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Asides

Transit: Targeted weeknight shutdowns ‘not a replacement for weekend work’

by Benjamin Kabak December 15, 2011

written by Benjamin Kabak on December 15, 2011

Transit is ready to unveil its Fastrack construction schedule. Starting Jan. 9 and continuing through the 13th, the MTA will shutter the Lexington Ave. line from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. each night between Grand Central and Atlantic Ave. in order to blitz the line with needed repairs. The new plan, announced last month, is designed to save the MTA money while also speeding up improvements that can often drag on for months as crews navigate live third rails and avoid trains in service.

According to numbers released today by Transit, the systemwide weeknight ridership is only approximately 250,000, and the shutdowns — one per Manhattan trunk line per quarter — will affect between 10-15 percent of riders. Those riders are expected to see a 20-minute jump in late-night commute times, and the MTA expects to realize productivity savings of $10-$15 million annually. Transit says, that in order to minimize disruptions to travel patterns, it has targeted lines where “there are substantial subway alternatives have been selected for the overnight shutdowns.”

Meanwhile, the agency stressed again that these weeknight shutdowns are “not a replacement for weekend work.” While workers can target critical maintenance and upgrades during the week, the capital work will continue to lead to massive weekend service changes. The next Fastrack shutdown will occur along the Seventh Ave. line between Penn Station and Atlantic Ave. from February 13-17.

December 15, 2011 21 comments

Asides WMATA

Link: DC without Metro a capital parking lot

by Benjamin Kabak December 14, 2011

written by Benjamin Kabak on December 14, 2011

In 1976, the first stations along the WMATA’s Red Line opened, and with it, came a new era of development and mobility for the Nation’s Capital. Today, Metro is expanding outward toward Dulles Airport, and talk of a purple line that would ring around the district, connecting Silver Spring, Bethesda and beyond, bubbles up now and again. But what would happen to the area of there was no mass transit network?

As it argues for better funding, that’s the question one WMATA transportation analyst has tried to answer. As Emily Badger at The Atlantic Cities blog writes, a Capital without its subway system is a strange place indeed. Instead of a centralized downtown area, the region would be choked with traffic, thus leading to more localized economic development. “We looked at that and realized we were watching the economy splinter,” Justin Anthos, the author of the study said. “All of a sudden, we weren’t watching a regional economy function where workers could find jobs in the whole region.”

As 200,000 per day take the Metro into D.C., Antos’ research found that to maintain such commuting levels would require 15 new lanes of freeways and 166 blocks of five-story parking garages. The absurdity of it all, he says, is the point of the investigation. “Part of the study was to put in context the choices that our region faces in the future, which are that we can either continue to protect and expand our transit investment, or we can basically just keep it static, or even let it degrade,” he said. “You can’t just say ‘we chose not to expand.’ There’s some other alternative that you would be forced to live in. And we have to take a gander at what that alternative would be, so we can make informed decisions.” It is a lesson our fair city and its politicians should take to heart as well.

December 14, 2011 9 comments

Asides Buses

Utica, Webster Avenues to get Select Bus Service, eventually

by Benjamin Kabak December 13, 2011

written by Benjamin Kabak on December 13, 2011

In an otherwise mundane article on the state of bus speeds in the Bronx — spoiler alert: they’re slow — the Daily News let slip an interesting tidbit about upcoming plans for Select Bus Service. With an increase in the number of representatives from the Bronx now on the MTA board, the authority is under pressure to respond to subpar transit conditions in that borough, and as Daniel Beekman reported, the MTA and NYC DOT are exploring Select Bus Service for Webster Avenue’s Bx41.

Streetsblog started poking around DOT’s Select Bus Service website and found out that Utica Ave. in Brooklyn will get bus upgrades too. It was a big day for bus news. Yet, like every obviously smart bus route, DOT and the MTA will take the better part of half a decade to roll out some incremental service improvements. As Noah Kazis reported, these two routes have been under consideration since 2009, but the two agencies must still formulate plans and host public forums on the changes to traffic patterns and, of course, parking.

Ultimately, these two avenues need Select Bus Service, and one of them — Utica Ave. — could use a long-planned subway extension. Yet, we’re still going to see a tediously long process for these improvements. One day, the MTA will simply implement pre-boarding fare payment for its buses without a lengthy consultation with every single stakeholder at every single bus stop, and the buses will speed up. For now, we’ll just wait and wait and wait for another couple of Select Bus Service routes that might be ready before our next mayoral election heats up.

