I Wonder What Judy Thinks…….
(Judy Jacobs; Photo courtesy of Nassau County Government Website )
Who is Judy you might ask? Judy Jacobs is the Presiding Officer of the Majority of the Nassau County Legislature. She represents district 16 which is made up of the communities of Bethpage, Cove Neck, East Norwich, Jericho, Laurel Hollow, Muttontown, Oyster Bay, Oyster Bay Cove, Plainview, Syosset, and Woodbury. So why would I care what she thinks?
While doing some research a short while ago about the Syosset gap story, I stumbled across a press release from the Nassau County government website. The August 11, 2006 press release discussed Judy Jacobs reaction to the at the time proposal by the Long Island Railroad to install a CCTV system at the Syosset station. Here is the full press release:
Nassau County Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs (Woodbury) today called a proposal by Long Island Railroad officials to install a $1.5 million “monitoring system” at the Syosset Rail Road station an “unacceptable” solution to the danger posed to passengers by the 15-inch gap that exists between the trains and platform. This week a teenager died when she slipped into a gap while waiting for a train at another station. The 15-inch gap at the Syosset station is most problematic because of the large curved platform.
Dermody announced the proposed safety measure today, but Legislator Jacobs fired off her third letter in as many days to Dermody to express her disapproval. I her third letter she wrote:
“I was just informed that one of your “solutions” at the Syosset rail road is the installation of $1,500,000.00 of surveillance cameras that would be able to allow you to see if, and how, anyone falls into the gap. This is totally unacceptable as a solution. Obviously, we need the same protection that exists on many New York stations, where extensions come out from under the platforms to close the gaps on the train. Anything short of that same type of installation is totally irresponsible and unresponsive to the protection of public safety.
Surveillance cameras cannot prevent a person from falling through the gaps. Surveillance cameras will not protect a person from being injured, or possibly killed.”
Jacobs is instead proposing that the LIRR install moveable gap fillers to serve as a bridge between the train and platform. Filler bridges are used at several stations in New York City.
“Syosset’s gap problem needs more than the stop-gap measure proposed by Dermody,” Jacobs said. “The LIRR knew about this problem since 1970.”
I happen to agree with Judy 100% on this issue. I have never heard of CCTV preventing such accidents. I also fail to see CCTV ever preventing such accidents. I also strongly agree that the installation of the CCTV system is nothing but the Long Island Railroad’s way of throwing a band aid on a would that needs much more attention!
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Yet Another LIRR Gap Accident!
(Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs points out the 15 and 1/2 inch gap at the Syosset train station. Photo courtesy of Nassau County Government Website )
The curse of the gap has once again reared its ugly head on the Long Island Railroad. Today’s incident occurred at the Syosset station on the Port Jefferson branch. The victim was a 60 year old woman who became stuck in the platform gaps that are as wide as 15 inches at the Syosset station.
Officials are not sure if she was entering or exiting the train when the accident took place. The accident took place at approximately 9:20 a.m. this morning. The train involved was the 8:55 a.m. train out of Huntington that was due at Penn Station at 10:05 a.m. According to LIRR spokesman Sam Zambuto, the woman got both of her legs entangled both legs in the gap. She immediately requested medical attention & was taken to Syosset Hospital with abrasions to both legs.
It seems the Syosset station is no stranger to gap accidents. According to statistics obtained by Newsday, there were 39 gap related accidents at the Syosset between 1989 and July 2007. We also learn that on one day in January of 1996, there were 3 separate gap accidents at the station.
This probably leads to people wondering why the MTA did not install mechanical gap fillers. As usual it comes down to money with them. According to a study, the MTA would have needed to spend $72 million dollars to install mechanical gap fillers system wide. They instead decided to install a CCTV system which came with 24 surveillance cameras that feature 12 on each platform.
Leave it to the MTA to penny pinch on such an important issue. One would think the MTA would have gotten their heads out of the sand after all the gap related accidents especially the national attention it dubiously earned from the Natalie Smead incident. Instead they felt $72 million dollars was too much, this coming from an agency that wastes money like it is going out of style! On a side note…….
