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January 27, 2016

POLL: Will Open Gangway Subway Trains Be a Success in NYC?

New Yorkers are notoriously hard to impress, so it’s not surprising that some are finding fault with the MTA’s proposed open gangway subway trains, which are pretty much the norm everywhere else in the world. Despite the fact that they’ll reduce congestion and platform pileups, as well as reportedly increase safety, jaded city dwellers fear […]

January 26, 2016

Mapping World Cities That Already Have Open Gangway Subway Trains

By Dana Schulz

Click here to enlarge map >> Just yesterday, the MTA revealed renderings of what their open gangway subway prototypes will look like. As 6sqft previsouly reported, when it was announced that the new trains got a $52.4 million piece of the MTA's capital plan, "This type of train, basically one long subway car with no doors in between, is popular all over the world, in most cities in China and Japan, in Berlin, Paris, and London, to name a few." So just how far behind the times is New York City? An informative new map from The Transport Politic, which plots the cities in which riders can walk between cars, says pretty far.
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Amtrak Estimates Penn Station and Hudson River Tunnel Projects Will Cost $24B

Click here to enlarge overview map >>

January 21, 2016

Amtrak Estimates Penn Station and Hudson River Tunnel Projects Will Cost $24B

By Dana Schulz

When Governor Cuomo announced his $3 billion revamp of Penn Station earlier this month, skeptics were quick to point out that all the glassy new structures and reconfiguration of waiting rooms won't do anything to help the fact that the Hudson River rail tunnels are crumbling. Clearly on the same page, Amtrak announced yesterday a detailed overview of the entire infrastructure project, and it comes in at a whopping $23.9 billion. According to the Times, "the largest share of about $7.7 billion [will go towards] building the new Hudson tunnel and repairing the existing tunnel. The project includes a host of other elements, including expanding Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan at an estimated cost of $5.9 billion, and replacing rail bridges in New Jersey."
Find out more

January 20, 2016

Top 10 Transportation Proposals That Would Transform New York City

By Rebecca Paul

Commuting in and around NYC can at times be a daunting task, and with the all of the pending subway closures, things are about to get a bit more complicated. However, all hope is not lost, and a trouble-free ride to work right be in the near future. From a city-wide ferry system to cell-phone friendly subway cars, both Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have several new initiatives in play to improve the city's infrastructure. In addition to these ambitious government-backed measures, there are also a slew of motivated residents looking to make some changes, including a 32-Mile Greenway in Brooklyn and Queens and a High Line-esque bridge spanning the Hudson River, just to name a few. To keep your spirits high when subway lines are down, we've put together this list of top 10 transportation proposals for NYC.
See all 10 here

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Are Shuttle Buses a Viable Alternative to the L Train During a Shutdown?

Image via Allen1628famm/YouTube

January 20, 2016

Are Shuttle Buses a Viable Alternative to the L Train During a Shutdown?

By Michelle Cohen

The MTA’s announcement of possible plans to close the L train for months or even years at a time to repair the Hurricane Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel has businesses scrambling and commuters (the train has 300,000 riders on the average weekday) fearful. Data mapping company CartoDB offers a bit of “location intelligence” to better understand the consequences of a shutdown for people living in Brooklyn and, more importantly, what some realistic alternatives to the L train might be. For example, shuttle buses: "If the shuttle bus takes 20 minutes, we are able to calculate the best choices for riders along the L needing to get to Manhattan. Should they go all the way to Lorimer and take the shuttle bus or should they transfer earlier at Myrtle-Wyckoff to the M train or at Broadway Junction to the A?"
Will shuttle buses save the day?

Confirmed: Calatrava’s WTC Transportation Hub Will Open First Week of March!

Santiago Calatrava: WTC Transportation Hub , New York (Photo: Mega Projects and Skyscrapers, via YouTube)

January 19, 2016

Confirmed: Calatrava’s WTC Transportation Hub Will Open First Week of March!

By Michelle Cohen

The Port Authority has announced today in a press release that the World Trade Center Transportation Hub—anchored by architect Santiago Calatrava's Oculus–will open the first week of March. The hub will link the World Trade Center PATH station and "enable travelers to have a seamless connection with 11 New York City subway lines and the East River ferries in addition to access to PATH trains."
What about the mall?

