Transit

After driving around for what seems like an eternity, you finally find a parking spot. You read all the signs, double check that there's no yellow curbs or fire hydrants nearby, feed the meter, and go on your merry way. A few hours later, you walk back up to your car and see that tiny orange rectangle (the infamous NYC parking ticket) taunting you from the windshield. If this sounds familiar, here's your chance to stop shelling out $65 for being one minute over your last quarter. AwareCar, a smartphone app and Bluetooth device, keeps drivers in check by reminding them where they parked, when the meter is expiring, and at what time they need to leave to head back to their vehicle (h/t CityLab). And all this will only set you back $9.
Find out how this genius technology works

August 24, 2015

MTA Rolls Out Startling New Campaign to Reduce Railroad Crossing Accidents

In response to the tragic Metro-North Railroad crash back in February which killed six and injured over a dozen, this summer the MTA released a new campaign hoping to get pedestrians and motorists to be more aware of their surroundings when around train tracks. The campaign—made up of five posters and three videos—is illustrated in the same vein as the also recently rolled out "Courtesy Counts" posters found throughout the city's subways. But what's most surprising about the agency's railroad crossing adverts is that like those in the subway (e.g. man-spreading and poll hogging), they're all inspired by real life events.
see more of the posters and the videos here

Transit

August 18, 2015

Vote to Bring the East River Skyway to SXSW 2016!

By Alyssa Alimurung

These are the facts: NYC subways still run on 1930s technology, the delays are getting longer, and there’s no stopping the residential development boom happening not only in Manhattan, but also in Brooklyn. If you’ve commuted from Brooklyn to Manhattan (and vice-versa) during rush hour you know that the subway ride is a nightmare. That's why we need the East River Skyway, an aerial gondola system that would run along the Brooklyn waterfront and into Manhattan, bringing commuters over the river in just 3.5 minutes. The project is being led by Dan Levy, the president and CEO of CityRealty* and a Williamsburg resident, who noticed while skiing how quickly gondolas moved and how comfortable they were. He has spent several years investigating the technology and completed preliminary studies to see what it would take to adapt a similar system to meet the needs of New York City. What he found was that implementation would be relatively inexpensive and quickly deployable.
Learn how you can help

August 17, 2015

Quirky Taxi Poster Illustrates the Designs of NYC’s Iconic Cabs

Although in daily life you're more likely to curse cabs than celebrate them, this cool print by illustrator James Gulliver Hancock highlights the charms of the city's yellow icon. Featuring the cab designs of today and yesteryear, this wonderful print is a work of art and a pretty accurate representation of just how nutty NYC traffic can get.
Where to buy one here

August 14, 2015

What’s Your Subway Cred? New Game Judges You Based on the Number of Stations You’ve Visited

Akin to pinning all of the cities you've visited on a world map, "What's your Subway Number?" allows you to visually quantify your worldliness—or in this case your "New Yorkness"—by accounting for every subway stop you've stepped foot in. The game is the clever creation of digital designer Mike Solomon, and breaks straphangers down into four categories: Rich Tourist, Junior Commuter, Official Resident, and NYC Lifer.
Find out more here

Transit

August 13, 2015

Study Says: The 4 Train Is the Worst Performing, the L Train the Best

The L train may be painfully packed during rush hour, but at least it can tout the title of being the best performing of all of NYC's subway lines—which appear only to be getting worse. The Journal reports that an audit recently conducted by the state comptroller’s office revealed that, on average, the subway system's on-time performance (how frequently a train reaches its last stop within five minutes of the scheduled time) is on the decline, falling to 74 percent on weekdays and 81 percent on weekends in 2014, from 81 percent and 85 percent in 2013. But the worst performing train of all? The 4 train.
More on the best and worst trains here

August 12, 2015

POLL: Do You Agree That the New LaGuardia Plan Is Non-Functional and Uninspiring?

