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Service Diversions 07-12-10

Posted by
on July 12th, 2010 at 5:01 am

I have just updated the “Service Diversions” page by removing all of the work scheduled to end by 5AM today.. The latest information for the upcoming week & beyond in some cases is at the forefront.

As always, I suggest you print out a copy of the diversions to have with you while riding. You may also use any phone or electronic device to access the mobile friendly version of Transit Blogger. Have a safe week & do your best to keep cool!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions
2

34th St Corridor Plan Gets $18M Grant

Posted by
on July 11th, 2010 at 11:14 pm

Anyone who has traveled on 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan knows just how much of a nightmare bus service is. Unfortunately walking does not offer much relief as the sidewalks are just as pack as the street itself. It has been long known that NYC wants to change the layout of this busy thoroughfare via a pedestrian plan calling for more open space & dedicated bus lanes.

Although the plan is not yet finalized, it received a nice financial boost courtesy of a $18M grant. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News has more:

An ambitious city effort to speed up buses along 34th St. won an $18 million federal grant, officials announced Thursday.

The design for the 34th St. Transitway isn’t finalized, but the federal government still tapped it for the largest bus grant from a pool of $293 million being distributed for mass transit upgrades nationwide.

The Transitway will include several features for speeding up sluggish bus traffic, including technology that extends green lights for approaching buses and creates barriers to keep cars out of bus-only lanes.

Wider sidewalks and center islands will make it safer for pedestrians, who number more than 5,000 an hour on 34th St. during during peak times, officials said.

“Eighteen million dollars is a great vote of confidence in 34th St. and shows the importance of this project,” city Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said. “New York City continues to pave the way with bold ideas to improve transportation.”

The goal on 34th St. and other city streets is to create bus corridors similar to stretches of the subway. Buses will get top priority to run with as little interference as possible, Sadik-Khan said, speeding up travel by up to 35 % and shaving about 10 minutes off each trip.

The city has some of the slowest bus speeds in the nation. The average bus speed on 34th St. is 4.5 mph, which is barely faster than walking.

One design possibility under consideration would ban cars between 5th and 6th Aves., officials have said.

Pedestrians and bus riders far outnumber drivers along 34th St., which is used by 17,000 local bus riders and 16,000 express riders every day, many from Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island.

At Herald Square, 90% of people are riding mass transit or walking, according to the city DOT, with the remainder taking private vehicles.

The federal grant will cover about half of the construction, planning and other costs for the project, a joint effort of the DOT and the MTA.

Click here for the complete report.

I have to admit I have not kept up to date with all of the proposed plans for this project. I am curious as to the plans to speed up bus service as something needs to be done about that disaster zone between 5th & 9th Aves.

As far as bike lanes & walking areas are concerned, I can’t say I am the biggest fan of that. This obsession with bike lanes can border on ridiculous sometimes as money is earmarked for such projects when they are a small minority even as it grows in popularity within New York City. I am more interested in the money being spent purely to improve conditions for bus riders who are more important than bicycle riders.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 07-10-10

Posted by
on July 10th, 2010 at 5:44 am

I just updated the “Service Diversions” page by removing all of the scheduled work that wrapped up by 11:59 PM last night. The weekend diversions which I posted earlier have now moved to the top followed by the subsequent work during the week.

I suggest printing out a copy of the diversions to carry with you or use your mobile device to access the mobile version of Transit Blogger. The next update will be sometime after 5:01 AM Monday when all of the weekend diversions will officially be wrapped up. As always, stay safe & cool during your travels.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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0

MTA Statement On 2011 Fare Hike

Posted by
on July 9th, 2010 at 4:58 pm

Shortly after Tom Namako of the New York Post had his report on potential facets of the MTA’s 2011 Fare Hike plan published, the MTA issued a statement. Here is what I received:

The rescue agreement reached with the Governor and Legislature last spring called for a 7.5% increase in revenues from MTA fares and tolls in January 2011, and despite an $800 million budget shortfall caused by deteriorating tax revenues, it has always been our intention to try to adhere to this agreement. As we have consistently said, the amount of the increase must be determined in the context of our overall financial plan, which is not finalized and will be presented to the MTA Board later this month. At that time the Board will be asked to authorize public hearings on the fare increase to be held in the fall. Only after those hearings will a final decision be made on both the level of the increase and how it will be implemented.

