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Busy Bee

Sep 30, 2010 2:22 PM

New Street Sign Designs

I didn't want to start a new thread for this.

Personally, and speaking as a graphic designer, I think this is unnecessary and a huge waste of money - not to mention opportunity to return an iconic street sign to New York, not make it look MORE like anywhere USA. I also think it's nonsense because the Federal Highway Administration is forcing the city to make the change to a more 'legible' font. More legible font? I can understand this position for highway and high speed thoroughfare signage, but all municipal street signage is supposed to be more visible for speeding drivers? Isn't this what we are supposed to be getting away from? On top of that, with such a huge investment, we will be left with signs that look essentialy the same in that horrible shade of highway green that says nothing about New York City. They should have returned the gold signs or the really throwback humpback enamel signs to at least Manhattan and a simplified modern sign to the outer boroughs that gave NYC a unique image when it came to its' signs much like SF has or Philly or LA even.

Anyways, here's the articles...

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/20...reet_signs.jpg
NYDN

New Yorkers outraged as bureaucrats order city to change lettering on every single street sign

BY Andrew Phillips and Pete Donohue | New York Daily News

Thursday, September 30th 2010, 4:00 AM

The city will change the lettering on every single street sign - at an estimated cost of about $27.5 million - because the feds don't like the font.

Street names will change from all capital letters to a combination of upper and lower case on roads across the country thanks to the pricey federal regulation, officials said Wednesday.

By 2018, MADISON AVE. will become Madison Ave. and will be printed in a font called Clearview, the city Department of Transportation says.

The Federal Highway Administration says the switch will improve safety because drivers identify the words more quickly when they're displayed that way - and can sooner return their eyes to the road.

Still, several city residents were OUTRAGED.

Rest of story

$27 million to change NYC signs from all-caps

By JEREMY OLSHAN | New York Post

Last Updated: 7:14 AM, September 30, 2010

The Capital of the World is going lower-case.

Federal copy editors are demanding the city change its 250,900 street signs -- such as these for Perry Avenue in The Bronx -- from the all-caps style used for more than a century to ones that capitalize only the first letters.

Changing BROADWAY to Broadway will save lives, the Federal Highway Administration contends in its updated Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, citing improved readability.

At $110 per sign, it will also cost the state $27.6 million, city officials said.

"We have already started replacing the signs in The Bronx," city Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan told The Post. 'We will have 11,000 done by the end of this fiscal year, and the rest finished by 2018."

It appears e.e. cummings was right to eschew capital letters, federal officials explain.

Studies have shown that it is harder to read all-caps signs, and those extra milliseconds spent staring away from the road have been shown to increase the likelihood of accidents, particularly among older drivers, federal documents say.

The new regulations also require a change in font from the standard highway typeface to Clearview, which was specially developed for this purpose.

As a result, even numbered street signs will have to be replaced.

Rest of story

NYC4Life

Oct 2, 2010 5:38 PM

10:33 AM
New Willis Avenue Bridge Opens To Traffic
By: NY1 News

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stori...ens-to-traffic

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/7708/47681459.jpg

Quote:

Drivers can now take the new Willis Avenue Bridge between Manhattan and the Bronx.

The bridge, which officially opened at 7 a.m., replaces the 109-year-old "swing" bridge that opened on a pivot to allow marine traffic to pass on the Harlem River.

The $612 million project is part of more than $5 billion in bridge investments.

The new bridge was floated up the East River in July.

The city Department of Transportation says it will eliminate the old span's tight curves and create more direct connections to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive and the Major Deegan Expressway.

The old bridge will be floated to New Jersey in the coming weeks to be recycled.

The Willis Avenue Bridge carries more than 70,000 vehicles a day.

http://media.ny1.com/media/2010/10/2...isAveFloat.jpg
A July photo of the Willis Avenue Bridge being floated down the East River.

NYC4Life

Oct 6, 2010 6:31 AM

News 12 The Bronx

Wireless service headed to city subways
(10/05/10) THE BRONX - Wireless access will be at some New York City subway stations by late 2011.

Quote:

AT&T and T-Mobile USA signed 10-year agreements on Monday with Transit Wireless to install wireless networks in the subway.

Under the agreement, at least six subway stations will have wireless service by late 2011. That’s one year ahead of schedule, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Wiring the rest of the system will take up to five more years. The service will not be available on running cars, only in stations.

Other carriers can also join the network once installed.