On Monday, resident architecture critic Carter B. Horsley shared his thoughts on the the new $4 billion LaGuardia airport proposal, and let’s just say he is not impressed. He feels the design is “especially lackluster and uninspired when compared to many new 21st-century airports” with no “new urban mascot, logo or icon to offer and amuse.” He […]

August 10, 2015

The New LaGuardia Airport: Not Functional, Not Inspiring, Not an Icon

By Carter B. Horsley

Carter Uncut brings New York City's breaking development news under the critical eye of resident architecture critic Carter B. Horsley. This week Carter looks at the new $4 billion LaGuardia airport proposal. The recent announcement by Governor Cuomo and Vice President Joe Biden of plans to “rebuild” La Guardia Airport at a cost of $4 billion was described in a Page One caption in The Post as “the end of an error,” a reference to the airport’s reputation that became tarnished over the years. Last October, Biden remarked that if someone had taken him to LaGuardia, he’d think he was in “some Third World country.” Since its opening in 1939, when it accommodated “flying boats” at its Marine Air Terminal, the airport has not kept up with the growth of jumbo jets and air travel in general, but in the days of the Super Constellation passenger planes with their triple-tails and sloping noses, it was a very nice Art Deco place. The published renderings that accompanied the announcement were not terribly reassuring, as they depicted a very long curved terminal with gangly tentacles raised over plane taxiways that hinted at torsos of praying mantises: an awkward rather than a graceful vault.
More from Carter here

August 6, 2015

Map of ‘Subway Deserts’ Shows Outer Boroughs Left High and Dry

By Michelle Cohen

Though we may already know there are places in NYC that we can't easily get to, transit data junkie Chris Whong lays it all out on a map that points out the city's lesser-served regions, at least by underground means. The interactive map shows all NYC land areas more than 500 meters (about .3 miles) from one of the city’s 468 subway stations–that’s about two avenue blocks or six or seven shorter street blocks (around a seven-minute walk) according to Google maps. A big blue dot blots out this radius surrounding the station; everything outside the dot, well, you’re hoofing it (or taking a bus, car or rickshaw).
Find out more

Feasibility Study to Address Streetcars or Light Rail for Brooklyn-Queens Waterfront

By Michelle Cohen

In the ongoing discussion of expanding the city's mass transit options to underserved areas, we may be a step closer to addressing the need for transit along the Brooklyn and Queens waterfront–between Astoria, Red Hook and Sunset Park, according to CapitalNY. While many of those areas have transit to and from Manhattan covered, a north-west connection is needed (and relying on the G train doesn't help much). An advisory committee comprised of developers, transportation experts and civic organizers has formed to address this need. Recently, the consulting firm of HR&A Advisors (former employers of city planning commissioner Carl Weisbrod) was hired by the committee to study the feasibility of a streetcar service or a light rail line to connect Sunset Park to Astoria, connecting rapidly growing neighborhoods like Red Hook, Williamsburg and Downtown Brooklyn, as well as burgeoning business and industry hubs like Long Island City and the Brookyn Navy Yard.
Find out more

July 29, 2015

LaGuardia Overhaul Could Actually Cost $8 Billion and Take Over 10 Years to Complete

Womp womp. For those of you still flying high over yesterday's news that LaGuardia Airport would soon be getting a major revamp, here comes some unfortunate news that might bring you back down to earth. As Crain's reports, Governor Cuomo appears to have grossly underestimated his vision for the upgraded air hub. "According to several sources with direct knowledge of the project," the paper says, "a new LaGuardia could take more than 10 years to build and cost close to $8 billion"—a price that's double the Cuomo administration estimates of $4 billion, with at least another five years tacked on to the schedule.
Find out more here

July 29, 2015

POLL: Should the MTA Get Money from the State Before LaGuardia Airport?

