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Monthly MetroCard Could Be Capped At 90 Trips

Posted by
on July 13th, 2010 at 7:51 am

Three days ago, the New York Post broke the story about the potential specifics of the MTA fare hike that will take place in 2011. The initial headline took aim at the “MetroCard Tax” that would come from a $1 surcharge for riders purchasing a new MetroCard from a vending machine instead of refilling an old one. However the biggest news might come in the form of a trip limit on unlimited MetroCards.

The initial report in the New York Post did not offer any details on what the limit could possibly be. However today’s edition of the New York Daily News does as their report claims the MTA is considering a 21 trip limit on Weekly MetroCards & 90 on the Monthly MetroCards. Pete Donohue has more:

An unlimited monthly MetroCard would max out at 90 trips under an MTA budget proposal – and officials may also cap the weekly cards at 21 rides, the Daily News has learned.

The limits eyed by Metropolitan Transportation Authority brass would sting a small percentage of riders who use the cards, sources said Monday.

The average straphanger who uses the card to get back and forth to work, with a few extra trips tossed in, wouldn’t be affected.

But people who take the subway often as part of their job – such as messengers – could find themselves having to buy 13 or more monthly MetroCards a year.

The caps might curb a breed of subway scammer – “swipers” who get an unlimited-ride card and then sell access to the platforms for less than the $2.25 fare.

MTA staff are expected to unveil a preliminary 2011 budget to the board late this month.

Citing red ink, the MTA aims to raise revenue by 7.5% overall. A monthly MetroCard would jump $10, to $99, while a weekly would go up by $2, to $29, sources said.

Those prices would have to be even higher if not for savings achieved through the MetroCard caps – which would affect less than 10% of unlimited card buyers, a source said.

Click here for the complete report.

As I noted 3 days ago, I wanted to wait to opine on this part of the proposal until some specifics came out. While these numbers are not official, I will opine based on them. I am 100% against the capping of these cards as an unlimited card should provide unlimited rides point blank.

I also seriously question their information on how only a small percentage of riders would be hurt by this. I for one easily surpassed the 90 ride amount almost every single month I would use a Monthly Metrocard. Why should I or others get punished for using the product as it was intended?

This is yet another example of the MTA giving the screws to their regular riders. I bet if I paid a base fare like the small minority do, I’d be sparred of these “caps” since the agency seems to always lessen the burden for them. I hope these initial reports are incorrect but I highly doubt it. I am curious what the MTA’s statement will be about this report if they have any.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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0

Service Diversions 07-12-10

Posted by
on July 12th, 2010 at 5:01 am

I have just updated the “Service Diversions” page by removing all of the work scheduled to end by 5AM today.. The latest information for the upcoming week & beyond in some cases is at the forefront.

As always, I suggest you print out a copy of the diversions to have with you while riding. You may also use any phone or electronic device to access the mobile friendly version of Transit Blogger. Have a safe week & do your best to keep cool!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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2

34th St Corridor Plan Gets $18M Grant

Posted by
on July 11th, 2010 at 11:14 pm

Anyone who has traveled on 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan knows just how much of a nightmare bus service is. Unfortunately walking does not offer much relief as the sidewalks are just as pack as the street itself. It has been long known that NYC wants to change the layout of this busy thoroughfare via a pedestrian plan calling for more open space & dedicated bus lanes.

Although the plan is not yet finalized, it received a nice financial boost courtesy of a $18M grant. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News has more:

An ambitious city effort to speed up buses along 34th St. won an $18 million federal grant, officials announced Thursday.

The design for the 34th St. Transitway isn’t finalized, but the federal government still tapped it for the largest bus grant from a pool of $293 million being distributed for mass transit upgrades nationwide.

The Transitway will include several features for speeding up sluggish bus traffic, including technology that extends green lights for approaching buses and creates barriers to keep cars out of bus-only lanes.

Wider sidewalks and center islands will make it safer for pedestrians, who number more than 5,000 an hour on 34th St. during during peak times, officials said.

“Eighteen million dollars is a great vote of confidence in 34th St. and shows the importance of this project,” city Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said. “New York City continues to pave the way with bold ideas to improve transportation.”

The goal on 34th St. and other city streets is to create bus corridors similar to stretches of the subway. Buses will get top priority to run with as little interference as possible, Sadik-Khan said, speeding up travel by up to 35 % and shaving about 10 minutes off each trip.

The city has some of the slowest bus speeds in the nation. The average bus speed on 34th St. is 4.5 mph, which is barely faster than walking.

One design possibility under consideration would ban cars between 5th and 6th Aves., officials have said.

Pedestrians and bus riders far outnumber drivers along 34th St., which is used by 17,000 local bus riders and 16,000 express riders every day, many from Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island.

At Herald Square, 90% of people are riding mass transit or walking, according to the city DOT, with the remainder taking private vehicles.

The federal grant will cover about half of the construction, planning and other costs for the project, a joint effort of the DOT and the MTA.

Click here for the complete report.

I have to admit I have not kept up to date with all of the proposed plans for this project. I am curious as to the plans to speed up bus service as something needs to be done about that disaster zone between 5th & 9th Aves.

As far as bike lanes & walking areas are concerned, I can’t say I am the biggest fan of that. This obsession with bike lanes can border on ridiculous sometimes as money is earmarked for such projects when they are a small minority even as it grows in popularity within New York City. I am more interested in the money being spent purely to improve conditions for bus riders who are more important than bicycle riders.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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0

Service Diversions 07-10-10

Posted by
on July 10th, 2010 at 5:44 am

I just updated the “Service Diversions” page by removing all of the scheduled work that wrapped up by 11:59 PM last night. The weekend diversions which I posted earlier have now moved to the top followed by the subsequent work during the week.

I suggest printing out a copy of the diversions to carry with you or use your mobile device to access the mobile version of Transit Blogger. The next update will be sometime after 5:01 AM Monday when all of the weekend diversions will officially be wrapped up. As always, stay safe & cool during your travels.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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0

MTA Statement On 2011 Fare Hike

Posted by
on July 9th, 2010 at 4:58 pm

Shortly after Tom Namako of the New York Post had his report on potential facets of the MTA’s 2011 Fare Hike plan published, the MTA issued a statement. Here is what I received:

The rescue agreement reached with the Governor and Legislature last spring called for a 7.5% increase in revenues from MTA fares and tolls in January 2011, and despite an $800 million budget shortfall caused by deteriorating tax revenues, it has always been our intention to try to adhere to this agreement. As we have consistently said, the amount of the increase must be determined in the context of our overall financial plan, which is not finalized and will be presented to the MTA Board later this month. At that time the Board will be asked to authorize public hearings on the fare increase to be held in the fall. Only after those hearings will a final decision be made on both the level of the increase and how it will be implemented.

Click here for my initial analysis of the report.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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