Category: Transit Failures

Broken Subway Door?

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It’s a good thing I snagged a seat today, or it would have been a pretty crappy way to start my morning.

At 28th Street, my train was stuck in the station because of a door problem. Perhaps some of the motormen that read this blog can chime in on what can cause this.

Clearly it was not something that was going to raise a red flag on this insanely crowded train because they managed to get it fixed after about 15 minutes of waiting.

I was about 3 train car lenghts away from the door that had the issue, so I could see them trying to fix it.  It consisted of one guy hitting the door close button over and over again while the other physically pushed the doors together with his hands.

From what I could see, the doors were closing just fine on their own.  I’m not sure what pushing the doors together by hand was adding to the equation.  I guess he was just trying to get the sensor to engage or something.  If you stepped back and looked, you would have no idea something was wrong with the door because it closed all the way by itself.

After the threee stooges finished slamming the doors together over and over again, we got back on our way.  Of course, we were so far behind that we immdediately had to start skipping stops to get caught up.

A frustrating way to start your Monday.

Another Nail in the Fare Hike Coffin

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Aaaand we inch ever closer to the $2.50 single ride and the $103 monthly unlimited. The final vote is Wednesday.

I don’t claim to be that good at math, but eventually the unlimited card is just not worth it.  I mean, the average commuter is going to take the train twice a day, 5 days a week, 4 weeks a month.  That’s 40 total rides.  At $2.50 a ride, that’s $100.

Eventually, I think I’m just going to buy a $100 regular card and get my extra 6 free rides ($15).  There’s rarely a month that goes by where I take 6 rides on the weekend.  When I head out on the weekend, I’m usually cabbing it up.

Another Metrocard Machine Run-in

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It took me nearly 15 minutes to get a new Metrocard today.  What a freaking cluster f*ck.

I happen to be at a station that is under construction, so it only has two machines at this entrance.  Of course, there’s always a line because there’s only the two machines.

So I got in line.  Once I finally got to the front of the line, I’ll bet you can guess what happened.  No credit cards.

For whatever reason, the credit card reader wasn’t able to read my card.  At first I thought it was just me.

So I got back into line for the second machine.  From there, I saw that other people were having the same issue I did with my original machine.  So I had to wait in line all overagain.

You know, I really need to get involved with TransitChex or something.  I’m getting pretty sick of this crap.

Federal Bailout the MTA?

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http://www.nbcnewyork.com/syndication?id=36806859&path=%2Fnews%2Fbusiness

Hell, why not?  If banks, auto manufacturers, and more are all bellying up to the pork buffet, why can’t the MTA?

Senator Chuck Schumer wants the federal government to write a check for a few billion dollars to bail out the MTA.

Just think, this could have been done back when Congestion Pricing was all the rage.  It wouldn’t have been a bailout either.  Under the Congestion Pricing plan, the city would have received a massive grant to fund the building of the infrastructure to get the system off the ground…to the tune of $500 million.  Much of it would have also went to improving services to handle the expected increase in ridership.

Then, the city would have created a new and massive revenue source…all of the congestion pricing fees (taxes) that could have been funneled right back into maintaining the MTA services.

But noooo…we had to block that.  F*cking idiots.  Everyone who opposed that plan should be booted out of office.

Would it have completely avoided the current crisis?  Probably not, but it would have done a ton to make it better.  The estimated yearly revenue generated from the congestion pricing plan is around $491 million.  That would have gone a long way to helping get us out of the disaster we are currently lost in.

Wall Collapse & Subway Delays

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Was anyone delayed by the wall collapse on Lexington in the 30’s today?

Apparently, there was a 10 foot wall that collapsed at a construction site.  Emergency officials evacuated a neighboring building as a precaution because they feared that the ground movement might make the foundation of that building unstable.  It wasn’t really that bad though.

Then they ordered the MTA to slow train traffic on the 4, 5, and 6 through the area.  The train vibration can cause more ground settling.

Just wondering if there really was a big delay or not.  I’d imagine not.  Probably just right when it happened.

People in my office were flipping out that another building had collapsed.  Uhhhhh no.  Go back to work.

Being right all the time gets boring

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So like I said, the rain is bad news.

My ride home was all f-ed up.  I got onto the platform only to see 10,000 other people already waiting for the train delayed due to rain.