NYC4Life

Oct 6, 2010 6:33 AM

Updated 10/05/2010 09:39 AM
New MTA Digital Screens Show Bus, Subway Schedules
By: NY1 News

http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beat...way-schedules/

Quote:

A new pilot program from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will use digital screens to alert subway riders to service disruptions and alternatives before they head to their stop.

MTA Chairman Jay Walder wants to outfit the entire transit system with digital screens that show the status of subways, buses, and commuter trains.

The screens would be installed inside and outside subway stations, on trains, at bus shelters, and even in stores near bus and train stops.

The information would be laid out like it is on the MTA's website - with information about delays and alternate routes.

The screens are currently being tested at Grand Central Terminal.

Meanwhile, the MTA announced an agreement with AT&T and T-Mobile to provide cell and Wi-Fi service by the end of next year on the platforms at six stations in Manhattan, including stops along 14th Street at Eighth Avenue, Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, as well as at 23rd Street and Eighth Avenue.

NYC4Life

Oct 6, 2010 6:37 AM

10/05/2010 10:12 PM
Queens Residents Call For End To Cross Bay Bridge Toll
By: NY1 News

http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beat...y-bridge-toll/

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/3607/77305746.jpg

Quote:

More than 200 people marched across the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge in the Rockaways Tuesday evening to protest the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's newly added toll for local residents.

The bridge is the only direct link from the Rockaways to the rest of Queens, and crossing it used to be free for residents.

Back in July, the MTA started charging $1.13 for residents' first two trips of the day over the bridge with E-Z Pass. All subsequent trips that day are then rebated.

Drivers paying in cash are charged $2.75.

"It's unfair. We don't see this anywhere in the United States, only in Rockaway. And we have been the dumping ground for the last 60 years. And we're not gonna take it no more," said one Rockaways resident.

"It is almost unheard of to have tolls go from one side of a community to another. And we're hopeful that the sheer force of the wisdom here, and a lot of people will get the MTA to change their mind," said Congressman Anthony Weiner.

The MTA has not responded to the protest.

They agency has said in the past that adding the toll was necessary in order to help them plug an $800 million budget deficit.

NYC4Life

Oct 8, 2010 4:39 AM

Updated 11:15 PM
MTA Board Approves Fare Hikes, Costlier MetroCards
By: John Mancini

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stori...ier-metrocards

Quote:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board approved fare hikes and higher prices for unlimited-ride MetroCards by a 12-2 vote in a heated Midtown hearing Thursday.

The MTA's third fare increase in the past three years will take effect on December 30.

The base fare will remain at $2.25, but single-use cards will cost $2.50, since users will pay 25 cents for the card itself.

The bonus for Pay-Per-Ride cards will kick in only after $10. The discount will go down to 7 percent. Currently, users get a 15 percent bonus after $8.

The seven-day card is to go from $27 to $29, and the 30-day card will increase from $89 to $104. The MTA is also charging an extra dollar for buying a new MetroCard, rather than refilling an old card.

The one-day and 14-day unlimited cards will also be axed.

NYC4Life

Oct 8, 2010 4:41 AM

Updated 7:31 PM
Christie Pulls Plug On Manhattan-NJ Rail Tunnel Project
By: NY1 News

http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beat...unnel-project/

Quote:

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced Thursday that he will not contribute towards a multi-billion-dollar commuter rail tunnel between his state and Manhattan, thereby finishing off the expensive transit project.

Current estimates put the tunnel's cost at $8.7 billion, but Christie said the Federal Transit Administration and New Jersey Transit just estimated the final cost would be between $11 billion to $14 billion.

The tunnel would have doubled the number of New Jersey Transit and Amtrak trains into Pennsylvania Station.

Last month, Christie put a 30-day stop to all work on the tunnel and began to review the project's cost.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg previously said New York City cannot afford to finance the project, as the city has higher transit priorities like extending the 7 subway line.

NYC4Life

Oct 8, 2010 5:31 PM

Updated 12:37 PM
LaGuardia Airport To Use New Control Tower
By: NY1 News

http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beat...control-tower/

Quote:

LaGuardia Airport in Queens will use a new $100 million control tower this weekend.

The Federal Aviation Administration says that flights taking off after midnight Sunday will be the first to get their orders from the new tower.

FAA officials say the the new tower will provide better visibility, new technology to reduce flight delays, more information about planes' destinations and a ground radar system to track aircraft on the runways and taxiways.

