NY1: MTA vows to improve bus service

[MassTransitHonchkrow]

 

 

With regard to what I italicized, what are you trying to say there? The Bx28/38 and Bx6 are high frequency routes so there's going to be high demand with or without schoolkids. Are you advocating for trippers on these routes (which they already have) or for a separate service designation just for the schoolkids?

That's why I mentioned them, because I know they do.

 

Not more buses, but more emphasis that emphasizes where the school kids actually live. There isn't enough planning at the local level to justify increasing "trippers".

 

Maybe allocating temporary parking space that can be utilized as kids leave school, or eliminating stops not relevant to drop off locations.

 

This would require modifying existing trips, not adding them.

 

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Man. Imagine what could be accomplished if he was head of MTA, or even better, Governor. Every board meeting, I look forward to what he has to say and he gets an applause every time. Especially this month with when he called out the lack of consequences when contractors don't do the work they're paid to do in a timely manner or at all.

I feel politics should have never been married to Transit. I would encourage more community charge and avoid the management hassle that put us in this fifty year hole.

 

I want to inspire, not manage. The gripes are local and management alone cannot solve those.

 

We need not just local control, but political autonomy.

 

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[Via Garibaldi 8]

Just because he was from Staten Island? Please, the guy was a complete idiot who didn't do anything to improve service out here, and I'm glad he's off the board.

What does that have to do with anything, and what exactly made him an "idiot"? This coming from an individual that constantly went to board meetings heckling them about that proposal of yours to no end, demanding that they implement it.  Someone showed me the videos. Their response to you was interesting to say the least. LOL! Maybe one day you'll learn how things work... Anyway back to Cappelli... He was a board member out of how many total?  You think one board member speaking on behalf of Staten Island is going to make a difference?  He did what he could, and where he could, he spoke up for Staten Island.  He was one of the few that was responsive and open to hearing from the public and that's a start.

 

I should also point out these board members are unpaid and volunteer their time, so when I hear comments such as yours, I have to wonder where such hostility comes from towards these people.

[N6 Limited]

There's nothing to complain about because this is all done on PURPOSE as part of Vision Zero.  The lights are purposely out of sync because that makes it difficult to go long distances where you can gain speed.  The thinking is that if you limit the speed to 25 mph AND have numerous lights that aren't synced, it will reduce speeding, thus reducing fatalities.  The issue is it also causes a ton of congestion because it screws up traffic flow, but this is something the city wants as well because they want to discourage people from driving (not working either given how many more people are on the road as a result of cheap gas).  You have one light that turns green and then the next one stays red much longer forcing drivers to either come to a full stop OR slow down constantly, so there's more stop and go than there is anything else.  This means it takes A LOT longer to get anywhere unless there is a lot less traffic.  The only time that traffic flows somewhat decently now is really late at night, and even then you'll see some streets backed up.  

The issue with that is, if lights are out of sync, drivers get tired of stopping at every intersection and start speeding to get through the signals.

 

I don't know how B/Os deal with it.

[checkmatechamp13]

@ VG8: Yeah, that somebody was me. I emailed it to you and over 1500 people. You think I'm going to be ashamed of the work I put in? Matter of fact, I met you at one of those meetings, so you're welcome for the courtesy of sending you a video of a meeting you attended.

Yeah, their response was interesting....a direct meeting with Operations Planning.....increased S94 service to at least help us get to/from the ferry a little quicker (even if we have the long initial walk)....response of the community boards and civic associations in my neighborhood was also very interesting, backing me up and helping me recruit people to back me up and speak at those meetings.

So yeah, all this gets done in spite of Allen Cappelli, rather than with his assistance (since I did try to reach out to him for assistance). But I'm supposed to think he's this great, smart guy who's actually done stuff for the borough.

@ N6 Limited: Yeah, I remember watching a video of a driver putting up a dashboard cam and seeing how far he could travel on the "green waves". With the one-way streets and timed lights, he traveled further between red lights, and had a lower average speed between green lights. With the two-way streets (where the lights were timed less optimally), he would be traveling quicker between green lights (so in other words, he was going 35-40 mph between lights as opposed to 25-30 mph between the lights one the one-way street)

[Via Garibaldi 8]

@ VG8: Yeah, that somebody was me. I emailed it to you and over 1500 people. You think I'm going to be ashamed of the work I put in? Matter of fact, I met you at one of those meetings, so you're welcome for the courtesy of sending you a video of a meeting you attended.

