastern Parkway, Grand Army Plaza, and Bergen Street. Note: There is no 5 service in Manhattan and Brooklyn overnight.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, the last stop for some Bronx-bound 6 trains is 3rd Avenue-138th Street due to station rehabilitation and structural repair at Whitlock Avenue, Morrison-Sound View Aves., and Parkchester.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, Pelham Bay Park-bound 6 trains skip Elder and St. Lawrence Avenues and will stop at the Manhattan-bound Parkchester station platform due to station rehabilitation and structural repair at Whitlock Avenue, Morrison-Sound View Aves., and Parkchester.

From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, there are no A trains between Howard Beach and Far Rockaway due to station rehab work at Beach 60th and Beach 36th Streets. Free shuttle buses provide alternate service. Note: There is no Rockaway Park Shuttle S service between Broad Channel and Rockaway Park.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, Brooklyn-bound A trains run express from 59th Street to Canal Street due to the Chambers Street Signal Modernization Project.

From 6:30 a.m. to 12 midnight, Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2, Brooklyn-bound C trains run express from 59th Street to Canal Street due to the Chambers Street Signal Modernization Project.

From 5 a.m. Saturday, May 1 and 10 p.m. Sunday, May 2, Coney Island-bound D trains run on the N line from 36th Street to Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue due track panel installation at 20th Avenue.

From 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday, May 1, Manhattan-bound D trains skip 174th-175th Sts. and 170th Street due to a track chip out north of 170th Street.

From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, Jamaica Center-bound E trains run local from 21st Street-Queensbridge to Forest Hills-71st Avenue due to a substation rehabilitation north of Roosevelt Avenue.

From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, Manhattan-bound E trains run local from Forest Hills-71st Avenue to Queens Plaza due to a substation rehabilitation north of Roosevelt Avenue.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, E trains are rerouted in Manhattan and Queens:

No E service between West 4th Street and World Trade Center
Manhattan-bound E trains skip Lexington Avenue-53rd Street, then after West 4th Street, reroute to the F and operate to 2nd Avenue.
Queens-bound E service begins at 2nd Avenue and operates on the F line to 21st Street-Queensbridge, then resumes on the E line to Jamaica Center.
Free shuttle buses connect the 21st Street-Queensbridge, 23rd Street-Ely Avenue/Court Square and Queens Plaza stations. Shuttle buses are subject to disruption on Sunday, between 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. for the Five Borough Bike Tour.

These changes are due to the 5th Avenue Interlocking Signal System Modernization.

From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, F trains run local between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and 21st Street-Queensbridge due to a substation rehabilitation north of Roosevelt Avenue.

From 3:30 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 10 p.m. Sunday, May 2, there are no J trains between Crescent Street and Jamaica Center due to track panel installation north of Woodhaven Boulevard. E trains and free shuttle buses provide alternate service via Jamaica-Van Wyck.

From 11 p.m. Friday, April 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, uptown Q trains run local from Times Square-42nd Street to 57th Street-7th Avenue due to a track dig out at Times Square.

From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2, Q trains run in two sections due to rail repairs:

Between 57th Street-7th Avenue and Brighton Beach and
Between Brighton Beach and Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue.

From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, there are no S trains between Broad Channel and Rockaway Park due to station rehabilitations at Beach 36th and Beach 60th Streets. Free shuttle buses provide alternate service via Howard Beach.

April 30, 2010 9 comments

Asides Subway Security

Government: Al Qaeda behind NYC subway plot

by Benjamin Kabak April 30, 2010

written by Benjamin Kabak on April 30, 2010

It’s time for a little Friday afternoon catch-up. I’ve had this tab open all week, and no time to slot it in, but here we go: According to federal prosecutors, Al Qaeda was responsible for organizing the plot against the New York City subways that the FBI stopped in September. It’s not much of a surprise to hear that the subways are on the terrorist organization’s radar, but as I’ve said in the past, that the plot was stopped before it could be carried out is a testament to the nation’s increased attention to the severity of these plots. The cameras the MTA is working to fix are an important part of a security system, but law enforcement efforts that uncover plots before they can unfold are what is truly keeping us safe.

April 30, 2010 3 comments

International Subways

An etiquette campaign in Toronto, inspired by NYC

by Benjamin Kabak April 30, 2010

written by Benjamin Kabak on April 30, 2010

Jason Shelowitz, the man behind the guerrilla art subway etiquette posters, is inspiring some copy cats. After Jayshells’ posters earned some headlines last week, Toronto’s National Post produced some subway etiquette PSAs of their own.

