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Person Slashed At Queens Subway Station

While major crime in NYC is at record low, transit crimes have risen immensely. The unfortunate trend continued yesterday afternoon when a man was slashed at the Beach 90th Street & station. Andrea Cavallier of Pix 11 has more:

Police are looking for two suspects after a man was slashed at a subway station in Far Rockaway Tuesday afternoon.

It happened around 4:20 p.m. on the A train line at the Beach 90th Street station.

A woman reportedly told police that her husband was jumped by the unidentified attackers during a dispute and slashed. The reason for the dispute is not known.

The man, 31, was taken to the hospital, where he is being treated for injuries to the face and thigh.

Police are continuing to scour the area for the two suspects, a male and a female.

I always hate to hear stories about a subway slashing as such a crime comes across as extremely personal especially when done to the face. Regardless of that, I hope the people responsible for this are caught & face severe consequences for their actions unless details prove they were acting in self defense which I am doubting based on initial reports.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Gov. Cuomo Announces New Bus Roll Out

Earlier today, Gov. Cuomo announced the roll out of new buses equipped with charging ports & wi-fi service. Here is more via the official press release I received:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the first of 86 new buses equipped with Wi-Fi service and USB ports have arrived in Brooklyn, and that the first of 79 new buses have arrived in Manhattan. The new buses will replace nearly 40 percent of the MTA’s current fleet and represent a $1.3 billion investment of Capital Program resources.

The first 75 buses included in the plan went into service in Queens last year and in March, the first of 83 new buses equipped with Wi-Fi service and USB ports arrived in the Bronx. The new arrivals are part of a larger initiative, announced by the Governor in March 2016 that is revitalizing the MTA’s bus operations, with more than 2,042 state-of-the-art new buses joining its transportation fleet over the course of five years.

“These new, state-of-the-art buses will improve the standard of service for countless commuters and will help ensure the continued viability and reliability of the MTA’s bus fleet for years to come,” Governor Cuomo said. “In today’s ever-evolving world of technology, it is critical that we meet the demand for enhanced connectivity through a superior mass transit system – these buses are an important step forward in bringing the MTA into the 21st century.”

Additionally, the MTA is in the process of upgrading existing buses with Wi-Fi and USB charging ports. By the end of this year, all express buses will be retrofitted with Wi-Fi and USB charging ports. The buses will also feature bus operator partitions as well as cameras to enhance the safety of both bus operators and passengers.

“Today’s announcement shows continued momentum, but it’s just one part of a larger initiative to modernize the MTA’s entire bus fleet,” Ronnie Hakim, Interim Executive Director of the MTA said. “That broader program includes last month’s introduction of new Wi-Fi enabled buses in Queens and the Bronx, as well as tests of digital information screens, pedestrian turn warning systems and collision warning systems. Taken as a whole these innovations represent both an increased focus on our customers’ needs, and an entirely new way of doing business.”

Buses in Brooklyn

After the initial delivery of 3 buses, units will arrive at a rate of approximately 3 to 5 buses per week. All 86 buses will be in service by mid-October of this year, and will be based at the MTA’s Jackie Gleason and Grand Avenue Depots, running on the B4, B8, B9, B11, B16, B35, B37, B43, B61, B63, B67, B68, B69 and B70. These buses will support Phase 2 of the Bushwick Shuttle.

Buses in Manhattan

After the initial delivery of 3 buses this week, units will arrive at a rate of approximately 3 to 5 buses per week. All 79 buses will be in service by the end of this year and will be based at the MTA’s Tuskegee Depot, running on the M14, M15, M101, M102 and M103.

The addition of Wi-Fi provides a new level of connectivity to New Yorkers, bringing ease and convenience to those working, reading emails, or checking in on their social media accounts without impacting their cellular data plans. The number of USB ports on buses will range from 35-55, depending on the make and model, and will be conveniently located throughout the bus.