I have to admit I wonder if this woman was entering or exiting the train. If I had to venture a guess, I would say she was running to catch the train. I say this based on the time of the accident along with the Port Jefferson timetable. The incident involved the 8:55 a.m. train out of Huntington due at Penn Station at 10:05 a.m.
The 8:55 a.m. train starts at Huntington (In case you didn’t know, a good percentage of Port Jefferson trains start & end at Huntington.) & is scheduled to arrive at 9:07 a.m. The incident occurred at 9:20 a.m. which means that train was 13 minutes late. I feel the odds clearly lean to the train being late & this woman running to catch the train which led to the accident.
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MTA Ready To Screw Up 7 Line Extension….
(Flushing-Main Street bound 7 train @ Queensboro Plaza; resized photo courtesy of Eye On Transit
One of the most unnecessary transit projects has made the news again. The project I am referring to is the 7 train extension that has been in the works for sometime now. As you might recall the extension was supposed to be one of the keys in helping NYC win the right to host the Olympics. We all know how that turned out….
Now it seems that most of the original plans might get scrapped.The MTA is expected to approve a $1.1 billion dollar contract to dig the tunnel from Times Square west to 11th Avenue, then downtown to a terminal at 34th Street. The original plan featured the creation of two new stops with one being at 41st St & 10th Ave. along with the terminal at 34th St. & 11th Ave.
As time went on, the MTA expressed concerns about not having the funds to fully build the stop at 41st St. & 10th Ave. However the agency did say they would look into creating a shell station at the location. While not cost effective, the shell would enable the MTA to fully build the station when funds became available.
Unfortunately over the weekend it was announced that the possible creation of a shell station in in danger. The cost of building the shell would be approximately $500 million dollars. The MTA at this point is not coming out of cost to build the extension as that is the city’s responsibility. The city agreed to this deal as part of their plan to develop the Hudson Rail Yards.
The dilemma for the MTA is the possibility of overruns. If the MTA were to agree to the shell station being built, they would be financially responsible for any overruns involving the creation of the shell station. The MTA as usual is crying poverty so this is a huge monkey wrench.
MTA board member Andrew Albert voiced his concerns about the shell station not being built. Here was his quote: “The real irony is that there are many more homes and businesses near the 10th Avenue station than near the Javits station. The bottom line is this is going to cost us a lot more later.”
Mr. Albert is 100% correct in his thinking. While I would personally like to see this extension scrapped as it is not needed, the MTA can not afford to screw this up. It makes absolutely no sense for the 7 to be extended as it is at capacity to begin with. However if you must go through with this, it would make perfect sense for the station to be at a location that benefits the majority of people. I am sure that many would agree that the 41st St. & 11th Avenue station is far more important than one by the Jacob Javits Center!
I have a trivia question for you. What major transit project followed a similar path as the 7 line extension? The path in question is a planned extension that always got changed or delayed due to money either running out or flat out not being put towards the project. I’ll give you a hint, the answer is 3 words long………
Time’s up! The answer: Second Avenue Subway!
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The MTA Wants You To “Know Before You Go”
This past Friday, the MTA announced that they were expanding their “Know Before You Go” program. Originally the program sent out e-mails to subscribers detailing subway diversions scheduled for the weekend. The expansion to the program will feature the MTA adding e-mails to alert subscribers to requested weekday subway diversions. If you are interested in signing up for the service, visit the New York City Transit page on the MTA’s website!
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The 5 Train Is Below Average!