January 15, 2016

Study Suggests Competition From Uber May Curb Cabbie Rudeness

By Michelle Cohen

Is the rise of car share services like Uber and Lyft making taxi drivers nicer? The Washington Post reports that according to research presented this week by the Technology Policy Institute's Scott Wallsten, complaints are down in New York and Chicago, including those about general rudeness, busted A/C, and that bit about the credit card machine not working. The drop in complaints corresponds with the rise of availability of Uber and Lyft in those cities, they claim.
What are New Yorkers complaining about less

January 14, 2016

The World Metro Map Mashes Up 214 Subway Systems

By Dana Schulz

At first glance, it might look like a metro for some city you're not familiar with, perhaps Berlin or Beijing, but this map is actually a combination of almost all those cities that might come to mind. Titled The World Metro Map, it's a mashup of 214 subway systems, totaling 791 lines and 11,924 stations (h/t Cool Hunting). New York-based collective ArtCodeData teamed up with non-profit Open Access to create the map as a representation of "human mobility" explored through the unifying element of subways. The result is a "digital collage" that's colorful, geometric, and provides a new view of world transportation.
Learn more

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January 11, 2016

Governor Cuomo to Transform the Subway With Free Wi-Fi, USB Chargers, and Mobile Payment

By Dana Schulz

Is there anything in NYC that Governor Cuomo does like? He started his crusade to overhaul our infrastructure back in July when he revealed renderings for a $4 billion update to LaGuardia Airport. But this past week he pulled out all the stops, starting with a $3 billion redevelopment of Penn Station, a $1 billion expansion of the Javits Center, and now, a massive undertaking to "modernize and fundamentally transform" the MTA and the subway. Curbed reports that the Governor's latest plan includes expediting the addition of more countdown clocks, adding contactless payment by 2018, equipping all stations with Wi-Fi by the end of this year and cell phone service by the end of 2017, and outfitting both subways and buses with USB chargers.
More details right this way

January 6, 2016

$1.7B Light Rail Connecting the Brooklyn-Queens Waterfront Proposed

By Diane Pham

The dream of a Brooklyn-Queens light rail is moving further into the realm of reality. Back in July last year, 6sqft reported that an advisory committee comprised of developers, transportation experts and civic organizers was in the midst of forming to address the need for a more robust transportation system that could connect underserved, but booming, areas of Brooklyn and Queens. Now as the Daily News tells us, a non-profit advocacy group called Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector has officially materialized to tackle the issue, and they've just released a detailed proposal revealing the route and the potential design the modern streetcars could take on.
Find out more about the proposal here

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94 Years Ago Today, NYC Debuted the World’s First Three-Colored Traffic Lights

By Dana Schulz

Did you know the three-colored traffic light, now a staple in most of the world, was invented right here in NYC? The year was 1922, and special deputy police commissioner Dr. John F. Harriss tested his system of lights to save time for "both the pedestrian and the motorist." Today, on the 94th anniversary of the lights' installation, the Times took a look back at a historic article the paper published at the time. It described how Harriss "began experimenting yesterday with powerful signal lights which will be installed from week to week until traffic in most of Manhattan will be simultaneously started and stopped by red, green and yellow lights all operated by a single switch in Times Square."
The rest of the history this way

December 18, 2015

Mass Transit Commuters in NY Will Save Hundreds Thanks to New Federal Bill

By Dana Schulz

Work for a business with 20 or more employees? Soon you can kiss that $116/month Metrocard allotment goodbye. This week's federal spending and tax-cut agreement will likely put into effect a permanent law that almost doubles the pre-tax earnings that New York mass-transit commuters can spend on fares, thereby saving them hundreds of dollars a year. As Crain's reports, "The provision nearly doubles the maximum amount of pre-tax income they can use to pay transit fares. Currently $130 a month, the limit will be raised to match the amount that people who drive to work can spend in untaxed earnings on parking fees—$255 per month in 2016." Plus, if Congress passes the bill as expected, the amount will continue to rise with the cost of living.
Find out more right here

December 14, 2015

VIDEO: 10 Days and 120 Subway Stations in Two Minutes

By Dana Schulz

Most New Yorkers would be overjoyed if they only had to witness their subway station for a hot second. But since we can't teleport, this video from Snowday is the next best way to live out our fantasies (h/t Fast Co. Design). Titled "Stations: A Quick Scan Through NYC," this two-minute video was shot over ten days at 120 subway stations throughout the five boroughs, compiling footage as if the viewer were changing television channels. The quick scan, which features a somewhat odd blend of scripted scenes and documentary footage, is meant to evoke the "unique texture of New York...in a new and compelling way."
Watch the full video this way

