Fare Hikes

Everybody to MTA: Hold off on that fare hike

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 18, 2007

This fare hike sure is growing into one contentious issue, and everyday, it seems, more and more news hits the airwaves. Today, the news is big: A group of New York politicians and interest groups issued a joint statement urging the MTA to hold off on the fare hike until April 15 at the earliest.

Why such a precise date, you may wonder? Well, New York’s big wigs believe they can secure additional state and federal funding such that the need for such a drastic fare hike would diminish. For its part, the MTA issued a statement warning once again of its potentially dire financial situation and hinted around that, if this fare hike is delayed, the next one could be worse. More on that in a minute, but first, the story on the politicians.

Basically, the 22 politicians are highlighting a state government more willing to support the MTA. For 12 years under Gov. George Pataki, funds that should have gone to the MTA were routinely siphoned off to upstate road projects. Now, the politicians are ready to bring some money back to the city. “Fare increases are a last resort,” Richard Brodsky, an assembly member from Westchester, said. “After 12 years of neglect under the Pataki administration, we want to work with the M.T.A., the city and state governments to change the failed policies of the past.”

Brodsky also noted that, in the past, the MTA had approached what had been a hostile environment in Albany and had been rebuffed. This time, when they wouldn’t be rebuffed, the Authority hadn’t even bothered to ask. It can’t hurt to ask, and it hurts riders the most if the MTA doesn’t do its duty and go hat in hand to Albany.

Any mention of the 12 years of neglect and state funding is sure to draw New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson’s attention. In August, he issued a comprehensive report detailing how state funds could help the MTA avoid a fare hike overall. Yesterday, he was one of the louder voices calling for a postponed fare hike.

“The wisest approach is to give our state legislators time to enact legislation that will finally give New York City Transit its fair share of funding, so that any fare increase down the road does not disproportionately affect our area,” Thompson said (and released in this statement). “Before the MTA plans for higher fares and tolls and the next phase of its capital program, the State and the City must provide additional funding to New York City Transit that it is rightly owed.”

Joining these leading politicians in sending a letter expressing these sentiments to the MTA were, according to Cityroom, the Disabled Riders Coalition, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, the Straphangers Campaign of the New York Public Interest Research Group, Transportation Alternatives, Tri-State Transportation Campaign and Vision Long Island.

The MTA, of course, isn’t ready to give in, and they are issuing dire warnings about a future without this fare hike. Cityroom notes that Jeremy Soffin, MTA spokesman, issued the following statement yesterday:

The four-year financial plan that we proposed in July is designed to fill $6 billion in projected deficits while increasing service to meet rapidly growing demand. To fill these gaps, the plan relies on more than $2 billion in new state aid, including almost $400 million next year, and a cost-of-living increase in fares and tolls. Failure to receive either the anticipated state aid or the fare increase will require a more drastic increase and unacceptable service cuts starting in 2009.

Funny how the MTA expects to receive state aid without even asking. Now, I know the futures of the property taxes that the MTA benefits from are a little shady at best, but I just don’t believe that an agency turning in a surplus right now could really end up in as desperate a situation as the MTA forecasts for itself. I could very well be wrong. But for our sakes as riders, I hope the MTA does its utmost to take up Brodsky and the rest of the New York politicos on their offer, and I hope that the politicians make good on their promises.

This could easily be the start of a win-wins situation for the MTA, the riders and the politicians looking to curry favor with their constituents. Let’s hope it stays that way.

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View from Underground

Misaligned street compasses make Midtown safe for the directionally-challenged

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 17, 2007

Over the last few months, the Department of Transportation has engaged in a series of initiatives to make New York City’s streets more pedestrian- and biker-friendly. They’ve put in a nifty bike lane on Ninth Ave. and are currently spearheading a much-needed renovation of the Grand Army Plaza disaster. But I have to wonder if their latest initiative — directional compasses on the sidewalks at the top of four subway station exits — might just be overkill.

