Kings County Supreme Court Judge Bruce Balter has ordered against the Transit Workers Union in their efforts to restore the automatic collection of union dues. The Union lost this right after the illegal strike in 2005, and despite the MTA’s siding on the side of the TWU, the judge would restore the collection without a promise of barring future strikes. The TWU plans to appeal. [amNew York]
Category: Asides
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The importance of modernizing the subways
Why does the MTA seemed hell-bent on getting new technologies installed these days? Because the Intelligent Transportation Systems’ 15th World Congress is set for NYC next November. At least, that’s what SUBWAYblogger thinks. [SUBWAYblogger]
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‘This is a 96th Street/2nd Ave.-bound Q train…’
Via Subchat comes the coolest subway audio file you’ll hear in a long time. It’s one of the pre-recorded messages for the new R160 Q trains that you should expect to hear in, oh, 2012 or so. Take a listen:
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Love found on the 5 train
Yesterday, I tugged on some heart strings with this tale about a 20-something on the 5 train trying to find his true. While my sister thought it was “too sappy,” I’m happy to report that this story has a happy ending. Patrick Moberg has updated his Website with the news that he found her. A friend of this girl’s found his Website and recognized the description. But, he says, there will be no more updates. So someone who’s Facebook friends with Moberg should let the world know when he updates his relationship status. Or anyone who works at BlackBook – the employer of the subway crush – and knows Camille Hayton (fun Facebook stalking here) should find out the story.
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IDK, my bff, MTA
The MTA has put out the request for proposals for a text-message alert system that would provide real-time service alerts to the subway-riding subscribers in New York City. This alert system is part of the recommendations stemming from the investigation into the August 8 flood, and the MTA is looking for outside firms to procure a plan because they’re in-house technology cannot the anticipated one million subscribers. More on this later. [MTA HQ]
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You heard it here first: Student Metrocards
Today’s Daily News notes that the MTA has not been adequately reimbursed by the city for Student Metrocard uses. If that sounds familiar, it’s because I wrote about this exact issue when the comptroller’s report came out back in August. You heard it here it first. [NY Daily News]
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Fare hikes galore
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the good folks who run the Hudson River crossings, yesterday announced that they are seeking to raise the tolls by up to 33 percent on some bridge and tunnel crossings. Lincoln and Holland Tunnel tolls could reach $9. With these toll hikes and the MTA looking to raise the fares, the New York area is in for its largest round of toll and fare hikes in its motor vehicle history. [The New York Times]
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Too many meshuggenehs on this train
Eric the Beehive Hairdresser noted that the MTA’s Rider Report Cards have a section in written Yiddish for those who still rely on this rare but ancient mix of Germanic Hebrew. Eric also asks the age old question: “Would a Metrocard fair hike have you verklempt?” Yes, it would. [Beehivehairdresser.com]
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That’s an ‘L’ of a lot more service
In response to those Rider Report Cards, today marked the first day of the expanded service on the L train. While the Internet’s most vocal critic of the L train was too busy celebrating in Denver, others in Brooklyn and Manhattan enjoyed increased service in an effort to ease overcrowding on one of the MTA’s most popular subway lines. [The Brooklyn Paper]
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The subway salary game
SUBWAYblogger takes a look at the salaries of various MTA employees today. His conclusion: The MTA pays those TWU members a lot more than the NYPD pays its rookie cops. But wouldn’t you rather have a cleaner subway than a safer one? Yeah, me neither. [SUBWAYblogger]