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MTA & Cops Cut Subway Graffiti By 46%

Posted by
on July 13th, 2009 at 6:43 pm

For those who have ridden the NYC Subway for a long time, graffiti is something that in one way or another was apart of the system. For years, the MTA & NYPD have teamed up to combat the problem which once plagued the system completely. However in the present, the problem is considered much more isolated as compared to the past but that does not stop both agencies from combating it. Their latest efforts have proven effective as for the current year, graffiti raids have dropped by 46%. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News has more in this report:

Polic patrols and Transit surveillance teams have slashed the number of subway graffiti attacks nearly in half, officials told the Daily News.

Between January and May 2007, vandals trespassing in dark subway tunnels and railyards ringed with razor wire carried out 98 major spray-paint “hits.”

They have managed just 53 graffiti raids this year – a 46% drop – according to NYC Transit statistics.

“The word is getting out,” NYC Transit Vice President Vincent DeMarino said. “It’s not so easy in New York anymore. You have a good chance of getting caught.”

After a dramatic spike in vandalism, NYC Transit launched the “Eagle Team,” a surveillance outfit comprising mostly retired police detectives and supervisors, two years ago.

Click here for the complete report.

This is refreshing news to me as the physical destruction of public property is not art. I don’t care if the work rivaled the best drawings or paintings in history, subway stations, cars, tunnels, etc… are not the place for such work. I am also glad to see a reduction in scratchiti which might have been just as bad as eyesore if not worse. While the efforts to maintain a clean system are expensive, they are vital if we are to ever have the best possible product for riders. I also support complete prosecution of the creeps responsible for any destruction.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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A New Name Surfaces For The MTA’s Top Job

Posted by
on July 12th, 2009 at 11:16 pm

The MTA as a whole has been through the ringer for the last few months. The main issue they had to deal with was the increasing debt that was crippling their finances & almost led to doomsday fare hikes & service cuts. However as we know now, Albany saved us from doomsday (their story but my readers know the truth!) but with consequences.

The major consequence was the demand that the position of Board Chairman & CEO/Executive Director be merged into one. This demand led to the resignation of CEO/Executive Director Elliot Sander & pretty much secured the future exit of Board Chairman Dale Hemmerdinger.

Eventually the MTA named Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) President Helena Williams the interim CEO/Executive Director. While this was occurring, speculation was high that Gov. Paterson would name former CEO Marc Shaw to take over the new position. However a new name has surfaced according to a report in the New York Daily News. The name in question is Jay Walder who happened to be the main person responsible for drafting the transportation plans for London’s successful 2012 Olympics bid. Pete Donohue has more:

A leading candidate to run the MTA has emerged: a finance expert who helped draft London’s transportation plans for its successful bid to host the Olympics.

Management consultant Jay Walder is on track to get the newly-merged position of chairman and chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, sources told the Daily News Friday.

An official announcement could be days away, sources said. An appointment by Gov. Paterson would need to be confirmed by the state Senate.

Former MTA chief executive Elliot Sander stepped down in May after Paterson said he wanted to install new leadership at the nation’s largest mass transit system.

A spokesman for Paterson didn’t return messages for comment.

Click here for the complete report.

I am not sure how to take this report. Many will argue that the MTA needs some fresh blood to help bring the agency through these troubling times. I can somewhat understand this mentality & why many feel this way. On the other hand, I feel that some of the newer blood such as Elliot Sander & Helena Williams have done & continue to do a good job with the hand they were dealt.

I feel that Helena deserves serious consideration for the post as the credentials are there & so are the results due to the LIRR improvement under her watch. Is this really the time to bring in a complete outsider & start over yet again? This was already done with Elliot & he was run out of town by the clueless idiots in Albany. If I was Mr. Walder, would I even want this job?

Overall this decision is severely important to the future of the MTA & its riders. The right choice has to be made & for the right reasons. Will Gov. Paterson do what is best for the agency & its riding public or will his decision be politically motivated? Based on his term so far, I am not counting on the end result being the former & that is a crying shame.