 

Yeah, their response was interesting....a direct meeting with Operations Planning.....increased S94 service to at least help us get to/from the ferry a little quicker (even if we have the long initial walk)....response of the community boards and civic associations in my neighborhood was also very interesting, backing me up and helping me recruit people to back me up and speak at those meetings.

 

So yeah, all this gets done in spite of Allen Cappelli, rather than with his assistance (since I did try to reach out to him for assistance). But I'm supposed to think he's this great, smart guy who's actually done stuff for the borough.

That's not the meeting I was talking about.  You've apparently been at additional board meetings and have spoken before the board.  I don't know how many times you've gone since that the first one that I spoke at (I have not gone to any monthly meetings since that one), but in any event, the response was interesting.  I'm also not talking about the S94, but rather that proposed route you went on and on about.  Has it been implemented?  You demanded at several meetings that it be looked at by the board, so what was their response?  

 

I also don't understand why you think it's an board member's "duty" to help you?  Alan Cappelli is not indebted to you or anyone else, and if he did decide to assist, he was being nice.  He volunteered his time to be on the board and was unpaid at that.  All of those board members have full-time jobs elsewhere and tons of other responsibilities.  You come off as being very demanding.  For example, Charles Moerdler works at a law firm, and also is on our Community Board here in Riverdale (again he is not paid for that either and volunteers his own time), so given the amount of things that most of these people are involved in, they have a full schedule to tend to plus their families.  Many of them are very involved in their own communities, so the idea that they don't care about where they live comes off as rather harsh. 

 

Seems like you don't like the guy because he didn't help you.  That's something you should take up with your elected officials, not board members.

 

 

The issue with that is, if lights are out of sync, drivers get tired of stopping at every intersection and start speeding to get through the signals.

 

I don't know how B/Os deal with it.

Depends on the driver.  I see more of them stopping though because they're afraid of being caught going through a red light, especially if there are cameras.

[checkmatechamp13]

Apparently.....you act like I'm going to deny it or something. I went a total of 6 times (a few of those times, I had some local residents back me up, once I didn't have time to attend so I sent the person to speak by himself)

 

Proposed route....you mean my proposed restructuring of two routes. Their response has changed over the years. Their initial response was a bunch of excuses why it couldn't be done. After I refuted those excuses and had local residents back me up, they decided to come to a local civic association meeting (and eventually a community board meeting) and include it in the Staten Island Bus Study and corresponding Hackathon (it's listed on the 5th page)

 

I come across as very demanding....well sorry for giving a crap about the neighborhood I live in and expecting the bus service to meet the needs of local residents. The last time the routes were updated in my neighborhood was in the early 1980s. And as for being busy, you can make time for whatever you want. I'm working 2 jobs and taking 18 engineering credits and still have time to answer phone calls and emails relating to this matter. You fit it in when you can....on your commute, on evenings when you get home from work, etc

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Apparently.....you act like I'm going to deny it or something. I went a total of 6 times (a few of those times, I had some local residents back me up, once I didn't have time to attend so I sent the person to speak by himself)

 

Proposed route....you mean my proposed restructuring of two routes. Their response has changed over the years. Their initial response was a bunch of excuses why it couldn't be done. After I refuted those excuses and had local residents back me up, they decided to come to a local civic association meeting (and eventually a community board meeting) and include it in the Staten Island Bus Study and corresponding Hackathon (it's listed on the 5th page)

 

I come across as very demanding....well sorry for giving a crap about the neighborhood I live in and expecting the bus service to meet the needs of local residents. The last time the routes were updated in my neighborhood was in the early 1980s. And as for being busy, you can make time for whatever you want. I'm working 2 jobs and taking 18 engineering credits and still have time to answer phone calls and emails relating to this matter. You fit it in when you can....on your commute, on evenings when you get home from work, etc

Again, those people are volunteering their time. They aren't at your beck and call.  I still don't understand why you think Cappelli is an idiot because he didn't assist you.  Anything he did that was transit related was unpaid.  

 

I'm passionate about my community too and when I interact with my elected officials, I am firm but respectful.  If you want people to help you that that are already volunteering their time, perhaps you would get further in the future being nicer.

[LTA1992]

That's why I mentioned them, because I know they do.

