Month: February 2008

The Latest On Congestion Pricing in NYC

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So this spring is going to be hot for more reasons than one.  In this case, it will be over congestion pricing.

Those that drive around the middle of Manhattan are pissed.  Those that don’t drive could care less.  So it will likely be those that drive that end up killing the plan.

In any event, the plan has already been slightly modified to shrink the zone where the $8.00 toll would be charged.

Now, the talks shift to adding public transportation alternatives.  I guess not really adding, just increasing.

But there will be 12 new bus routes in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx; increased service on 48 bus routes in Staten Island, Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx; 309 new buses; increase of service on the 1, E and F trains; and longer trains on the C line. [WCBS-TV]

So it will be nice to have more trains in service on many of the lines.  Hopefully “increased” service means more than just one extra train.

Snow and Deja Vu

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So apparently today’s snow was the most snow the city has seen in two years. For some reason, that makes it sound like some massive amount of snow…as if it were a blizzard or something.

The truth is we just haven’t had much snow at all in the last few years. This year has been a joke. Anyway, in celebration of the snowfall, the MTA has suspended track work for the weekend.

In other news, I had a very odd thing happen to me today. I rode the exact same train, exact same car both to and from work today.

Just by chance, I noticed a Dr. Zizmor ad on the subway that had been defaced to say Dr. Douchebag. It stuck in my head because it gave me a little chuckle. Honestly, who goes to a doctor that advertises on the subway? That’s a top 10 trashy thing to do. If you need more details, this clown has a Wikipedia entry. I’m not linking to it because you can find it on your own.

Anyway, this afternoon, I got on the train to go home, and saw the exact same Dr. Douchebag ad! I was on the same train, same car, and standing in the exact same place as this morning.

That’s never happened to me before, at least that I’ve noticed.

Back Off

subwayblogger20 Comments

Can I just say that the women who leap over people to dive on an open seat need to freaking relax. I mean seriously.

Ok here’s the profile of the people I generally speak of:

Female
18-34 Years Old
Usually White
Skinny
iPod Wearing
Attitude

The skinny aspect is critical to the scenario because these women jump at even the smallest seat. There could be a sliver of seat showing between two fairly large people, and these women will knock people over to get it.

Anyway, I generally don’t sit. I stand for the whole ride unless it happens to be a really slow transit day. Even when I am literally standing in front of an open seat, and I wont take it because there’s going to be someone that either needs it more or wants it more than me. So I generally move out of the way.

So if you want the empty seat in front of me, all you gotta do is ask me to move so you can get by me. There’s no need to duck under my arm and slam me in the ribs with your hug purse.

Side note, when the shit you are carrying is bigger than your lap, you can’t hold it on your lap or attempt to navigate a crowded train. Just stand where you’re at, and don’t move. Above all else, don’t get pissed when people bump into you because you have a 50 cubic foot purse.

Free Hats and Gloves

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Did people leave their homes and offices in a panic today?

I saw no less than 2 hats and 3 different gloves on the sidewalks and subway stairs today. People were clearly fishing around for things in their pockets and bags not realizing they were dropping them.

Why couldn’t it be $100 bills instead?

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Worst Tourists Award

subwayblogger13 Comments

Let’s just get right to it. Do the French tourists win this game? Is it even a contest? I think so.

In my book, the French tourists are the most obnoxious touristists in town. I can’t even think of another group that even comes close.

I say this as I stand near a group of French students who have essentially qtaken over the subway platform. Just their arrogant presence is enough to win them the crown for most obnoxious tourists.

Really, there’s no other group I can think of that comes close.

Asian tourists can be a little annoying, but overall, they are fine. Sure, when they travel in groups, the girls especially, the giddy volume level can get a little high. But it’s all very innocent.

Even southern tourists aren’t too bad. Annoying and a little slow, yes, but that can mostly be attributed to the inbreeding. So I don’t hold it against them.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Jumper DOA at 49th Street on the N Train

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There are reports this morning that there was a person under a train that was dead on arrival at the 49th Street stop on the N train.

SUBYWAYblogger reader Melody brought this to our attention, and then we were able to confirm it on the police scanner logs.

Melody was on the train that allegedly struck the person. However, she was unable to find any info about it in the main stream media or blogs. Again, for those that do not know, the main stream media rarely reports suicides. This is because reporting them often causes more suicides. People of an unstable nature, who might be considering killing themselves, often will become more likely to do so if they think it will get media attention. Often, the suicide is a cry for attention in the first place.

However, according to Melody’s report, there were other witnesses who said the guy was very drunk and just fell on to the tracks as the train was coming. So it might not have been a purposeful suicide in the first place. Might have just been a drunk guy who fell.

Without doing a Freedom of Information Act search in a few weeks, we may never know what really happened.

UPDATE: Here’s what one witness claims to have seen.

We approached the station, and as we pulled in we felt a premature thud/jerk with the brakes kicking in immediately. The conductor said the emergency brakes had been activated and that they were “investigating.” 20 minutes later we attempt to leave the station again, but we only moved about 3-5 feet before the emergency brakes kick in yet again.

At that point we were evacuated from the train, and were waiting on the platform for further instruction, when we hear sirens. A bunch of cops showed up, then someone came in with one of those orange medi-boards, and the cops immediately kicked everyone out saying, “This station is closed!!!”

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MTA Doesn’t Like Sticky Stuff

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So apparently, the engineers at the MTA have been trying to wrap their heads around an enormously pressing issue.

Yes folks, the issue we speak of is (cue drum-roll): Gum on the floors.

Apparently, concrete is much harder to clean than granite tile.  However, concrete is much less expensive to install.  According to WCBS, a concrete train station runs about $400k.  Granite tile stations are well over $1 million.

So we are left with a major dilemma.  Floors that are cheap, but a bitch to clean, or expensive and easy to clean.

Either way, the floors are dirty as shit.