Category: transit
ideas and musings about transport in the ny metro area
congestion indigestion
congestion pricing in nyc is dead – for now, at least – and despite my love of trains and despite other transit advocates’ rage, I can’t even be mad.
[see why…]NYTIP INSIDER – on lga and ny’s highway addiction
So the Port Authority released their recommendations (PDF file) for LaGuardia Airport (LGA) transit alternatives, along with a brief summary (also PDF file) of said recommendations. (The Port Authority also issued a press release with links to the same PDF files.)
It’s enough to make one bang their head on a desk repeatedly, so on today’s INSIDER, let’s explore key takeaways and rant about New York State’s obsession with endless asthma- *cough* *cough* -er, highway expansion.
[Not going anywhere for a while?]grand central madison works for me…
…but does it work for thee? According to local news sources (NBC NY and Fox 5 NY), not exact-ta-lee.
[So why worry?]NYTIP INSIDER – forthcoming changes to the enhanced nyc subway
Over the last several months, I’ve revised my plans for the enhanced NYC subway in an attempt to formalize them. I wanted to take the plans out of beta (latest: v0.7.0) and mold them into something official (v1.0.0) – as official as a lay transit advocate’s plan can be, anyway.
Although the updates are nearly complete, recent subway developments have given me pause.
[how come?]NYTIP INSIDER – on R211 delivery delays, service increases, and NYTIP updates
On today’s INSIDER, I’ll discuss delivery delays plaguing the R211 order and why they shouldn’t preclude service increases. I’ll also explain why the remaining updates for v1.0.0 v0.8.0 of the enhanced NYC subway are taking so long.
NYTIP – transforming commuter rail: introducing regional rail by leveraging weekend ridership
Welcome back to my NYTIP series! This post serves as my brand-new introduction to “regional rail” improvements on NY’s commuter rail systems – Metro-North (MNR), Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), and NJ Transit (NJT). Many advocates – myself included – use the term “regional rail” to describe systemwide improvements such as lower fares (and fewer fare zones), service increases, and “through running”; an excellent report by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC) describes each of these elements in detail.
While it’s true that COVID-19 has decimated weekday commuter rail ridership in NY, a different picture is beginning to emerge on weekends:
[Figs. 1, 2] Screenshots from MTA’s website taken on 10.14.2022 showing MNR and LIRR ridership over the last 7 days.
That’s right – weekend commuter rail ridership has not only fully recovered – it is now exceeding pre-pandemic levels! Surprisingly, I have not heard MTA or local politicians highlight or celebrate this fact. (If they did, I must’ve missed it.) In this post, I will explore ideas for using these weekend ridership gains to jump-start regional rail improvements in – and through – NY.
[Let’s begin!]NYTIP – enhancing the nyc subway: the broadway/jamaica line
Welcome back to my NYTIP series! In my updated South Brooklyn redesign post, I proposed a J extension to Bay Parkway. How would that extension affect J service in North Brooklyn and Queens? I will discuss that in this post.
[Let’s close the loop!]