SkyscraperPage Forum

SkyscraperPage Forum (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/index.php)
-   Transportation (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=25)
-   -   New York City - Transit News (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=154524)

NYC4Life Jun 10, 2010 4:56 PM

Updated 12:26 PM
City Considering 10th Avenue Stop For 7 Train

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4826/84860090.jpg

Quote:

By: NY1 News

There could be light at the end of the tunnel for the proposed 10th Avenue stop for the Number 7 train extension.

The Bloomberg administration is looking to re-engineer the project to allow a station to be built at 41st Street and 10th Avenue in the future.

A spokesman for the mayor says the idea is under preliminary review, but adds the city will not consider plans that add significant time or cost to the project. The second station is estimated to cost upwards of $500 million.

The city is already spending $2 billion to extend the 7 line from Times Square to 34th Street and 11th Avenue.



Copyright © 2010 NY1 News. All rights reserved.

Busy Bee Jun 10, 2010 8:02 PM

Good news. Let's hope it happens.

NYC4Life Jun 21, 2010 8:31 PM

Updated 10:30 AM
MTA Outlines More Service Changes
By: NY1 News

Quote:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority outlined even more cuts to subway and bus service today, as a new report finds the subways still running are getting dirtier.

Transit officials describe the planned changes as routine adjustments based on ridership.

The agency is planning reductions on 28 bus routes in all five boroughs starting in September. However, 10 routes would actually see increases or modifications intended to improve reliability.

Then, in December, four early-morning Number 7 express trains would be cut, when the start of express service gets pushed back from 5:30 to 6:20 a.m. A local train would be added during that time, and two additional local trains would run between 9 and 10 a.m.

The changes would save the agency an estimated $3.7 million.

All adjustments still need approval from the MTA board.

"We had hoped that they would use some federal stimulus money this last go-round to keep service up," said Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign. "But they decided they would use it on capital projects, so we didn't succeed, but we're going to monitor them very closely."

Word of these changes comes as major service cuts are set to take effect Sunday, including the elimination of dozens of bus routes along with the W and V lines.

Meanwhile, the M train, which is set to replace the V in Manhattan and Queens, has been deemed the system’s dirtiest in the annual Subway Shmutz Survey.

The Straphangers Campaign examined 2,200 subway cars, and determined half were unclean, with issues like heavy dirt or sticky floors.

"We rated grime. You know, if you walk in New York City, you're going to bring grime into the subways. You're going to need a mop and water to clean it up. That's not litter," said Russianoff. "Yes, riders should do more, but our results don't turn on litter, they turn on plain old grime."

Overall, half of the city subway lines were found to be dirtier in 2009 than the previous year.

The M, V and D trains ranked at the bottom. The 6, C and 7 trains were the cleanest.


Copyright © 2010 NY1 News. All rights reserved.

NYC4Life Jun 25, 2010 3:15 PM

06/25/2010 08:28 AM
W, V Subway Lines Make Final Runs
By: NY1 News

Quote:

Straphangers will bid farewell to two of the city's subway lines today.

The W and V trains are set to make their final runs, before being discontinued as part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's cost-cutting plan.

The changes officially take effect Sunday, but neither the W nor V runs on the weekends.

Come Monday morning, the M line will be rerouted to cover some of the stations in Lower Manhattan that had been served by the V. And, the Q will be extended to Astoria to make up for the loss of the W train.

Thirty-seven bus lines are also being eliminated with many more being rerouted, or facing reductions in night and weekend service.

The MTA says the cuts will save about $100 million.

The agency also is trying to reduce overtime and has given pink slips to hundreds of workers to cut costs.



Copyright © 2010 NY1 News. All rights reserved.

NYC4Life Jun 27, 2010 5:19 PM

Updated 12:37 PM
MTA Bus Route Changes Take Effect
By: NY1 News

http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/6533/53385587.jpg

Quote:

Bus riders around the city are feeling the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's budget pinch today, as dozens of bus lines are either being eliminated or seeing their service reduced.