 

Not more buses, but more emphasis that emphasizes where the school kids actually live. There isn't enough planning at the local level to justify increasing "trippers".

 

Maybe allocating temporary parking space that can be utilized as kids leave school, or eliminating stops not relevant to drop off locations.

 

This would require modifying existing trips, not adding them.

 

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I feel politics should have never been married to Transit. I would encourage more community charge and avoid the management hassle that put us in this fifty year hole.

 

I want to inspire, not manage. The gripes are local and management alone cannot solve those.

 

We need not just local control, but political autonomy.

 

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It is something that the Board of Transportation somewhat warned about. Delaney himself said that he didn't believe anything would ever get done if left up to politicians.

 

And he was right.

[MassTransitHonchkrow]

It is something that the Board of Transportation somewhat warned about. Delaney himself said that he didn't believe anything would ever get done if left up to politicians.

 

And he was right.

I think the city DOT should be arranged like the Comptroller office and require an election instead of a mayoral appointee.

 

And NYCTA/SIR should operate under it. We'd have access to grants if we were local.

 

Suburban buses are getting upgrades and retrofits the buses in NYC can only beg for...With their grants. The New TZx is a result of such grants.

 

Suburban Transit - sparse, but supple.

 

De Blasio stinks of betrayal. That ACS mess is the story of my whole life. I don't have to be a Republican to remind others that government is too complex and huge.

 

It shouldn't take a death to stay woke to societal problems.

 

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[BrooklynBus]

The thing is these delivery trucks in some cases are parked basically ALL DAY.  They take up all of the parking spaces from anyone else who may need to park.  Something needs to be done about that too because it leads to even more trucks double or triple parking, so then you have a street that should have maybe three lanes that now becomes a single lane with everyone having to weave back and forth to get around the double parked trucks.  What I find funny is the truck drivers themselves claim that their companies are losing business too because of how bad the congestion is becoming. Apparently it isn't too bad because they continue to do it.  I said this before, but more deliveries need to be set up at night.  I see plenty of places around Manhattan that have such a set up.  Delivery guy comes, unlocks the front door, delivers what is needed and closes up and goes on about his business.

 

On this issue, I fully agree with you. Trucks are the only vehicles allowed to legally double Park because of inadequate loading zones. But they must load and unload "expeditiously. A truck filled with fruit that double parks to unload his entire truck that takes three hours to complete, in my opinion does not qualify as "expeditious."

 

I have also been advocating for nighttime deliveries for over 30 years. The merchants refuse to pay extra for it. But in Israel, it is required by law. When I was there in 1979, I remarked to someone how the traffic was flowing smoothly at 30 mph on Dietzengoff Street (only three lanes wide with no parking) which is Tel Aviv's 5th Avenue lined with high end stores. Not a truck in sight. I was told that was because of the nighttime delivery requirement.

[MassTransitHonchkrow]

The issue with that is, if lights are out of sync, drivers get tired of stopping at every intersection and start speeding to get through the signals.

 

I don't know how B/Os deal with it.

With a throbbing left vein and twiddling thumbs.

 

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[BrooklynBus]

Again, those people are volunteering their time. They aren't at your beck and call.  I still don't understand why you think Cappelli is an idiot because he didn't assist you.  Anything he did that was transit related was unpaid.  

 

I'm passionate about my community too and when I interact with my elected officials, I am firm but respectful.  If you want people to help you that that are already volunteering their time, perhaps you would get further in the future being nicer.

On this one I have to side with Checkmate. If someone's plate is that full that he cannot devote the time and energy necessary for a volunteer job, he shouldn't volunteer for it.

 

And when the routes in SI were updated in the 1980s, only a few changes were made. Not nearly what was needed was done. I remember that study. The only reason the MTA undertook it was to prevent the Department of City Planning from applying for that pot of Federal funds and dictate bus changes to them like what happened several years before in Southwest Brooklyn. The MTA wanted to control their own destiny, but their heart really wasn't in the study.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

On this one I have to side with Checkmate. If someone's plate is that full that he cannot devote the time and energy necessary for a volunteer job, he shouldn't volunteer for it.

 

And when the routes in SI were updated in the 1980s, only a few changes were made. Not nearly what was needed was done. I remember that study. The only reason the MTA undertook it was to prevent the Department of City Planning from applying for that pot of Federal funds and dictate bus changes to them like what happened several years before in Southwest Brooklyn. The MTA wanted to control their own destiny, but their heart really wasn't in the study.