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December 11, 2015

Subway Breaks One-Day Ridership Record With 6,217,621 Passengers

By Dana Schulz

For reasons unknown, the third Thursday in October is traditionally one of the busiest days for the NYC subway. Last year, on October 30th, a record was set with 6,167,165 passengers, and now, the MTA has put out a press release announcing that this past October 29th, this record was smashed when 6,217,621 customers swiped their MetroCards. "The new record day was one of five days in October when ridership exceeded the prior year’s record, and was one of 15 weekdays with ridership above 6 million. Daily subway ridership records have been kept since 1985, but the new record is believed to be the highest since the late 1940s," the agency reports.
READ MORE

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December 9, 2015

The Penn Station Atlas Wants to Make the Awful Space Less Confusing

By Dana Schulz

"The concept behind this project is simple but powerful: a user-centric atlas of a complex space – a unique set of maps designed to help anyone easily find the best way to their destination in Penn Station." Designer John Schettino realized that even though he traveled through Penn Station every day, he'd still find himself lost in the labyrinth that has become one of New Yorkers' most loathed destinations. So he studied maps of the underground station and observed how people interacted with the space to create the New York Penn Station Atlas. The project uses 2D and 3D models that make up a set of maps to show general layout, key locations, and routes for getting from one point to another. Schettino, with a boost from the Municipal Art Society, hopes all these resources will become available for electronic devices at no cost.
Plenty more details this way

Stiletto-Friendly Subway Grates Are Finally Here

Image via MTA

December 8, 2015

Stiletto-Friendly Subway Grates Are Finally Here

By Dana Schulz

Don’t you just hate getting your heel stuck in a subway grate and then ruining those beautiful stilettos? Well fear not, fashionistas, the MTA is employing high heel-friendly subway grates in their East Side Access Project. As Gothamist noted, the agency announced that they’ve completed construction on the 150-feet-below-ground ventilation facility at East 55th Street between […]

December 7, 2015

Chart Compares Suburb and City Commute Times–and How Much Extra We Pay for Convenience

By Diane Pham

When most of us rationalize our outrageous rents (and for buyers, real estate prices), our first go-to argument usually involves something along the lines of how great it is to live so close to work and the bustling city. But as it turns out, there are actually more than a handful of neighborhoods outside of the borders of Manhattan that boast way better commute times than even Brooklyn. Real estate data start-up NeighborhoodX is back again with yet another eye-opening visualization, this time pitting the commute times and real estate prices of various New Jersey, New York and Connecticut suburbs, and a few popular Queens and Brooklyn nabes, against one another.
See all the comparisons here

Transit Museum Brings Back Its Vintage Subways and Buses for the Holidays

Via *Bitch Cakes*/Flickr

December 7, 2015

Transit Museum Brings Back Its Vintage Subways and Buses for the Holidays

By Dana Schulz

Regardless of your faith, the holidays in New York City are a one-of-a-kind experience that many of us look forward to all year. For die-hard New Yorkers, it's not so much about the big attractions, but the smaller festivities that show the spirit of the city. Here at 6sqft, one of our favorites is the MTA's and New York Transit Museum's Nostalgia Trains. According to Gothamist, this year, they're rolling out eight subway cars from the 1930s to '70s and vintage buses from the 1940s to '80s, so holiday shoppers and history enthusiasts alike can revel in a little old-school charm.
Get the details

‘Open Gangway’ Subway Trains Getting a Trial Run in NYC

An open gangway subway in Berlin, photo via Second Avenue Sagas

December 3, 2015

‘Open Gangway’ Subway Trains Getting a Trial Run in NYC

By Dana Schulz

Despite the improved service that the MTA has been promising, most New Yorkers still find themselves crammed into subway cars like floundering sardines. But a newfangled, more spacious train could increase capacity by 8-10 percent. Second Avenue Sagas explores part of the MTA's 2015-2019 capital plan, released earlier this fall, that calls for the purchase of "10 open-gangway prototype cars with the $52.4 million expenditure allocated for 2016." This type of train, basically one long subway car with no doors in between, is popular all over the world, in most cities in China and Japan, in Berlin, Paris, and London, to name a few. It's not known yet when exactly they'll make their debut, how they'll be designed, or on what subway line they'll run, but of course the new idea comes with some concerns.
More details this way

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The Story Behind Those Infamous ‘Sick Passenger’ Subway Announcements