Here’s the story: Last year, a 71-year-old New York native who has somehow never been able to figure out his way around the easy grid of Manhattan suggested in this piece in The Times that every subway staircase be equipped with a directional compass. These compasses ideally would point the way to the nearest avenues and give emerging straphangers an idea of north-south-east-west (or at least as the cardinal directions apply to Manhattan). So DOT decided to give it a go. No longer would New Yorkers be bombarded by lost folks wanting to know which way Eighth Avenue is.

James Barron of The Times has more in this story:

Now the city is experimenting with a new way to help people go where they want to go without wasting more steps than they have to. The city and the private business improvement district for the neighborhood around Grand Central Terminal have installed compass-shaped decals on sidewalks, right where riders emerge from heavily used subway stairwells.

The gold-on-black decals are 24 inches in diameter, larger than a large pizza but smaller than a manhole cover. They carry two kinds of information: directions for north, east, south and west, and the names of the nearest streets.

The four test pilots in this program went up — or is that down? — yesterday. One sits on 42nd St. between Lexington and Third Aves.; one on Lex between 42nd and 43rd; one on 51st between Lex and Park; and one on 53rd between Madison and Park. But I have to wonder if these are really necessary.

Nitpickingly, the compasses are mislabeled. In the minds of New Yorkers, uptown in Manhattan is north and the Hudson River is always to the west. But in reality — if you include, you know, the rest of the world — uptown is northeast and, while you would reach the Hudson River by heading due west, numbered streets are at northwest-southeast bent instead of a true east-west alignment. Small beans, I know. But it’s a little wrong.

But more on my mind is the question posed by Cityroom: “Was this really a pressing problem in need of a solution? Much of the city is on a grid, after all — even Queens addresses follow a certain logic.” Brad Allen at Streetsblog admits to being directionally-challenged, but the worst that happens in this city is that someone ends up one block in the wrong direction. And now with these compasses right at the top of subway entrances, confused tourists will stop in the worst possible place: at the top of a crowded staircase. I can’t wait.

If you live in New York, you should know which avenues run uptown and downtown. You should know which streets run toward the Hudson (odds) and which ones run toward the East River (evens). I can see a need for these signs in the odd nooks and crannies of Lower Manhattan, Chinatown and the Village, but it’s nearly impossible to get lost in Midtown. Now, we have ugly giant compasses marring the sidewalk. It seems that DOT is trying to solve a problem that just isn’t that bad.

While I might be too harsh on this compasses, I’m not alone. Anna Medina, quoted in Barron’s Times article, summed it up nicely. “Personally, I wouldn’t use it because I’m from New York and I know where I’m going,” she said. “When you’re from New York, everyone knows where you’re going.”

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Fare HikesMTA Bridges and TunnelsMTA Economics

MTA fare hike proposal hits subway riders harder than drivers

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 16, 2007

How did we miss this story for so many weeks? According to a report by Jeremy Olshan in The Post, the MTA’s fare hike leaves subway riders footing a higher percentage increase than drivers using the MTA Bridge and Tunnel tolls. In the era of the congestion fee and an increased call for traffic calming in New York, these findings are dismaying to say the least.

Furthermore, the MTA is partially reiterating its claim that Metrocard vending machines are to blame. Since these machines can support only fare increases in multiples of $0.25, the MTA is limited in its ability to raise the fares across the board. While the city eagerly awaits the outcome of the congestion fee battle, this transgression will not stand, man.

Olshan elaborates:

Despite all the talk about congestion pricing and discouraging driving in favor of mass transit, motorists get off equally – and in many cases easier – under the MTA’s proposed fare hikes. The cash toll for bridges and tunnels would rise 11.1 percent, from $4.50 to $5, under the proposal, compared to the 12.5 percent subway hike from $2 to $2.25.

Of course, only 25 percent of drivers and 15 percent of bus and subway riders pay the base fare. Using EZ-Pass, toll payers would shell out 6.25 percent more as the rate rises from $4 to $4.25, and a five-ride MetroCard would increase the price per ride by 13 to 20 percent.

