Transit

April 25, 2022

Adams announces nearly $1B investment for NYC Streets Plan

City officials are continuing their efforts to ensure the safety of New Yorkers traveling the streets. Mayor Eric Adams on Saturday announced a historic $904 million investment to help fund the NYC Streets Plan and address the city's traffic violence problem by creating a safer and more environmentally friendly transportation infrastructure. Over the next five years, the investment will be used to expand bike lanes and bus lanes throughout the city and will be put towards the creation of new pedestrian spaces.
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April 19, 2022

NYC restores alternate-side parking to clean streets and bike lanes

New York City officials announced plans to allocate millions of dollars to better clean city streets and bike lanes. Mayor Eric Adams and just-appointed Department of Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Monday announced an $11 million investment for new street cleaning initiatives and better mobility for the sanitation department. Under the initiative, alternate-side parking will return in full force starting July 5. New Yorkers will have to move their cars twice per week, up from once a week during the pandemic, to clear the way for street sweepers and avoid getting a parking ticket.
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April 19, 2022

MTA keeps mask mandate for NYC subway, despite lift of federal requirement on mass transit

While mask mandates are being lifted in public transit systems around the country, New Yorkers should expect to wait a little longer to ride the subway unmasked. According to a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the agency will require masks to be worn throughout the subway, bus, Metro-North, and Long Island Rail Road systems, despite a recent ruling from a federal judge striking down the national mask mandate for airplanes, trains, buses, and other forms of mass transit.
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April 13, 2022

After Sunset Park shooting, Adams ‘doubles’ number of police officers on subway

Mayor Eric Adams said he will double the number of police officers patrolling the transit system after a mass shooting at a subway station in Sunset Park left over two dozen people injured. Police on Wednesday identified 62-year-old Frank James as the suspect; they believe James detonated a smoke device and began shooting on an N train during rush hour Tuesday morning. The additional deployment comes after Adams deployed 1,000 additional officers earlier this year because of a recent uptick in crime on the subway.
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March 29, 2022

MTA releases revised design for new bus network in Queens

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday released a revised redesign of Queens' sprawling bus network, aimed at making service faster and more reliable for commuters. After the agency's first draft plan in 2019 was not received well by the public (and garnered an unprecedented 11,000 comments of feedback), the MTA returned to the drawing board. The updated proposal for the bus network, which has not been significantly updated in over 100 years, includes revamped routes, new interborough connections, and removing or consolidating other lines.
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March 24, 2022

Uber will include NYC’s yellow taxis on its app

After years of competition, New York City yellow taxis and Uber are joining forces. NYC yellow taxi platform Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT) and Uber on Thursday announced a partnership permitting city taxis to be listed on the popular rideshare app, giving them access to a larger customer base. The combined service is expected to begin in beta this spring and will be made available to riders this summer, according to a press release.
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March 16, 2022

See new looks for the massive mixed-use ‘transit-oriented’ project headed to the Hoboken waterfront

After 16 years of deliberation, plans to revitalize Hoboken's waterfront are moving forward. New Jersey Transit, the City of Hoboken, and developer LCOR on Wednesday released new renderings of Hoboken Connect, a mixed-use transit project that aims to bring major investments to the city. The development will include a 20-story office building with retail, a 389-unit residential property with 20 percent of the units affordable, public open space, and the renovation of transit infrastructure and buildings like the historic Lackawanna Terminal. The project is currently under review by the city and is pending redevelopment agreement approvals, which could be decided next month.
More details here
March 15, 2022

NYC to roll out secure bike parking pods at five high-traffic cycling spots

Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez last Friday announced the city will be piloting a new bike parking model this spring. DOT will be testing Brooklyn-based company Oonee's "Mini," a prototype of the company's six-bike corral, at five high-traffic locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens over the next couple of months. The pilot program is part of the city's broader effort to expand secure bike parking.
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March 9, 2022

Penn Station’s transformation takes next steps with removal of low-hanging beams

A major step in the transformation of Penn Station has begun. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on Tuesday announced they would begin the removal of seven massive low-hanging beams known as "head knockers," dated structural beams that have limited the height of passageways in Penn Station's Long Island Rail Road Concourse to under 7 feet. The removal of these beams will help project crews reach their goal of increasing the ceiling height to 18 feet across the entire concourse, doubling the width of the 33rd Street corridor to 57 feet, and improving lighting.
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March 3, 2022

