Apr 022013
 
If proponents of a Verrazano bike-ped path have their way, the Five Boro Bike Tour and NYC Marathon will no longer be the only times people can cross the Narrows w/out the use of a motor vehicle (Image source: mlcastle via Flickr).

If proponents of a Verrazano bike-ped path have their way, the Five Boro Bike Tour and NYC Marathon will no longer be the only times people can safely cross the Narrows w/out the use of a motor vehicle (Image source: mlcastle via Flickr).

Six months after Transportation Alternatives proposed bike and pedestrian lanes on the Verrazano Bridge as part of their Harbor Ring project, supporters of the idea have begun a petition on website Change.org in order to help gain some much-needed traction, as well as the attention of Governor Andrew Cuomo.

While some officials have expressed doubt concerning the plan’s feasibility and cost, proponents note that the proposal is hardly a new one, and in fact goes all the way back to the bridge’s blueprint stage. Continue reading »

Feb 282013
 

This Sunday, March 3, getting from Point A to Point B will cost just a little bit more than it did the day before: the long-planned increases in fares and tolls will go into effect at 12:00am midnight.

To help visualize the changes, we’ve put together a few handy graphics.

MTA 2013 Fares For subway and bus riders, the base fare goes up a quarter to $2.50. The cost of commuting by subway will go up between $4 and $8 dollars per month, depending on whether you use a 7- or 30-day pass ($30 and $112, respectively). Express bus commuters will pay an extra $20 per month, as 7-day passes are now $55.

NEW FOR 2013 - The MTA will now charge a $1 surcharge for every new Metrocard purchased. This can be avoided by refilling your existing Metrocard. Riders who buy 7- and 30-day passes never had (or needed) this option before, but now any vending machine or token booth clerk can refill these unlimited-use passes. (The $1 card fee doesn’t apply to reduced-fare passes, or for Metrocards purchased from third parties, such as employer pre-tax transit programs.) Continue reading »

Feb 262013
 
Image source: salalbanese2013.com.

Image source: salalbanese2013.com.

Shortly after securing the endorsement of the union that represents most New York City MTA workers, Democrat mayoral candidate and Bay Ridge resident Sal Albanese unveiled a transit plan he says will fund improvements to the city’s roadways and public transportation system, as well as make them more equitable for all New Yorkers.

Albanese’s “Faster, Fairer, and Fully-Funded” plan calls for city control of mass transit, 20 new Select Bus routes by 2018, investments in subway infrastructure, and a new tolling system that his campaign claims would raise as much as $1 billion in revenue. It also makes bicyclist and pedestrian safety a priority, citing vehicular fatalities as “one of the invisible public health crises in our city.” Continue reading »

Feb 152013
 
Ah, the "good" old days. (Photo: Brian Hedden/Bay Ridge Odyssey)

Ah, the “good” old days. (Photo: Brian Hedden/Bay Ridge Odyssey)

Despite widespread criticism by commuters, activists, and elected officials alike, the MTA has announced that a series of planned toll and fare hikes will start to take effect on March 3.

Beginning at approximately 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 3, cash tolls on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge will rise to $15.

Of course those with an E-ZPass who live on the Staten Island side will pay “$6.36 to cross the Verrazano for the first two round trips of the month, and an even $6 on the third and subsequent trips,” writes reporter Ken Paulsen on Staten Island Advance’s website – while Bay Ridge residents who live within a stone’s throw of the world-famous span will still have to pay the full E-ZPass price of $10.66 per trip, a $1.06 increase.

But wait, that’s not all!

Via silive.com, here’s a breakdown of subway and bus fare hikes – because life in New York City was apparently not quite expensive enough without subsidizing folks in the ‘Burbs:

  • The seven day Express Bus Plus MetroCard will cost $55.
  • The seven-day regular unlimited MetroCard will rise to $30.
  • The 30-day regular unlimited MetroCard jumps to $112.
  • Single-ride tickets, only sold at vending machines, will cost $2.75.
  • A bonus of 5 percent is added to MetroCards with purchases of $5 or more.

There will be an additional fee of $1 for the purchase of new MetroCards, except for cards purchased at out-of-system vendors and for seniors.

Feb 132013
 
Photo: Brian Hedden/Bay Ridge Odyssey

Photo: Brian Hedden/Bay Ridge Odyssey

Despite independent analysis determining that the R-train is shockingly not the worst line in the subway system, there aren’t a lot of area residents ready to give it the 2013 Academy Award for the Best Train Ever Made. It breaks down more than almost any other train, service is lousy on weekends, and seriously, what’s up with that late-night shuttle?

The Riders Alliance – a group that officially launched last November with the “aim of organizing transit riders into political blocks,” according to Alliance board member and Second Avenue Sagas author Ben Kabak. It’s about building support neighborhood by neighborhood, as Pete Donohue writes in the NY Daily News.

And next Tuesday, that neighborhood is Bay Ridge. And thank goodness, because we could use a little help here.

Over 20 Bay Ridge residents came out to their last meeting, and the Alliance is inviting any and all who are interested in pushing for a better transit policy. If interested, please go to their web site to RSVP.

The meeting is at 6:45 on February 19th, at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

Feb 082013
 

Photos of the 1/27/2011 blizzard on 6th Ave in Bay Ridge [Image source: emilydickinsonridesabmx via Flickr].

The aftermath of the 1/27/2011 blizzard on 6th Ave in Bay Ridge [Image source: emilydickinsonridesabmx via Flickr].

Unless you’ve been in a drug-induced coma the last few days, then you probably know there are two “monster” storm systems set to converge on the Northeast tonight and tomorrow.

You also probably know that, in addition to the Nemo naming controversy, there’s been some contention as to which weather tracking model will prove to be right.