Yesterday, we learned of Governor Cuomo’s plans for a major, $4 billion overhaul of LaGuardia Airport. The project includes consolidating the four terminals, moving the entire facility south, introducing a 24-hour ferry service, and launching AirTrain service that’ll connect travelers to the 7 line in Willet’s Point. Today, however, the revelry took a turn when it […]

July 28, 2015

Governor Cuomo Reveals Renderings for $4 Billion LaGuardia Airport Overhaul

After much anticipation, Governor Cuomo unveiled his plan yesterday to overhaul LaGuardia Airport, which he called "un-New York" in its current state. The $4 billion project includes consolidating the four terminals into one hub and moving the entire facility south the length of two football fields, according to Crain's. Additionally, Cuomo's controversial AirTrain, which will connect travelers to the 7 line in Willet's Point, will be put into effect, as will a 24-hour ferry service that will operate out of the landmarked Art Deco Marine Air Terminal. The development will be handled by LaGuardia Gateway Partners, a new public-private partnership formed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who will oversee the construction, financing, and operation of the new terminal under a 35-year lease.
Lots more details and renderings this way

July 28, 2015

Eero Saarinen’s Iconic JFK Terminal to Be Reborn as the ‘TWA Flight Center Hotel’

For the last 14 years, JFK's most beloved structure has mostly languished vacant, reopened intermittently for public tours or to serve as the backdrop of some Jet Age fashion shoot. While there has been plenty of talk surrounding the TWA Flight Center's transformation into a hotel, details have remained sparse until now. As Curbed has it, the city has finally revealed that MCR Development will be taking the reigns alongside JetBlue and the NYNJ Port Authority, bringing the iconic terminal back to life as a 505-room LEED-certified hotel with restaurants, 40,000 square feet of meeting space and a 10,000-square-foot observation deck. The project will aptly be called "The TWA Flight Center Hotel."
FInd out more here

July 27, 2015

VIDEO: Go Behind the Super Antiquated Switchboard of Today’s NYC Subway

The MTA is showing its age in a new video put forth by the public benefit corporation. "People know the system is old," the narrator of MTA's video opens, "but I don't think they realize just how old it is." The New York City subway system has been running since 1904, and as we previously reported in December, it's been running on the same technology used in the 1930s. In the video, computers are noticeably absent from the West 4th Street Supervisory Tower, which is in control of all of the train movements around the area. Instead there are plenty of pens and papers, as well as old, lever-operated machinery that the railroad industry has long stopped manufacturing. It's no wonder that the MTA has put out this video promoting their Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) system, a project that aims to modernize the subway.
Watch the incredible video here

July 27, 2015

Flushing and the Upper East Side Top the List of Most Traffic Accidents in NYC

Between March 2014 and April 2015, the city reported 223,141 motor vehicle accidents, almost 25 percent of which resulted in injury or death. The Auto Insurance Center used this open-source data, which includes geographical coordinates for the accidents, to create maps and graphs examining where and when the collisions happened (h/t Brokelyn). Queens accounted for 29.5 percent of the total collisions, with Brooklyn coming in right behind at 28 percent. In terms of neighborhoods (broken down by police precincts), Flushing, Queens takes the top spot, followed by Queens Village, the Upper East Side, Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, and Long Island City, respectively.
More data and maps right here

Transit

July 24, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Gabrielle Shubert Reflects on Her Ride at the New York Transit Museum

By Susan Cohen

On the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street in Downtown Brooklyn is what looks like a regular subway entrance. But upon further inspection, it becomes clear that there's no uptown and downtown platforms here. This is the New York Transit Museum, the largest museum dedicated to urban public transportation in the country. It's fittingly located inside a decommissioned–but still working–subway station. And over the last 40 years, it has told one of New York's most important stories–how mass transit and city development are intricately connected and how public transportation is one of the city's crowning achievements, in spite of its delays and crowded rides. Gabrielle Shubert has served as the museum's director for the past 24 years. She transformed a young institution into a go-to destination for learning about and engaging with urban history. From vintage cars to subway fares, Gabrielle has offered visitors a chance to go behind the scenes and marvel at the wonders of New York City's incredible public transportation system. On the eve of her retirement, we sat down with Gabrielle in one of the museum's vintage cars and found out about her early days as director, the range of exhibits and programming she has overseen, and the institution's bright future.
Read the interview here

July 17, 2015

Why Are the Mean Streets of Queens Numbered the Way They Are?