These upgrades are part of Governor Cuomo’s robust plan to fully transform the MTA into an innovative, state-of-the-art system with improved customer service and first-class amenities. Other elements of the broader enhancement program that focus on buses include:

• New Look SBS Buses Serving the Bronx and Queens: In March of 2017 Governor Cuomo unveiled a new design for the MTA’s Select Bus Service buses, which are also equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity and USB ports, and announced that the first of a total of 43 new SBS buses had arrived in Queens and Bronx.

• Digital Information Screens: The MTA is in the process of completing a successful pilot program to evaluate digital information screens on 200 buses. With the completion of the pilot this month, the MTA will begin the process of deploying the screens to 3,600 buses by 2020. The digital screens offer audio and visual route information and display next stop information, service advisories and travel information, including transfers. They also have the capability to display geo-specific advertising, enabling the potential opening up of a new avenue of advertising revenue.

• Pedestrian Warning System & Collision Avoidance Technology: The MTA is also conducting pilot programs for new technologies aimed at improving customer and passenger safety, including a pedestrian turn warning system, will be installed on 288 buses, and a new collision warning technology system will be installed on 145 buses. After the successful completion of this test, the technologies will be installed on 1,600 buses starting in mid-2018.

• LaGuardia Link: The relaunch of the Q70 Limited bus service as “LaGuardia Link” with a distinctive new look designed to help customers and tourists quickly find their way between LaGuardia Airport and two regional transit hubs in Queens that connect to five subway lines, Long Island Rail Road and seven bus lines. The route, nicknamed the “LaGuardia Link,” is a Select Bus Service which employs convenient off-board fare technology that allows customers to pre-pay their fare and enter and exit through any bus door, eliminating the need to wait to pay at a single fare box, and decreasing dwell time at stops. The LaGuardia Link will also continue to offer travelers convenient luggage storage racks.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Sex Offender Caught On 6 Train

The warm weather seems to bring out the worst in some people. Such is the case for 53 year old level 2 sex offender Stephen Martinez who was arrested on Saturday after gyrating on a woman on a Bronx-bound 6 train. Ross Keith of the New York Daily News has more:

A Brooklyn man was busted for grinding up against a woman on a subway train, police said.

Stephen Martinez, 53, allegedly rubbed himself on the victim on an uptown No. 6 train Saturday afternoon, according to cops.

Martinez, a level two sex offender, was busted at the Grand Central subway station around 3:30 p.m., police said.

The officers first spotted Martinez lurking in Union Square station and watched him get behind his 23-year-old victim, and gyrate against her, cops said.

Martinez, who lives at a Brownsville men’s shelter, was awaiting arraignment Saturday night.

I am glad the man was caught for his lewd act. However I wonder why is he not in jail already if he is a level 2 sex offender. If he was, he would not be able to engage in lewd behavior like this on innocent people. Just another example of why our justice system is beyond messed up.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Worker Attacked For Being A Snitch

If you grew up in an urban environment, one word you never want to be tagged with is snitch as it is severely looked down upon even when it was right to do so.

Such is the case for a MTA worker who was attacked last Wednesday on a Brooklyn-bound L train after “snitching” on a rider who was urinating between cars. Thomas Tracy of the New York Daily News has more:

The on-duty MTA employee was riding a Brooklyn-bound L train heading into the First Ave./14th St. station at about 2:45 a.m. Wednesday when he saw a straphanger relieving himself between cars.

When the train reached the Bedford Ave. station in Brooklyn, he told two cops what he had observed. The officers grabbed the straphanger, who was still on the train, and tossed him from the station, officials said.

The move infuriated another commuter — a complete stranger — who accused the MTA employee of being a tattletale.

“Why you snitch on him?” the straphanger asked. “Wait to we leave. I’m gonna f–k you up.”

Once the doors closed, the straphanger attacked the MTA employee, punching him in the face and choking him

Click here for the full report.

I in no way condone the worker being attacked as it was not right & hopefully the perpetrator is caught. However I do have to question why he felt the need to go to the cops over someone urinating between cars. Perhaps the person really had to go & could no longer hold it. Now if he decided to urinate inside the car, I could understand flagging down the cops. However to do it in this case seemed overboard.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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