Calling themselves the Toronto Transit Civility Commission, the writers say that people are mostly concerned with unnecessary noise, bad body odor and those who clip their nails on the subway. The same boorish behavior we see in New York appears to be endemic outside of the Big Apple.

My favorite one, though, is the anthropomorphic backpack. Too many people believe they can put their bags — and feet — on empty subway seats, and then they stare daggars at anyone audacious enough to ask them to move. Here in New York, the MTA claims courtesy is contagious, but I haven’t seen that disease spread yet.

April 30, 2010 7 comments

MTA Politics

A Town Hall and an audit won’t fix the MTA

by Benjamin Kabak April 30, 2010

written by Benjamin Kabak on April 30, 2010

Marty Golden, Republican, is, according to his website, “Brooklyn’s voice in Albany.” The four-term State Senator hails from District 22, an oddly-shaped area that includes transit-rich neighborhoods such as Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Ocean Parkway along side car-heavy neighborhoods such as Gerritsen Bay and the area surrounding Marine Park. Who his constituents are and what they need remain a mystery to Senator Golden.

To whit, a call for a Town Hall on the MTA. With many of his constituents set to lose transit service, Senator Golden’s office has announced a meeting on the service cuts. “The MTA continues to move forward to adopt the doomsday budget that will severely impact bus service in our community,” John Quaglione, the Senator’s press secretary and district manager, said earlier this week. “We are not going to let the MTA come into our neighborhood and greatly disrupt our transportation system. We can not afford it and the residents and commuters deserve better.”

Now, Brooklyn and, in particular, Golden’s district are in for some harsh cuts. Bay Ridge is losing numerous bus routes and seeing service along others reduced. The M train will no longer go to Bay Parkway in Bensonhurst after June 27, and ~~midday and~~ weekend service on every subway line that passes through Golden’s area will be scaled. He should be outraged. But a Town Hall? Really? That’s the best one of our State Senators can do?

Over the last few years, Golden, as a loyal member of the do-nothing opposition minority party in the Senate, has, well, done nothing. He did nothing to support the Ravitch plan and did nothing to support congestion pricing. Now, he wants to do more of nothing without offering a solution to the MTA’s financial woes. The Town Hall meeting might turn out some disgruntled voters, and it might win Golden some political points in a district he won unopposed in 2006. It won’t solve the problem.

Of course, Golden’s position is an untenable one for obvious reasons. First, he’s a member of the state GOP, and the Republicans in the New York State Senate have done nothing to assist the MTA. It is, they reason, the majority party’s problem, and even though thousands of Golden’s constituents need their subways and buses, he hasn’t helped with a solution. Second, he represents some very vocal and adamant drivers. Even though their numbers are but a slim fraction of those who ride the subway, these drivers near Marine Park have been the most outspoken congestion pricing opponents. Golden wouldn’t dare turn his back on those with political clout who needs their autos. That solution is staring him in the face, but he won’t embrace it.

Golden is but one of many State Senators fishing in the dark. Earlier this week, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli agreed to a forensic audit of the MTA, and Assembly representatives were ecstatic. Fred Thiele, an Independent representative from Suffolk County who is an outspoken critic of the payroll tax, had this to say:

“I want to take this opportunity to thank the Comptroller for his hard work and the dedication of him and his staff as they work to ensure that state taxpayer money is spent in accordance with the law. As a strong opponent of the MTA Payroll Tax and the ‘bailout’ legislation enacted by the Legislature last year (I voted against the proposal), I want to make sure these monies are spent and collected properly; especially given that MTA estimates for the Payroll Tax revenues have been grossly underestimated. The financial woes of the MTA have been well documented only recently and I pledge to continue to work with my Assembly colleagues and Comptroller DiNapoli on this issue.”

Here, Thiele is, simply put, ignoring reality. The MTA’s estimates haven’t been “grossly underestimated”; rather, the numbers supplied to the MTA by the state’s own accounting and taxation department have been grossly understated. If he were to stop and examine the situation, he would find fault resting not entirely with the MTA but in Albany too. That would, however, require an Assembly representative to take far too much responsibility for the way the state is run.

In the end, DiNapoli would conduct his audit, and we know what he’ll find. The MTA isn’t a very lean organization and could be better run. But he’ll also find honest accounting and a budget hole of $751 million this year. What then, I wonder, will the Marty Goldens and Fred Thieles of the state do? When the truth comes about an MTA teetering on the edge of fiscal ruin, who will the grandstanding politicians blame next? It certainly won’t be themselves.