The 46-year-old tower that is being replaced will be turned off and decommissioned.

NYC4Life

Oct 8, 2010 5:42 PM

Updated 12:18 PM
Study: City Bike Lanes Have Numerous Safety Violations
By: NY1 News

http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beat...ty-violations/

http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/3734/71803263.jpg

Quote:

A new study finds Manhattan bicycle lanes are not the easy route they were designed to be.

A study by the Manhattan borough president's office finds that double-parked cars, delivery trucks, pedestrians and even police and city vehicles are clogging up the bike lanes.

The study monitored 11 Manhattan bicycle lanes over 22 hours this week, and monitors found more than 1,700 violations. Only two summonses were issued.

Nineteen police cars were observed blocking bike lanes, as well as 16 other city vehicles, including a school bus.

Opening car doors forced 77 cyclists to swerve out of the way on the lanes.

Cyclists themselves are not sticking to the rules, as 242 riders were seen going the wrong way and 237 blew through red lights.

Also, 741 pedestrians were seen standing in bike lanes.

NYC4Life

Oct 8, 2010 5:48 PM

DNAinfo

MTA Will Prevent Hoarding of Metrocards Ahead of Fare Hikes
October 8, 2010 10:31am Updated October 8, 2010 10:39am

http://www.dnainfo.com/20101008/manh...-ahead-of-hike

Quote:

By Jill Colvin

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MIDTOWN — For cash-strapped strap-hangers considering hoarding MetroCards before the fare hike goes into effect, the MTA has a message: don't bother.

While riders will be given a grace period in which they can activate unlimited MetroCards purchased before fares jump on Dec. 30, the old cards will stop working shortly after that date.

"They’ll have a period of weeks in which the card will remain valid for its first swipe," said MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan.

The MTA passed the controversial proposal to raise bus and subway fares Thursday to bridge a budget deficit, bringing the price of a 30-day unlimited MetroCard to a whopping $104, despite massive opposition.

NYC4Life

Oct 8, 2010 6:01 PM

WABC-TV

Operation Rail Safe tests nation's train security
Updated at 12:57 PM today

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?se...cal&id=7713359

Quote:

NEW YORK (WABC) -- "Operation Rail Safe" tested the nation's train security during Friday morning's busy commute.

The drill gave various law enforcement agencies a chance to work together on security procedures on the rail system.

"I did notice some extra dogs and extra security," said commuter Courtney Mazzola, of Colts Neck.

The NYPD, Amtrak police and law enforcement from several agencies patrolled the trains, the stations and subways.

Those areas are highly populated and, therefore, a target, experts say.

Operation Rail Safe was a 4 1/2 hour drill that was intended to reinforce security cooperation on rail systems.

The practice run factored in lessons learned from the attacks in London and Moscow in recent years.

Security was evident inside and outside Penn Station and Grand Central Friday morning, and riders said they were thankful for it.

"I think that's great, if it helps keep the trains safe, then that's great," Long Island resident Stuart Barnett said.

Operation Rail Safe comes right on the heels of the state department's terror alert for Americans traveling in or to Britain, France and Germany.

It's just a coincidence that Operation Rail Safe happened the very same week, but as some riders pointed out, these coincidences are less surprising these days.

"You know, things have changed since 9/11, and you have to face the facts," said Andrea, a commuter from New Jersey.

Operation Rail Safe will continue during Friday's evening commute. The drill took place in major cities across the country.

NYC4Life

Oct 8, 2010 6:04 PM

WABC-TV

Feds hope to save Hudson Tunnel project
Updated at 12:38 PM today

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?se...cal&id=7713601

Quote:

TRENTON, N.J. (WABC) -- Don't write off the nation's biggest construction project just yet.

The creation of a train tunnel from New Jersey into Manhattan may not be dead, at least the federal government hopes not.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is in New Jersey Friday, hoping to persuade Governor Chris Christie to save the project and thousands of jobs.

The project was budgeted for $8.7 billion and would create two new rail lines from the Frank Lautenberg Station in Secaucus to a new station at 34th Street in Manhattan.

But Christie announced Thursday that he was shutting down construction over concerns of cost overruns and New Jersey's inability to cover the bills.