In addition to breaking what could become an important subplot in the fare hike debate — especially once those public hearings begins — Olshan tracked down some choice quotes for his piece as well.

Paul Steely White, head of Transportation Alternatives: “We should be doing more to encourage people to take mass transit instead of driving. They need to not be ashamed to raise those tolls. They should sock it to motorists and give transit riders a break, because it’s the drivers who are contributing to pollution and global warming.”

Andrew Albert, MTA board member: “There’s no question we should be encouraging transit usage first. I don’t know why you would favor motorists. If anything, they should be hit harder.”

Jeremy Soffin, MTA spokesman: “The goal is to treat everyone equally and have the increase be as close as possible to 6.5 percent. It’s easier to accomplish that with tolls and EZ-Pass and on the commuter rails. The subway fare is more complicated.”

Yikes. This is not a good situation for anyone. The MTA comes out looking bad, and subway riders are getting screwed while drivers, the scourge of many New Yorkers, are getting off easy.

Right now, the easy solution should be the one the MTA is looking into: Raise the tolls on the roads the extent such that they don’t need to shaft subway riders. Drivers should be the ones footing the bill for public transportation considering that many people drive in this city when they don’t have to. A fare hike like that one would be a preemptive congestion fee.

So how can we get this message to the MTA? Go to the public hearings and demand accountability. Find out why drivers are getting off with a lower percentage increase while subway riders are getting stuck with a higher bill. Nothing about this fare hike is set in stone, and if enough people band together, the proposals can change. It worked with the F express; maybe it can work with the fare hike too.

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Subway Cell Service

Council members worry about self-policed cell-free cars (ha!) and falling passengers (what?)

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 15, 2007

This morning, during the piece on the shakey future of Transit Wireless, I teased you all with promises of some ridiculous stories about subway cell service. Well, wait no longer because here they are.

First up is Councilman Oliver Koppel, a Democrat from the Bronx. Mr. Koppel wants promises of cell-phone-free subway cars. I’ll give you a second to catch your breath from all of the laughing.

Here’s the story: Councilman Koppel is rightly concerned that some riders will be annoyed when others start shouting into their cell phones on the subway. Instead of limited cell service to platforms only, Mr. Koppel has proposed cell-free zones, much like those used by Amtrak on their long-haul runs, in subway cars. Better yet, Mr. Koppel claims that passengers will be self-policing when it comes to designated cell-free zones.

Come on, Oliver. Haven’t you ever ridden the subway? Haven’t you enjoyed sitting next to someone with their iPod up so loud you can hear the words to the songs they’re listening to? Haven’t you enjoyed the singular pleasure of sitting in a car with someone playing music out of their cell phones with no headphones? If he really thinks subway riders are going to be self-policing when it comes to cell-free zones, I have a bridge to sell Councilman Koppel.

But wait. It gets better. I know, unbelievable, but stick with me. Another council member is worried that passengers on their phones may lose focus of their surroundings and wander off the platforms and on the tracks. Councilman Simcha Felder — proud supporter of the F Express Plan — may take the cake with this one. Colin Moynihan at The Times’ Cityroom blog reports:

A different concern was raised by Councilman Simcha Felder, who said that he feared that riders might become engrossed in platform phone conversations and mistakenly wander off of the edge of the platform and fall onto the tracks below. He asked that phone reception be halted at the broad yellow stripe that lines the edges of most platforms.

“Why does there have to be cell service to the end of the platform?” he asked. “At least this way it would automatically stop people from walking into the trains or walking off the platform.”

I have no sarcastic comment for that one. It wins. Hands down. What more can I say?

This city has 191 above-ground or at-grade subway stations that already cell phone friendly. How many people have ever wandered into the path of an oncoming train because they were so engrossed in their conversation that they completely lost track of their surroundings? I’m not sure what Mr. Felder does when he’s on the phone, but I think most people maintain at least a minimum level of awareness of what’s around them. People don’t walk into each other (often) or into the paths of oncoming trucks while ambling around the city with their cell phones. They certainly won’t fall onto the subway tracks because they’re on the phone.

