4

Staten Island Bus Drivers Sick Day Controversy

Posted by
on April 11th, 2010 at 11:09 pm

The winter of 2009-2010 was a brutal one for the tri-state area. Storm after storm battered the region & left traveling dangerous or near impossible for many. When the weather was extremely bad, many businesses closed early or entirely. However some industries do not have such luxuries & public transportation is one of them.

This past Friday, a report in the New York Daily News by Pete Donohue takes a look at how up to 21% of Staten Island bus drivers called in sick before February’s storms:

What a snow job!

As the city braced for a major snow storm Feb. 9, 88 bus drivers – nearly 21% – at the Castleton bus depot in Staten Island didn’t show up for work, according to NYC Transit data.

And at Staten Island’s Yukon bus depot, 67 drivers – more than 15% of workers – were missing in action, according to the agency.

While absenteeism was up at other depots, those on Staten Island led the pack in snow storm no-shows, which transit officials say can’t simply be blamed on the stormy weather.

“Clearly there are cases where people are taking advantage of sick-day policies, and when and where we are able, we’re going to go after those cases in a very serious way,” MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin said.

The sick calls started coming in heavier than usual early on Feb. 9 – many hours before the first flakes fell, transit officials said.

Vinnie Serapiglia – vice president of Amalgamated Transit Workers Union Local 726, which represents NYC Transit drivers on Staten Island – said bus operators likely didn’t go to work because they anticipated a tough commute home, adding that many live in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

“I don’t understand the thinking of the transit authority,” he said. “The guys come here and put their all into the job, and it seems like they are constantly under attack by management.”

I must say I do not care for this report. Personally, I find it nothing more than an attack piece against drivers who live out of state. Judging by the responses of some to the report, it is considered a bad thing that some drivers live out of state while working for the transit agency. They seem to take issue with drivers calling in sick in fear of having tough or impossible commutes home during major storms.

Tell me, what exactly is wrong with workers living out of state & being concerned about their commute? Is it fair for everyone else outside of the public transportation sector to worry about their commutes but not the ones providing them to millions daily? Where is the fair & balanced view in that? Did these individuals ever take into account how the quality of life & cost of living is better outside of NYC? Why should they pay more just to say they live closer to their place of employment?

Realistically speaking, bus service in Staten Island is the absolute worst in the city. Instead of focusing on attacking employees calling in sick prior to a major storm, how about implementing better strategies to provide quality service in the borough? Instead of always going after the blue collar workforce that makes this agency run 24×7, how about being more proactive in disciplining wasteful actions of management, contractors, & the like? The never-ending war between the MTA & its blue collar workforce needs to stop for the better of both parties as well as the riders themselves. Anything less is completely unacceptable!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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0

Service Diversions 04-09-10

Posted by
on April 9th, 2010 at 12:04 pm

I have just updated the “Service Diversions” page with the latest information for the weekend & following week (beyond in some cases). LIRR riders, do not forget about the major work affecting the Hempstead & Port Jefferson lines. I suggest you print out a copy of the diversions to carry with you or use your mobile device to access the phone friendly version of Transit Blogger. Have a safe & wonderful weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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2

Parkchester Station Rehabilitation

Posted by
on April 9th, 2010 at 6:31 am

Service in the Bronx on the 6 Train has been going through some changes due to station rehabilitation work. The most prominent changes stem from the closure of the Morrison Av-Soundview and Whitlock Av stations due to this project. We can now add a 3rd station that will be affected due to this project & that would be Parkchester. While the station will not be closed, Bronx-bound service to & from it will be affected. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release sent to me yesterday by MTA NYC Transit:

There will be limited Pelham Bay Park-bound 6 service to and from Parkchester station beginning on Saturday, April 10 through early July, 2010 because of ongoing station rehabilitation, MTA New York City Transit officials recently announced.

The Parkchester station is undergoing a full rehabilitation, including the replacement of canopies, refurbishing the mezzanine, new lighting and public address system. Another component of the rehabilitation is the replacement of the platforms edges; we are installing tactile strips. Accordingly, we have to close that platform while the work is being done. This will affect service to and from the station as follows:

• At all times, all northbound 6 local trains will skip Parkchester, while ^ express trains will stop at Parkchester between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays, but on the Manhattan-bound platform.