M II A II R II K

Oct 11, 2010 7:21 PM

Roosevelt Island’s Flying Buses to Return Soon

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/ny....html?_r=2&hpw

Quote:

In the company of 109 other daredevils, you’d step into a giant glass bubble. As the bubble is suspended, somewhat unconvincingly, from a length of wire, you’d all be pulled up off the ground and out away from solid land. Higher, farther, higher, farther — until you were dangling 230 feet above the East River.

David Blaine stunt or morning commute? In November, New Yorkers will get the chance to decide, when the Roosevelt Island trams return to service after a seven-month hiatus.

The original trams — chunky red metal on the bottom half, sliding windows above — were perfect relics of mid-1970s design. Each hanging from a brightly painted arm and emblazoned with bold sans-serif type, the trams looked, more or less, like cheerful flying buses. They ran on the equivalent of a clothesline — a single loop of wire with a vehicle at each end. If one got stuck, the other got stuck, too.

The new trams, which are receiving their finishing touches in the Roosevelt Island terminal, suggest the sleek glass-and-steel towers that ate Manhattan (and parts of Brooklyn and Queens) during the last real estate boom. Boarding one is like walking into the achingly spare living room in the sales office of some new Richard Meier project. That aesthetic may have become a visual cliché, but in person, it’s still pretty cool: a minimalist frame for a maximalist view.

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

NYC4Life

Oct 16, 2010 7:17 PM

1:10 PM
Overnight Lane Closures On Tap For GWB, Outerbridge Crossing
By: NY1 News

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stori...ridge-crossing

Quote:

Drivers who use the George Washington Bridge and Outerbridge Crossing overnight may want to find alternate routes this weekend and next.

Inbound lanes on the lower level of the George Washington Bridge will be closed Saturday night from 10 p.m. until 10 a.m. Sunday.

Inbound lanes on the Outerbridge will be closed next Saturday from 10 p.m. until 11 a.m. next Sunday for a paving project.

Drivers are urged to use the Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel, or Goethals Bridge during the closures.

For all the latest information on traffic and transit conditions, be sure to check out NY1's new 24-hour traffic channel "NY1 Rail and Road" on Time Warner Cable channel 104.

NYC4Life

Oct 16, 2010 7:20 PM

Updated 2:24 PM
Agencies Conduct Emergency Response Drill At Grand Central
By: Erica Ferrari

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stori...-grand-central

Quote:

Several agencies including the city's Office of Emergency Management took part in an emergency response drill Sunday at Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal.

Emergency workers simulated a train accident, which included mock rescue efforts of 30 victims.

The drills are an exercise in communication between Metropolitan Transportation Authority safety officials and the city's emergency responders.

"Well, obviously to meet our objectives, but basically to make sure the coordination and and communication amongst the emergency service agencies and the MTA come together to solve a problem," said MTA Deputy Director of Safety Joseph Strenany.

"How to get patients out quicker possibly, to use the resources, possibly the hazards that can come from incidents like this, hazards to us and the public," said EMT Rezaur Raman.

The annual exercise is a federal requirement and is aimed at testing communication and coordination in an emergency.

Train service was not affected, and many passengers did not seem to mind.

"I think it needed to be done I mean they need to be on their toes all the time deal with medical emergencies and stuff that can come up at any time," said one traveler.

A similar drill was also held at Newark Liberty Airport.

The Port Authority says flights were not affected.

fleonzo

Oct 16, 2010 7:25 PM

Tappan Zee Bridge replacement

State down to 2 final designs
for Tappan Zee Bridge
replacement

NEW CITY — State officials today announced the
final two designs for the bridge that will replace the
Tappan Zee Bridge.

One is a single-level span that would have room for
trains to run in the middle, with bus lanes on either
side of the tracks and cars and trucks traveling in
the outer lanes (Plan 3, above).

The second configuration is a dual-level bridge
(Plan 5, above). Trains would run under the north
span. Vehicle traffic would be on the top level, with
dedicated bus lanes in the center.

Michael Anderson, leader of the Tappan Zee
Bridge/Interstate 287 Corridor Project, said the two
designs were narrowed down from six presented to
the public this summer because they had the
shortest construction time, lower costs and the least
environmental impacts to the Hudson River.

The bridge replacement is just one part of the $16
billion project, which would also add bus rapid
transit from Suffern to Port Chester along 30 miles
of Interstate 287 and see the construction of a new
passenger train line across Rockland, into
Westchester on Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line
and onto Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.

Anderson made the announcement in New City at a
meeting about the project organized by Rockland
County Legislature Chairwoman Harriet Cornell. She
has held similar summits on the project for the past
six years.