April 30, 2010 17 comments

Asides New York City Transit

Dead man’s switch deployed on G train

by Benjamin Kabak April 29, 2010

written by Benjamin Kabak on April 29, 2010

Every subway train comes equipped with a dead man’s switch. As seen in The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3, this is a handle the train operator must keep depressed while the train is in motion. If he lets go — if something happens or the driver becomes incapacitated — the train will stop. This week, along the G train, Domenick Occhiogrosso, 50, pulled his train out of Long Island City and suffered a fatal heart attack while the train was in motion. His death triggered the dead man’s switch, and the train came to a stop. The conductor discovered Occhogrosso unconscious in the booth, and he was pronounced dead at 9:20 a.m. yesterday morning.

April 29, 2010 3 comments

7 Line Extension Hudson Yards

A deal for Related but with terms attached

by Benjamin Kabak April 29, 2010

written by Benjamin Kabak on April 29, 2010

The MTA Board voted yesterday to approve yet another iteration of a contract with Related Companies for the rights to develop the Hudson Yards area. If all goes according to plan, this deal will eventually net $1 billion for the MTA, but as work continues apace along the 7 line extension, the money from Related is no sure thing. In fact, the contract contains terms and conditions that may eventually allow the real estate developer to back out entirely.

The details are complex. Related’s payments won’t kick in until the economy improves. You can wade through a lenghty PDF document if you want to explore the fine print, but The Observer’s Eliot Brown has it all in bullet-point form. While the contract will soon be signed, the deal won’t close until, says Brown:

Midtown office space availability rates hit 11 percent, according to brokerage CB Richard Ellis. While the current rate is at 14.8 percent as of March, 11 percent is relatively achievable, as according to CBRE numbers, midtown averaged well below 11 percent between 2005 and 2007.
Manhattan co-op and condo sales price achieve an average $1,200 a square foot for a sustained period (it’s slightly more nuanced than this). The fourth quarter of 2009 saw an average price of $1,051, according to Miller Samuel. The rate has cracked $1,200 a foot in three separate quarters in the last cycle, hitting a peak $1,322 a foot in the second quarter of 2008.
The architectural billings index must pass 50 for the commercial sector. It’s currently at a bit below 45, and was last over 50 in early 2008.

On the one hand, these conditions appear to be reasonable demands for a deal of this magnitude. After all, Related shouldn’t just fork over $1 billion if it doesn’t feel as though it can fill the office space. The developers appear to want tenant guarantees before closing as well, and that’s no sure thing considering the costs, location and amount of time it will take to construct the support platform over the rail yards and the buildings in the complex.

On the other hand, this deal jeopardizes the MTA’s position. Related could back out without payments or the company could opt to wait years before sending the MTA any money. Meanwhile, the work on the 7 line will continue, and it seems quite likely that the one stop at 34th St. and 11th Ave. will open years before the majority of the Hudson Yards development is even under construction. The stop at 41st and 10th Ave. then should become more of a priority because it will make this project more worthwhile in the short term.

It makes development sense to build out to areas underserved by transit that are ripe for growth. But it makes even more sense to spend dollars that aren’t unlimited on improving transit options in heavily-congested areas of the city. The wisdom of this project continues to remain tenuous at best.

April 29, 2010 2 comments

Service Cuts TWU

Inside the TWU’s thinking as Rome burns

by Benjamin Kabak April 29, 2010

written by Benjamin Kabak on April 29, 2010

TWU head John Samuelsen outside of the MTA HQ. Photo via the Daily News.

As the MTA has dealt with a budget deficit of $751 million this year, the authority has asked everyone to chip in. The agency is enacting nearly $100 million in service cuts to the city’s bus and subway network at the end of June; it plans to layoff numerous employees, some unionized and some not; it’s also searching high and low for new ways to cut administrative costs. With fare hikes seemingly off the table until 2011 and no more service cuts coming our way, the MTA’s ability to cover its deficit without a new source of revenue remains tenuous at best.

This week, the MTA unveiled plans to layoff even more workers come Independence Day. According to a report in The Times today, the authority will axe 550 employees who work on buses. Those pink slips will be handed out on June 27th when the city loses dozens of bus routes. Another 120 subway car inspectors will be fired as well.