(Dyre Avenue bound 5 train leaving the Morris Park station; Resized photo courtesy of Eye On Transit
Surprise surprise, the 5 train is below average! This starting revelation comes courtesy of the C- that the line earned in its 2007 rider report card. The highest grade earned was a B- which was achieved in 3 different categories. The worst grade earned was a D which was achieved in only one category albeit one of the most important ones. Here is the full breakdown of the 2007 rider report card for the 5 train:
Top 10 priorities that 5 train riders’ would like to see improvement on:
01. Minimal delays during trips
02. Reasonable wait times for trains
03. Adequate room on board at rush hour
04. Station announcements that are easy to hear
05. Cleanliness of stations
06. Sense of security on trains
07. Sense of security in stations
08. Comfortable temperature in subway cars
09. Train announcements that are easy to hear
10. Station announcements that are informative
Now here is the entire order of 5 train riders’ priorities:
01. Minimal delays during trips
02. Reasonable wait times for trains
03. Adequate room on board at rush hour
04. Station announcements that are easy to hear
05. Cleanliness of stations
06. Sense of security on trains
07. Sense of security in stations
08. Comfortable temperature in subway cars
09. Train announcements that are easy to hear
10. Station announcements that are informative
11. Cleanliness of subway cars
12. Train announcements that are informative
13. Courtesy and helpfulness of station personnel
14. Working elevators and escalators in stations
15. Availability of MetroCard Vending Machines
16. Ease of use of subway turnstiles
17. Signs in stations that help riders find their way
18. Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way
19. Lack of scratchitti in subway cars
20. Lack of graffiti in stations
21. Lack of graffiti in subway cars
Now here is the graded breakdown of all 21 categories:
Minimal delays during trips D+
Reasonable wait times for trains C-
Adequate room on board at rush hour D
Sense of security in stations C
Sense of security on trains C-
Working elevators and escalators in stations C-
Signs in stations that help riders find their way C+
Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way C+
Cleanliness of stations C-
Cleanliness of subway cars C
Station announcements that are easy to hear D+
Station announcements that are informative D+
Train announcements that are easy to hear C-
Train announcements that are informative C-
Lack of graffiti in stations C+
Lack of graffiti in subway cars B-
Lack of scratchitti in subway cars C+
Courtesy and helpfulness of station personnel C
Comfortable temperature in subway cars C+
Ease of use of subway turnstiles B-
Availability of MetroCard Vending Machines B-
I went through the top 10 priorities & happen to agree with most of them. The constant door holding due to crush loads of riders trying to fit on an already packed car is a huge problem along the Lexington Avenue corridor. One would think that riders would be patient & wait for the next train considering they are usually right behind one another at least when it comes to the 4 & 6.
The reasonable wait times is a dicey situation when it comes to the 5 line. Veteran Lexington Avenue riders know that the 5 is the stepchild of the corridor. If you don’t believe me, stand at any of the express stops & count how many 4 trains you see in an hour versus 5 trains. I bet you will notice that the 4 will at worst double up the 5 in this department.
I can somewhat agree with adequate room on board but only to a slight degree. When I ride the express along the Lexington corridor (I prefer the 6), I tend to purposely wait for the 5 unless it is a rare occasion where I need the 4. The reason for this is because if I have any chance of getting a seat on the express, it will be on the 5 & not the 4. I can safely say I get a seat on the 5 at all times of the day at least 95% of the time.
Issues such as station announcements & cleanliness will always score low until the MTA does a complete overhaul in both areas. Hopefully their “Customer Satisfaction Program” will help grades improve in the latter department. The temperature issue is one I have discussed recently on Second Avenue Sagas in relation to how you sometimes get the opposite of what one would expect.
I have to say I am left scratching my head though one of the top 10 priorities along with the grade it earned. The 5 train runs R142’s exclusively. These trains have crystal clear announcements so can someone explain to me how riders gave this category a C-? If these cars earned a C-, I expect every line outside of the 2, 4, 6, & L to fail this category! Grades like this are hard to take seriously. I am not one to usually support the MTA but I have to cry bullshit in their favor as far as this grade is concerned.
Now we all know the next rant that is coming! I’ll give you a few seconds to take your best educated guess. Time’s up, my next rant is about the response the MTA received from riders of the 5 train! Here we have a subway line that makes up the big 3 on the system’s busies corridor & all the MTA received was 2,483 responses! WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Once again, how can we expect the MTA to take us seriously if we can’t take the time to fill out a quick but very important report card? In a city that features millions of riders a day on the subway, we should be getting huge response numbers for every line in the system! This is especially the case for one of the big 3 from the Lexington Avenue corridor!
It would be nice if the same effort that is put into complaining about the potential fare hike would be put into filling out a simple report card! Lets get with it people!
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