Image via MTA/Flickr

November 23, 2015

The Story Behind Those Infamous ‘Sick Passenger’ Subway Announcements

By Dana Schulz

Admit it–despite your general concern for the well-being of your fellow New Yorkers, you can't help roll your eyes when that dreaded "sick passenger" announcement comes over the subway intercom. "Why get on the train if you're not feeling well?" or "Can't they just move the person to the platform?" are common moans heard during these all-too-common delays. But, it turns out, it's a lot more complicated than that. The New York Times took a look at the rise in sick passengers, up to 3,000 a month this year as compared with 1,800 each month in 2012. Every time this happens, the train crew has to notify the rail control center, who then will call an ambulance. It depends on the specific station and time of day how long it will take emergency medical workers to locate the sick patient. Then, if it's deemed the passenger cannot safely walk, he or she must remain on the train to be assessed. Further, if the passenger has no one to wait with them and there's no police officer available, it falls on the train conductor to stay with the patient until help arrives. This can lead to the train being pulled out of service altogether. And of course, the delays start a ripple effect throughout the line.
More this way

November 19, 2015

Think You Can Design a Better NYC Subway System? Try It With Mini Metro

By Diane Pham

The New York subway system is a complex but pretty efficient network that (for the most part) gets us to where we need to get when we need to get there. But that's not to say there aren't some neighborhoods that wouldn't benefit from a few more stations—and better connections from one line to another. Well, if you're a savvy straphanger that thinks that you can engineer a far more efficient system than the MTA, the game Mini Metro is the perfect place to flex your dormant urban planning skills.
Where to try out the game here

November 19, 2015

Mapping All 1.1 Billion NYC Taxi Trips Since 2009

By Dana Schulz

That's 183,333,333 trips a year; 15,277,777 a month; and roughly 510,000 a day. And it likely took software developer Todd W. Schneider a long time to put all of that data into this stunning map of taxi pickups and drop offs over the past six years. Green boro taxis are represented in their signature color and traditional yellow cabs in white, with brighter areas representing more taxi activity. As Gothamist first noted, "Yellow cab pickups are concentrated south of Central Park in Manhattan, while drop offs spread north and east into Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx; drop off and pickup activity snakes like a glowworm from Manhattan to the airports: along the Van Wyck Expressway to JFK, and by 278 and 495 to La Guardia." Using the TLC's public data, Schneider also created charts and maps that show taxi travel compared with uber rides; weekend destinations of bridge-and-tunnelers; a late-night taxi index; how weather affects taxi trips; weekday drop-offs at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup; airport traffic; cash versus credit card payments; and the dramatic increase in North Williamsburg taxi activity.
Get a look at the data here

November 5, 2015

Should NYC Employ Liverpool’s Fast Walking Lanes?

By Dana Schulz

We already have express buses and subways, so why not fast track NYC's most widely used mode of transportation–walking. New Yorkers have long been known for their speedy strides, but with our population growing and texting addicts clogging up sidewalks, it's becoming increasingly difficult to get around slowpokes. Which is exactly why Liverpool just debuted Britain's first-ever fast pedestrian lane, "following research that claims 47% of the nation finds slow walking the most annoying aspect of high-street shopping," reports the Independent.
READ MORE

November 5, 2015

Port Authority Mulls Fee for Curbside Access to JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Airports

By Diane Pham

If you're someone who takes advantage of curbside pick up/drop off at NYC's airports as a way to avoid parking fees, that prudent sidestep could soon be coming to an end. CBS reports that the Port Authority is considering access fees as a way to reduce congestion outside airport terminals. Traffic is said to have become a real problem as services like Lyft and Uber have begun using the front of the terminals as prime spots to pick up business. “The operations of For-Hire-Vehicles and taxis at our airports are evolving rapidly and we are in the early stages of review,” the Port Authority noted in a statement. They also added that NYC's airports are one of the very few in the U.S. that do not charge curbside access fees, and where tolls are implemented, car services usually just pass the buck onto riders—meaning services and taxi drivers shouldn't worry about lost fare, but you will be shelling out even more cash to make up the difference when you get in their cars.
more here

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25 Percent of Subway Station Entrances Are Closed, Worsening Congestion

Image via FEMA

November 2, 2015

25 Percent of Subway Station Entrances Are Closed, Worsening Congestion

By Dana Schulz

There's so much to kvetch about when it comes to the MTA and poor subway service: unprecedented debt, increased ridership that hasn't been matched with increased service and outdated technology to name a few. But here's another to add to the laundry list: closed station entrances. amNY reports today that one out of four subway entrances are closed at a total of 119 stations, which "create bottlenecks that make it difficult to get in and out of increasingly jam-packed stations, while stores miss out on the foot traffic." In total, a whopping 298 staircases are inaccessible, and some closures have been in effect for so many decades that the MTA doesn't even know why they're not in use.
Find out more

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