Union officials, of course, spoke out against the cuts. John Samuelsen, head of TWU Local 100, said that his union will “not [] be blackmailed into allowing Jay Walder and MTA management to gut our contract.” Implicit in that statement is the belief that the MTA wouldn’t fire these workers if the TWU gave up the raises it has earned that will cost the MTA nearly $100 million this year.

Samuelsen instead would prefer to see the MTA shift stimulus funds to cover the operating deficit, and in an extensive interview with Streetsblog’s Ben Fried yesterday, he said as much. Walder and the MTA were given a billion dollars in federal stimulus money in 2009. Out of that billion dollars they could have used roughly $100 million to pay down the service cuts and to use for the operating budget,” he said. “So Walder, who had that money in the bank, and probably still has that money in the bank, refused to use that $100 million, and instead enacted $93 million in cuts across the board, Long Island Railroad, Metro North, and New York City Transit, and MTA bus.”

When asked by Streetsblog what he is doing in Albany with the power of the union to help the MTA, he spoke about forcing Walder to spend: “One thing we’ve done is we’re working on a bill in Albany that’s being carried by Joan Millman in the Assembly, and by Bill Perkins in the Senate, that will force the MTA to use 30 million of that available 100 million. It’s essentially the state legislature directing Jay Walder to use available funds that he has in order to stop the service cuts.”

Yet, Samuelsen is missing the forest for the trees. Will $30 million taken from the capital budget — the underfunded capital budget that supports numerous jobs throughout the state — make a difference in the MTA’s bottom line? That $30 million represents less than 5 percent of the agency’s overall deficit, the MTA would still be enacting service cuts and layoffs. Throwing a cup of water on a fire won’t stop the flames.

Meanwhile, Samuelsen is using his labor clout to push a bill that would “put a two year moratorium on any kind of service cut that the MTA proposes that could have a potential negative impact on rider safety in the subway.” Who will fund this measure, I wonder? The answer: Without more service, the MTA will have to enact higher fares.

While the TWU seems to be exploring legal options to restore the money the state stole from the MTA toward the end of 2009, the union is in no hurry to support revenue-generating proposals. When it comes to congestion pricing, Samuelsen said, “there’s a recognition by the union that we don’t want to hurt middle or working class people that have to drive their cars into Manhattan, or small business owners. But there’s also a recognition on our part that that’s an excellent funding mechanism for mass transit, and that it’s green, it’s good for the economy. And we’re down with that. So we’re still debating that amongst ourselves, what our exact position is going to be on that.”

The debate should be over. The only middle or working class people or small business owners who drive to Manhattan on a regular basis are those who can afford to pass the costs of congestion fee onto their customers. Plumbers, delivery men and other service-based drivers will simply up their costs while enjoying higher productivity due to decreased production. The overwhelming number of middle or working class New Yorkers simply do not drive into Manhattan on a daily basis, and most don’t own cars to begin with. The strawman should not defeat common sense.

In a way, it’s not surprising to see this reaction from Samuelsen. His number one priority is to defend his union members and their jobs. I’d be surprised if he weren’t trying to force through legislation that mandates the MTA to keep workers in stations, but at the same time, he has to recognize reality: The MTA is broke and staffs at levels that are far higher than necessary. We don’t need two-person teams running trains; we don’t need a person at every station entrance 24 hours a day. We don’t need antiquated work rules.

What we need is flexibility and a willingness to bend in the face of an unprecedented economic crisis. While I’ll be living with reduced service in two months, what will the union do with its political power? What will it give up?

April 29, 2010 81 comments

MTA Technology

MTA, Google to host developers’ unconference

by Benjamin Kabak April 28, 2010

written by Benjamin Kabak on April 28, 2010

Late last summer, before Jay Walder took the reins at the MTA, I wrote a long piece about how the transit authority was struggling to cope in an age of open information. The MTA, I claimed, had overstepped its legal rights in a pair of showdowns with iPhone app developers who were exploiting schedule data for the benefit of commuters, and instead of fighting with these programmers and entrepreneurs, I believed the MTA should be working with them to make more transit information available.

When Walder came in and the MTA unveiled its new website, it was clear that the agency was on the verge of an information revolution. With the new site design came mounds of publicly-available transit data that developers coud use as they see fit. “We need to get out of our own way and instead get out in front of the data sharing revolution,” Walder said at the time. “By making access to our data directly from our website, we are encouraging the developer community to do the work we can’t to create apps that benefit our customers at no cost to the MTA.”

