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.
Source: Dmitry Gudkov / FlickrTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: The second in a series of Vision Zero Town Hall meetings was held in the Brooklyn Borough Hall courtroom earlier this month. Several hundred attended the standing room only meeting. If you did not know any better, you would have gotten the impression
A scene from Improv Everywhere’s No Pants Subway Ride 2014. Source: FreeVerse Photography / FlickrTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: Yesterday, we discussed [/last-weeks-transportation-local-news-round-up-part-1-of-2/], among other things, how Albany continues to raid scarce transit funds, and a possible change to alternate side of the street parking regulations. Here are a few more
Source: bjoele / FlickrTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: The major news is the new state budget, which includes a $30 million raid on transit funds approved by Governor Andrew Cuomo. It could have been worse. The original proposed budget requested $40 million of transit funds to be used instead, to pay off
A familiar sight: Next bus please! (Source: afagen/Flickr)THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: By now you have heard that subway ridership in New York City has reached a 65-year high [http://new.mta.info/news-subway-ridership-l-r-g-b-d-4-7/2014/03/24/2013-ridership-reaches-65-year-high] . Why has nothing has been said about local bus ridership? It
Opinion
Fun times…not. Source: Wilderbee / FlickrTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: Last week in Part 1 [/of-government-hypocrisy-part-1-of-2/], we discussed city hypocrisy regarding transportation issues. The MTA isn’t innocent in this regard either. It was revealed last week that Metro-North [http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2014/03/8542023/metro-north-head-vows-change] gave a
Worn out street striping. Photo by Allan RosenTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) claims that safety is their first priority. Nonsense. Why are there always large sections of the Belt Parkway with malfunctioning street lights for three months or more? As soon as one section is
Display using the Bus Bus NYC, an app on an iPad that uses BusTime data. Click to enlargeTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: BusTime, already available on all bus routes in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island, has been expanded to all bus routes in Brooklyn as of Saturday. Previously in Brooklyn,
Bob Diamond (seated) gives one of his Atlantic Avenue tunnel tours. Photo: Steve and Sara Emry / FlickrTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: If you’ve ever ventured out of Sheepshead Bay to go shopping — and why would you want to? — and visited Fairway in Red Hook, you have most likely seen three
Second Avenue Subway construction at 83rd Street in the city. Source: Wikipedia THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: It started with continual promises to construct a Second Avenue subway [http://secondavenuesagas.com/second-ave-subway-history/] and the failure to complete the IND Second System [http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/IND_Second_System_-_1929_
The B44 SBS debuts along Nostrand Avenue. Source: Patrick Cashin / MTA / Flickr THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: As a result of the efforts of Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs, City Councilmembers Chaim Deutsch and Jumaane Williams, as well as pressure from North Brooklyn residents, the MTA announced on Friday that beginning in the
The B44 SBS. Source: Patrick Cashin / MTA / FlickrTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: During its first week of operation, the B44 SBS was widely criticized by former B44 Limited riders for eliminated stops, unreliable, overcrowded and delayed local bus service, inadequate public information regarding the route change and longer walks to SBS
Weird anti-jay walking propaganda. Source: WikipediaTHE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: This column focuses primarily on buses and subways, although we also cover issues of interest to motorists. We have discussed air travel several times, as well as transit in other cities. One subject we have not touched upon is the pedestrian.