NY Harbor Tunnel A Drain

NY Harbor tunnel a drain on worthier transit projects

These futile projects are taking away money desperately needed to fund the four major mass transit projects that offer the biggest gains for the city--the extension of the No. 7 line to the far West Side, the new rail link between downtown and JFK Airport, the Second Avenue Subway, and East Side access to bring the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminal.

Great article and responses from Juniper Civic.

Current Events: The Turmoil

This was a rant I wrote up and never posted, but still relevant.

I will start this post quite different than most you are used to; I want to begin by saying " What the hell is going on around here?". Apparently we can't eat safely due to the Salmonella contaminated tomatoes.

Health officials confirmed cases in New York State of salmonella-tainted tomato poisoning Thursday.

That brings the total number of affected states to 23, and the toll of affected people has risen to 228.
The FDA blames the salmonella outbreak on uncooked red tomatoes, of the plum, Roma, and round-grown varieties.

We can not get the medicine we need with out worry about it being expired.

"Drug products have expiration dates for good reason. A drug's effectiveness can diminish over time as chemicals lose their potency," said Arthur Levin, executive director of the Center for Medical Consumers.

The godforsaken MTA can't get its act together and are planning on squeezing the shit out of mass transportation users when mass transportation is supposed to be pushed as the cheaper alternative, does anyone remember congestion pricing? Meanwhile the MTA has bled out over a billion dollars over the past 10 years due to personal injury cases, it being cheaper to pay out than to make needed changes to hundreds of train cars. Nassau county owes the MTA a nice chunk of millions for bus and train service, and obviously instead of doing something to assess the situation properly they just had the costs right back down to the same people who are suffering from inflation and outrageous gas prices (which super has passed $5 per gallon) the national average being $4.22. All of this meanwhile you have these big shots and ex-employees costing the MTA 14 million in lost revenue yearly.

Today we have prostitution rings with in walking distance of elementary schools.
We have corruption of politicians in both the local,state and federal government. We are becoming over-developed in the quiet communities, and we can't put together a coherent plan to fix Willet's Point.
We have Con Edison who holds onto property worth millions while they increase utility rates.
We have suffered greatly as the quality of live erodes, crime increases and we witness the destruction of the middle class.
We have people who are struggling to make ends meet while working far beyond the 9 to 5 and will still lose their house to foreclosure.
What can be done for the 4 family household who can not afford to spend 500 grand on a house, $2000 a month for an apartment and has too high an income for "affordable housing".
We live in an age where we need to speak up, in a way much louder than any blog or news publication can carry, an initiative if you will to carry beyond the lines of sex, race,language and economic class.

If you, like myself have had enough let your voice be heard. Whether it is a blog, a letter to congress, a sign posted on your front lawn, a brief mention at a community board meeting it will make a difference. The same way this post may instill a desire for change, and even if it has not you have still become more conscious of the current demise of our beloved borough. We need to avoid recession to the mean, because lets face it we deserve better than that.

Our voice is our most creative and musical instrument. It has great power to touch our lives and the lives of others.- Ted Andrews

NYPIRG - 10 Plagues Of The Subway

List compiles '10 plagues of the subway'

The New York Public Interest Research Group's Straphangers Campaign has released a "10 plagues of the subway" list to document problems faced by commuters.

The list, which includes overcrowding, flooding and dirty seats, documents common complaints from riders of the city's subway system, New York Newsday reported Friday.

"I've already been chastised for leaving out rats, cockroaches and subway preachers," said Gene Russianoff, a senior attorney for the Straphangers Campaign.

Russianoff said the perils of traveling with an infant also made it onto the list.

"It's dangerous to have a stroller with people running up and down the stairs," said subway rider and mother-of-four Rosa Lopez, 28. "And elevators are out all the time."

New York transit officials questioned about the list said they are always working to improve the subway.

"We have been, and continue to, work hard to provide the type of mass transit experience that the greatest city in the world deserves," said Charles Seaton, a transit spokesman.

The Day Congestion Pricing Died

Congestion Pricing Dies in Albany

Denied the opportunity to vote on the proposal, congestion pricing was killed in Albany this week to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s chagrin.

The State Assembly never voted on the controversial plan that would charge drivers $8 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street and the state has now forfeited some $350 million in federal transportation funds for system improvements.


