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.
This is what MTA subway cars looked like before NYCT President David Gunn spearheaded initiatives to eliminate graffiti throughout the system. Source: JJ & Special KTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: This is the first part of a three-part series. Today I will be discussing the role of the public in transit
Will the MTA refinance or extend its debt further into the future? Source: Flickr / paulmmayTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: As we already know, a huge portion of the MTA’s financial problems relate to the debt it has incurred over the years to finance its capital program. With interest rates at
Click to enlargeTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: I admit it. I was stuck for a story this week with no apparent transportation problems resulting from our little snowstorm this past weekend. Of course, it will take a major storm to know if any of the procedural changes put into effect after
Joe Lhota, the recently-installed chairman of the MTA. Credit: Stephen Nessen/WNYCTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: Joe Lhota was confirmed last week as the new MTA chairman. So the big question is: Will we see positive changes at the MTA or will it just be business as usual? Judging from his
The Javits Center will eventually be replaced with the nation’s largest convention center at Aqueduct near the Racino. Source: NY MagazineTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: I usually don’t write about long range planning. This week’s discussion will be an exception. Projects such as the Second Avenue Subway interest
Source: Subway NutTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: Happy New Year to everyone! As we enter 2012, it is time to pause and reflect on the year that just passed. Hard to believe “The Commute” is now entering its second year. When Ned asked me to start this weekly feature after writing
The Oriental Boulevard "Speedway." Source: Google MapsTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: Two weeks ago I reported on a 25-minute Brighton delay [/brighton-line-service-stopped-for-nearly-30-minutes-on-tuesday/] northbound at around noon on December 13. I stated that the delay apparently resulted from a work train used to pick up trash from the tracks. In
Governor Andrew Cuomo announcing a budget agreement with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (left) and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (right) earlier in the year. Source: Philip Kamrass / Times UnionTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: That is the indication New York City residents received from the events unfolding in Albany this past week.
"B" is for "Blah." Source: WikipediaAll northbound Brighton line trains came to a halt yesterday afternoon at approximately 12:00 p.m. The delays started with a B train held at Church Avenue, and the official reason given was that, “We are being held because of
The B4, which used to terminate at Voorhies & Knapp Street, now frequently terminates at Coney Island Hospital. Photo by Erica ShermanTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: Is it that we are satisfied with the bus service we receive and believe the MTA is doing a great job? I don’t believe
“Transportation 2030: Five Borough Blueprint” ticket stub. Courtesy of Allan RosenTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: Having retired from the MTA in 2005 and not actively working in Planning for quite a number of years, I do not often attend Planning conferences. The last ones I attended were a series of workshops
Map announcing the undoing of most of the B36 in Coney Island. Courtesy of Allan Rosen (Click to enlarge)THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: In Part 1 [/thirty-third-anniversary-of-the-southwest-brooklyn-bus-route-changes/], I discussed the success of the 1978 Southwest Brooklyn bus route changes, and why this is how the MTA should do its bus