Second Ave. Sagas

Category: Asides

  • FASTRACK set for year-long trial

    The early returns from FASTRACK, the MTA’s weeknight shutdown program, have been successful enough to warrant a year-long trial, the Daily News reported this week. Per Pete Donohue, the MTA has scheduled 12 more weeks of shutdowns beyond the four currently in the works. By year’s end, Transit will have shuttered trains through Manhattan for a total of 448 hours.

    As Transit officials justified the move, advocates gave it a lukewarm embrace. The MTA has billed it as an efficiency program, but the authority is providing less overnight service in bits and spurts. “We know it’s an inconvenience to our customers and we apologize for the inconvenience,” Senior Vice President of Subways Carmen Bianco said. “Hopefully, our customers will only have to walk a block, or two blocks at the most, to get alternate service.”

    Ultimately, the FASTRACK program has its limitations. Due to the need for nearby redundant service, Transit cannot expand it to the areas outside of the Manhattan core without seriously impacting mobility. Yet, some of the stations in the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn need more attention than those in Manhattan. For now, though, we’ll have to cope with weeknight changes through the end of November.

  • Link: Congress considering federal oversight for subways

    When it comes to the nation’s rail networks, many transit advocates insist — and generally rightly so — that federal oversight is holding us back. The FRA imposes crash-test regulations that lead to train cars that are unnecessarily heavy and operations unnecessarily slowed down. Thus, train travel cannot achieve speeds and efficiencies it otherwise should.

    It is, then, somewhat alarming that we now learn Congress is considering federal oversight for subway systems. Basically because subways are under local rule and Congress grew concerned over a spate of crashes in its own backyard involving the WMATA, the country’s federal legislative body is now toying with the idea of bringing every subway system’s safety regulations under federal control. “We have federal safety standards for planes, trains and automobiles. It’s shocking we don’t have them for the 7 million Americans who rely on metro systems every day,” Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) said to The Washington Post.

    As we sit here in New York, though, we shouldn’t embrace this idea. Already our subway cars are generally heavier than they need to be. We also don’t have the same troubled history with safety regulations as the WMATA does. If Congress is truly concerned with that bi-state (and one district) subway authority, it should exercise its oversight powers there. Otherwise, federal oversight of New York City subways will likely lead to onerous regulations and unfunded mandates that will slow down service and rob us of our efficiencies. It’s just not necessary.

  • Queens pols, QueensWay advocates square off over rail line

    As Gov. Andrew Cuomo continues to promote Genting’s plans for Ozone Park as a potential “destination complex,” politicians and park advocates are squaring off over the unused Rockaway Breach Branch of the LIRR. On the one side are neighborhood activists who want to turn the rail ROW into a park, and on the other are Queens politicians who know that increased transit options — and not just a super-express A train — are keys to any convention center/casino complex’s success.

    Recently, two Assembly representatives from Queens, Phil Goldfeder and Michael Miller, announced their support for a rehabilitation and reactivation of the Rockaway Breach Branch line. The two envision this routing as a faster way for people from Ozone Park and the Rockaways to reach Manhattan. With the convention center, Goldfeder said, “the commute for people here is only going to go from bad to worse. You can’t talk about a convention center without talking about transportation.”

    Activists for the so-called QueensWay, a rails-to-trails project that would forever sacrifice the rail option for the Rockaway Beach ROW, had a different take, and it is probably the group’s most out-there statement yet. “The building of a new rail line in this economy and the destruction it would cause into adjacent neighborhoods including Forest Park is not feasible,” Andrea Crawford of Friends of QueensWay said. Reactivating an old rail line certainly is feasible, and it would not cause destruction of any neighborhoods. Ultimately, the stumbling blocks will not be quasi-NIMBYism from QueensWay supporters but Genting’s reluctance to spend too much money and a lack of any other funding source.