So there you go. Your elected officials: worrying about things that are so beyond the realm of believability.

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MTA TechnologySubway Cell Service

Did the MTA sign a cell service contract with a bogus company?

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 15, 2007

At the end of September, the MTA and Transit Wireless announced a multi-million-dollar deal that would usher in the age of cell phones in the subway. Since these two groups completed their 10-year deal, things were silent on the cell phone front, but this past weekend witnessed a flurry of news — one good, one bad, and some just plan ol’ ridiculous — concerning the upcoming arrival of cell-equipped subway platforms.

Today, I’ll tackle this news in two parts. First up is the good and the bad. Later on, we’ll get to the ridiculous.

In the age of terrorism, the MTA is astutely aware that cell phones can be used to trigger underground detonations. To that end, in case of an emergency, the MTA is prepared to crack down on underground cell phone use by non-MTA employees.

In principle, this is a great idea. Once emergency response protocols are in place, MTA workers and police officers can limit cell phone use. But what about in the first few minutes of panic and confusion when a terrorist is most likely to use a cell signal as a remote detonator? I’m no terrorism or emergency response expert, but I would have to believe that simply expressing a wish that people don’t use their phones to contact loved ones during an emergency probably won’t work.

If that’s what I consider good news, what’s the bad? Well, Michael Rundle at Metro brings us a story about the precariousness of Transit Wireless. It sounds like the MTA signed a 10-year deal worth around $200 million with a company that doesn’t really exist and may not have the funds to pay up or implement its plan. The details, if you will:

The company tasked with bringing cell phone service to 277 subway stations within six years is a startup with no secured financing and their deal with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority could fall through, according to testimony at a City Council hearing on Thursday…

But under questioning from the City Council Transportation Committee, MTA Deputy General Counsel Jerome Page said a necessary stage in securing the plan — a Notice to Proceed — has been withheld from the company pending secured financing. “The MTA has entered into an agreement with TW that seems too good to be true,” said committee chairman John Liu. “Not only is it supposed to cost the MTA nothing, the MTA believes it may even garner some revenue for the MTA. However, a crucial element is missing — sound financial backing.”

While Liu fears that the MTA will be “back at the drawing board a year, two years from now,” I’m just enjoying a good chuckle over this story. Of course the group with the best bid is the one least able to fulfill the terms of the deal, and if Transit Wireless has to back out of the deal, it seems unlikely that the MTA could sue the nascent group because they would have no assets. Considering that no wireless carriers have signed on to the deal yet, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this whole thing fall apart in the blink of an eye.

So as we sit and wait for the cell service plan to fall apart, check back later — around 1 p.m. — for some funny stories that came out of last week’s City Council hearing on the cell phone service. I can’t make this stuff up.

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Service Advisories

Vertically-challenged MTA making Brooklyn travel difficult this weekend

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 13, 2007

Aaron Naparstek over at Streets blog caught this photo — this fantastic photo — and posted about it on Thursday. It just seems to summarize the MTA.

The Authority has a nifty little way of designing their Public Hearing notices. The notices, which you can see here as a MTA, use vertical letters rotated 90 degrees to spell out “public hearing.” The rest of the poster is as a normal person would read it with text running horizontal. Well, some nameless intrepid MTA employee hung up this notice so that anyone could read “public hearing” but would have to risk neck injury to read the fine print.

How can we depend on the MTA to raise the fares if their workers can’t even hang up signs properly? We know they can’t run trains on the weekend, and on that note, may I present your weekend service advisories. Available here on the MTA’s site, they are reprinted below for your convenience.

