InsideTransit

This week brings new fare increases to the NYC subway and bus system. The base fare didn’t increase but riders will receive a smaller bonus and the price for monthly unlimited cards have increased. As a person who used to live in a two-fare zone, these increases don’t seem that high.

In any case, the NMA animation group out of Taiwan put together a video for their audience which apparently shows you what it is like to ride the NYC subway. My friend Mark would probably say this is accurate. The video explains that the entire system is in a state of disrepair, train operators drink (and carry stylish shopping bags) and sleep on the job, there are lots of perverts and sociopaths riding the subways and medieval battles break out daily. They also used a W train in the video which no longer operates.

Warning: This video could be considered NSFW.
Read the rest of this entry »

So the big Snow Blizzard of 2010 in NYC continues into another day. I sure wish I had not moved from NYC — it would be awesome to be part of the action! Here are two photos from Heather – she was able to catch a bus that is stuck in Brooklyn. The bus appears to be driven by a snowman – it’s a cute photo

Here is a side shot of the bus – you can see that the bus will be there for quite a while with all of that snow around it…poor bus – it wishes it was back in the bus barn with all of its other bus friends

Here’s the new bus driver – MTA Employee #42682609:

Ok seriously, there is a lot of snow in NYC right now – some say it’s a blizzard. Jeff at Subchat has put together some photos from the Marine Park area of Brooklyn. I used to stand on this corner every day and catch the bus on the way home. Never in all my years have I seen so much snow – even with last year bringing an absolute ton of snow.

Here are two of Jeff’s photos – go visit Subchat to see all of the snow blizzard doom!

When I think of the transit authority in NYC (the MTA), I think of buses, subways, commuter trains and some tolls on bridges and tunnels. I don’t think of bikes!

NYC has begun to launch “bus only lanes” on First and Second Avenues in Manhattan. This is part of the new SBS bus system – the goal is to make riding the bus a faster and more exciting experience. If you drive in the bus lane, you could receive a ticket in the amount of $115 and if you are ticketed more than 4 times, you will have to cheer for the Jets (just kidding). The new SBS buses have cameras pointing forward from the front of the bus and the cameras will capture the license plates of those who decide to drive in the bus lane.

The MTA has hired a marketing firm which will ride bikes up and down First and Second Avenue to help get the word out about the bus lanes and the fines. Apparently the city has paid $10,000 for the week of bike riders.

The king of monitoring the money the MTA spends, Greg Mocker from WPIX television has a full report on the new ad campaign.
Read the rest of this entry »

Take a ride on the NYC subway today and you see a (relatively) clean system – no graffiti on the cars (except the new advertising wrapped cars), good quality announcements, air conditioning that works, and overall good service.

Go back 30 years to the 1980s and the NYC subway was completely different. I was a young kid during the 80s but I remember riding how different the subway was back then. The dirt, the endless amounts of graffiti, the crime, the lack of maintenance on the cars, I could go on… But it’s also important to remember the city itself was different back then.

24Flinching has put together a collection of photos from a variety of artists that take you back to the NYC subways of the ’80s.

Here’s one sample – check out the post for the rest of the artwork.

For as long as there have been subway maps, there have  been people who want to redesign the map. It seems to take decades for transit authorities around the world to implement new map styles.

Julie Steele from O’Reilly sat down with designer Eddie Jabbour to discuss his new implementation of the NYC Subway Map.

I’m not a huge fan of the current NYC Subway Map (July 2010 issue) for several reasons including:

• there’s no need to have the commuter rail (LIRR & Metro-North) on one side of the subway map – so few people based in NYC will ride both systems on a regular basis and for those that do, they can grab two maps
• on the back of the map replacing the commuter rail, I would rather see strip maps like they had in the 80s PLUS ads – the MTA is always complaining about cash-flow and budget issues, why not run ads on the back of the map? They ads could pay for the printing costs and also allow for more rotation of maps (monthly perhaps with new ads)
• The new map removed the “guide” box which told you in words where a train ran at different times of the day. They have removed the box and now you are left wondering where a train runs during the day since they show multiple terminals on the map with no info regarding time of service.

I don’t want to post any of Eddie’s map images here because you really need to read his story to understand the changes he is suggesting. I like a lot of Eddie’s suggestions including how he notes which stations you can’t switch directions at if you missed your stop. I can’t tell you how many times people exited the train at my station only to learn that if they wanted to switch back they would have to fork over another $2.25 and if they just stayed on the train one more stop they could easily switch back. Eddie’s map also just looks more modern and current.

The NYC MTA has posted all of the new maps for the five boroughs that include the massive cuts that will take place on June 27, 2010. You can download the maps here. The changes are the biggest set of cuts ever in the history of the MTA. Many of the buses I take on a daily/weekly basis will see major cuts that will impact my ride in a very negative way.

The W and V subway lines will be discontinued and the M becomes orange and will go into midtown instead of lower manhattan.

The week of June 27th should be a very interesting week in NYC. My guess is that by mid-July the complaining and yelling will have subsided and commuters will just learn to deal with the situation. It’s certainly soothing to know the new MTA boss gets $6k for housing each month in addition to his salary.

From June 1 – November 30, the transit authorities of the NYC metro area will run a “contactless payment” trial. The new contactless payment system allows you to enter the NYC subway, city bus, commuter bus or PATH by just tapping your credit card or mobile device to the entry point rather than having to enter your Metrocard or ticket.

The system should speed up the ability for passengers to enter the system – something that is desperately needed on city buses (especially the crosstown buses).

You can learn more about the contactless payment trial on the Mastercard site.

Sadly the test will be run by Mastercard and it appears the card or mobile device you use must be PayPass enabled. I would have preferred to see a system like the Oyster Card in London.

This video is pretty neat – it is a railfan window video from the Long Island Rail Road in New York. You can watch a trip from Penn Station in NYC to Long Beach station in Long Island in just under 2 minutes. I guess this is an express because it skips a bunch of stations. You can also watch the reverse ride into NYC – the normal trip takes 49 minutes.

Make sure to watch this video in 1080 HD for the best quality.

The transit management in NYC, known as the MTA, has posted a press release noting that they will be terminating more than 1,000 positions. The MTA says this is more than 15% of the administrative payroll. Over 500 transit station agent positions will also begin to be cut – at my station. I’ve often wondered what the station agent does but sit there or stand outside and talk on their cell phone all day. Why not give them a broom and some bleach and let them clean the stations.

“The State’s economic crisis demands that the MTA move quickly and decisively to cut costs, and that is exactly what we are doing,” said Jay H. Walder, MTA Chairman and CEO. “These layoffs are extremely painful, but we must live within our means and make the tough decisions that businesses and families across New York are making.” Walder continues, “We will be reducing overtime, consolidating redundant functions and working with suppliers to lower costs. We will not stop until I can say that every dollar the MTA receives is spent wisely.”

I’m just wondering how long before we hear that the prices will be increasing – I say somewhere around mid-April.