wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

So-called "emergency exits" are NECESSARY EXITS for people with strollers, bikes, suitcases, and other loads. Why should everyone be subjected to an ear-splitting alarm when these people are simply exiting the subway in the appropriate way?

Why does the A express, when moving between W 125th St and 59th St, always slow down abruptly when passing through the 81st St station? I hypothesize that the American Museum of Natural History provides funds to MTA such that these trains must decelerate when passing through the highly decorated stations in exchange for free advertisement. The abrupt deceleration at 81st St is always noticeable between the long 59th <--> 125th St ride; therefore, product placement of the museum?

I thought as time and technology moves forward, the QUALITY of life may also move forward. Not the case for anyone livivng near a bus stop. I understand the special needs concerning handicapped persons. But, is the warning signal combined with a loud drone of a large air realese really nessesary for a bus to kneel. 24 hours a day 7 days a week, when I look out the window I have rarly seen a handicapped person at the stop. I feel the bus is stopping in my bedroom sometimes. I have to run an air filter at full speed to drown out the most ear wrenching sound you would want to here at 6am on a sunday morning, or 6am-6:10-6:20-6:30.... during the week. I'm considering selling my home, but the noise of the kneeling bus prabably decreased the value of my home. On another note , how much of our money is being spent on this scurge to my ears?

Bus scheduling is illogical. There are three M15 lines, South Ferry limited, City Hall limited and local. They are scheduled to run in tandem. If you miss them you wait. Why not pace them so a passenger not going the whole distance will have only a short wait for the next bus.

Parked bus areas on heavily trafficked streets cause major congestion. It is impossible to make the permitted right turn on red signal at York Avenue and 59 street since buses are parked for extensive periods. 55 street is a major cross town street and should not be designated for bus rest stops.

To clarify about Bleeker/Bway-Lafayette. These were two separate systems. When the city took over the IRT it was easy to break down a wall and connect the downtown 6 with the IND, but, as others said, it would be a major engineering project to connect the uptown 6 platform, tunnel under the IRT and then uptown a block on the other side.

...and the Federal Aid is for capital projects. It can't be used for operating expenses, which is another budget. ...and it can't be used to reduce debt because the intention is to put people to work.

Asking rational questions like why the MTA is terrible, poorly run, corrupt; why the subways are filthy, dated, the stations derelict, the buses slow and late, the bridges on verge of collapse while the cost of a ride (or bridge/tunnel toll) seems to endlessly rise to stratospheric heights is fruitless. It's just as valid as asking GM or Ford management why they cant get their act together and function more like their Japanese and German competitors. What is this CEO going to say? "We suck?" "I'll get right on it?" What I wish he'd admit is that he and his fellow executives are accountable to no one, embezzle large portions of the budget, and employs a fleet of lazy overpaid workers that make 50 grand plus free health insurance for performing unskilled labor. The MTA board needs to be DISBANDED and the people should elect a board president who will be accountable to the people.

It can easily take 1 1/4 hours (not counting freak events and unusual congestion)to get from Inwood in upper Manhattan to First Avenue using subway(A train)and cross-town bus.

The express bus from Riverdale which stops at 207th Street (which you have to get to) is of limited help in rush hour, and out of rush hour because of its spaced out schedule,...and then it gets you only east to Lexington Avenue. You may have to get to First Avenue and what every cross street you're going to. Furthermore, it doesn't get you to the MTA station at 125th Street, where express trains stop, If you take the A train from Inwood to 125th street, you then have to take a cross-town bus which usually takes 1/2 hour to get across to Park Avenue.

Possible solutions:
Now:
Express bus across 125th St. from A train station.

Future:
Cross-town subway or Light Rail across 125th Street or nearby street
Express bus to northern terminus of 2nd avenue subway.

Suggestions?

I want to strongly encourage MTA to implement very easy, inexpensive, and hugely effective customer feedback tools like http://getsatisfaction.com/mta.
It's so frustrating for users to not have a voice. Even if rider-to-rider conversation took up the bulk of it, it would be a win.