December 13, 2011 7 comments

Asides MTA Absurdity Queens

In Jackson Heights, a problem with pigeon droppings

by Benjamin Kabak December 9, 2011

written by Benjamin Kabak on December 9, 2011

Back in 2007, the early days of Second Ave. Sagas, I had the chance to write two stories about pigeons. In one, Transit had just lost a $6 million lawsuit filed by a plaintiff who had injured himself by slipping in pigeon droppings. In another, the authority had instituted a new plan along the Flushing line to make the elevated structure less hospitable to pigeons. Now, these flying creatures back in the news with vengeance.

According to one Queens representative, the MTA has been negligent in its attention toward pigeons. At the 74th St. station along Roosevelt Avenue, Transit has created a public health problem by allowing pigeon poop to build up. “The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has neglected its legal responsibility to clean the pigeon poop,” Councilman Daniel Dromm said. “We have complained about it and they still haven’t come out to clean it. They promised they would [on] Monday, November 28, but they didn’t. This is a serious case of neglect and abuse of the Jackson Heights community. They have been a bad neighbor. One has to wonder why they continue to ignore Jackson Heights when it is one of the busiest stations in the whole transit system.”

For its part, MTA officials say the station is cleaned every other week, but pigeons are incorrigible. “We do clean it, but the pigeons come right back,” a spokesman told The Queens Courrier. This is one of the difficult situations that we don’t have a solution to. From what I’ve heard it is pretty awful. It is disgusting, but we do have a pigeon problem throughout the city and we try different things in different place. We will just have to keep trying until we find a solution.” Sounds lovely.

December 9, 2011 6 comments

Asides Taxis

Cuomo set to veto Bloomberg’s five-borough taxi plan

by Benjamin Kabak December 9, 2011

written by Benjamin Kabak on December 9, 2011

Just in case robbing the MTA wasn’t enough, Gov. Andrew “I am the government” Cuomo this week essentially torpedoed the city’s plan to expand cab service outside of Manhattan. Despite gaining approval in the State Senate and Assembly, the Mayor Bloomberg-backed plan to allow street hails of livery cabs north of 96th St. and outside of Manhattan has languished on Cuomo’s desk as medallion owners have spuriously claimed the measure would threatened their investments. Claiming that numerous issue are in the way, Cuomo threatened to veto the measure this week.

The backroom details are a bit hazy. The bill is to be presented today to Cuomo for the first time despite a summer approval in Albany, and a compromise plan to sell 2000 medallions that would generate $1 billion for the city has fallent apart. No news outlet, however, has explained the deal fell apart, and sources in Albany have been awfully quiet on the matter. Instead, the original bill be passed to Cuomo for action, and the governor is likely to say no.

If Cuomo does torpedo this effort, Bloomberg said he will try again next year, and supporters are on board with that plan. As Juan Gonzalez of The Daily News wrote this week, Cuomo’s inaction is inexplicable as this is essentially an issue that concerns securing better transportation options for underserved and less wealthy neighborhoods than those that are south of 96th St. in Manhattan. This time, Cuomo will cost the city $1 billion in revenue and more comprehensive cab service.

December 9, 2011 25 comments

Asides View from Underground

To sleep, perchance to miss your stop

by Benjamin Kabak December 8, 2011

written by Benjamin Kabak on December 8, 2011

At one point or another, most straphangers end up dozing off in the subway. Perhaps it’s a beer-induced haze of sleep; perhaps it’s just shut-eye on the way home with a trusted companion or significant other to watch over your stuff; perhaps it’s a wave of sleep that you just can’t escape. Any way you slice, you wake up feeling a little groggy but perhaps a little more ready to tackle the next few hours of the day.

That sleep, however, is not a particularly restful one, The New York Times has discovered. Doctors who study sleep say that dozing on the subway is more akin to nodding off than to the sleep we need over it. In fact, during their 20-minute commutes, straphangers never fall into a particularly deep sleep, and even still, light and noise interrupt that rest. “I suspect all you get is Stage 1 sleep; it’s not going to be restorative,” Carl Brazil, a sleep specialist, said. “It’s kind of wasted sleep.”

It’s not, of course, wasted sleep for pickpockets who target the drunk, and in fact, it can be costly sleep when you awake three neighborhoods and eight subway stops away from your intended destination. But with the lull of the train and the peace after a long day, sometimes that sleep, like MTA service delays, is just unavoidable.