  • Link: On improperly enforced photography laws

    Since the mid-2000s, when the MTA considered a misguided and borderline unconstitutional ban on photography, many people from transit workers to cops to straphangers believe snapping photos of subways, buses and authority infrastructure will land you with a one-way trip to Guantanamo. That isn’t, of course, the case, and veteran railfans and infrastructure shutterbugs know to carry a copy of the MTA’s Rules of Conduct which state as much. Still, every now and then, a story pops up that reminds us, even seven years after the proposed ban was discarded, not everyone knows the current state of the rules.

    This time around, our story comes from Times photography David Dunlap. As he relates on City Room, he was told by an MTA property protection agent that he was not permitted to take photos of a bus depot from a public sidewalk. As Dunlap notes, the agent was wrong to tell him he could not take photos from the public sidewalk and wrong to tell him he could not take photos of the MTA property.

    For its part, the MTA apologized to Dunlap and said that “the actions of the property protection agent…will be investigated.” That’s a convenient after-the-fact action though. In 2012, MTA employees and those who work to keep the system safe should know that photography is allowed, and anyone with a camera, from amateurs to professionals, shouldn’t have to fear an encounter with an authority figure who isn’t versed in the current rules.

  • Follow-up: Broadway FASTRACK under consideration for 2013

    When the MTA announced its FASTRACK program, their initial plans called for work on only the two IRT lines and the two IND lines. The BMT Broadway line was noticeably absent from the work blitz and overnight shutdown. I reached out to Transit this week to find out why the N, Q and R trains weren’t getting the same treatment and found out that the Broadway could be a part of FASTRACK in 2013 if and when the program is continued.

    These year, though, those lines will escape the treatment simply because they’re in better shape than the rest of the subway system. “The amount of work along that corridor didn’t warrant shutting that segment at this point,” Transit spokesman Kevin Ortiz said to me earlier this week. Most of the stations that would be shut down along the Broadway line have recently been renovated, and the number of stations that come to mind that need the most work — mostly just City Hall — doesn’t warrant a total shutdown.

    I didn’t have the chance to ask about the BMT Nassau St. line, but the Chambers St. and Bowery stations along the J/Z need far more work and attention than that provided by the FASTRACK shut down. Maybe one day, their times will come.

  • As food ban moves forward, TWU subway rat contest showcases rodents

    As part of their effort to draw attention to the fact that subway rats are really gross — a fact I did not realize needed attention drawn to it — the TWU has recently hosted a subway rat photography contest, and yesterday, they crowned a winner. The grossest rat in the subway dates back from 2008, and it’s really gross. If you want to see what Michael Spivack saw at the 7th Avenue station along 53rd St., click here. The entire gallery is equally disgusting.

    Spivack, who has won himself a free monthly MetroCard for spotting this grotesque rodent, said the creature was still living when he snapped the photo. “I was waiting for the D train when I saw something on the platform,” he said to The Daily News. “The thing wasn’t moving but it was alive. I got as close as I dared to get.”

    While the TWU’s contest brings visual attention to the rat infestation in the subway system, Albany is slowly attempting to do something to address the problem. The bill to ban food underground moved out of transportation committee by a 16-3 vote although nine of the ayes came with reservations. The bill now sits with the State Senate Finance Committee.

  • Dogs the latest Second Ave. Subway ‘victims’

    The Second Ave. Subway construction isn’t even for the dogs, according to irate pet owners along the Upper East Side. Although a recent study conducted by MTA contractor Parsons Brinckerhoff found no concerns with the air quality along Second Avenue, residents have continued to claim that dust and debris from the blasting is creating unsafe conditions for people. Now, canine lovers say their dogs are suffering as well.

    As DNA Info’s Serena Solomon reports, pup owners say their animals are suffering as well. Some dogs have been coughing with runny noses while others are exhibiting skin conditions and “psychological issues” relating to the ongoing subway blasting. “As soon as the sirens go off, the whole building starts barking,” dog owner Noura Insolera said. Her dog Winnie, she explains, “runs back and forth, scratches at the walls, tries to jump out the window.”