The board members listened to his presentation and respectfully.  They are not obligated to give him a personal sit-down.  That seemed to be what he was calling for.

[checkmatechamp13]

Again, those people are volunteering their time. They aren't at your beck and call.  I still don't understand why you think Cappelli is an idiot because he didn't assist you.  Anything he did that was transit related was unpaid.  

 

I'm passionate about my community too and when I interact with my elected officials, I am firm but respectful.  If you want people to help you that that are already volunteering their time, perhaps you would get further in the future being nicer.

 

Being nice....funny how that didn't work. I only started getting results when I started calling out names and being very specific about who wasn't doing their job (and no, I never bothered to call out Allen Cappelli for not doing his unpaid job).

 

That's my strategy when asking for help. Be nice, and hopefully it works, and it has worked with the civic associations/community boards/elected officials that have helped me (why would I be rude to somebody helping me out?). But if being nice doesn't work, I'll have to try being mean.

 

On this one I have to side with Checkmate. If someone's plate is that full that he cannot devote the time and energy necessary for a volunteer job, he shouldn't volunteer for it.

 

And when the routes in SI were updated in the 1980s, only a few changes were made. Not nearly what was needed was done. I remember that study. The only reason the MTA undertook it was to prevent the Department of City Planning from applying for that pot of Federal funds and dictate bus changes to them like what happened several years before in Southwest Brooklyn. The MTA wanted to control their own destiny, but their heart really wasn't in the study.

 

Agreed. I turned down a volunteer position on the transportation committee of my community board because between class, work, and other commitments, I couldn't dedicate the time to attend the monthly meetings on a regular basis. I would've been willing to do any associated work with calling/emailing the necessary parties to get the jobs done, but one requirement was to be present at the meetings. Same thing here: They not only have to be present at the meetings, but also listen to the concerns of the neighborhoods/boroughs they represent.

 

The people on the community boards/civic associations that helped me out....a lot of them have full-time jobs as well. They managed to find the time to help work towards bettering their community. 

 

The board members listened to his presentation and respectfully.  They are not obligated to give him a personal sit-down.  That seemed to be what he was calling for.

 

Seemed to be....well since you have the videos, why don't you point out where exactly I was calling for a personal sit-down with the board members. I asked for some people from Operations Planning to sit down with me (which they agreed to as you know), but I never asked Allen Cappelli or any other board member to sit down and speak with me personally.

 

What I would've liked from Allen Cappelli was some official acknowledgment that my neighborhood (along with other North Shore neighborhoods) was underserved (at least with respect to network coverage) and that any proposal that addresses those issues should be looked at with an open mind. If he had said on camera/record "Yes I do agree that Westerleigh & Grymes Hill need weekend service and Bulls Head/Graniteville need better coverage. That should definitely be looked into", I would've been satisfied.

 

As it is now, it's the (smart) elected officials and community board/civic association members who helped me out and got an official acknowledgment of the problem from the MTA (which is the first step towards fixing it). So I got what I wanted, but no thanks to him. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Being nice....funny how that didn't work. I only started getting results when I started calling out names and being very specific about who wasn't doing their job (and no, I never bothered to call out Allen Cappelli for not doing his unpaid job).

 

That's my strategy when asking for help. Be nice, and hopefully it works, and it has worked with the civic associations/community boards/elected officials that have helped me (why would I be rude to somebody helping me out?). But if being nice doesn't work, I'll have to try being mean.

 

 

Agreed. I turned down a volunteer position on the transportation committee of my community board because between class, work, and other commitments, I couldn't dedicate the time to attend the monthly meetings on a regular basis. I would've been willing to do any associated work with calling/emailing the necessary parties to get the jobs done, but one requirement was to be present at the meetings. Same thing here: They not only have to be present at the meetings, but also listen to the concerns of the neighborhoods/boroughs they represent.

 

The people on the community boards/civic associations that helped me out....a lot of them have full-time jobs as well. They managed to find the time to help work towards bettering their community. 

 

 

Seemed to be....well since you have the videos, why don't you point out where exactly I was calling for a personal sit-down with the board members. I asked for some people from Operations Planning to sit down with me (which they agreed to as you know), but I never asked Allen Cappelli or any other board member to sit down and speak with me personally.