• From 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., the last stop for some 6 trains is St. Lawrence Avenue; to continue northbound, transfer to a Pelham Bay Park-bound 6 train at St. Lawrence Avenue.

• From 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, the last stop for all 6 local trains is St. Lawrence Avenue; to continue northbound, transfer to a Pelham Bay Park-bound ^ express train at Hunts Point Avenue.

• From 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the last stop for some Bronx-bound 6 trains is 3rd Avenue-138th Street; to continue northbound, transfer to a Pelham Bay Park-bound 6 train.

Weekend changes to service will vary as the work progresses at the station. NYC Transit regrets any inconvenience to our customers, and we encourage affected riders to look for signs in stations and listen for announcements. Customers may also call our Travel Information Center at 718-330-1234 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, or check service diversion information at www.mta.info (click on Planned Changes).

xoxo Transit Blogger

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1

Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against The MTA

Posted by
on April 8th, 2010 at 1:15 pm

The time for the implementation of the approved service cuts is getting closer & closer. Many different outlets including this blog have covered various angles of the cuts & how they will affect riders. However one section of cuts has not received much press & those happen to be the ones planned for Able-Ride.

As noted in this entry, “Able-Ride will no longer provide paratransit service to areas of Nassau County that are beyond the service area defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).” All though this particular section of cuts has not received much press, certain groups have been focusing on them. The groups in question are the Adults and Children with Learning and Developmental Disabilities, Inc. (ACLD) & United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau County, Inc. (UCPN).

Two days ago, I received an e-mail from a nice gentlemen named Colin from the Corbett Public Relations Firm informing me of some important information. Due to the approved service cuts to Able-Ride, the Adults and Children with Learning and Developmental Disabilities, Inc. (ACLD) and United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau County, Inc. (UCPN) have filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the MTA. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release sent to me:

Adults and Children with Learning and Developmental Disabilities, Inc. (ACLD) and United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau County, Inc. (UCPN) have filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on behalf of eight disabled individuals from Nassau County who will see service eliminated on April 12, 2010. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order and injunction against the MTA to prevent drastic cuts to the Able-Ride program in Nassau County. Able-Ride is part of the MTA’s paratransit bus service for people with disabilities.

The cuts, to take effect April 12th, will impact individuals with disabilities who live more than 3/4 of a mile from a bus line. These individuals will no longer have access or receive much needed transportation services. Individuals who live within 3/4 miles of a bus line will see service cut and many will only receive Able-Ride transportation to a bus stop. These cuts, if put into effect, will cause considerable hardship to persons with disabilities in Nassau County, negatively impact their right to live independently and will cause many to lose their jobs.

ACLD and its partners in this lawsuit object to the methods the MTA used to notify Nassau County residents about the cuts to the Able-Ride program. No public notices or announcements of cuts were made. Only those who use the Able-Ride service were mailed letters informing them of the MTA’s drastic cuts. Organizations like ACLD, and others, who routinely assist users of the Able-Ride program, were not informed of these sweeping changes.

Many of the program riders are elderly, or suffer from cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, which makes understanding the changes in service difficult. This situation has left many seniors, as well as organizations that assist seniors and the disabled, in the dark about who is affected by the proposed cuts. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the MTA and Long Island Bus are required to look for alternatives and communicate more fully with people who are disabled before making substantial changes in policies.

“In our opinion the MTA’s cuts will affect Nassau County’s disabled community disproportionately. Removing transportation services for this population will be devastating. Most of these individuals have no other means of transportation. We understand that the MTA is making cuts and non-disabled people may lose some access to service, however they will not lose all of their services as will be the case with many people with disabilities,” said Aaron Liebowitz, Executive Director of ACLD.

“These cuts are disastrous to Long Island’s elderly and disabled residents, and to the regional economy. The people with disabilities rely on the Able-Ride program for transportation to and from work, doctor’s appointments, grocery and drug stores. These cuts will also negatively affect the regional economy by preventing people from getting to work and stopping people from shopping locally,” said Robert McGuire, Executive Director of United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County, Inc.