Port Authority releases mass transit options as possible alternatives to LaGuardia AirTrain project

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Wednesday released a set of alternative options to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's $2.1 billion LaGuardia AirTrain project, a 1.5-mile elevated rail that would connect the airport with the subway system at Willets Point and link to the Long Island Rail Road. After Gov. Kathy Hochul halted the project last October and urged developers to look for alternate options, Port Authority has come up with 14 alternatives including two subway extensions, five light rail routes, five bus options, a ferry service, and options utilizing "emerging technologies."
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March 1, 2022

Brooklyn officials call for end of minimum parking requirements at new developments

Brooklyn officials are calling for the end of minimum parking requirements at new construction projects in transit-rich neighborhoods. Currently, developers of most new residential developments in the borough must create off-street parking spaces for both as-of-right and rezoned projects. Officials argue parking minimums disrupt the area by adding congestion, reducing walkability, and producing more carbon emissions. While changing requirements is seen as more of a long-term goal, officials on Monday voiced a temporary solution: asking the Department of City Planning to encourage developers to include special permit applications to waive parking requirements for any residential project subject to rezoning.
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February 23, 2022

MTA to test platform barriers at 3 stations in Manhattan and Queens

After the tragic killing of a subway rider pushed in front of a train earlier this month, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has finally heeded the calls of transit advocates and New Yorkers and will be testing platform doors at three stations in Manhattan and Queens. The MTA will be piloting the barriers at Times Square on the 7 line, at Third Avenue on the L line, and at Sutphin Boulevard/JFK on the E line, as MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber told NY1 Wednesday morning.
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February 22, 2022

NYC begins effort to ‘harden’ 20 miles of protected bike lanes

The New York City Department of Transportation is implementing new strategies to keep cyclists safe while navigating the hectic city streets. Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Friday announced the start of a new project that will fortify half of all delineator-protected bike lanes in NYC, which better protects cyclists and keeps lanes clear of vehicles. Originally set to be completed within the first 100 days of Rodriguez's term, as Streetsblog reported, the city now aims to harden 20 of the city's 40 miles of delineator-protected bike lines by the end of 2023.
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February 18, 2022

NYC announces plan to stop homeless New Yorkers from sheltering on the subway

New York City will increase enforcement of certain rules in the subway system as part of a broader safety plan to address homelessness announced by Mayor Eric Adams and the MTA on Friday. The NYPD will boost their enforcement of the "rules of conduct," which includes the prohibition of lying down or sleeping in a way that interferes with others, exhibiting aggressive behavior, spitting, smoking, using drugs, and "using the subway for any purpose other than transportation," according to the 17-page plan. "No more just doing whatever you want," Adams said on Friday. "Those days are over. Swipe your MetroCard, ride the system, and get off at your destination."
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February 15, 2022

NYC commits $75M to Fair Fares program, makes it a permanent part of budget

Funding for New York City's Fair Fares program, which offers a 50 percent discount on subway and bus trips for low-income New Yorkers, has been secured annually for the first time ever. Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams on Monday announced an agreement to baseline $75 million in funding for the program for the upcoming fiscal year 2023 budget. Fair Fares was originally funded at $106 million in 2020, but pandemic-related budget cuts reduced funding for the program to just over $40 million.
Details here
February 8, 2022

MTA to roll out fare-capping pilot program for OMNY this month

In an effort to get riders back on the New York City subway system, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has introduced a pilot fare-capping program that they believe will be "more affordable, more flexible, and more fair." Starting on February 28, subway or bus riders who use the OMNY contactless payment system 12 times within a seven-day period will be automatically upgraded to an unlimited pass for the rest of that week. The fare-capping program will last for at least four months.
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February 2, 2022

NYC commission withholds support for Hochul’s plan to rebuild Penn Station

Gov. Kathy Hochul's massive redevelopment plan of Penn Station hit a roadblock last week. The City Planning Commission said it will withhold support for Hochul's new transit hub due to uncertainties over funding and a lack of improvement to transit and the public realm. Before the city recommends its full support, the project's planners must resolve these issues, as the commission wrote in a letter to the Empire State Development Corporation.
Details here
February 1, 2022

