Jump to content

itmaybeokay

Veteran Member
  • Posts

    1,145
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    4

itmaybeokay last won the day on May 22 2018

itmaybeokay had the most liked content!

Profile Information

  • Location
    Astoria

Recent Profile Visitors

2,655 profile views

itmaybeokay's Achievements

988

Reputation

1

Community Answers

  1. Eyyy that's my birthday too. (Haven't been around here in quite a while, but popped on to see how many of these things are in service after seeing one in the wild on monday. Sounds like that was the only set in service, lucky.)
  2. Considering I moved from the served part of astoria to the served part - and was fairly jazzed about moving-on-up from the R46 - I am not to keen on this swap. But - in fairness - weren't the vast majority of these R46's already on broadway? There were like what, 6 trains on the F? Sure, now you're pokeying up both the express and the local tracks with them - but I don't know that the overall effect to broadway service will be catastrophic. Annoying - assuredly yes.
  3. About the same time you saw that, I saw back to back r46 on the astoria line running as N and W. I'd assume they're making the EFMR all NTT for QBL CBTC. (more acronyms anyone?) Edit: Upon review I realize I'm late to the party on this one and also that the N isn't going to stillwell right now. I haven't been paying attention lately 🙄
  4. If anyone doesn't already know, the schedule this year for whatever reason was posted on the Transit Museum website instead of the general MTA site: https://www.nytransitmuseum.org/holidaynostalgiarides/
  5. You know I really like that idea. Most of the pax along the line still get served by those trains, and even those headed for ditmars - its only a 7 minute walk away, or if they can't/don't want to, the next train won't be far behind. Switches really shouldn't be that hard to add...
  6. As has been mentioned The MTA can't declare bankruptcy If they could, it would cause more problems than it would solve. Specifically, Corporate bankruptcy has two types, lets take a look at how badly either would go if they could: Chapter 7 Bankruptcy: The corporation is dissolved, the organization ceases to be, and assets are liquidated to repay creditors. Just let yourself marinate in the regional implications of that one. Chapter 11 Bankruptcy: The corporation remains, and either assets liquidated or the company is reorganized to repay creditors according to terms specified in court. This one might seem like a good option, but the result here is still being on the hook for all outstanding debt, and the inability to take on additional debts. Reorganization in the case of the MTA would in some cases have to be done legislatively and options available to businesses may not be available. Liquidation of assets, even partially, would be problematic as this consists primarily of property and rolling stock which are operationally fundamental to service. The best-case-scenario would still be awful, liquidation of the MTA en-masse to a private company to operate the service. I know we have some proponents of privatization here, but mass heavy-rail transit privatization does not have a successful stateside equivalent. You do have some functional models in asia, but that's a very different market. If you look at the UK, you have rail privatization ultimately raising fares 20-30% while *still* receiving public subsidy. So, no, I don't think privatization would help overall, and it being the best outcome of a bankruptcy that isn't a valid legal maneuver anyway - even if bankruptcy were an option, it's not a good one.
  7. I mean, yes, if there's unrepentant criminal behavior especially with such disregard for others the sentence should be substantial. But well, some notes: 1) he wasn't released ROR - that is when someone is released pending trial *without* bail. That happens in 85% of criminal cases. 2) He was charged with Reckless Endangerment and Crim Tresspass - misdemeanors, NY rules say the judge has to offer bail if the top charge is a misdemeanor, so, maybe it should have been higher. Edit: Actually i looked it up and the Times was wrong, top charge is Criminal Tampering, a more appropriate charge, and a D Felony. So, actually yes technically bail could have been denied 3) A distinction without much of a difference: It isn't 17 arrests, it's 17 prior charges, stemming from 7 arrests. All seem to be of this year and still pending trial. I haven't spent more than a few minutes looking through court records but I don't actually see that he's been convicted of anything, and the top (prior) pending charge against him is a misdemeanor. The attempted assault felony charge was dismissed - I don't immediately see why so - but the court isn't going to regard a dismissed charge in rendering its decisions. I know it doesn't seem high, and I understand the feeling that bail should be higher, but from a legal perspective, that's actually pretty high for the charge for someone with no convictions - speaking relative to the average case at least. He's due in court on June 20 for all the outstanding charges and the part is listed as "APY2" I'm not gonna argue the pros or cons of programs like this here, nor take a side on it at all, but Proponents will say that programs like this for low level charges can avoid the initial incarceration that begins a cycle of recidivism and reincarceration. Even proponents won't claim it's appropriate for all defendants. Edit: Since he's now been charged with a felony, and is showing no remorse and a continued pattern that has made the news, I wouldn't be shocked if those cases are removed to the regular trial calendar. Google "webcrim nys courts", navigate through the worlds worst website interface and you too can play along at home. Please do not assume that I'm defending anyone, supporting any court decisions, legal precedents or taking any sides here. I have intentionally attempted to express no opinion I'm just explaining what I know about criminal procedure law and what I found in public records.
  8. The app is so very janky - but whats weird, truly the only reason I'll ever use the thing, it somehow has a more reliable real time data feed than the subwaytime app, or really any 3rd party apps.