Some MTA service cuts already took effect Friday night, when the W and V trains stopped running.

Starting tomorrow morning, the Q line will be extended to Astoria, Queens to replace the W line, and the M train will be rerouted to cover some stations in lower Manhattan that had been served by the V train.

MTA officials say the service cuts and changes could save the transit agency $100 million.



Copyright © 2010 NY1 News. All rights reserved.

miketoronto Jun 28, 2010 1:18 AM

I agree cuts are not good.

However I was talking with a transit planner in another city that has faced cuts. And he was saying these tough times allow a transit system to cut services that really do make no sense, but you would not be able to cut under normal circumstances, without a ton of backlash.

Yes it is bad to have routes cut. But it sounds like in NYC's case, all people losing their bus route, have an alternative bus route only a block or two away, and overall everyone still has transit access, etc.

Not the best thing to happen to NYC, and hopefully the cuts will be reversed once funding comes back online. But we should not always look at this as total gloom. Maybe some of those buses running late night in Staten Island, were going empty, and cutting service those routes makes sense. And residents still have service by another nearby route.

NYC4Life Jul 14, 2010 5:06 PM

Updated 9:54 AM
MTA Holds More Hearings On Booth Closings
By: NY1 News

Quote:

Two more public hearings are being held tonight on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's proposed subway booth closures.

Last night, riders and transit union members spoke out at meetings in Manhattan and Queens.

A judge ordered the MTA to hold the hearings after the union sued to block the layoff of more than 200 station agents and token booth attendants.

Riders told MTA Board members they are worried about their safety if the closings and layoffs go through.
Several union members left the meeting at Cooper Union in protest, calling the hearings a fraud.

"The MTA is simply going through the motions. They called two meetings on the same night, two days in a row,” said Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen. “They don't truly seek rider input or community advocacy input. All they want to do is go through the motions."

MTA officials say the cuts are needed to help close its massive budget gap. They also say crime is at an all-time low in the subways, and that the agency would not compromise rider safety.

Tonight's meetings begin at 6 o'clock at Hostos Community College in the Bronx and the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge.



Copyright © 2010 NY1 News. All rights reserved.

NYC4Life Jul 28, 2010 4:49 AM

Updated 2:47 PM
Federal Appeals Court Rejects City's Order For Fuel-Efficient Taxis
By: NY1 News

Quote:

The Manhattan federal court ruled Tuesday against city regulations that would force owners of taxis to purchase hybrid vehicles.

The ruling determined that existing federal laws already cover the same concerns as the municipal laws.

The lower courts already rejected the rule, as well as another law that would force all city taxis to be fuel-efficient by 2012.

The taxi owners' case against the city stressed that the were conflicts between the federal and municipal rules.

In a statement, the City Law Department said it was "very disappointed with the decision."



Copyright © 2010 NY1 News. All rights reserved.

NYC4Life Jul 28, 2010 6:09 AM

NY1

Updated 07/28/2010 12:01 AM
MTA Board To Consider Hike On MetroCards, Tolls
By: John Mancini

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/1402/89614439.jpg

In an effort to close its massive budget gap, the MTA board is expected to float two separate fare hike proposals today that would increase the cost of monthly and seven-day MetroCards as well as raise tolls for drivers crossing the city's major bridges and tunnels. NY1's John Mancini filed the following report.

Quote:

Transit riders who now get the biggest discounts would be paying the biggest increases under fare-hike plans heading to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board.

The MTA wants to preserve the $2.25 base fare. But under either of two proposals, riders who buy 30-day MetroCards would pay much more.

Monthly MetroCards would go up $10, jumping from $89 to $99, with a limit of 90 rides. If riders still want unlimited trips, it will cost them $15 more, bringing the cost up to $104 per month.

