On Campus - Wednesday, November 18, 2009 11:00 - 0 Comments
C and E Bus Route Changes
After Thanksgiving break, a few more bus route changes will come into effect. From an email sent by Jules Martin, NYU’s VP of Global Security and Crisis Management:
Effective November 30, 2009, Route E service – which runs from Washington Square to the Medical Center with stops along 3rd Avenue — in both northbound and southbound directions will be provided on weekdays between 3 PM and Midnight to the bus stop at Third Avenue and 14th Street. Continue…
City - Friday, October 30, 2009 15:00 - 0 Comments
Taxi Cab Fares to Go Up $0.50
Just as we’re celebrating the return of the late night/weekend L-train, New York City transit takes another blow: this time in the form of a cab fare hike.
But before you go cursing the name Travis Bickle, keep in mind that this was a tax imposed on cab drivers by the MTA, and the drivers themselves are decidedly unhappy about it. From the article:
“It’s going to be affected, because it’s going to be too much [money],” said one driver. “Like after 4 o’clock, it’s going to be almost $5 just sitting in the car.”
“Why are we paying for the MTA?” asked another cab driver. “We don’t have any benefits from the government. So this is not good.”
Not good, indeed.
On Campus - Friday, September 25, 2009 14:00 - 3 Comments
Route E Bus Back in Limited Service
From an NYU email forwarded to us by a reader this morning:
The Route E bus stop at 14th Street will be restored effective today 9/25/2009
for off peak service.Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for all scheduled trips that depart
from the Langone Medical Center and from Washington Square between 8 PM and
midnight.Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for all scheduled trips.
Route E buses will also stop at all times on weekdays at this location upon
request exclusively to provide service for disabled passengers.This will mean that the NYU Bus/Shuttle will stop within the designated areas
on Third Avenue in front of Coral Tower for Northbound trips and between 13th
and 14th Streets for Southbound trips.
The updated schedule can be found here.
Photo by Flickr user scottbowling used under a Creative Commons license.
National - Friday, April 17, 2009 7:00 - 2 Comments
Obama Outlines High Speed Rail Plans
Yesterday President Obama spoke about laying the groundwork for a large, coordinated high speed rail (HSR) network across the United States. The initial plan is to have each regional transportation office battle for the $8 billion allocated for HSR in the stimulus plan. The first phase of the funding will go towards refurbishing and increasing the speed on the already existing track. The goal is to get people to work right away (remember, this is stimulus money) while the brand new HSR lines are planned and then funded in the future. The first batch of money should go out before the end of this summer.
Matt Yglesias (a huge proponent of mass transit) has a nice post up arguing that the best way to spend the limited amount of money is to increase and improve service on lines where demand is there, but quality isn’t. There are lots of great things about rail, but many areas are plagued by delays and infrequent trains. (We tend not to have that problem in the Northeast, where we already have HSR and lots of routes to choose from). Adding service to those areas will boost ridership and increase support for further investment in rail. Continue…
National - Monday, December 8, 2008 6:00 - 2 Comments
Mass Transit Ridership Increases Again
Even though gas prices dropped substantially and unemployment increased (two factors that usually decrease mass transit use), third quarter numbers showed an increase in ridership on subways, buses, and trains across the United States. Usage rose to record levels last year and growth has continued through all of 2008. Continue…
City - Wednesday, December 3, 2008 20:24 - 0 Comments
Nostalgia Trains Makes New Yorkers Feel Special
If you were in town for Thanksgiving this past weekend and happened to take the V train on Sunday between the times of 10 am to 4 pm, it is likely that you probably already know about the Special Train. If, however, you did not do that all of that (it’s a very specific criteria, after all) take the V train next Sunday! Or the Sunday after! And feel Special-With-A-Capital-S while you do it!
City - Monday, December 1, 2008 12:33 - 0 Comments
MTA To Send Out Email Messages About Subway Delays So Your Boss Won’t Fire You (Immediately)
MTA may be the next best thing on your phone. According to Gothamist, a new plan set to start next week will send emails to commuters explaining the delays for certain trains. By filling out a form online, people can receive the information on their phone; the email will show the route taken and will factor in transfer and delay times. This way you can show your boss right when you walk in the door…30 minutes late. With delays up by 25% from last year and cut-backs on lines expected in the upcoming months, this could be the silver lining in a very dark cloud for those who rely on the subway to get everywhere. The email plan is an improvement from MTA’s traditional service of sending out letters, which took a week to arrive to employers.
Photo: Flickr courtesy of specialkrb
City - Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:30 - 0 Comments
Flying Out of LaGuardia This Holiday? 10,000 Fliers Say: Sucks For You
LaGuardia was just ranked the worst of the country’s 27 biggest airports in a Zagat’s survey, the Daily News reported. The main complaints included long delays, lack of places to sit down and few shops and restaurants. Ha, you may laugh with schadenfreude, I’m flying out of JFK. But it turns out that JFK didn’t do much better, with a ranking fourth from the bottom.
City - Tuesday, November 25, 2008 17:41 - 4 Comments
MTA Cuts Back, Which Means Imminent Fare Hikes, Yay!
The Daily News reports that MTA is cutting back on…everything, from employees to trains to entire lines. They are getting rid of 1,500 jobs, closing the W and Z lines, and cutting back on the number of trains that are running. If you were considering the daring side of things and were going to venture out into MTA’s bus system, don’t even bother. Bus routes are also being cut down.
The article says MTA has gotten creative, and it’s true. They have changed subway-loading guidelines, which means more crowded trains.
So before you think about buying your next Metrocard, think about this – with the economy in the tank, fares are set to rise. And now with less trains running, you will be paying to a riding in a can of sardines. So a last word of advice – put safe ride on your speed dial.
City - Thursday, November 20, 2008 13:10 - 2 Comments
Breaking News: Subways Crowded During Rush Hour
Did you know that subway cars get crowded during rush hour? Fascinating! The New York Times doesn’t think we realized this, so they have spelled it out for us.
According to the article, “Transit guidelines call for a three-square-foot space for each passenger to stand; often, such space is unavailable.” If by “three square feet” they mean “within three inches of a smelly man playing guitar and a crying baby whose stroller is really too big for the subway and I don’t know how you carried it down the stairs,” then yes, there is plenty of room on the subway.
One of the proposed solutions is “the use of text messaging” and “email alerts” to let riders know about delays and service changes, which we can already check online anyway.
I think the best solution is to wait for even more people to get fired. Then there won’t be a rush hour at all! And we’ll all walk to Kmart to do our grocery shopping. Progress!