 

What I would've liked from Allen Cappelli was some official acknowledgment that my neighborhood (along with other North Shore neighborhoods) was underserved (at least with respect to network coverage) and that any proposal that addresses those issues should be looked at with an open mind. If he had said on camera/record "Yes I do agree that Westerleigh & Grymes Hill need weekend service and Bulls Head/Graniteville need better coverage. That should definitely be looked into", I would've been satisfied.

 

As it is now, it's the (smart) elected officials and community board/civic association members who helped me out and got an official acknowledgment of the problem from the MTA (which is the first step towards fixing it). So I got what I wanted, but no thanks to him. 

That's the thing though.  He's done interviews with the SI Advance where he's talked specifically about how Staten Island is underserved, and the need for better service.  

 

Here's an article from 2005 where he's advocating for better service:

 

 

These local routes carry 95,000 riders on an average weekday and run mainly north-south. Allen Cappelli, the borough's representative on the MTA board, says that this is an obviously flawed way to move people on the Island.

"The current system that we have is outdated; it doesn't properly reflect population shifts," Cappelli said, adding that he has been calling for a reworked system for the past seven years. "There's not enough east-west, cross-Island travel.

Source: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/07/officials_mta_launch_comprehen.html

 

Then there's him appearing publicly to try to have bus routes restored, such as the X18:

 

 

The service was cut in 2010 by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in a cost-saving move. At the time, the X18 cost $500,000 to run, said Staten Island MTA board member Allen Cappelli. He said it would cost between $500,000 and $600,000 to run now.

Cappelli said he plans to continue to advocate for the service and said the MTA is looking at the possibility of service restorations and enhancements.

Cappelli joined Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis and state Sen. Diane Savino on the corner of Bay Street at Fingerboard Road, where Ms. Malliotakis used to catch the X18 when she worked in Manhattan prior to her election.

Source: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/05/mta_has_the_money_to_pay_for_x.html

 

He's also voted against measures that would be bad for Staten Island, so I'm a little puzzled as to why you think that he isn't for Staten Island?  He's never stated any neighborhoods specifically to my knowledge, which IMO is the way to go because he represents all of Staten Island.  As far as I know, he lives on the North Shore, so I don't know how he couldn't be for improved service to the area.  In fact, when I spoke about the need for express bus improvements on Staten Island, I addressed him specifically, and he was very receptive. He sure as hell had a role in the X1 running 24/7, something that I and many others on Staten Island had been pushing for for quite some time.  In any event, if you still think he's an "idiot", more power to you, but I haven't seen any evidence to suggest that.  Given the fact that he was the sole representative for Staten Island, I think he did the best that he could.  There was no one else on the board advocating for Staten Island besides him.

 

As far as you asking for a sit-down, there's a video with you speaking about how the board still hadn't looked at your proposal, etc.  You seem to be demanding some sort of action and I think that's the impression the board got as well when they said that they would have a look.  You don't show up to speak that many times if you're just looking for an acknowledgment.  

 

I'll close with another article from the Advance praising Mr. Cappelli and him being the lone person to vote against something that would hurt Staten Island:

 

 

By a 10-1 vote a few months ago, members of the board at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved the latest round of toll hikes on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

The lone dissenter was Allen Cappelli.

As the only Staten Islander on the MTA board, Mr. Cappelli has never hesitated to stand up for the transportation needs of the nearly 500,000 residents of our Forgotten Borough.

He's a strong advocate for the only New Yorkers who not only lack adequate mass transit, but also have to pay tolls and bus fares that subsidize subways and trains for millions of riders elsewhere.

As Mr. Cappelli, a Livingston attorney, has pointed out, "As a resident of Staten Island held captive, forced to commute by automobile, I understand first-hand the frustrations with the inequitable system that's currently in place."

Source: http://www.silive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/05/staten_island_needs_allen_capp.html

[checkmatechamp13]

Which video? You mean this one that starts about a minute in? (The 12/16/13 NYCT/MTAB Committee meeting)

 

Where exactly do you see me asking for a sit-down with the board members? The person I was referring to is the public relations person, not one of the board members. (The public relations person who is an MTA employee and gets paid to do the type of things I was asking for)

 

You can also see that I was asking on behalf of the civic association I'm a member of for a sit down with myself and other community members. (She's attended those civic association meetings before and actually lives on Staten Island, but now there's a pressing matter and she wants to ignore us?) She was claiming that my proposal would have negative impacts on Westerleigh (even though I had met with CB1 and the Westerleigh Civic Association and they supported my proposal as well), so (through the chairwoman of the Mariners Harbor Civic Association) I suggested that she come meet with us and explain that to a room full of people in favor of the proposal.