Earlier in the week, the American GFS model was calling for around 3 inches of snow, while the European ECMWF model – which is generally considered the most accurate, was calling for a little over a foot of frozen precipitation. Keep in mind the RPM model, which is calling for 30 inches, and you’ve got quite a disparity in winter weather predictions!

On Friday the uncertainty continues, with NY 1 calling for up to eight inches in the five boroughs, and ABC’s Accuweather forecast saying it will be more like 6- 18 inches, with higher snowfall totals the further northeast you go.

Indeed, one of the few points everyone seems to agree on is that the full force of this Nor’easter will be felt in coastal New England. This has resulted in a flood watch for Long Island Sound, which includes shore-front areas in the Bronx and Northern Queens.

While Southwest Brooklyn should be spared the two plus feet meteorologists are calling for in areas to our north and east, weather conditions – including hurricane force winds of up to 60 mph, will still be extremely hazardous for anyone stepping outside tonight into tomorrow morning.

Anyone in lower lying areas east of Bay Ridge and along the shore of Southern Brooklyn should also prepare for moderate to heavy flooding – although the 3-5 foot storm surge expected should not be anywhere near as bad as during Hurricane Sandy, when coastal waters rose 14 feet in just a few hours.

In the meantime, here are some transit & traffic updates for the next couple of days courtesy of NY 1 [Bear in mind these are all subject to change as weather conditions worsen]:

  • Amtrak has ended its northbound train service from Penn Station as of 12:30 p.m. Friday, and its Acela Express service as of 1:00 p.m.
  • The MTA has no plans to shut down New York City Transit, but there will be less subways and buses in service during the height of the storm as assets are stored underground.
  • There will be extra Metro-North trains early Friday afternoon to help customers get home before the snow gets too bad, but that also means there will be fewer trains after 5 p.m. Please be aware that cancellations are more likely as the evening progresses to prevent trains from becoming stranded.
  • Airlines have already cancelled hundreds of flights at area airports. [Airlines will probably be looking to send planes away from the Northeastern U.S. to prevent their fleets from becoming stranded and/or damaged in the blizzard]. On the plus side, most airlines say customers can rebook without paying any fees.
  • The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says it’s mobilizing its plows and salt spreaders to keep its airports, bridges and tunnels operational – That includes 200 plows, salt spreaders and de-icers, as well as 2,000 tons of salt and 1,500 tons of sand for the spreaders. It is also mobilizing equipment to clear tracks along the PATH.
  • Alternate-side parking rules will be suspended citywide through Sunday, though meters [WTF?!] will still be in effect.

Jan 182013
 
Photo: Brian Hedden/Bay Ridge Odyssey

Photo: Brian Hedden/Bay Ridge Odyssey

Any readers who plan on taking public transit Monday, which is a federal holiday marking the birthday of national civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. [1929-1968], should – with a few exceptions, have a fairly easy commute on New York City subways and buses.

New York City Subway service will follow a regular weekday schedule, although wait times on some lines will be slightly longer.

All New York City Transit and MTA buses will also run on a normal weekday schedule, with the exception of certain Staten Island and Queens bus lines.

If you’re planning on taking a commuter train Monday, you may not be quite as lucky – although some supplementary service is being provided:

The Long Island Railroad will operate on a holiday schedule with 38 additional trains added on various branches. Metro North will operate on a Saturday schedule with 36 additional trains as indicated in the current Harlem, Hudson and New Haven Line timetables. Off peak fares apply all day for both railroads.

While King’s birthday actually falls on January 15, it is normally observed on the third Monday in January.

For more detailed info, you can also check out this official MTA press release.

Dec 192012
 
Gridlock-Sam-Fair-Plan

Even as New York City’s most accomplished traffic planner pushed for an overhaul of the region’s toll system, politicians opposed to a toll increase on the Verrazano Bridge have failed to take notice. (Source: Sam Schwartz via Streetsblog.org)

Today, as MTA board members approved a series of expected toll and fare hikes on subways, buses, commuter trains and bridges; a group of Republican state and federal legislators who represent Bay Ridge are making their disapproval known – particularly when it comes to toll increases on the Verrazano Bridge. Continue reading »

Dec 052012
 

Despite an announcement last week that estimated direct R-train service to Manhattan would return by the middle of December, the MTA is now saying restoration of the Montague Street Tunnel will take until the end of the year, as reported by NY 1.

The problem, officials say, is that repairs to electrical components damaged by salt water during Hurricane Sandy are taking longer than expected.

A Wall Street Journal piece by Ted Mann expands on the difficulty of refurbishing and replacing the archaic parts – often manufactured by long-defunct companies, which make up our century-old Subway system:

But other sections of the system are archaic. The Q, N and R trains that rumble beneath Broadway use some of the oldest equipment in the system, a spokesman said. Some signal equipment on the A line, meanwhile, dates to 1932, when the IND subway system first launched.

Since taking on leadership of the MTA this year, Chairman Joseph Lhota has repeatedly said that future capital spending on the system would include upgrades to less-than-sexy infrastructure, like signals.

Although R-train service in Manhattan was extended to Whitehall on Monday, the Broadway Local’s vital link to Brooklyn, at least for now, remains on the holiday wish list for Bay Ridge commuters.

Nov 292012
 

At a public hearing yesterday on Staten Island, City Councilman Vincent Gentile spoke out against a proposed Verrazano Bridge toll hike, and called on MTA officials to waive tolls for Hurricane Sandy relief workers driving in from Brooklyn.

At the meeting, which took place at the College of Staten Island [2800 Victory Boulevard], Gentile expanded on the argument that the so-called Staten Island discount should apply to Bay Ridge residents. Continue reading »