Spending a few million to "study" a corridor is just a way of pushing something off until later while still pretending like you're actually helping. NYC spends more time doing a study than other places spend actually building the subway.

Well even the mayor doesn't seem THAT into it so the question is who is the audience at this point. Better off spending the money on improving the bus corridor on Utica and pumping up frequency rather than setting 5 mil on fire to tell them things they know.

^ no worries i’m sure the cabbie and uber/lyft lobbies will keep ‘one airtrain, two airports’ stealth outer loop service from ever happening.

***

hooray for me and many other others — today the appeals court allowed the 14st busway to proceed. weirdly it was only by a 3-2 vote for some reason, but it counts:

https://gothamist.com/news/judge-rul...forward-again-

gateway rally today too:


https://www.fox5ny.com/news/transpor...tunnel-project

They need to start building that tunnel already.

Lol, the PA can’t even run the (automated) JFK Airtrain at respectable frequencies and they just raised the fare 50%. If they ever did connect LGA and JFK with AirTrain it would run every 30 minutes and cost $25 somehow.

^ true, but there is potential to make the airtrain anything they want it to be service-wise and cost-wise. not that it actually would ever happen in the users favor lol.


***


the rather confusing 14st bikeway, err, busway starts tomorrow (thursday) and is in force daily 6am-10pm.

prepare for chaos!!!

https://nypost.com/2019/10/01/de-bla...set-to-unfold/

ᴴᴰ R160 F Express Train - To Coney Island Announcements - Brooklyn Express

• Video Link

here we go 14st busway - all you need to know:


https://nypost.com/2019/10/02/the-14...ould-know/amp/

here’s a good 5min long east side access video via the wsj from 2016:

https://youtu.be/epd3j2DWWYU

new 14st busway day one
off to a rainy, quiet start
seems like drivers are aware?
we’ll see ...!

http://i1340.photobucket.com/albums/...psadvuvje5.jpg

If 14th Street is a success, then other crosstown arterials will be converted, which will be great.

All major Manhattan arterials should be for transit and deliveries only, at least during weekday business hours.

Looks like a relatively good start on 14th St. Unfortunately the signage is just now going in according to twitter. Not perfect but it's a beginning.

Some of the media stories about biz being worried that all their customers who drive won't come are grating. I've spent a considerable amount of time on 14th street over the years and L train/bus/peds VASTLY outnumber anybody in cars. They don't know who their own customers are.

^ you got that right re the business owners, there is nothing along 14st that warrants needing a car. what? whole foods groceries?? boo hoo.

and yes busway signage is definitely a problem, i see none by us --

however, this morning at the start at least i saw a lot of police in intersections and even tow trucks out (although i doubt they will actually tow anybody for awhile, just warn them, but who knows).

i cannot wait to enjoy the peace and quiet tonight at home after work - ha!

Even the Whole Foods customers overwhelmingly looked like pedestrians and transit user from my experience.

The pics I'm seeing from people of 14th are unreal. Lots of space, busses moving, trucks making deliveries, no gridlocked intersections, side streets not flooded with cars. They should do this to half the major streets in the city, at least.

^ its very noticeably quiet out front of our place on 14st tonight, so all is good.

i spoke to one of the traffic cops outside before i came up. they are not happy with the lack of signage and vagueness of the rules. the only instructions they were given was tell any cars to turn off at the next block. they really have to put some serious, large signage up.

good news — L train work is ahead of schedule:

https://ny.curbed.com/platform/amp/2...drew-cuomo-mta


bedford ave L train work this past weekend in w’burg

http://i1340.photobucket.com/albums/...psg8jvcwpl.jpg

An important thing for the 14 St busway is that it originally started as mitigation for the L closure. Closures are going to be required on many lines to more rapidly install CBTC which it seems the new MTA budget is going to pay for a fair amount of. The success of 14th street shows that NYCT could take some of the sting out of the projects for riders if the dept of transportation plays along.

despite not being in the mta budget, staten islanders are looking at using brt along the old rail transit line for north shore service:

https://thecity.nyc/2019/10/odd-rout...d-transit.html

BRT along a rail line. Only in NY (amd the rest of the country)