 

But yeah, funny thing how when I went to PIX11 news, she ended up coming down the next month (and the stance of the MTA changed from "It's negative and we have a lot of reasons not to implement it" to "We need to wait for the funding to come in to support it") So much for being nice.... 

 

As for Allen Cappelli, so he can go to Rosebank to fight for the X18, but he can't come to our neighborhood to help us advocate for a new route?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Which video? You mean this one that starts about a minute in? (The 12/16/13 NYCT/MTAB Committee meeting)

 

Where exactly do you see me asking for a sit-down with the board members? The person I was referring to is the public relations person, not one of the board members. (The public relations person who is an MTA employee and gets paid to do the type of things I was asking for)

 

You can also see that I was asking on behalf of the civic association I'm a member of for a sit down with myself and other community members. (She's attended those civic association meetings before and actually lives on Staten Island, but now there's a pressing matter and she wants to ignore us?) She was claiming that my proposal would have negative impacts on Westerleigh (even though I had met with CB1 and the Westerleigh Civic Association and they supported my proposal as well), so (through the chairwoman of the Mariners Harbor Civic Association) I suggested that she come meet with us and explain that to a room full of people in favor of the proposal.

 

But yeah, funny thing how when I went to PIX11 news, she ended up coming down the next month (and the stance of the MTA changed from "It's negative and we have a lot of reasons not to implement it" to "We need to wait for the funding to come in to support it") So much for being nice.... 

 

As for Allen Cappelli, so he can go to Rosebank to fight for the X18, but he can't come to our neighborhood to help us advocate for a new route?

LMAO... That wasn't the one, but it was damn funny. Don't think I've seen that one.   My advice for you is when you go up and speak and you're expecting to address folks, try to rehearse what you want to say so that you come off more polished and get everything in, especially since you only have about three minutes. Surely you've taken public speaking by now.   You seemed very angry and it made you start rambling.

 

As for Cappelli, I just wanted to show that he's been involved and he did what he could.  So he didn't come to your neighborhood... Doesn't mean he's an "idiot".  Just means he didn't help you out, but clearly he's done what he can in other instances.  If anything you should be pissed with Debbie Rose.  She has to be the most useless politician around... Her and Matthew Titone.  Rose had a bunch signatures for the X16 bus and what did she do?  She acted as if the was throwing folks on the North Shore a bone.  You've got a petition, you speak up for your constituents.  Now she's an idiot.   

[BrooklynBus]

When someone writes to the MTA or requests something at a Board meeting, especially if they are representing a civic organization, they deserve an evaluation of their proposal, not on the spot, but eventually. That is how government supposed to work.

 

But the MTA feel little responsibility to fulfill that obligation. They ignore far too many suggestions and proposals with giving them fair evaluations no matter how well thought out they are, and the amount of justification given. I have been waiting six months for a review of a detailed suggestion I submitted. A few years ago I submitted ten questions and followed up a half dozen times and no answers at all. My community board has asked for a meeting with anyone at the MTA regarding their longstanding request for an elevator for Sheepshead Bay Station. The MTA has refused to even meet with them even after they went public with their request. (I have only found one unit within the MTA that is cooperative and responsive.)

 

How do you suggest we get some accountability from MTA officials?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

When someone writes to the MTA or requests something at a Board meeting, especially if they are representing a civic organization, they deserve an evaluation of their proposal, not on the spot, but eventually. That is how government supposed to work.

 

But the MTA feel little responsibility to fulfill that obligation. They ignore far too many suggestions and proposals with giving them fair evaluations no matter how well thought out they are, and the amount of justification given. I have been waiting six months for a review of a detailed suggestion I submitted. A few years ago I submitted ten questions and followed up a half dozen times and no answers at all. My community board has asked for a meeting with anyone at the MTA regarding their longstanding request for an elevator for Sheepshead Bay Station. The MTA has refused to even meet with them even after they went public with their request. (I have only found one unit within the MTA that is cooperative and responsive.)