It's easy to tell if you're dealing with a Queens address–there's the hyphenated street number and the variety of numbered thoroughfare names (Street, Place, Road, Avenue, Lane, Terrace). The really hard part, however, is actually getting to that address in Queens, especially if you're a resident from another borough to whom it feels like trying to maneuver your way in another country where you don't know the language. But instead of continuing to find ourselves lost, we decided to get to the bottom of this complicated system. Prior to the consolidation of New York City in 1898, what is now known as the borough of Queens was only a hodgepodge of unconnected towns, each of which had its own road system and addresses. Once the towns were combined into one borough, having multiple road systems was becoming a hindrance to fast-growing Queens. So by 1911, the borough hired engineer Charles U. Powell to replace the old systems with a carefully planned grid system.
The rest of the story is right this way

July 15, 2015

The MTA May Revive the W Train Line

Rumor has it that the W train may be returning from the dead. According to AM NY, the MTA is in talks with both public officials and rider advocates to bring the train back to service once the Q train is diverged to the Upper East Side to the new Second Avenue line in December 2016. Restoring the old line would prevent disrupting subway service in Astoria, an area with thousands of daily strap-hangers and only a few subways to choose from. The MTA hasn't made any official announcements on the matter thus far, but with the opening of the Second Avenue Subway line rapidly approaching, they are said to be seriously mulling it over.
More on the rumor here

Transit

July 8, 2015

VIDEO: Travel Through History to See How Transportation Has Changed

The fact that skiing has gone from a major mode of transportation to a winter recreational activity says a lot about how getting from point A to B has changed over the course of human history. "Here to There," the latest video in the Atlantic's 10-part animated series (we previously featured an installment on housing through time), traces the history of transportation from the canoe in 8,000 B.C. to the recent debut of the hydrogen fuel-cell car. Covering more than 10,000 years in two-and-a-half minutes, this video shows that there is much more to the timeline of transportation than the switch from horses and buggies to motor vehicles.
Watch the video here

What’s the Meaning Behind Those Peculiar Red Frames Found in Union Square Station?

Images by This Hidden City

June 19, 2015

What’s the Meaning Behind Those Peculiar Red Frames Found in Union Square Station?

You've surely walked past these bright red frames beneath 14th Street-Union Square numerous times, but probably haven't given much thought to why they are there—or if you have, you've likely just assumed they were another one of the city's unfinished construction projects. But as it turns out, these seemingly simplistic outlines hold great significance, each piece pointing to a very special time in New York's transportation history.
Find out more here

June 18, 2015

This Poster Displays All 468 Subway Station Signs

For all intents and purposes, we do not want any visual of the subway hanging in our apartments. The grimy stations don't really complement our decor, and we'd prefer not to be reminded of the daily bloodbath that is trying to squeeze onto the 6 train. But this poster is the exception to our no-MTA-in-the-house rule. Printed using 11 Pantone® spot colors, this snappy piece of wall art displays all 468 subway station signs throughout the city, arranged in alphabetical order. It was designed by Hamish Smyth, one member of the duo who reprinted Massimo Vignelli's iconic Standards Manual last year. Once again inspired by Vignelli's graphic visual approach, Smyth created the new poster because he feels "this is an iconic design that should be remembered and celebrated, and we think a beautifully printed poster is a great way to get it into many people's hands."
Find out how to get your own copy and watch a video from the design team

June 10, 2015

Trolley Map from the 1930s Shows How Easy It Was to Get Around Brooklyn

Long before there was a subway packed full of angry crowds and unidentifiable organisms, New Yorkers in Brooklyn enjoyed above-ground commutes serviced by a streetcar system. This map posted recently by a Redditor is a blast from the past, showing just how complete and comprehensive this network was. In fact, by 1930, nearly 1,800 trolleys were traveling along the streets of BK from Greenpoint to Gowanus to Bay Ridge and beyond. Though the system proved to be profitable (yes, NYC once ran a transit system that actually made them money), the streetcars were eventually forced out of the city by none other than the auto industry.
find out more and see the complete map here

May 27, 2015

NYC Households Spend $130 a Month Funding the MTA