Just a word of warning: Travel to and from Brooklyn on the IRT and BMT lines is terrible this weekend. Pay careful attention to those signs. The 2 and 3 aren’t running into Brooklyn; the 4 is running local along the 3 line to Bowling Green where you can switch to an uptown 2 running local on the West Side. It’s a real nightmare. The BMT, meanwhile, is avoiding the Manhattan Bridge like the plague even though the press releases makes nary a mention of this service change. I’ll do my best to incorporate service alerts that are inexplicably missing from the press release.

Here we go:


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 15, there are no 2 trains between Atlantic Avenue and Chambers Street due to station rehab work at Chambers Street and lighting installation in the Clark Street tunnel. Customers may take the 4 to nearby stations instead.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 15, uptown 5 replaces the 2 from Chambers Street to 149th Street-Grand Concourse and uptown 2 trains replace the 5 from Bowling Green to 149th Street-Grand concourse. This is due to station rehab work at Chambers Street and lighting installation in the Clark Street tunnel.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 15, there are no 3 trains running due to station rehab work at Chambers Street and lighting installation in the Clark Street tunnel. Customers may take the downtown 2 or uptown 5 instead. 3 trains are replaced by the 4 between Atlantic and New Lots Avenues and the M7, M102 and free shuttle buses between 148th and 135th Streets.


At all times until Monday, November 12, Manhattan-bound 4 trains skip Mosholu Parkway due to station rehabilitation.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 15, Bronx-bound 6 trains run express from 3rd Avenue to Hunts Point Avenue due to roadbed replacement at Brook Avenue.


From 12:01 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday, October 13 to Monday, October 15, Flushing-bound 7 trains 69th, 74th, 82nd, 90th, 103rd, and 111th Streets due to prep work for 74th Street interlocking.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 15, free shuttle buses and shuttle train service replace the A between Howard Beach-JFK Airport and the Rockaways due to track panel installation south of Howard Beach-JFK Airport station.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 15, downtown A and C trains skip 50th, 23rd, and Springs Streets due to Chambers Street signal modernization.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 15, Bronx-bound D trains run express from 145th Street to Tremont Avenue due to track and cable work between 145th Street and Bedford Park Boulevard stations.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 15, there is no E train service between West 4th Street and World Trade Center due to Chambers Street signal modernizations. Customers may take the A or C instead between the West 4th and Broadway-Nassau Street stations.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 15, Queens-bound E trains run on the V line from West 4th to 5th Avenue due to electrical and plumbing work at 50th Street.


From 8:30 p.m. Friday, October 12 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 15, there is no G train service between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and Court Square due to installation of conduit along tracks between Union Turnpike and Roosevelt Avenue stations. Customers should take the E or R.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 15, G trains run in two sections:
– Between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and
– Between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Hoyt-Schermerhorn

There are no G trains operating between Hoyt-Schermerhorn and Smith-9th Streets.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 15, free shuttle buses replace M trains between Metropolitan Avenue and Myrtle Avenue-Broadway.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 15, Manhattan-bound N trains run on the D line from Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue to 36th Street (Brooklyn).


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 15, N trains run on the R line in both directions between DeKalb Avenue and Canal Street.

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Rider Report Cards

My kingdom 4 a ‘C’

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 12, 2007

Guess what? Another subway grade came out today, and you’ll never believe what riders gave to the Eastern Parkway Express. That ol’ green 4 train got, you guessed it, yet another C grade. It’s the fourth C or C- in the MTA’s long trek toward mediocrity.

For the 4 line, over 4200 riders responded to the survey, making it the most ranked line in the system. Coincidentally (or not), it’s also the most crowded. And what exactly are the problems with the 4? Let’s take a look, top 10 style:

  1. Adequate room on board at rush hour
  2. Minimal delays during trips
  3. Reasonable wait times for trains
  4. Station announcements that are easy to hear
  5. Sense of security on trains
  6. Cleanliness of stations
  7. Sense of security in stations
  8. Train announcements that are easy to hear
  9. Station announcements that are informative
  10. Comfortable temperature in subway cars

Of course, the 4 is overcrowded. I would expect we’ll hear the same about the 5 and 6 trains too when those grades come out. I also wonder if some people were grading the East Side IRT as a whole when they issued grade for the 4 train. I’ve never noticed much of a problem with comfortable temperatures inside the new 4 trains. The platforms are a different story.