 

How do you suggest we get some accountability from MTA officials?

For starters persistence.  You're right about the .  It isn't easy to get them to move on things.  The matters that I've been involved in have taken YEARS to see through.  Remember their stance on the X28?  They said it made no sense to restore it on weekends because it mirrored the , and people could simply take the subway to get where they needed to go, even though many riders on the X28 were either elderly, handicapped, OR lived much closer to the X28 than they did the , along with the fact that the is often knocked out on weekends because of construction.  When they restored the X28 on weekends, they noted an increase in ridership and said that it could do well on weekends.  No mention of the as an alternative.  How suddenly their attitudes can change... There have been some other improvements that I've been tried to push through that have gone nowhere, but I continue to go on.  

 

I think it's important to remain united in terms of your elected officials keeping the pressure on.  You need to keep pushing with petitions to support your representatives and you need representatives that remain steadfast in getting results from the .  You don't have too many politicians like that around this city, especially in your area.  Outside of Golden, who only represents parts of areas like Sheepshead Bay and all of Manhattan Beach, I can't say that I've seen anyone else do much for transportation.  I've been meaning to ask you, what do you ever became of that Townhall Meeting the two of us attended?  We got the B4 back, but there were other improvements that were discussed that people felt were needed, such as the running on weekends?  What has Steven Cymbrowitz done about any of this (if anything)? Wasn't he the one that organized that meeting?

[BrooklynBus]

For starters persistence.  You're right about the .  It isn't easy to get them to move on things.  The matters that I've been involved in have taken YEARS to see through.  Remember their stance on the X28?  They said it made no sense to restore it on weekends because it mirrored the , and people could simply take the subway to get where they needed to go, even though many riders on the X28 were either elderly, handicapped, OR lived much closer to the X28 than they did the , along with the fact that the is often knocked out on weekends because of construction.  When they restored the X28 on weekends, they noted an increase in ridership and said that it could do well on weekends.  No mention of the as an alternative.  How suddenly their attitudes can change... There have been some other improvements that I've been tried to push through that have gone nowhere, but I continue to go on.  

 

I think it's important to remain united in terms of your elected officials keeping the pressure on.  You need to keep pushing with petitions to support your representatives and you need representatives that remain steadfast in getting results from the .  You don't have too many politicians like that around this city, especially in your area.  Outside of Golden, who only represents parts of areas like Sheepshead Bay and all of Manhattan Beach, I can't say that I've seen anyone else do much for transportation.  I've been meaning to ask you, what do you ever became of that Townhall Meeting the two of us attended?  We got the B4 back, but there were other improvements that were discussed that people felt were needed, such as the running on weekends?  What has Steven Cymbrowitz done about any of this (if anything)? Wasn't he the one that organized that meeting?

 

Your memory is good. Cymbrowitz was indeed one of the organizers. I didn't remember that.

Here is the link to the Sheepsheadbites article from May 18, 2012 to refresh your memory.

 

http://bklyner.com/local-pols-pledge-support-to-bay-area-transit-improvements-at-town-hall-meeting-sheepshead-bay/

 

Other than the B4, the article only mentions cuts to the BM3. You would know better than me if those cuts were restored.

 

Funny you mention Cymbrowitz. I had a one on one meeting with him shortly after Christmas about seven transportation issues. It took me six months to set up that meeting after being continually stonewalled by his office staff. Finally I cornered him in synagogue and he met with me three days later.

 

Its been three months and I haven't heard one single word about any of the issues we discussed. I have followed up at least three times and still no response.  Is he any better than the MTA?

 

And as far as the MTA changing their attitudes, don't get me started on that one. They rejected my proposal to extend the B83 to Gateway in 2001. Then used the exact same routing I proposed after studying it for five years. I must have sent them 40 other route change proposals, all of which were rejected for nonsense reasons.

 

The MTA or NYCTA originally stated all of the following:

 

The subways can never be air conditioned because the stops are too close for it work.

The IRT can never be air conditioned because the cars are too small.

We cannot have articulated buses because they aren't suitable for NYC streets.

We cannot have articulated buses with three doors because they are not structurally sound for NYC streets.

 

I think they also said the same think about alternate fuel vehicles.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Your memory is good. Cymbrowitz was indeed one of the organizers. I didn't remember that.

Here is the link to the Sheepsheadbites article from May 18, 2012 to refresh your memory.