Click here for my initial analysis of the report.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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6

2011 Fare Hike To Have MetroCard Tax?

Posted by
on July 9th, 2010 at 4:50 pm

This might be the case according to a report by the New York Post this morning which dropped this bombshell among others in reporting on the 2011 fare hike. At the end of the last month, MTA CEO & Board Chairman Jay Walder announced that there would be no fare hikes this year even with the financial crisis continuing to worsen. However as I noted, this was not a big deal considering 2011 is right around the corner.

Let’s delve into the report by Tom Namako of the New York Post:

The MetroCard tax may be coming to a subway station near you.

Millions of straphangers would be hit with a $1 surcharge when they get a new MetroCard from a vending machine instead of refilling an old one under one of the MTA’s leading fare-hike and revenue-raising plans, The Post has learned.

“It would provide an incentive to hold on to the card,” a source said, helping rein in manufacturing, distribution and disposal costs as well as providing a new revenue stream for the cash-starved agency.

“When I see what it costs to produce MetroCards, it’s not efficient, and it makes me sick when I see them strewn across the floor at stations,” another source said. “I wouldn’t say I’d be distressed” over a new-card surcharge.

Another major change under consideration is putting a cap on the number of trips using weekly and monthly “unlimited ride” cards. Details of that plan were not immediately available.

The “unlimited ride” restrictions would curb straphangers’ ability to share MetroCards.

Officials are also considering the elimination of off-peak fares on the Metro-North and LIRR commuter rail lines — which would provide another cash injection, sources said.

Leading MTA revenue-raising and fare-hike plans under consideration for 2011:

* Riders would pay a $1 surcharge every time they get a new MetroCard from a vending machine instead of refilling an old one.

* $27 weekly MetroCards would rise by about 4%.

* $89 monthly cards would increase to just under $100.

* Number of rides on weekly and monthly cards would be capped.

* Single-ride fare would remain at $2.25.

* Overall fare hike would be 7.5%.

Click here for the complete report.

It is pretty easy to figure out which aspects of the report will garner the biggest attention. Those aspects would be the “MetroCard Tax” & the cap on unlimited cards. As fat as the “tax”goes, I don’t necessarily think it is a bad thing. The majority of the subway system is an eyesore & let’s face it, this is due to the riders themselves.

Trash happens to be the biggest issue caused by riders in station & one of the most popular items that gets trashed are MetroCards. Maybe this surcharge is what is needed to encourage riders to refill their cards versus tossing them on the ground which many riders are guilty of doing. Plus if they ever get around to a SmartCard type system, MetroCards will become obsolete as should the tax.

As far as the cap goes, I want to find out specific details before completely opining on it. I can say at first glance that I am against any idea of a cap as advertising something as unlimited means it should be unlimited.

My biggest two concerns outside of the capping of MetroCards is the obsession with the MTA wanting to keep the base fare at its current levels & the potential elimination of off-peak pricing on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) & Metro-North Railroad. (MNRR). Let me first tackle the base fare.

It is a fact that the majority of riders do not pay the base fare when using the bus or subway. So with this being the case, why does the MTA continue to obsess with not raising the base fare which helps the fewest amount of riders? Why should the majority of riders have to suffer through increases while the privileged few who pay base fare get a pass?

Ideas like these are why so many bash the agency for not doing right by its customers. Normally I would defend the agency as most criticisms are based out of a lack of knowledge of the real happenings with the agency from all sides but in this case I can’t.

The other issue is the potential elimination of the off-peak fares on the two commuter railroads. This would personally be a huge deal to me as I currently live on the island & use the LIRR as much as I do the subway at times. Over the last decade, off-peak ridership has increased greatly although service to match has not.

I happen to be a frequent off-peak rider & already feel I pay too much for the service provided. Many riders as a whole feel the same way I do & bemoan the costs on a somewhat regular basis. If they truly eliminate the off-peak pricing model, I fully expect this to drive even more people to the roads.

As it is, I still continue to travel via car because it is more cost effective in most cases. By eliminating the off-peak pricing model, the trips I frequently make on the LIRR will automatically diminish if not evaporate completely. I am extremely confident this would be the case for many others.

The next few weeks should prove interesting as this information gets flushed out & actual concrete data is provided in terms of potential new pricing structures. I will definitely stay on top of this story which is sure to dominate the headlines for the remainder of the year.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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