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0

Service Diversions 07-10

Posted by
on July 10th, 2009 at 2:15 pm

I have just updated the service diversions page with the latest scheduled diversions for the weekend & upcoming week (and beyond in some cases). Don’t forget to check in for any changes to the page. I also suggest printing out a copy of the page to use while riding the system. Also for readers who will be affected by the major 1 service diversion this weekend, here is a press release sent to me by the MTA which talks more about what work is being done:

MTA NYC Transit officials announce that on the weekend beginning 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 10 through 5 a.m. Monday July 13, there will be no 1 service between 137th Street-City College and Van Cortlandt Park-242nd Street. Transit is taking this opportunity to do several projects including station painting and flood mitigation work at 157th Street and installing communications equipment between 145th and 181st Streets.

Customers traveling uptown to Washington Heights are urged to transfer from the 1 at 59th Street-Columbus Circle to the uptown A to 168th Street, then transfer to the M3 bus (during the day) or the free St. Nicholas Avenue shuttle bus (during the night) to 181st or 191st Streets. The best route to the Bronx would be to transfer at 59th Street to the uptown A and travel to 207th Street, then board the free Broadway shuttle bus making stops along Broadway to Van Cortlandt Park-242nd Street.

The free Broadway shuttle bus will make stops at 242nd, 238th, 231st, 225th, 207th and Dyckman Streets. Customers may connect to the A at 207th Street or Dyckman Street. The shuttle bus will continue down Broadway making stops at 191st, 181st, 168th, 157th, 145th and 137th Streets. The M3 bus (during the day) and the free St. Nicholas Avenue shuttle bus (during the night) will make stops at the 1 stations at 191st, 181st, and 168th Streets.

There will be Transit personnel at 137th, 242nd and 59th Sts. 1 stations to help direct customers to the nearest bus or subway alternative. Posters, maps and brochures will be available at stations along the 1 line. Special yellow bus stop signs will be posted at shuttle bus stops along Broadway and St. Nicholas Avenue.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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0

Buses Replace Ronkonkoma Trains

Posted by
on July 10th, 2009 at 2:12 pm

Starting tomorrow, Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) customers using the Ronkonkoma line need to be aware that buses will replace trains east of Farmingdale for the next 2 weekends. This is due to track and switch surfacing in the Deer Park area along with the Wellwood Avenue grade crossing in Wyandanch being renewed. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release sent to me a couple of days ago:

Train service on the MTA Long Island Rail Road’s Ronkonkoma Branch will be affected by track-related programs on two Saturdays, July 11 and July 18. Between 12:45 AM on Saturday and 12:40 AM on Sunday, both weekends, customers traveling east of Farmingdale will take buses for part of their trips. Local trains will operate normally between Ronkonkoma and Greenport.

On July 11, track and switch surfacing will be performed in the Deer Park area and the Wellwood Avenue grade crossing in Wyandanch will be renewed. On July 18, track work will be performed in the Wyandanch, Deer Park and Central Islip areas and the 18th Street grade crossing in Wyandanch will be renewed.

Eastbound:
Customers for stations Pinelawn through Ronkonkoma will board buses at Hicksville to complete their trips. Customers should anticipate increased travel times of up to 23 minutes.

Westbound:
Customers from stations Ronkonkoma through Pinelawn will board buses at their station then transfer to trains at Hicksville to complete their trips. Customers should expect increased travel time of up to 50 minutes.

East of Ronkonkoma Service

Eastbound:
Customers traveling to stations east of Ronkonkoma to Greenport will board express buses at Hicksville for stations Medford through Greenport. Customers should expect increased travel time of up to 30 minutes.

Westbound:
Customers traveling from stations Greenport through Medford will board trains at their stations and transfer to local and express buses at Ronkonkoma then transfer to trains at Hicksville to complete their trips. Customers should expect increased travel time up to 50 minutes.

Well I will definitely be avoiding this mess. Thank heavens for Babylon service or being able to drive.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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LIRR To Provide Extra Service For Paul McCartney Concerts

Posted by
on July 10th, 2009 at 2:05 pm

A week from now begins a historic 3 show event as Sir Paul McCartney will host CitiField’s first ever concerts. In anticipation of the huge crowds that will be attending, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) will be providing additional service. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release sent to me a couple of days ago:

MTA Long Island Rail Road will be providing additional train service to its Mets-Willets Point Station for Paul McCartney’s three concert performances at Citi Field on July 17, 18 and 21.