 

http://bklyner.com/local-pols-pledge-support-to-bay-area-transit-improvements-at-town-hall-meeting-sheepshead-bay/

 

Other than the B4, the article only mentions cuts to the BM3. You would know better than me if those cuts were restored.

 

Funny you mention Cymbrowitz. I had a one on one meeting with him shortly after Christmas about seven transportation issues. It took me six months to set up that meeting after being continually stonewalled by his office staff. Finally I cornered him in synagogue and he met with me three days later.

 

Its been three months and I haven't heard one single word about any of the issues we discussed. I have followed up at least three times and still no response.  Is he any better than the MTA?

 

And as far as the MTA changing their attitudes, don't get me started on that one. They rejected my proposal to extend the B83 to Gateway in 2001. Then used the exact same routing I proposed after studying it for five years. I must have sent them 40 other route change proposals, all of which were rejected for nonsense reasons.

 

The MTA or NYCTA originally stated all of the following:

 

The subways can never be air conditioned because the stops are too close for it work.

The IRT can never be air conditioned because the cars are too small.

We cannot have articulated buses because they aren't suitable for NYC streets.

We cannot have articulated buses with three doors because they are not structurally sound for NYC streets.

 

I think they also said the same think about alternate fuel vehicles.

LMAO. I've heard the same story about using bigger buses for Metro-North... We can't use bigger buses because the streets in Riverdale are too narrow.  BS.  The buses run on the same streets that the express buses and local buses do.

 

As for the BM3, they have left it alone for now on weekends, but the service has worsened with each year that passes... They only run nine trips (one each hour from 06:20 to 15:20) to Manhattan on Saturdays, and yet buses still go missing.  They used to make an effort to provide fast service by skipping Downtown if no one got off, but now they don't even ask, so that's that.  One time I used it and a bus sat on break for over an hour while the guy before him never came.  I couldn't believe they would let him sit there for that long knowing that there was no bus before him.  I wrote in and mentioned how ridiculous it was to have people waiting like that.

 

I imagine that the will run better now that it terminates at 96th street.  They have to provide more frequent service.  Before that it ran like garbage on Saturdays. You could wait close to 20 minutes before one would come.  As for the B36 and B49, well you know the story there.... Service has worsened on both lines, so outside of restoring the B4, I would say not much has been done since that Town Hall Meeting.

[BrooklynBus]

LMAO. I've heard the same story about using bigger buses for Metro-North... We can't use bigger buses because the streets in Riverdale are too narrow.  BS.  The buses run on the same streets that the express buses and local buses do.

 

As for the BM3, they have left it alone for now on weekends, but the service has worsened with each year that passes... They only run nine trips (one each hour from 06:20 to 15:20) to Manhattan on Saturdays, and yet buses still go missing.  They used to make an effort to provide fast service by skipping Downtown if no one got off, but now they don't even ask, so that's that.  One time I used it and a bus sat on break for over an hour while the guy before him never came.  I couldn't believe they would let him sit there for that long knowing that there was no bus before him.  I wrote in and mentioned how ridiculous it was to have people waiting like that.

 

I imagine that the will run better now that it terminates at 96th street.  They have to provide more frequent service.  Before that it ran like garbage on Saturdays. You could wait close to 20 minutes before one would come.  As for the B36 and B49, well you know the story there.... Service has worsened on both lines, so outside of restoring the B4, I would say not much has been done since that Town Hall Meeting.

But now the Astoria people are complaining about worsened service since the Q removal.

[MassTransitHonchkrow]

But now the Astoria people are complaining about worsened service since the Q removal.

Do you think shortening the between 57 ST - 7 AV and DITMARS BL would help (and having the jump on the EXP track from ASTORIA BL to QUEENSBORO PLZ) on weekends?

[Mtatransit]

Do you think shortening the between 57 ST - 7 AV and DITMARS BL would help (and having the jump on the EXP track from ASTORIA BL to QUEENSBORO PLZ) on weekends?

There's no where to turn it at 57 St. There's no demand for express on Astoria Bl on Weekends. If the doesn't have it the definitely won't have it.

[S78 via Hylan]

Do you think shortening the between 57 ST - 7 AV and DITMARS BL would help (and having the jump on the EXP track from ASTORIA BL to QUEENSBORO PLZ) on weekends?

No good.