Asides

Hot on the heels of this morning’s panel about social media and transit information amidst Sandy, I’m thrilled to announce my next Problem Solvers Q-and-A session in conjunction with the Transit Museum. Scheduled for next Wednesday, December 5 at 6:30 p.m., next month’s event will tackle storm preparedness efforts from an infrastructure perspective. Joining me will be two MTA officials, and we will be discussing the transit system’s preparation for and response to the storm and how the city needs to prepare for future natural disasters.

My guests at next Wednesday’s event are James Ferrara, the president of MTA Bridges & Tunnels, and Thomas Abdallah, Transit’s Chief Environmental Engineer. Ferrara has been with the MTA since 1977 and will discuss how his division dealt with the storm. The MTA tunnels suffered tremendous flooding and will require future mitigation work. Abdallah is a voice for sustainability within Transit, and he led the effort in the late 1990s to put forward the MTA’s Environmental Management System plan. Abdallah will address the short- and long-term challenges and goals facing the MTA.

The Fine Print: Problem Solvers takes place on Wednesday, December 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Transit Museum in Downtown Brooklyn. It is located in the old Court St. station with an entrance at the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn St. The event is free with doors at 6 for those who want to check out the museum and its awesome collection of vintage rolling stock. You can RSVP here. Hope to see you there.

How transit riders and the general public receive up-to-the-minute and accurate details concerning transit services during emergencies periods has taken center stage in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, and tomorrow, I’ll be joining a panel at NYU’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management tomorrow morning to discuss the role social media plays in disseminating that information. The event is a breakfast in the Puck Building at 295 Lafayette St., and I’ll be joining folks from the MTA, NYC Department of Transportation and The New York Times — perhaps slightly awkwardly — as we discuss how social media both helps and hinders the spread of information.

Here’s the summary from the Rudin Center’s website: “From the front lines of Hurricane Sandy, New York’s transportation providers delivered information, images and video nonstop. Both official and informal information services emerged on social media networks to convey clearly the extent of infrastructure damage, and how New Yorkers could expect to get around.” We start at 8:30 and should wrap by 10 a.m. Check it out.

A few upcoming events: Let’s start with the open bar fundraising. A few months ago, I joined the board of a nascent organization called the Riders Alliance, and this upcoming Monday is our official launch party. Run by John Raskin, a veteran community organization and former Chief of Staff for Daniel Squadron, the Riders Alliance is a membership organization of subway and bus riders in New York, dedicated to winning better transit by organizing transit riders into a powerful political constituency. I think it fills the gaps where other transit advocacy shops leave off.

So on Monday, we’re officially launching the event. Pete Donohue wrote a column about the organization earlier this week, and now we’re ready to go live. I’m one of the hosts of the launch party, and I’d like to extend an invite to my readership. This org lines up with many of the criticisms I’ve leveled at the lack of political organizing around transit issues. If you’re interested in the details, mosey on over to this page, and consider a $50 ticket for the open bar. If you do sign up, tell ’em Benjamin Kabak sent you. I’m one of the hosts.

Meanwhile, on November 27, I’ll be a part of a panel at NYU’s Rudin Center on social media and transit information. Here’s the summary, “From the front lines of Hurricane Sandy, New York’s transportation providers delivered information, images and video nonstop. Both official and informal information services emerged on social media networks to convey clearly the extent of infrastructure damage, and how New Yorkers could expect to get around.”

Joining me on the panel will be Aaron Donovan and JP Chan from the MTA, Robin Lester Kenton from NYC DOT and Tyson Evans from The Times. It’s an 8:30 a.m. breakfast event at the Puck Building at 295 Lafayette Street. Check out the new-ish Broadway-Lafayette/Bleecker St. transfer while you’re there, and RSVP here.