"It's expensive. I don't think I can afford that anymore. I can barely afford what I'm paying for on a monthly basis. And to paying $104 with this sort of crisis we are going through with money issues and jobs and stuff like that, it's kind of hard," said one straphanger.

Still, the cash-strapped MTA says either way, riders would pay less than $1.20 a trip if they use their card 90 times.

As for seven-day cards, there will also be two options, both with increases. The weekly MetroCard, now $27, would increase to $28 for up to 22 rides, or $29 for unlimited trips.

The bonus for Per-Ride cards would kick in only after riders pay $10. The discount would be seven percent. Currently, riders get a 15 percent bonus after they pay $8.

At the tolls, drivers would pay $6 -- an increase of 50 cents -- at major bridges and tunnels.

EZ Pass users would pay just over $5.

Meanwhile, the MTA's preliminary plan is contingent on a number of outside factors, including an uninterrupted tax flow from Albany, continued improvements in the economy, and labor concessions.

The MTA wants any raises for transit workers tied to expense cuts. But its largest union says members aren't convinced the MTA, which says $381 million has been cut through streamlining, is doing enough, citing the MTA chairman's $350,000 salary.

In a statement, the Transit Workers Union said, "...Jay Walder's annual compensation package isn't 'net zero.' The TWU has no intention of entertaining the notion that our members should have to pay dollar for dollar in givebacks for raises that barely keep up with inflation."

After reviewing the plans, the MTA board must authorize public hearings for the fall.

If approved, the hikes would likely take effect in January.



Copyright © 2010 NY1 News. All rights reserved.

NYC4Life Aug 6, 2010 12:50 AM

Updated 4:39 PM
Port Authority Approves Delta Renovations At JFK
By: Rocco Vertuccio

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/5587/80671709.jpg

Quote:

Delta Air Lines is getting a much-needed upgrade at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The Port Authority signed off today on a massive $1.2 billion project to renovate its outdated terminals.

Delta would move out of Terminal 3, and the iconic Pan Am Worldport, which dates from the 1960s, will be demolished to make way for a airplane parking lot. It is hoped additional space for airplanes will help to ease runway congestion.

The airline will move into Terminal 4, which would be expanded with nine additional gates, a larger baggage claim area and a larger U.S. Customs area.

"It will allow Delta to bring a plane in -- particularly international -- deplane at the gate, take that plane to the parking area, cater it, clean it, fuel it, get it ready for departure, and bring it back to the gate. In between, you'll be able to use that gate for another operation," said a Port Authority official.

All of Delta's international flights will fly out of Terminal 4 once the expansion is complete, and domestic flights will continue to fly out of Terminal 2.

Passengers who spoke with NY1 this morning said they agreed that it is time for Terminal 3 to go.

"It needs to be scrapped and completely redone," said one traveler.

"That's a good thing, because it's old and it's outdated," said another.

The expansion will create 6,000 jobs and Delta will reportedly take on the bulk of the costs of the project.

Construction would begin this fall, and would be completed in mid-2013.



Copyright © 2010 NY1 News. All rights reserved.

M II A II R II K Aug 20, 2010 7:05 PM

Private buses make a comeback in NYC


http://marketurbanism.com/2010/08/16...meback-in-nyc/

Quote:

Transit activists have been bemoaning recent cuts in the MTA’s bus routes throughout New York City, but the cuts may have a silver lining, in particular for market urbanists: they may usher in the return of private buses to the streets of New York City. Private buses (and subways, and streetcars) were once the only transit options available to New Yorkers, but since the early 20th century, and especially after World War II, virtually all intracity routes have been subsumed by various levels of government, and the network has barely grown at all since nationalization (not withstanding the Second Avenue Subway, conceived eighty years ago by a private company).