Project officials also said they were continuing to
work on financing for the project but had not
secured any firm commitments.

Source:http://www.lohud.com/article/2010101...ge-replacement

NYC4Life

Oct 17, 2010 7:09 PM

The Tappan Zee is in desperate need of a replacement.

NYC4Life

Oct 19, 2010 6:38 AM

10/18/2010 09:45 AM
Flashing Bus Lights May Be Illegal
By: NY1 News

http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beat...ay-be-illegal/

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/9893/39728709.jpg

Quote:

Those flashing blue lights you see on the new express buses running in Manhattan and the Bronx could be illegal.

The Daily News says state law reserves the use of blue lights for first responders like police and volunteer firefighters. The flashing signals are supposed to alert drivers to stay out of the way.

But the lights on the Bx12 and recently unrolled M15 Select Service Buses are positioned to attract riders, not warn of emergencies.

According to the News, the Department of Motor Vehicles would not say whether the bus lights violate state law.

But an agency spokesman confirms that the use of blue lights is restricted to first responders.

A spokesman for New York City Transit says the agency sees no safety concerns.

NYC4Life

Oct 19, 2010 6:42 AM

Updated 10/18/2010 11:42 PM
MTA Begins Dyckman Street Station Rehab
By: NY1 News

http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beat...station-rehab/

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/4293/58817010.jpg

Quote:

Some subway riders in Upper Manhattan could be having a tougher commute starting today.

Uptown 1 trains are bypassing Dyckman Street until next August for the first phase of a station rehabilitation project.

The northbound platform at Dyckman Street will be closed until the work is complete. New tracks, platforms, and a new canopy above the station will be installed.

Customers headed for Dyckman Street may ride to 207th Street and use their MetroCard on the downtown side to ride back. They will not be charged a second fare.

A second phase of the project, set to begin next September, will take the southbound platform out of service for several months.

The A subway line is still stopping at Dyckman Street.

For more information, call the Travel Information Center at 1-718-330-1234 or visit the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's website at mta.info.

NYC4Life

Oct 19, 2010 6:47 AM

Updated 10/18/2010 09:19 PM
Officials Break Ground On Long-Anticipated Moynihan Station Project
By: John Mancini

http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beat...ation-project/

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/2756/97468510.jpg

Quote:

The mayor, governor, and other officials broke ground Monday on the long-anticipated Moynihan Station project, on the 100th anniversary of the long-gone original Pennsylvania Station. NY1's Transit reporter John Mancini filed the following report.

Monday's birthday party for Pennsylvania Station was bittersweet, as it marked the 100th anniversary of a place that no longer exists, as the first classical-style building was unceremoniously demolished in 1964.

"There's a part of me that wishes someone would come along and take away what we're standing in right now and say 'OK, we made a great mistake. Let's start from scratch and rebuild it,'" said author Lorraine Diehl. "It's tantalizingly sad in a way, because I wish that everyone here who didn't see the building would have at least one opportunity to walk through it."

That dream is not coming true any time soon, but at Eighth Avenue, officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for a project to transform Farley Post Office into an expanded Penn Station that will link the subway system and Amtrak trains in a massive new facility.

"With newer subways, and wider passageways and a modern security upgrade, it will create a safer and more comfortable experience for all travelers," said Governor David Paterson.

http://media.ny1.com/media/2010/10/1...tation2010.jpg
The current exterior of the Penn Station.

The improvements are also expected to ease access for people with disabilities.

The $257 million concourse project, which received $83 million in federal stimulus money, will have the Farley Post Office entrances feed a complete Moynihan Station, which is named for late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. The west-end concourse is expected to ease congestion for all rail and subway passengers at the nation's busiest terminal.

"We're also, for the first time, going to have direct access from that platform into Moynihan Station. So all of that work is needed to be done in advance of the second phase of building the grand inter-city train hall," said Timothy Gilchrist of the Moynihan Station Development Corporation.

No one banked the additional hundreds of millions dollars needed to complete the whole station, whose design echoes the station demolished in 1964.

Riders who battle the Penn Station crowds every day say they welcome any relief.

"Rush hour, when I get on the train to go home, it often takes five or 10 minutes just to get from station level to platform level. It's ridiculous," said a commuter.

The new entrances are expected to be completed by 2016, but there is no estimate for when the entire Moynihan Station will be finished.

All times are GMT. The time now is 8:58 PM.

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