I’m also a little puzzled about something I noticed in the full grades (available after the jump). “Train announcements that are easy to hear” received a C. Now, as far as I know, every single car running on the 4, except those put in service as extra trains before and after Yankee games are of the R142 variety and have automated announcements. How can those be hard to hear?

I do wonder what these grades will look like when a Second Ave. subway exists to alleviate some of that massive rush hour overcrowding on the 4. Click through for the grade breakdown.

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BusesMTA Technology

Welcome to the 21st Century, NYC buses

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 11, 2007

No, that’s not a Wachovia ad; it’s a hyrbrid bus. (Photo by Librado Romero/The New York Times)

The New York City buses are the under-appreciated and oft-maligned part of the City’s vibrant public transportation network. Some people swear by the bus system, especially those that run crosstown, while others bemoan the slower-than-walking speeds and unreliable service as evils of the bus system. Still others would like to see the MTA be more aggressive with the buses by working with the Department of Transportation to set up dedicated Bus Rapid Transit lanes.

Love ’em or hate ’em, buses serve as a great complement to the subway system, and this morning, I’ve got two bus stories for you. Both of them involve technological upgrades to the bus system. We start with state-of-the-art hybrid automobile technology.

Yesterday, William Neuman wrote about the new hybrid buses the MTA is testing. While the city already has hybrid buses — 600 hybrids out of a fleet of 4400 — that run, as hybrid cars do, with a mix of battery and diesel power. The new bus, a product of Design Line International, looks different than any current New York City bus and runs on 100 percent battery power. Take it away, Cityroom:

The test bus is different in that it runs on battery power all the time. It has a diesel engine, but that is used only to charge the battery, although the bus also uses the brakes for that purpose. The diesel engine is different too. It is a turbine engine.

Jerry Higgins, the director of new bus technology for New York City Transit, said the manufacturer predicts the bus will get about seven miles per gallon, which is about double the fuel efficiency of the transportation authority’s current hybrid bus fleet.

Wow. I had no idea that hybrid buses got just 3.5 miles per gallon. I can only wonder what the 3800 non-hybrid buses are doing to our air, and I have to believe that those empty buses running late at night aren’t doing the environment any favors. For that reason alone, I’m in favor of a more fuel efficient bus, but this bus may just be a one-time test. According to the MTA, they will test this bus in various boroughs for two months before deciding whether or not to place an order.

Meanwhile, as the MTA looks into technology that would improve our environment, they’re also gearing up to implement bus signs telling riders just how many more minutes they’ll have to wait for the next bus. While other countries have enjoyed this technology for years, the MTA hasn’t figured out how to implement GPS bus tracking yet. A recent report on WNYC talks about the ways in which the MTA is using GPS technology to keep bus schedule regular and let riders know how long they’ll have to wait.

Beth Fertig, at our excellent public radio station, reports:

So far, only 7 bus routes are taking part in the 7 million dollar pilot study – all in midtown and the Upper East Side. There are only 15 display signs in the bus shelters, not all of which are working. New York City Transit acknowledges there are still a few glitches. Officials wanted to experiment in the busiest parts of Manhattan because that’s where GPS encounters the most interference from tall buildings and the traffic is heaviest.

If it all goes right, the MTA will expand this program to the rest of the city at a cost of $78 million. They will also attempt to integrate real-time bus information into their Website. But that just sounds like we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

It’s hard to like these bus upgrades. For years, riders have bemoaned the lack of arrival information at bus shelters, and now we’re finally getting them. If the GPS timeframe is any indication, we should see those hybrid-turbine buses arrive at the same time as the Second Ave. subway.

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Fare HikesMTA Economics

MTA tries to sneak in a higher fare hike

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 11, 2007

So the fare hike. We’re talking about that confusing fare hike with the two-tiered fare structure, the supposed off-peak discounted and the upcoming public hearings designed to solicit rider opinion. Well, it ends up that the fare hike is not as straightforward — or as cheap — as was originally reported.

