New York City Transit

‘We yet again apologize for the unavoidable delay’

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on February 22, 2008

Most New York City subway riders would agree: Nary a week goes by without some subway delays. Whether it’s a few more minutes than usual at rush hour or a full-blown police investigation/sick passenger issue, delays are seemingly running rampant recently.

Well, as The Sun reported yesterday, if it seems like delays are up, that’s because they are. In numbers to be released next week, the MTA will announce that delays have reached an 11-year high and have more than doubled since 2003.

For those interested in the raw data, take a look at the number of delays by year since 1996, courtesy of the MTA:

2007: 162,774
2006: 125,364
2005: 90,914
2004: 78,398
2003: 69,890
2002: 88,522
2001: 99,768
2000: 102,855
1999: 126,829
1998: 141,541
1997: 158,578
1996: 175,955

The MTA pinpoints construction issues as the leading cause of these delays. That is, of course, the cost of having to maintain and upgrade a system 100 years old in some parts. “We are doing an incredible amount of capital construction work and those projects do have an impact on normal operations if they are not completed on time,” Paul Fleuranges, vice president for corporate communications, said to The Sun. “While it is our goal to have this work wrapped up in time for normal service to resume, sometimes that is not possible.”

Additionally, sick customers, unruly riders and obnoxious door-holders contribute to these unplanned delays as well. When the automated voices on the new trains tell you get out of the way, just listen to them already.

Transit advocates were a bit dismayed at the sudden jump in delays over the last few years. “By their own numbers, they’re providing service that’s deteriorating,” Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign said to The Sun. “You have to manage by the numbers. These are showing a problem.”

I offer up a different take though. While the rise in delays coincide with the unprecedented boom in subway ridership numbers, they also line up nicely with an increased focus on the capital campaign. The MTA kicked off its 100-year anniversary in 2004 with a pledge to maintain the system into its second hundred years. Since then, delays have spiked.

Of course, at some point, we should expect to see the delays go down, but many of these capital projects aren’t close to completion. One day soon, we hope, the construction will be completed. For now, we just have to hope that the delays decrease. A 21st Century New York with 1970s subway delays would be quite the experience.

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Second Avenue Subway

Planning for a Second Ave. subway, 75 years ago

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on February 21, 2008

sasmodernmechanicsoct1931.jpg

So that whole Second Ave. subway thing, it’s been around for a while.

Sitting on the top of this post, courtesy of the Modern Mechanix blog, is an image taken from a magazine that hit the streets in October of 1931 when Franklin D. Roosevelt was New York’s governor and Jimmy Walker was our fair city’s mayor.

The rendering of Second Ave. of the Future is part of a larger article — available here — about the streets of the future. The streets of New York’s future in 1931 were havens for cars with pedestrians earning their own separated walkways shielded from eight-lane highways.

But the roads are just the beginning. It’s what is underneath them that holds tantalizing glimpses of optimism 75 long years ago. City planners were working on the Second Ave. subway as early as 1920. The El was due for replacement, and the Public Service Commission had drawn up a plan that included a Second Ave. subway. Nearly ten years later, in 1929, the Board of Transportation announced plans for the subway. The Board planned to award contracts from 1930 through 1935 with a target completion date of 1941 and sections opening up before the.

Talk about optimism. In October, the nation’s economy came crashing down, and with it, the City’s best hope for a Second Ave. subway. New estimates predicted a 1948 opening date, but money was scarce. As we all know, the city is still waiting for a subway line that many think will never come.

It was in the midst of this planning that the Modern Mechanics and Inventions magazine published this feature, and what a grand vision it is. While our Second Ave. subway line will feature two tracks and no express service, this hypothetical Second Ave. subway from an age of optimism features four tracks and two suburban commuter rail lines. The two outer tracks right below street level would serve local stations while the outer two tracks of the bottom four would operate as express trains along the avenue.

Through it all, if you look closely enough, the train cars in 1931 still look pretty familiar today in 2008.