Now that’s not to say that private operators haven’t tried to compete – the outer boroughs’ immigrant communities have had robust networks of informal private vans (known in NYC as “dollar vans”), which operate illegally but have been hard to prosecute, likely due to the fact that they are used mostly by linguistically-distinct immigrant communities. The recent cuts even propelled the bootleg bus phenomenon out of its immigrant ghetto, when a brave bus operator named Joel Azumah made headlines by operating a bootleg bus route along routes cut in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. This experiment was quickly quashed by an unrelenting bureaucracy, but at least it demonstrated the mutual desire on the part of riders and entrepreneurs for private service.

The city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission appears to have headed that call, and under the direction of chairman David Yassky is trying to replace at least some of the old bus routes with private buses. Unlike the city’s much-abused private van service, where operators are technically not allowed to pick up riders off the street who haven’t called ahead of time, the buses would operate with many of the privileges of regular city buses, with the added flexibility of being able to alter their routes to fit customers’ needs. Cap’n Transit has speculated that this discretion could be used as a back-door way to expand the private buses’ reach to areas not officially sanctioned by the program.

M II A II R II K Aug 21, 2010 2:30 PM

Pedestrian Safety Will Guide Massive Street Makeover


http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010...reet-makeover/

Quote:

Sixty miles of streets will be redesigned annually, 1,500 intersections will get countdown clocks and the number of slow-traffic zones around schools will triple as part of a new city push to reduce pedestrian injuries and deaths caused by automobiles.

These latest changes to the New York City streetscape are the result of study of over 7,000 accidents involving pedestrians that took place between 2002 and 2006.

The city will focus on especially dangerous corridors and intersections identified by the study, like those along major cross-town streets in Manhattan. Mayor Michael Bloomberg was set to unveil the plan Monday.

“This is a landmark safety report that is going to transform the streets of New York, making them safer and better to walk around on,” Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said. “It’s unprecedented reengineering of our streets.”

But the plan is really only the latest step in an unprecedented reengineering of streets that Sadik-Khan has implemented since her appointment by Bloomberg in 2007. The city in 2008 set a target of cutting traffic fatalities by 3% each year until 2030. Half of those who die in city car crashes are pedestrians.



http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/im...0816095747.jpg

NYC4Life Aug 23, 2010 6:13 PM

WABC-TV

LIRR service suspended due to switch problems
Updated at 12:35 PM today

http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/2122/72321758.jpg

Quote:

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The Long Island Rail Road has suspended service in both directions on all branches except Port Washington due to switch problems.


The problems reportedly developed east of Jamaica when a fire broke out in the switching tower.

New York City Transit is honoring LIRR fares between Jamaica and New York and Brooklyn.

LIRR officials say it is unclear when this problem will be fixed, but they are concerned for the evening commute.

(Copyright ©2010 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

M II A II R II K Aug 23, 2010 8:44 PM

More Accident Data: Motorcyclists and the Elderly, Beware


Read More: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/20...ly-beware/?hpw

Study: http://documents.nytimes.com/pedestrian-study

Quote:

New Yorkers may now know more about the dangers of being a pedestrian than residents of any other city, thanks to the ambitious traffic study released last week by the Bloomberg administration.

The report, a hefty 50 pages, undercut some of the century-old assumptions about travel in the city, suggesting among other conclusions that yellow taxis, buses and trucks were involved in far fewer pedestrian accidents than private automobiles, and that jaywalkers accounted for fewer collisions at intersections than those law-abiding New Yorkers who wait for the “walk” sign.

Street safety advocates in San Francisco are already calling on that city to replicate the study (would the dangers of hills and crooked streets get their own chapters?), and New York’s transportation officials are planning to re-engineer intersections and reduce neighborhood speed limits in response to the data.

NYC4Life Aug 24, 2010 3:52 PM

Updated 11:34 AM
NJ Transit Service Back To Normal; Service Delays Continue On LIRR
By: NY1 News

Quote:

New Jersey Transit service along the northeast corridor is back to normal after an hourlong shutdown due to power problems, as Long Island Rail Road customers continue to deal with delays following yesterday's electrical fire that made for a difficult commute.