    Even if the air quality isn’t impacting these pups’ lives, their owners say the animals have either become skittish or lethargic in the face of more blasting. Color me skeptical, but it seems as though dogs are just the next pawn in the great NIMBY fight against a new subway line.

  • An early Apple bump for GCT businesses?

    When the Apple Store opened in Grand Central Terminal, the lease deal between the MTA and Apple came under fire for being of the sweetheart variety. Even though the MTA had managed to significantly boost its revenue stream from the space, the per-square-foot price was still markedly lower than what Apple had paid at other locations throughout the city. Still, the MTA noted that if Apple delivered the traffic gains as predicted, other businesses in the terminal would see a rise in sales, and for every percentage increase in sales through Grand Central, the MTA would enjoy $500,000 more in revenue.

    Today, we get the early word that the Michael Jordan Steakhouse enjoyed a seven percent boost in business since the Apple Store opened. Its owners say the bump happened not when Metrazur closed but when the Apple Store finally opened its doors. “We know their customers are coming here,” Matthew Glazier, the owner’s son, said to Crain’s New York. “I’m always looking for the little white bags.”

    Of course, Apple’s GCT opening coincided with the busy holiday season, and it remains to be seen if other businesses enjoyed a similar bump in foot traffic and purchases. From my experience, the Apple Store has been perennially crowded, and other businesses appear to be enjoying the success as well. It will be a few months before we know the extent of the economic boost Apple will lend to the Grand Central shopping mecca, but this supposed sweetheart deal may just end up as a good one for the MTA yet.

  • Forest Hills – 71st Ave. stop set for ADA accessibility upgrades

    For disabled subway riders who must head into Queens, 14 of the borough’s 81 subway stations are currently on the list of accessibile stations, but the borough’s fifth most popular stop in Forest Hills isn’t. Riders looking for an elevator must get off in either Jackson Heights or Kew Gardens. As the Queens Chronicle reported recently, though, by the end of 2013, if all goes according to schedule, Forest Hills – 71st Ave. will join that list.

    Transit officials announced the start of a $24.7 million project that will see the installation of elevators from street level at Continental Ave. to the station platforms along the IND Queens Boulevard line in Forest Hills. The project is due to wrap up by October of 2013, and renovations to this dilapidated but popular station will also include staircase work, signage upgrades, tactile warning strips along the platform edge and some communications and signal upgrades.

    Politicians praised the work. “The renovation will greatly increase train accessibility for residents of our community, while also providing more neighboring residents access to the shops in Forest Hills,” Forest Hills’ Assembly rep Andrew Hevesi said. With the MTA on track to make 100 of its 468 stations accessible by 2020, the authority will have technically fulfilled its mandate under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The agency deserves its accolades, but the system remains frustratingly inaccessible for thousands of disabled riders who must cater their routes to this list of stations.

  • Courting controversy as TWU/MTA talks begin

    When the TWU accused the MTA of “negotiating through the media,” union leaders staged a public walk-out from the negotiations and refused to sit down with their authority counterparts for two weeks. Today, as talks were due to start up again, the authority had a chance to respond to union press leaks, and respond they did.

    The New York Post reported this morning that the TWU had “won” a key concession from the MTA. Subway drivers may receive three days off following any incident, fatal or not, in which their train strikes a person. Furthermore, conductors could get time off if they observe someone fall between cars or slip between the subway and platform edge. In the past, conductors did not receive such time off, and drivers had to be behind the wheel of a fatal accident to qualify. “Protecting conductors and operators from these horrible incidents underground was one of the main goals,” The Post’s source said.

    As TWU President John Samuelsen reacted to an MTA leak, so too did the authority react to a TWU leak. “It is the MTA’s policy not to negotiate through the press,” MTA Chairman Joe Lhota responded in turn. “However, we will not allow inaccurate or leaked statements regarding negotiations to stand as fact. Today’s New York Post story is harmful to the collective bargaining process.” It is unclear if The Post report is accurate or what the TWU may give up in return for these protections, and despite the tense war of words over media reports, sources confirm to me that neither party anticipates a strike even if a deal is not yet on the horizon.