LIRR train service to Mets-Willets Point Station is available on eastbound Port Washington Branch trains from Penn Station and westbound trains from Great Neck and Port Washington. The train ride is just 18 minutes from Penn Station to Mets-Willets Point Station. For those traveling on the LIRR from Long Island, it’s just six minutes from Woodside, 16-17 minutes from Great Neck and 27 minutes from Port Washington.

McCartney fans traveling from branches other than Port Washington can reach Mets-Willets Point Station by taking a regularly scheduled train to Woodside Station, then changing to an eastbound Port Washington Branch train. Since Mets-Willets Point Station is located in Zone 1, tickets to that zone from outlying stations are valid to this station. However, passengers must retain their ticket stubs and inform ticket collectors of their intention to travel to Mets-Willets Point Station. Rail tickets will be collected at Mets-Willets Point Station after customers disembark.

Concert goers are advised to purchase round-trip tickets prior to boarding.

The LIRR’s train service is as follows (concerts start at 6:30 PM):

Friday, July 17 & Tuesday, July 21

Eastbound: Trains will depart Penn Station at 3:49 PM, 4:25 PM, 4:46 PM, 5:14 PM, 5:29 PM, 5:50 PM, 5:56 PM, 6:14 PM, 6:29 PM, 6:42 PM, 7:14 PM, 7:49 PM, 8:19 PM, 8:48 PM, 9:18 PM, 9:48 PM, 10:18 PM, 10:48 PM, 11:18 PM, 11:48 PM, 12:19 AM and 1:18 AM (Wednesday morning); 1:19 AM (Saturday morning).

Westbound: Trains will depart Port Washington at 4:06 PM, 4:36 PM, 5 PM, 5:23 PM, 6:24 PM, 7:09 PM, 7:39 PM, 8:09 PM, 8:39 PM, 9:09 PM, 9:39 PM, 10:09 PM, 10:39 PM, 11:39 PM,12:40 AM and 1:39 AM (Wednesday morning); 1:40 AM (Saturday morning). Trains will also depart Great Neck at 5:44 PM, 6:04 PM, 6:20 PM, and 6:44 PM.

The following Main Line trains will have added Woodside stops for the concerts:

Eastbound: Trains leaving Penn Station at 10:16 PM, 10:41 PM, 11:09 PM, 11:34 PM, 12:14 AM, 1:11 AM (Wednesday morning) and 1:16 AM (Saturday morning).

Westbound: 3:35 PM from Huntington, 3:42 PM, 4:09 PM, 4:35 PM and 4:39 PM trains from Babylon, 5:14 PM and 7:49 PM from Long Beach, 5:53 PM from Far Rockaway, 6:09 PM, 6:39 PM and 7:09 PM trains from Babylon.

Saturday, July 18

Eastbound: Trains will depart Penn Station at 4:19 PM, 4:48 PM, 5:19 PM, 5:48 PM, 5:59 PM, 6:19 PM, 6:35 PM, 6:48 PM, 7:19 PM, 7:48 PM, 8:19 PM, 8:48 PM, 9:19 PM, 9:48 PM, 10:19 PM, 10:48 PM, 11:19 PM, 12:19 AM and 1:19 AM (Sunday morning).

Westbound: Trains will depart Port Washington at 4:10 PM, 4:39 PM, 5:10 PM, 5:39 PM, 6:10 PM, 6:39 PM, 7:10 PM, 7:39 PM, 8:10 PM, 8:39 PM, 9:10 PM, 9:39 PM, 10:10 PM, 10:39 PM, 11:40 PM, 12:40 AM and 1:40 AM (Sunday morning).
Trains will also depart Great Neck at 5:59 PM and 6:35 PM.

The following Main Line trains will have added Woodside stops for the concerts:

Eastbound: Trains leaving Penn Station at 10:24 PM, 10:35 PM, 11:10 PM, 11:29 PM, and 12:15 AM (Sunday morning).

Westbound: 4:03 PM, 5:03 PM, 6:03 PM and 7:03 PM trains from Huntington, 4:02 PM, 6:02 PM and 6:28 PM trains from Babylon.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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