Since the end of September, all of the fare hike coverage had focused on this off-peak proposal. By charging people $1.50 for off-peak rides, the MTA hopes some riders were eschew rush hour travel for less crowded times. It’s an artificial — but potentially effective — way of alleviating subway overcrowding. But now the bombshell: That $1.50 may just be a pipe dream. According to a report in The Daily News, that off-peak fare could end up being $1.75 instead of the originally reported figure of a $1.50.

Take it away Pete Donohue:

The MTA may jack up fares even higher than top staffers proposed in September, the authority revealed on Tuesday as it set hearing dates for riders to sound off.

Public notices announcing next month’s hearings warn riders that Metropolitan Transportation Authority next year could impose a peak fare of $2.25 – without a discount option that could soften the blow for many rush-hour riders. The base fare is now $2. The notices also for the first time say an off-peak fare – proposed by top MTA staffers last month to be set at $1.50 – could actually cost $1.75.

According to MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin, these posters were designed to give riders a look at the wider range of options that the MTA board will face in December. The board has to figure out how to raise nearly $600 million in revenue over the next two years, and a $1.75 off-peak fare, which doesn’t represent much of a discount from the current buy-five-rides, get-six deal in place, is just one of many solutions.

Furthermore, this $1.75 figure isn’t the only surprise on the poster (available here as a PDF). The other changes include reducing or eliminating the bonus on pay-per-ride Metrocards of $10 or more; increasing the cost of a 30-day unlimited card to $84 or $2 more than was originally announced; eliminating the one-day Fun Pass entirely; and increasing the minimum amount on one Metrocard to six dollars or one and a half round trips.

While the MTA notes that these higher figures are, in the words of Soffin, “not our proposal,” it is dismaying to see even higher figures emerge on the official announcements of public hearings. Considering the fact that New York subway riders are facing a very substantial fare hike, the MTA should be as transparent as possible with its numbers over the next two months.

We need full public accounting for the fare hike; we need to know how much the fares are going up; we need assurances that we’ll be better better and more reliable service. While I’m hoping for accountability, I fear the smoke and mirrors. These posters are not reassuring.

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QueensService Advisories

It’s never good when the 7 line shuts down

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on October 10, 2007

Update 3:53 p.m.: Well, phew, the MTA got everything up and running just before rush hour. Service is restored along the 7 line in both directions from Flushing to Times Square. There is, however, no express service today. I guess the LED lights will all be saying LCL tonight.

Update 3:13 p.m.: As of a minute or two ago, the MTA announced that there is limited
service between Times Square and Queensboro Plaza. At Queensboro Plaza riders can transfer to the N or W trains or buses that head deeper into Queens. The other lines though that run along Queens boulevard are bound to be crowded.

=====

Due to a mechanical failure on the 7 line, there is no service in either direction on the 7 line right now, the MTA informs us at 3:04 p.m.. More from the service alert:

Limited Shuttle Bus service is available between Flushing – Main Street and 74th Street – Broadway where customers can transfer to the E, F, R or V for service into Manhattan.

In addition, customers are advised to take the Q32 from 42nd Street and Madison Avenue, running along Queens Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue, making nearby station stops between Grand Central-42nd Street and 82nd Street-Jackson Heights.

For additional stops, customers can use the Q23, Q48, Q66 or Q72 bus service.

William Neuman at the Cityroom has more. Apparently, the line went down at around 1:35 p.m. when power to one of the electrical signals went out. Paul J. Fleuranges, NYCT spokesman, said the MTA does not know when the power will be restored. Another spokesman Charles F. Seaton noted that the power outage is affected just one part of the line, but all train service had to be halted to fix the problem.

With rush hour looming in an hour or so, the MTA is racing against the clock to get service on a very popular line restored, and this outage won’t help the 7 improve on that C-minus it received in August.

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