Now, the agency is set to work with these developers to get a better sense of about the future of open transportation data. The MTA and Google will be hosting an Unconference for Developers on May 5 at Google headquarters in Chelsea. Anil Dash will host the event, and it will include a panel discussion, breakout sessions and, reportedly, the release of more transit data. Panelist speakers will include Walder, Derek Gottfrid of The New York Times, Bernhard Seefled from Google Maps and Nick Grossman from OpenPlans.

For more on the MTA’s push for open data, check out this amNew York piece, and to register for the conference, follow these directions on the MTA’s site. I’m amidst my finals this semester right now, but I’ll try to have a report from the conference late next week. This is a very positive step forward for the MTA, and I’m looking forward to the results of this unconference.

April 28, 2010 5 comments

7 Line Extension Asides

City’s tab for 7 line extension coming due

by Benjamin Kabak April 28, 2010

written by Benjamin Kabak on April 28, 2010

One of the more appealing aspects of the 7 line extension has involved the identify of those footing the bill. While the MTA clearly does not see this extension as a priority, Mayor Bloomberg pledged $2.1 billion in city money both because the Hudson Yards area is Manhattan’s last frontier and because the Mayor’s real estate buddies would benefit. Today, Adam Lisberg reports that taxpayer dollars will go toward the project starting in 2011, and the city’s to fund this extension could come under some limited scrutiny.

So far, Lisberg notes, the city’s payments for construction bonds have come in the form of revenue from developer fees and investment income, but with Related yet to sign a deal, the development dollars have tried up for now. Instead, the city will have to put between $31-$46 million toward the project next year, and as New York is facing spending cuts, few are happy with the prospects of a 7 line extension bill. Still, this was the mayor’s decision through and through, and he’ll have to live with it. Now, if only we could see that station at 10th Ave. and 41st St. built too.

April 28, 2010 18 comments

Buses

Testing bus lane cameras but not for enforcement yet

by Benjamin Kabak April 28, 2010

written by Benjamin Kabak on April 28, 2010

Other countries have recognized the importance of bus-lane cameras for proper enforcement. (Photo via Manchester Evening News)

Over the last few years, we’ve witnessed the beginnings of a bus renaissance in New York City. With the help of the NYC Department of Transportation, the MTA has begun to roll out a series of improvements designed to speed up bus traffic. The Select Bus Service, a not-quite Bus Rapid Transit plan that involves dedicated bus lanes and pre-board fare payment options, has been met with early success as the Bx12 in the Bronx has seen marked decreases in travel times.

Yet, the one enforcement technique that would truly improve bus service and make those supposedly dedicated lanes truly bus-only has been blocked at nearly every turn. Without approval from Albany, DOT and the MTA can’t implement a camera-based enforcement system, and this key piece to the bus puzzle has hit legislative roadblocks at every turn. In 2008, David Gantt, an Assembly representative from Rochester, killed a home rule-endorsed camera-enforcement measure over what he said were civil liberties concerns. This year, the Assembly has, for now, removed a watered-down camera plan from the state’s 2010 draft budget.

Still, the MTA marches on. Per WNYC, Transit is going to test a camera enforcement system along some of the Select Bus Service routes in the coming months. Page 59 of this week’s MTA Bus Committee meeting report offers up more information. The authority plans to spend $167,000 to work with a London-based vendor over the next ten months. This timeframe will allow the MTA four months for startup work and six months to engage in a pilot program.

During the 10-month rental period, the MTA and DOT are going to test a series of bus lane enforcement systems. DOT will be conducted the fixed-post test in which cameras are stationed on – you guessed it- fixed posts along the bus lanes, and Transit will be experimenting with two systems: one that mounts cameras on the backs of buses and another that utilizes roving unmarked road maintenance vehicles. The MTA will test these systems on two road maintenance vehicles and two M101 buses.

While Zenco, the London-based contractor, has expertise in the field, the MTA has to work within an additional parameter. Because New York City law allows cars to use bus lanes for “the expeditious drop-off/pick-up of passengers and to make right turns,” the camera technology has to be able to identify between those cars making a legal use of a bus lane and those that are not.

Although the MTA cannot do anything but collect data about bus-lane violators during this trial, it is a forward-thinking proposal. If the State Senate and Assembly can come to terms on a bus-lane enforcement solution this year, the authority will be well on its way toward identifying potential partners and solutions for a problem that demands a complicated solution. The grant of enforcement remains out of reach, but one day, the city will be able to exploit its needs for a better bus system. When Albany acts, the MTA and DOT might just be ready to take advantage of their new-found enforcement powers.

April 28, 2010 9 comments

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