Meanwhile, as the Second Ave. subway slogs its way to completion, imagine a city that had built this subway line decades ago as these anonymous magazine authors assumed. Imagine a city with that extra line and maybe one or two others in the outer boroughs.

We’ll never get to know that New York City with six train tunnels running under Second Ave. Hopefully, we’ll get to know something of a Second Ave. subway, but as these long-forgotten New Yorkers who dreamed of that future 77 years ago could tell us, don’t count your chickens before they hatch. We need that subway; we want that subway; and we’ve been saying that since the Hoover Administration.

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BronxFare Hikes

Bronx to enjoy $13.7 million worth of service upgrades

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on February 20, 2008

The fare hike countdown is reaching in end. In two weeks, subway fares will go up, and riders will begin to grumble: What do we get for shelling out more of our hard-earned bucks?

Well, in December, the MTA unveiled the plan service upgrades, but the agency couldn’t affix a time table to them. They had to make sure their finances were in order first. Last week, the MTA revealed that they do indeed have the funds, but they still have yet to announce dates for the service upgrades.

Today, the MTA unveiled a timetable of sorts for some of the service upgrades. Discussing the planned $13.7 million worth of service additions in the Bronx, the MTA said that they’ll be able to approve new services within the next two months. For Bronx residents who stand to benefit from new bus routes and enhanced interborough services, these changes can’t some soon enough.

Dorian Block has more on the upgrades:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has unveiled a $13.7 million set of enhancements to the Bronx’s subway and bus lines, increasing current service and creating new routes to transport the growing borough. Much of the money will be spent extending hours on several bus and subway lines, but the priciest single project is a $3.2 million new limited-stop bus — the Bx50 — that will run between Fordham Plaza and LaGuardia Airport…

Most of the improvements are scheduled to begin in June, with the LaGuardia bus and few others scheduled for September. “Right now we are waiting to see how the first-quarter revenues shape up, and if they come in as expected, we should be able to do the entire program,” said MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan…

Other big improvements in the program include 24-hour service on the Bx1, Bx3, Bx5 and the Bx13 routes, and an extension of the Bx36 route to Home Depot on Zerega Ave., a change that was requested by elected officials, community boards and Home Depot, on behalf of its employees. The extension will also serve the Castle Hill Houses and several other employers on Zerega.

For Bronx residents, these service upgrades represent real progress. For many LaGuardia workers, their commute has long involved a subway ride to Manhattan and a trip across 125th St. on the glacially slow M60 bus. The new Bx50 will make life easier for a lot of airport employees, and anytime a two-seat ride turns to a one-seat trip, transit passengers come out ahead.

Meanwhile, transit advocates are praising the MTA for delivering on their service upgrade promises. “The agency usually has to be dragged kicking and screaming, and I have to say this is a little more proactive,” Gene Russianoff, lawyer at the Straphangers Campaign said to the Daily News. “My instinct is that the enhancements are creative and would be popular, particularly the increases in service. They are thinking out of the box.”

Of course, this first round of service upgrades — the ones due in June — are just the tip of the iceberg. While the Bronx stands to benefit from these new bus routes, the real test will come in September when the MTA starts rolling out increased subway service. For now, we should applaud this advances and wait with bated breath for the city-wide changes to start rolling down the tracks.

The old Transit Authority logo courtesy of flickr user AllWaysNY.

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AsidesBuses

MTA buses tearing up the streets, literally

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on February 19, 2008

Last week’s rather pathetic snow storm was a bit of a challenge for the MTA. At first, buses couldn’t handle the wet roads, and after the rain came, the buses were over-equipped for city streets. Chris, the East Village Idiot, noticed a few buses still equipped with snow chains nearly a day after the snow had stopped falling. If the streets are torn up along your favorite bus route, now you’ll know why. [East Village Idiot]

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AsidesSelf Promotion

Sounding off on Amtrak’s new security policies

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on February 19, 2008

Later today, Amtrak will unveil new measures in an effort to beef up security on a porous rail network. While sitting in Boston’s South Station last night, I was approached by a WBZ-TV reporter and was interviewed for the story. You can see the video here. I’m on twice, and while I think I talked too fast the second time, it’s pretty neat to be on TV. [WBZ TV]

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Subway Security

Daily News: Subway searches falling along race lines

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on February 19, 2008

New York City’s tenuous race relations are back in the news in a big way. In a three-piece special investigative feature, the Daily News on Sunday unveiled the alarming fact that the city’s black and Latino subway riders are far more likely to be stopped by the police than whites and Asians in the subways.