City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing), Chairman of the City Council Transportation Committee, was a leading proponent and voted for congestion pricing. He said in statement, “This defeat is disappointing to transportation advocates, environmental advocates, community activists and business leaders alike. However, there’s no use crying over spilled milk. Even without congestion pricing, we still need to reduce the extreme congestion that has a chokehold on our economy as well as on our environment.”

He was also critical of the mayor’s political strategy, implying that his administration failed to build a consensus around the plan.

“The Mayor’s people forgot to understand the legislative process. A high-and-almighty approach supplanted what should have been a collaborative process. The worst part of the Administration’s approach was that the City Council was pawned off in the process.”

There go my hopes of better transit. I think the Manhattanites would have benefited, the everyday traffic and everything that goes along with it would have been greatly affected.

MTA Hands Over Valuable Land in Queens

MTA Hands Over Valuable Real Estate To Spur Jamaica Redevelopment

More stores are on the way for commuters and Jamaica residents, as the MTA announced today that it is leasing some valuable real estate, as part of a plan to spur development in southeast Queens.

The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation is spear-heading a $12 million project, aimed at bringing more retail and private investment to the neighborhood.

To help the effort, the Long Island Rail Road is relocating its print shop, currently located under the rail road tracks on Sutphin Boulevard, to another Queens location.

The new plans would call for a better-lit underpass and more than 5,000 square feet of retail space.

Currently, the railroad underpass, pictured above, is a dark tunnel across the street from the entrance to the railroad and air train stations.

"Sometimes if you walk underneath here, you can't see the person's face that's coming towards you," said a local.

Supporters say they are especially interested in promoting businesses that cater to both the neighborhood and to LIRR customers.

"We are hoping to do convenience stores that will be helpful to people riding the Long Island Railroad and those in the neighborhood," said Andrew Manshel of the Greater Jamaica Development Corp.

"We service 280,000 customers daily, and many of them come through Jamaica, so additional retail might make this a good stopping off point for them," said Susan McGowan of LIRR.

Construction on the project is set to begin later this year.

This will be beneficial to both the community and to commuters and I give kudos. However I am still skeptical that someone is getting rich on this transaction.

Queens Artists Displaced By MTA Expansion Hold Last Exhibit

Queens Artists Displaced By MTA Expansion Hold Last Exhibit

Some artists in Queens who will be forced from their studios are using an art exhibit to expres frustrations over the MTA's East Side Access Project.

Artists who work at the Flux Factory in Long Island City, which is being closed and demolished as part of the project, are holding one more show – called “Everything Must Go” - before the building’s doors are shut forever.

"We have an artist who is going to be making, no offense to any actual MTA workers, it's going to be an MTA worker pinata that we'll have at the final party," said Flux Factory director Stefany Anne Golberg.

Flux Factory began as an artist collective in the early 1990s and has been in this space in Long Island City since 2002. At the site, artists create, collaborate, and showcase their art. Many live at the site, as well.

But with the MTA getting ready to demolish the building, artists like Nick Normal need to find new places to live by the end of the month. The situation inspired his artwork.

Flux Factory

More Photos to come. It's a shame that the artists are being forced out, but at least they are going out with a bang.

What A Way to Screw up Communers!

Delay on LIRR and No. 7 subway

Per Newsday

Over the course of the past week, the railroad has had more than a half-dozen cancellations due to equipment-related problems, though a spokesperson could not confirm an exact number on Monday.

The latest cancellation was the 7:47 a.m. train from Sayville, scheduled to arrive at Hunterspoint at 9:11 a.m.

The equipment-trouble was described only as being "brake-related." No other details were available.

Rail riders could expect delays as well Monday on the Times Square-bound No. 7 subway train, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said those delays were caused by "someone requiring medical assistance" at the 33rd Street-Rawson Street Station.

Those Manhattan-bound No. 7 trains are running on the local track between the 74th Street-Broadway Station and the Queensboro Plaza Station, while Flushing-bound trains are running on the express track between the Queensboro Plaza Station and the 74th Street-Broadway Station.

I know if I was depending on these trains to get to work on time I certainly would not be happy, nor would my boss. I guess it is better to have delays then running trains with brake problem. Well thats the MTA for you.