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Weekend NYC Mass Transit A Mess

Posted by Glenn on November 5, 2006 - 7:55pm in The Oil Drum: Local

If the city has seemed empty on the weekends lately, it's probably because of all the service changes on the weekend. And much of this is needed, as for decades the MTA capital budget was slashed and there was no money to even maintain the system in good working order or remove graffiti, nevermind actually expanding or improving the system. So I'm glad much of the system is getting a long overdue upgrade and expansion in many areas. But all of it seems to be happening at once with no extra service on the remaining few lines that remain operational. And there are huge swaths of the city that simply lack any good mass transit options. What would help make this situation better?
  1. Boost service on all other subway & bus lines, not just shuttle buses that meet trains at their new ending points. It seems that service on the remaining lines is just as frequent as a normal weekend.
  2. Extend bus only lanes through the weekend to allow buses to move faster along their routes.
  3. Create a new map of what the transportation system will actually look like each weekend. Have them for tourists and local residents at every single subway station whether it is open or closed.
  4. Create a real bike lane network and bike parking infrastructure to provide positive healthy alternatives for getting around the city.
  5. Set up taxi stands near all trouble spots and alert the TLC's membership to areas where subway service will be less frequent and therefore, demand is higher.

These seem like fairly simple solutions, but so far there is little concern from the MTA or DOT. In Manhattan this means just walking a bit further or taking a more crowded bus/train and transfering more frequently. But in the outerboroughs when they say "Please find alternate means of transportation" they mean, go get a car, mass transit can't help you.

I feel bad for the tourists because they get a subway map and follow it like it's the bible. When they ask me directions, I tell them, "That doesn't apply on the weekends" and give them what other little knowledge I have about how things are working.

Weekend NYC Mass Transit A Mess

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1 comments

crzwdjk on November 6, 2006 - 5:05am Permalink | Comments top
It gets worse though. Sometimes the MTA doesn't even know what it's doing, or the A Division (numbered trains) and the B Division (lettered trains) don't manage to agree on who gets to shut down service where. One time there was a scheduled G.O., or service diversion for those not versed in NYCT jargon, on I believe the 7 train from Queensboro Plaza to Manhattan, with the N being offered as the alternative. But then the B division decided that they had some sort of emergency that needed repairs over the weekend, and that they had to shut down the N train. Offering the 7 as the alternative.
Anyway, the distribution information has gotten better since then, and at least you can get all the weekend service diversions on one website. In LA, for example, there's not even that and you find out that trains are running every 20 minutes only when you get to the station and see the sign. Anyway, publishing revised maps would be a good idea, and something they actually do in London, though there the problem is various sorts of unplanned emergency shutdowns, reroutes, and so on. The problem is that the NYC map is much more complicated, both logically and graphically, and it would be a good deal of work to modify it each and every weekend, print up a new batch of maps, and then distribute them to where they're needed. Maybe they could buy some shiny LCD monitors though, and put them to good use by showing up to date service information.

Weekend NYC Mass Transit A Mess

PDF version

1 comments