By pure miracle, I made it onto the first train that finally came 15 minutes later.  People were getting so pissed that they left the station (to go back out into the rain!).  It just so happened that a guy in front of me got fed up and left.  A minute later, the train came and a door lined up with me perfectly.

The train immediately switched from a local to an express train…pissing off many.

So yeah, being right all the time is getting pretty old.

WTF? A $107 Metrocard in the Works

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Metrocard bus

For that price, it had better come with at least two drinks.

The latest news is the very real possibility of subway fares going over $100 for monthly cards.  I call bullsh*t there not because of the price necessarily, but what we get.

I love the lead from the Daily News:

Brace yourself for the C-note MetroCard.

It is so true.

Anyway, back to my point about what we get.  Here’s the breakdown of what we could be facing in a C-note fare world.  A 30 day Metrocard goes from $81 to $104 with service cuts -OR- $107 without.

So basically, you’re going to get raped for a new Metrocard, it’s just a matter of how hard.  If you want to get your ass slapped with a $104 fare and decreased services (the double whammy), that’s one option.  If you want to get raped for $107, but still enjoy the same crap services you’ve always received, that’s the other whammy.

Notice that there was no fare for BETTER service than what we have now.  How about a $125 rate structure where we could actually benefit from better technology, faster service, less frequent breakdowns, and a fresh coat of paint.  Nooooooo…why think of that.

It’s way more fun for politicians use their chewing gum to plug the leaks in the dam than actually fix the problem.

Poll: How the Hell Do We Pay for this Crap?

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it best today when he summed up the state of the MTA.  He says the MTA does not have a single dollar for it’s 2009 capital plan.  Not just falling a little short…literally does not have a single dollar.

So now law makers are scrambling to find revenue alternatives.  They are getting very desperate.

Governor Paterson is throwing around things like East River tolls, fare hikes, service cuts, and on and on.

[poll id=”10″]

You can refresh and vote up to three times if there’s more than one you like.

There’s probably some ideas missing, so hit them up in the comments.

Peace Out W and Z Lines

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Due to a complete cluster f*ck of the MTA financial systems, the Daily News reports that the MTA has drawn up plans to shut down the W and Z lines as well as turn the J into a local train.

These plans are not official, but they seem like they’ll have to be put into place.

Additionally, as many as 1,500 jobs could be cut, overnight waiting times up to 30 minutes, and a fare hike making a single ride $3.00 seems to be right around the corner.

Here lies the problem.  The MTA is a bureaucracy controlled by the State up in Albany that really only impacts the lives of people in New York City.  (Yes, I know the MTA runs services in the burbs such as buses, etc.  But I’m concentrating in the bulk of the issues which are here in the city.)

So there really isn’t enough outrage on behalf of the citizens of New York.  For example, people living in Utica, NY could give a crap if the subway runs on time, or if the W and Z lines continue to be around.  So they aren’t going to say anything.  Actually, they’re probably against financial support of the MTA because it has nothing do do with them really.

Mark my words, major sh*t is about to go down.

Demand Action on MTA Budget Failures

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Please excuse this brief public service announcement.  It’s time the MTA officials get off their asses and solve the MTA budget crisis.  It has been sitting around not getting fixed for way too long.

Your readers have already read all about MTA’s budget meltdown and the possibility of drastic fare hikes accompanied by severe cuts to bus and train service.  But have they heard what they can do about it?

On November 19th, the Campaign for New York’s Future is organizing Keep New York Moving Day. We’ll have volunteers at subway stations throughout the city, asking commuters to sign giant postcards to local leaders, telling them that now’s the time to invest in transit.

We need your help getting everyone’s attention, so our decision makers take action and save New York from our transportation crisis. Unless our leaders take immediate action, the MTA’s severe budget shortfall could soon lead to fewer trains, cuts to bus service, and double-digit fare hikes.

You and your readers can click here to find out what they can do to help Keep New York Moving and send a message urging our leaders to take action at www.keepnewyorkmoving.org. We’ll deliver the signatures on November 20th, when the MTA is holding a decisive meeting about the transit system’s desperate financial crisis.

Please feel free to also write with any questions or concerns,

Matt Derby,

On behalf of The Campaign for New York’s Future