As of 11:41 a.m., NJ Transit says all trains are operating on or close to schedule.
Full Article:

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stori...ntinue-on-lirr




Copyright © 2010 NY1 News. All rights reserved.

NYC4Life Aug 24, 2010 3:57 PM

WABC-TV

MTA eyes unlimited MetroCard hikes
Tuesday, August 24, 2010

http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/images/wa...46_600x338.jpg

Quote:

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The cash-strapped MTA is considering new increases for bus and subway riders.


Under the proposal, the cost of the monthly unlimited MetroCard would increase to $130.

The weekly MetroCard would increase to $38.

There will be public hearings on the proposed fare hikes next month.


(Copyright ©2010 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

NYC4Life Aug 24, 2010 4:00 PM

WABC-TV

Repair work begins on Brooklyn Bridge
Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Quote:

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A massive repair and construction project is under way on the Brooklyn Bridge and will last for four years.


The project began Monday night into Tuesday, meaning Manhattan-bound lanes of the bridge will be closed during overnight hours.

Full Article:

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?se...cal&id=7623478




(Copyright ©2010 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

M II A II R II K Aug 25, 2010 5:29 PM

Deadliest for Walkers: Male Drivers, Left Turns


Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/17/ny...walk.html?_r=1

Study: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/abo...tyreport.shtml

Quote:

It has never been easy to safely navigate the streets of New York, where today automobiles zip inches away from smartphone-carrying pedestrians and the footrace across an intersection seems like a human version of the arcade game Frogger.

But a report released Monday by the city’s transportation planners offers unusual insights into the precarious life on the city’s streets, pinpointing where, when and why pedestrian accidents have most often occurred.

The study confirms some of the century-old assumptions about transportation in the country’s biggest city, yet it undercuts others.

Taxis, it turns out, are not a careering menace: cabs, along with buses and trucks, accounted for far fewer pedestrian accidents in Manhattan than did private automobiles. Jaywalkers were involved in fewer collisions than their law-abiding counterparts who waited for the “walk” sign, though they were likelier to be killed or seriously hurt by the collision.

And in 80 percent of city accidents that resulted in a pedestrian’s death or serious injury, a male driver was behind the wheel. (Fifty-seven percent of New York City vehicles are registered to men.)

The study, which the city’s Transportation Department described as the most ambitious of its kind by an American city, examined more than 7,000 crashes that occurred in New York City from 2002 to 2006 and that resulted in the death or serious injury of at least one pedestrian.



http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...ticleLarge.jpg

M II A II R II K Aug 25, 2010 9:40 PM

Big Apple Power-Up: Major New York Garage Gets Charging Stations


http://www.fastcompany.com/1684982/n...rging-stations

Quote:

Electric vehicles are useless without a widespread network of charge stations. While homeowners can stick a charging station in their garages, things are a little trickier for city dwellers. The Car Charging Group is trying to change that--starting in the place with the least home garages of all, New York City.

Earlier this summer, CCG partnered with LAZ Parking to install Coulomb ChargePoints at some of its New York and New Jersey locations. Now CCG is embarking on a similar partnership with Icon Parking--a prominent Manhattan brand with over 200 facilities in the borough.

As part of the partnership, CCG will install Level II (240 volts) Coulomb ChargePoints at select Icon Parking facilities. Better yet, Icon is getting the ChargePoints at no charge. CCG offers the spots for free while retaining ownership thanks to a combination of tax incentives, subsidies, grants, and loan guarantees. Icon hasn't yet revealed how much it will charge drivers for use of the spots.



http://images.fastcompany.com/upload/l.jpg

Busy Bee Aug 25, 2010 9:41 PM

Double decker and Citaro artic trials
 
For those that may know...

What became of the NYCT Van Hool double decker and the Benz Citaro articulated testing? Even with SubChat, there seems to be so much chatter I can't see the forest for the trees in terms of what the actual outcomes of the trials were. Were there official NYCT press releases regarding these?


All times are GMT. The time now is 9:30 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.