Tina Moore, Benjamin Lesser and Greg B. Smith have the story:

The NYPD is far more likely to stop and question black and Latino subway riders than white commuters – particularly in Manhattan, a Daily News investigation has found.

Blacks and Hispanics make up 49% of subway riders, yet account for nearly 90% of the citizens stopped and questioned in the subways in the last two years. Whites make up 35.5% of subway ridership, yet they account for a mere 7.9% of the subway riders stopped in the last two years, records show.

This racial disparity occurs across the city, particularly in NYPD Transit Districts that serve mostly white neighborhoods of Manhattan, including Wall Street, SoHo, Tribeca, the West Village, the upper West and East Sides, and midtown. Unlike in the rest of the city, the NYPD’s practice of stopping subway riders grew dramatically through last year – even as the crime rate has plummeted.

As the Daily News notes, this data is alarming because the high frisk rates don’t correspond to a related drop in crime. In 2004, there were just 7.6 stop-and-frisks per day to go along with the 9 subway crimes per day. In 2005, frisks spiked to 32.3 while crimes went down to 8.5 per day. In 2006 and 2007, frisks were at 74.3 and 74.2, respectively, while crimes dipped from 7 per day to 6.

“The million dollar question is, if the city is safe with half this enforcement, why are we doing more enforcement?” Eugene O’Donnell, an ex-cop who teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said. “If the subways are safe with “X” level of enforcement, then why go with enforcement that goes beyond that?”

The NYPD meanwhile defending their practice. “Subway crime is down, in part, because of stops. Officers make stops based on reasonable suspicion, and the numbers reflect the times, places and circumstances where those observations take place,” Paul Browne, department spokesperson, said.

More alarming, however, are the way cops are seemingly flaunting the rules. In two companion pieces, Tina Moore explores how the cops often tell those they stop that the police are free to stop anyone any time and how cops usually don’t tell people why they are stopped. The corresponding map shows who gets stopped where. As expected, areas New Yorkers generally consider to be more “white” see higher proportions of non-white stopped.

Right now, response to this story has been muted. The New York Civil Liberties Union noted that this data simply confirms what many of us already knew about race relations and police stops in the subway. Cops are still targeting minorities at a disproportionate rate whether the need to do so exists or not. How the city’s various leaders respond to this over the next few days will be telling.

Graphic from the New York Daily News.

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Asides

Presidents Day service

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on February 18, 2008

No new content today on Second Ave. Sagas. I’m out of town for the Presidents Day weekend, but I’ll be back with regular posting on Tuesday. Trains in the city are operating on a normal Sunday schedule without the track work service changes. The commuter rail lines are using special Saturday schedules. So check your trip before you travel, and if you’re not at work, enjoy the day off.

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Service Advisories

While other weekend service changes, 7 line to enjoy express service again

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on February 15, 2008

The MTA finished up some construction early, and Queens residents will enjoy the benefits.

Starting on Tuesday, before the rush hour, the MTA will restore express service to the 7 line. Originally, express service was to be down from the middle of January through March 3, but gentler winter weather allowed work crews to finish signal and switch work ahead of time. Good news for all the John Rocker fans out there.