NYC-area transit agencies seek ways to restore ridership post-Covid

New York City-area transit agencies are looking for ways to restore public transit ridership to the levels they were before the pandemic. The MTA, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NJ Transit, the city's Department of Transportation, and the Partnership for NYC announced on Monday the fourth round of the Transit Tech Lab, a program that aims to find solutions to problems facing the city's public transportation system. The agencies put forth two challenges; the first is a solution to help the public transit system recover from Covid-19 and restore its ridership to pre-pandemic levels. The second is a sustainability challenge, looking for innovations that will better prepare the transit system against extreme weather conditions while leaving less of a carbon footprint.
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January 21, 2022

SNL’s Pete Davidson and Colin Jost rescue retired Staten Island Ferry boat for $280K

"Saturday Night Live" stars Pete Davidson and Colin Jost, along with comedy club owner Paul Italia, were the high bidders for the retired Staten Island Ferry boat John F. Kennedy, the NY Post reports. The boat, recently retired from the Staten Island Ferry fleet, was listed for $125,000 at a public auction that ended Wednesday. The auction price of the vintage vessel, retired after over five decades of service, had been slashed in half, but its new owners bid $280,000 in a last-minute bidding war, armed with plans to transform the ferry into a live entertainment venue.
More on the JFK, this way
January 21, 2022

14-mile ‘Interborough Express’ route between Brooklyn and Queens moves forward

A public transportation project that could ease the lives of thousands of New Yorkers is gaining momentum. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced the completion of a feasibility study for the Interborough Express, moving the project into its next phase of development. The feasibility study yielded promising results, revealing that the new line could serve anywhere between 74,000 and 88,000 riders a day while connecting to 17 subway stops and the Long Island Rail Road. From its start in Bay Ridge to its final stop in Jackson Heights, the route would take 40 minutes.
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January 20, 2022

New daily, year-round ferry service launches to and from Governors Island

The city's Economic Development and the Trust For Governors Island on Thursday announced that daily, year-round ferry service to Governors Island will begin on Monday, January 24. The NYC Ferry will add a stop at Yankee Pier on its South Brooklyn Route between Red Hook and Sunset Park, connecting New Yorkers to the island from the Lower East Side and Brooklyn. The new service’s hours will coincide with the Island's new winter hours, open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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January 19, 2022

NYC pledges to make 1,000 intersections safer for pedestrians

Last year, New York City experienced the highest level of traffic fatalities in over a decade, a majority of which took place at street intersections. Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday announced a plan to better protect pedestrians, including improving the design of 1,000 intersections across the city, constructing 100 raised crosswalks annually, and enforcing a new traffic rule that requires drivers and cyclists to fully stop for pedestrians when traffic controls are not in place.
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January 7, 2022

Adams, Hochul will increase police presence in NYC subway system to combat homelessness and crime

Commuters will soon see more New York City police officers riding the subway, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday. Hochul and Adams on Thursday laid out a new initiative to tackle homelessness by deploying teams of specially trained Safe Options Support officials. These "SOS" teams will consist of mental health professionals who will work with the city's outreach teams to assist homeless New Yorkers. To combat crime in the subway system, Adams has ordered the mobilization of more officers who will patrol stations and board trains to make visual inspections.
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January 6, 2022

Hochul announces 14-mile-long ‘Interborough Express,’ connecting Bay Ridge to Jackson Heights

After decades of speculation and discarded plans, better train access could be on the way for New Yorkers living in Queens and Brooklyn. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday announced in her 2022 State of the State address plans for the development of the "Interborough Express," a major transit service expansion that would connect the boroughs. The proposed expansion takes the Bay Ridge Branch, a freight rail line that already runs through Brooklyn and Queens, and transforms it into a 14-mile arching track stretching from Bay Ridge to Jackson Heights. The new track would link up to 17 existing subway lines across the two boroughs, as well as provide a connection to the Long Island Rail Road.
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December 29, 2021

NYC Ferry continues expansion with new Bronx stop in Throgs Neck

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday cut the ribbon on a new ferry landing in the Bronx. Located at Ferry Point Park in Throgs Neck, the new landing extends NYC Ferry's Soundview route, which stops on the Upper East Side, Midtown, and the Financial District. With the addition of this new stop, the Soundview route begins at Ferry Point Park, continuing onto stops in Soundview, East 90th Street, 34th Street, Stuyvesant Cove, and Wall Street/Pier 11. The entire route takes a total of 60 minutes.
Details here