  9. 🤓 Stunning, then, the number of CS and EE faculty here on the train in the AM As someone with a reasonable understanding of code and encryption, also network topology and basic electrical engineering: It's way harder than you think. Nearly impossible. The system is actually quite complex. The whole archetecture can be gleaned from this publically available Cubic co patent: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6595416.pdf Both the turnstiles and the MVM are networked - but not in the way that we think about it today. Serial connections. Strictly point-to-point. All security is on the physical layer. No penetration without physical access. Not happening. You can't breach an MVM without opening the box, end of story. The metrocard itself? I won't link it but the format has been pretty thoroughly explored. It's not a standard magnetic stripe format, so you need to build hardware to read it. Basically, credit cards, and pretty much all other magnetic cards have "timing bits" encoded which are comparable to sprockets in film. The metrocard data is magnetically encoded onto three linear tracks which are read as they pass over a static head in the turnstyle, and as such, the time domain is a key parameter for decoding. Lacking the timing bits, the turnstyle actually has a rotary encoder opposite the head which reports the rate-of-swipe to the magnetic decoding system. Bear in mind, in the same swipe its being read, it's also being written. There are some check bits for which I am not sure if the algorithms of encoding have been derived - I'm not interested in looking either - but lets say hypothetically you could write the correct check bits and add money to a metrocard. You wouldn't get far - stunningly, they've thought of that. The area controllers talk to a central database periodically communicating card serial number, swipe index, and value remaining. That data is also written to the card. So yeah, theoretically: Lets say I have a card, swipe at a turnstile, and have $5 left on the card. I had copied the magnetic data off the card before swiping and now re-encode the card to it's pre-swipe state. I swipe it again, it says $5 left on the card still, whoo hoo! Except: Now it's been transmitted to the database that the card serial number has had the same swipe index transmitted twice, at two different times at two different locations. One of two things happens: 1) the next time you swipe the card, it encodes the balance the database expects 2) the card is simply blacklisted. Also if you're caught you'll be arrested. I guess you could try hacking the central database, but now we're talking felony computer crime for free fares - and nobody outside the agency even knows if that database is connected to the internet. Considering the fact that there's no way to add value to a metrocard online - I bet it isn't even networked outside of the private fare collection network. TL;DR even mr robot still evades fares the old fashioned way.
  10. I saw something like that on the 1, but this guy is raising his fist at a maybe 14 year old girl. My co worker riding with me later told me "you are actually the crazy one" because I got riiight in between that. "Hi!" (friendly tone, grinning wide) "you need to get off the train" He called me a narc and filmed me on his phone, told me I was going on worldstar - but you know what? He got off the train. also - probably don't follow my example on this one.
  11. yes, mta management sucks. I don't think that invalidates my points. And I'm not certain that a single transit system has a contingency plan beyond "clean up the oil and seal the leak" with regard to seepage of underground oil plume into existing subway tunnel. Maybe they should but cursory research seems to suggest that this has never happened prior, other than plumes encountered during initial tunnel construction. Diesel smell is pervasive and persistent, merely cleaning up and sealing the leak will not immediately remove the aroma.
  12. Wait though, it's not really a valid comparison to say "they couldn't eliminate the fuel oil smell so silica dust will be a problem if they do work on the weekends" I'm not offering tacit support for the hammered-through cuomo plan in rejecting that logic but, notes: Dust is inherently easier to mitigate than oil. You're talking about near-macroscopic airborne particles for dust, versus literally molecules for diesel vapour. Due to the larger particle size the dust is less likely to even enter vehicles travelling the tunnel. The dust is easier to control since the point and time of emission will be known. Not for nothing, I 3d printed a vaccum attachment for my drill that completely eliminates drywall dust when I drill into the wall. It's not rocket science (actually it's fluid dynamics) Water jet systems alone can control silica dust whereas water inherently can't effectively mitigate hydrocarbons. The concentration of silica dust required to be suspended in the air to pose a substantial risk is remarkably high. Health concerns of silica dust are generally confined to workers exposed for entire shifts for extended periods of time. The concentrations required for point-exposure implications are generally like, volcanic. (source: osha guidelines for silica dust. google it i'm not dredging up the link) I really think that "the dust" ought not to be the boogieman in this boondoggle. The unsustainable off hours service should be the issue. As you were.
  13. Well for one, they're using columbus triangle (where the normal stop is) as a construction staging area. Second, that intersection will be closed for 20 weekends during construction. More: https://new.mta.info/sites/default/files/2019-02/Astoria Blvd ADA and Renewal v4- 1-30-19.pdf I think it will be longer than that... Unless we're talking about two different things
  14. 111 is scheduled to take 6 months, Astoria blvd is going to be closed for 9 months with the total work lasting 21 months. Not really sure that's better, especially considering the loss of the pedestrian overpasses. I really can't overstate the importance of the overpasses. This intersection has had multiple pedestrian accidents every year since at least 2009, and that was WITH the overpasses. MTA presentation indicates there will be crossing guards during work hours even, but it's actually nights I foresee as being the issue.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.