In other news, trains will operate on a Sunday schedule on Monday but without the myriad of service changes detailed below. Note the changes on the A, C, F and G lines. It’s all related, and it’s all one giant mess.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 16 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 18, downtown 12 trains skip 86th and 79th Sts. due to station rehabilitation at 96th St. station.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 16 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 18, 4 trains run in two sections due to a track chip out at 149th St.-Grand Concourse:

  • Between Woodlawn and 125th St. and
  • Between 125th St. and New Lots Ave.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 16 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 18, there are no 5 trains between East 180th St. and Bowling Green stations due to track panel installation north of Jackson Ave. Customers may transfer between the 2 and 4 at 149th St.-Grand Concourse.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 16 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, February 19, there is no C train service. Customers should take the A in Manhattan and the F in Brooklyn. A trains run local between 168th St. and Canal St. stations. F trains replace the C between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. and Euclid Ave. This is due to Bergen St. signal work.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 16 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, February 19, downtown A trains skip 50th, 23rd, and Spring Sts. due to signal work between West 4th St. and World Trade Center stations.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 16 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, February 19, there are no E trains between West 4th St. and World Trade Center due to signal work between West 4th St. and World Trade Center stations. Customers should take the A instead.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 16 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 18, Manhattan-bound F trains run on the V track from Roosevelt Ave. to 47th-50th Sts. due to communications equipment installation between 36th St. and 47th-50th Sts.-Rockefeller Center stations.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 16 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, February 19, F trains run between Hoyt-Schermerhorn and 179th Sts. F trains replace the C between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. and Euclid Ave. G trains replace F trains between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. and Stillwell Ave. This is due to Bergen St. signal work.


From 8:30 p.m. Friday, February 16 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, February 19 (and weekends until further notice), there are no G trains between Forest Hills-71st Ave. and Court Sq. due to Bergen St. signal work. Customers should take the E or R instead.


From 4 a.m. Saturday, February 16 to 10 p.m. Sunday, February 17, there are no M trains running. The J replaces the M except where free shuttle buses replace J trains between Cypress Hills and Myrtle Ave. This is due to track switch renewal at Broadway Junction.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 16 to 5 a.m. Tuesday. February 19, Manhattan-bound N and R trains are rerouted over the Manhattan Bridge from DeKalb Ave. to Canal St. due to tunnel rehabilitation between Prince and Whitehall St. stations.


From 11 p.m. Friday, February 15 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 18, the last stop for some Brooklyn-bound Q trains is Brighton Beach due to deck work near the tower at Stillwell Ave.


The Cortlandt St. Station is closed until further notice while the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey continues to build on the WTC site.

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MTA TechnologySubway Security

City Council questions MTA’s security plans

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on February 15, 2008

On and off over the last few weeks, I’ve questioned the delays in implementation the MTA has faced as the agency has tried to implement its long-overdue security plan. While Homeland Security has funneled more money toward the MTA, the reality is that the MTA’s $1.1 billion plan to secure the subways is short funds and past its deadline.

I’m not the only one noting these problems. Yesterday, the City Council dragged MTA officials in for a hearing on the state of the anti-terror initiatives. The MTA faced questions about its flawed video system, the one the comptroller said could not be installed, and officials tried to stress the need for more money. NY1’s Bobby Cuza has more:

The one thing everyone agrees on is the lack of assistance from the federal government. To date, the MTA has received only about $180 million in federal security grants, just a fraction of its overall needs.

“This does not begin to meet the funding needs for these types of programs over such a large transportation network,” said [Ronnie] Hakim, [acting president of MTA Capital Construction].

In fact, of about $500 million worth of security projects now being planned, only about $140 million is funded. Where the rest will come from, the MTA says remains to be seen.

This is, of course, an old concern and one that should not be forgotten. Our subway system is a rather porous and vital part of New York City. It ferries millions of New Yorkers to and from their jobs and school each day. A London-style attack on the transit network would be devastating to the city in ways both emotionally and economically.

Somehow, someway, the MTA must get the money it needs to put its security program into place. And on the flip side, the MTA must figure out a way to make these technological integrations a top priority so they don’t end up with security systems that cost hundreds of millions of dollars and don’t work.

Until then, we’ll just have to hope that terrorists don’t target the city’s subways. We can’t afford inaction until it’s too late.

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