ACLD is a leading nonprofit agency on Long Island. For more than 50 years, it has served the needs of more than 3,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families. ACLD’s mission is to provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities to pursue an enviable life, to increase their independence, and improve the quality of their lives in the community. For more information, please visit the ACLD website at www.acld.org. To voice your objection to the MTA cuts, please call Able-Ride at 516-228-4000 or email them by clicking on the contact us tab at http://mta.info/libus/.

I will continue to follow up on this as developments occur. I hope to schedule some sort of time to speak with anyone involved with this case. Stay tuned….

xoxo Transit Blogger

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2

Multiple LIRR Lines Affected For Two Weekends

Posted by
on April 6th, 2010 at 2:35 pm

Earlier today, the MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) sent out a press release advising customers on the Hempstead & Port Jefferson line to use other lines for the next two weekends. The advisement is due to a track work program in the Queens Village area & grade crossing renewals. Here are the complete details:

A track work program in the Queens Village area and grade crossing renewals during the weekends of April 10-11 and April 17-18 will mean no train service on the Hempstead Branch and train service frequency will be reduced on the Port Jefferson/Huntington Branch. Customers should consider taking trains from South Shore LIRR stations (Babylon, Long Beach and West Hempstead Branches) in order to avoid delays during the two weekends.

The track surfacing work will keep this important section of track in a state of good repair, and when the work is completed, the thousands of daily LIRR customers who travel through the area should experience a smoother train ride. For this project, railroad employees using two track tamper machines will lift and align the track itself and add ballast (stones), where necessary. This helps to smooth out any bumps in the track bed and gives longer life to all track components. The tamper machines are each over 100 feet long and weigh 150 tons.

Schedule adjustments will also be made on some trains on the Babylon, Far Rockaway, Long Beach, Oyster Bay and Ronkonkoma Branches during the affected weekends to accommodate Hempstead Branch and Port Jefferson/Huntington Branch connections. These adjustments are reflected in the special weekend timetables dated April 10-11 and April 17-18.

Hempstead Branch:

Eastbound: Customers will board trains at western terminals then disembark at Jamaica for buses that will take them to their final destinations. Customers should anticipate up to 33 minutes additional travel time.

Westbound: Customers will board buses at their stations then change at Jamaica for trains to western terminals. Buses will depart up to 32 minutes earlier than scheduled train times.

Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch:
Customers traveling to and from stations New Hyde Park through Huntington will have hourly train service instead of half-hourly train service. Customers traveling east of Huntington to and from Port Jefferson will have train service every two hours instead of every 90 minutes.

Grade Crossing Renewals:

In addition to the track surfacing work, two grade crossings will be renewed on the affected weekends. The work includes replacing rubber panels at the crossings with longer lasting concrete. On April 10-11, the Franklin Avenue, Garden City crossing will be renewed and on April 17-18, the Covert Avenue, Stewart Manor crossing will be renewed. During the work, local motor vehicle traffic detours will be in place as detailed below:

Detour route for Franklin Ave. road closure for crossing renewal work – April 10-11:

Southbound: Heading south on Franklin Avenue, proceed west on 7th Street, then proceed south on Hilton Avenue, then proceed east on 6th Street to Franklin Avenue.

Northbound: Heading north on Franklin Avenue, proceed west on 6th Street, then proceed north on Hilton Avenue, then proceed east on 7th Street to Franklin Avenue.

Detour for Covert Avenue road closure for crossing renewal work – April 17-18:

Northbound: Heading north on Covert Avenue, proceed east on Salisbury Avenue, then proceed north on New Hyde Park Road, then proceed west on Stewart Avenue to Covert Avenue.

Southbound: Heading south on Covert Avenue, proceed east on Stewart Avenue then proceed south on New Hyde Park Road, then proceed west on Salisbury Avenue to Covert Avenue.

____

Customers should pick up a copy of the special April 10-11, April 17-18 branch timetables at their stations or at all terminals. For train schedule information customers can contact the LIRR’s 24-hour Travel Information Center in Suffolk County at 631-231-LIRR, in Nassau County at 516-822-LIRR or New York City at 718-217-LIRR. The Travel Information Center’s TDD number for hearing impaired is 718-558-3022. Customers can also consult the LIRR’s website at www.mta.info.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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