December 8, 2011 7 comments

Asides MTA

A glimpse inside the GCT Apple Store

by Benjamin Kabak December 7, 2011

written by Benjamin Kabak on December 7, 2011

I took a walk through Grand Central this afternoon as word got around that the wrapping around the new Apple Store had come down. From the floor of the building’s main hall, the Apple Store looks tastefully integrated into Grand Central. There is no ostentatious glass cube, a winding staircase or any garish signage. A bright, glowing Apple logo is visible from all throughout the terminal, but the computers, iPads and iPods aren’t visible from below.

Meanwhile, members of the ol’ print media got a tour of the Apple Store courtesy of the Cupertino-based company. (Thanks for inviting me, Apple. Harumph.) Andrew Grossman of The Wall Street Journal calls the store “understated.” The main entrance simply features tables with computers, and Apple’s typical markings are reserved for the parts of the mezzanine not visible from the concourse. amNew York has some photos of the store. It all opes on Friday.

December 7, 2011 5 comments

Asides Self Promotion

Tonight, we celebrate!

by Benjamin Kabak December 1, 2011

written by Benjamin Kabak on December 1, 2011

A final reminder! Second Ave. Sagas’ 5th Anniversary Soiree is tonight at 7 p.m. in the Vice Room at the 13th Step. For five years, I’ve charted the goings-on in the New York City transit scene, and tonight, I’ll toast my readers and another five years. Stop by for a drink, stop by for a few hours. All are welcome. Details and an RSVP form are right here. See you tonight.

We’ll have a cash bar at the party, but thanks to Roadify, the popular transit app, we’ll have some finger food as well. Roadify combines NYC’s best transit data with updates from real commuters, giving you the most up-to-date transit conditions for subways, buses and traffic in real-time. Roadify’s free iPhone app won Grand Prize at the city-sponsored NYC BigApps2.0 earlier this year and can be downloaded here. Roadify v2.0 is due in December and is set to change commuting for good.

December 1, 2011 7 comments

Asides Staten Island

Staten Island: We want a subway to, well, somewhere

by Benjamin Kabak November 30, 2011

written by Benjamin Kabak on November 30, 2011

Here’s a fun if highly unscientific bit from Staten Island: According to Michael Sedon of SILive.com, over 70 percent of polled Staten Island residents want a subway connection from Staten Island to either Brooklyn or Manhattan. In an unscientific poll of 52 Staten Island Ferry riders and another 52 residents from North Shore, Mid-Island and South Shore, 73 of them said the city should connect the subway to Staten Island. “Bloomberg was talking about extending the 7 train into New Jersey,” Audie Parker said. “Now he’s worried about Jersey commuters. What about the Staten Island commuters?”

As Sedon noted, this survey was hardly a scientifically rigorous random sampling of opinions, but it seems clear that Staten Islanders want better rapid transit connections to the rest of New York City. Of course, despite this superficial agreement, not everyone was keen on sending the subway only to Brooklyn as plans developed decades ago once promised. “I don’t see the benefit,” Frieda Riven of New Springville said of a Brooklyn subway connection. “I live in Heartland Village. How long will it take me to get to it, and then what do I do? I get to Brooklyn; then what, another 45 minutes to get to Manhattan. I think there has to be a better solution.”

Of course, there is but one simple problem: Costs. In the reality of today, a cross-New York bay subway to Manhattan or even a connection to the BMT 4th Ave. line in Brooklyn would cost billions of dollars the MTA simply does not have. I too wonder if the residents would be so keen for a subway if they knew how it would be funded. Maybe one day, forces will align to bring the subway from Staten Island to the rest of New York City, but for now, it will remain a pipe dream as it has been since it was first promised to the Island back in the late 1890s.

November 30, 2011 68 comments

Asides Self Promotion

Reminder: 2nd Ave. Sagas 5th Anniversary Soiree on Thursday

by Benjamin Kabak November 29, 2011

written by Benjamin Kabak on November 29, 2011

On November 21, 2006, I wrote a brief introduction to Second Ave. Sagas, and while I didn’t really start with daily post until Fulton St. attracted my attention a week later, thus was born this website. Five years later, it’s time to celebrate, and this Thursday, I’m hosting a party. The Second Ave. Sagas 5th Anniversary Soiree is set for 7 p.m. on December 1 in the Vice Room at the 13th Step. Details and an RSVP form are right here.

Anyway, I hope to see you all on Thursday. This site wouldn’t be nearly as fun or successful without my readers, and having the opportunity to meet everyone in person would be a joy. See you on Thursday.

November 29, 2011 3 comments

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