Allan Rosen is a former director of MTA NYCT Bus Planning with three decades of experience in transportation and a Master's Degree in Urban Planning.
Arts & Culture
Source: MTA.infoTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: Renovation of the Ocean Parkway Station is nearing completion. The MTA contracted Railworks Transit (subcontractor- Oliviera Contracting) to perform the work including structural concrete repairs, repairs to the subway platforms, platform edge removal and reinstallation including rubbing board and ADA Warning Tiles at a
Opinion
The Cypress Hills Street exit and entrance to the Jackie Robinson Parkway. Yellow and white pavement markings are gone when you exit the parkway. (Photo: Google Maps)THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: In July, I discussed confusing signage on the Gowanus Expressway [/commute-state-city-dot-bad-joke/] regarding the Belt Parkway exit existing for months.
Source: WikipediaTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: A hallmark of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s term has been his emphasis on pedestrian safety, most notably the Vision Zero [http://www.nyc.gov/html/visionzero/pages/home/home.shtml] campaign. You all know where I stand on this issue [/a-vision-zero-town-hall-meeting/]. My position has
Opinion
The MTA wants to add new bus lanes to Woodhaven Boulevard. (Photo: The Department of Transportation [http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/2014-10-22-brt-woodhaven-cac2-presentation.pdf] )THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: If the Department of Transportation (DOT) has its way, bus lanes currently being installed on Woodhaven Boulevard between Dry Harbor
allan rosen
Although Sunday meter regulations were eliminated 10 years ago, two signs on Brighton 12th Street still claim the rules are in effect. (Photo: Allan Rosen) THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: Confusing signage near where the Belt Parkway separates from the Gowanus Expressway has been misleading commuters for months — sending baffled Belt-bound
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Photo taken by Allan Rosen.THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: Last Thursday, I had an appointment near the Kings Highway train station on the Brighton line. I either take the B1 or B49 to the train. At around 11am, three buses arrived, all three not in service. Shortly thereafter a B1
bus rapid transit system
Photo by Patrick Cashin / MTA [https://www.flickr.com/photos/mtaphotos/10930772084/]THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: That is what blogger Ben Kabak requested last week in Second Avenue Sagas [http://secondavenuesagas.com/2015/07/09/thoughts-on-treating-buses-with-more-respect-or-why-woodhaven-brt-wont-jeopardize-the-second-ave-subway/] . What prompted his article was something I wrote [http://www.gothamgazette.com/index.php/
Click to enlarge. Photo by Allan RosenTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: Customers should be the MTA’s top priority, but they’re not. That explains why communication is so poor when there are service outages that result in extraordinary waits of up to three hours, such as what occurred last winter
Source: Google MapsEditor’s note: Portions of this article were significantly changed due to factual errors that have since been corrected. The premise behind those errors remain in strikeout as a matter of transparency, while some commentary has been deleted or changed. We regret the error. THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/
Opinion
THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: The first Woodhaven / Cross Bay Select Bus Service (SBS) newsletter [http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/2015-04-01-brt-woodhaven-newsletter-1-spring2015.pdf] has been released. It claims to provide the latest updated information on the project. However, all it does is reiterate the same information that had previously
Slain bus driver, Edwin Thomas, who had a street co-named after him this past week. (Source: Edley Thomas)THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: The major local transit news is that the New York City Transit (NYCT) President Carmen Bianco is resigning this summer after nearly two years at the helm and
Two of the three East River crossings, circa 1981. Source: WikipediaTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: Previously we looked at the historical perspective of previous plans to toll the free East River bridges [/the-commute-should-the-move-ny-plan-be-approved/] and briefly discussed the Move NY Plan [http://iheartmoveny.org/]. Now let’s delve a little more deeply
THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: The MTA is proposing Select Bus Service (SBS) on the B46 Utica Avenue bus route scheduled for autumn implementation this year. It was scheduled for discussion at the MTA Transit Committee meeting this past May 18. The information is provided on the ‘Staff Summary,’ on pages
Two of the three East River crossings, circa 1981. Source: WikipediaTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: The answer is obvious to all the car haters out there. However, those who are more objective in their analysis have legitimate reasons to oppose such a plan. Among those is Queens Councilman Rory Lancman. He
Source: Wikimedia (Adam E. Moreira)THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: Yesterday [/the-commute-how-successful-are-the-mtas-new-bus-routes-part-1-of-2/], we showed how the average number of passengers carried per bus for routes discontinued in 2010 was 17.06. New York City Transit (NYCT) instituted five new routes in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2014. These were the B32, B84,
Source: Wikimedia (Adam E. Moreira)THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: Last week [/the-commute-we-now-have-definitive-proof-select-bus-service-sbs-is-a-failure-part-2-of-2/] , we used 2014 ridership data to determine how well the MTA’s Select Bus Service (SBS) routes were performing compared to local and limited routes. We determined that only two of the seven routes performed better than the