Google's addition of MTA info is the biggest leap fwd for the MTA's presence online I've seen. Please consider working with them to offer your data in easily digestible form. E.g. Schedules on iPhones and in Google maps, outages reported and shared. Ideally we eventually get to a place where we can see when the next buses & trains are departing relative to our location, and a rider can make a smart decision on what line to take.
/z

Wish all the trains had that divider at the end of the bench, so people aren't leaning into one's
head!

Brian -

"Black and blue are male colors"?!?!?! Your offense gender laden comments are really getting on my nerves. This is the first time I have listened to your show in weeks after your repeated comments about "men jobs" and "women jobs" with respect to the new gov't infrastructure projects... and you do it again!

Any chance the noise level at the Lexington Avenue at the Union Square Station on the subway platform could be addressed.

The L Train has a very useful and accurate noticeboard letting riders know when the next trains will arrive to a station. When will other lines adopt this?

Most F trains need new shocks. Man, they oughta call it the Rock-n-Rolla line!

are there not more pressing issues than the color scheme of the cars?!

I'm listening to the radio broadcast and these guys remind me of Click & Clack on CarTalk. They're talking about switching lights and tens of millions of dollars. Peanuts. I think the answer is that urban mass transit can only function on this scale as a federal program, rather than a locally managed service. We just need much broader perspective, and real budgets.

Re Broadway-Lafayette/Bleecker St. transfer:

It appears that there was once an underpass connecting the north- and southbound platforms of the #6 line. If so, could it be reopened?

Also:

11th Ave. could use some bus service.
Crosstown buses in general are excruciatingly slow. Any practical short-term fixes?

Train arrival signs + Disable the alarms!

1) Love the signs on the L line that tell you when the next train will be arriving. When can we expect them in other stations? Ideally, they'd be aboveground or at the turnstile level as well as the platform.

2) Unless there are documented cases of the alarmed "emergency" exit doors actually preventing or aiding in emergencies, doesn't it make sense to disable the alarms, given the fact that in reality, people just use them as exits, especially those with small children in strollers? i agree with commenter #44- it's just noise pollution.

why are stations in wealthy manhattan neighborhoods very clean and well maintained, while other stations, particularly in brooklyn, much more neglected.

If you're on the topic of replacing railcars, what about the fleet of the Staten Island Railway?

What are the plans to expand the East and Hudson River ferry services to Manhattan?

We have some beautiful train stations in the system -- East 116th St., Museum of Natural History at 81st & CPW, W. 66th at Lincoln Center... too few. Wouldn't it be great if we could put NYC's artists to work -- not to mention the folks with building skills -- to beautify some more of our stations?

Can you integrate the PATH into the NYC subway system the way the BMT and IRT were integrated?

Has any thought ever been given to reopening the Chrystie Street Connector and running either the M or the J train uptown, possibly combined with the unloved V? This would be a great benefit to those of us living in booming South West Queens.

Why do the trains runs so slow and infrequently in Brooklyn but in Manhattan which is much smaller they fly?

Can we extend the n0 7 train into Jersey to secacus junction?

what about different staircases for exiters and entrants?
People ineptitude and lack of discipline is a factor...
as an example people in london do commute with two different pace if they choose to fast and or passing/lane on escalators....
The G to the L transfer is hell because of the above point there is a police station right there that could enforce the new policy....

Why do express trains run so slow even if no train is ahead. Many times the local trains beat the express even with the additional train stops. Recalibrating the signals would be an easy fix to improve capacity. This happens even on areas of the A train where the signals were upgraded in the 80s.

Given the bleak fiscal situation the MTA is facing, it seems unreasonable and likely that all necessary local station improvements will be met in the foreseeable future. With this and President Obama's call for service in mind, I've been thinking a great workaround might be an MTA -sponsored day of service. The MTA could waive fares for a day, buy some paint and light bulbs and let people come chip in a few hours of painting and clean-up. This would give a greater sense of ownership and involvement for riders with their local station and genuinely help increase quality of life

The Tram will be out of service for approxitely six months in 2009. How will the MTA address existing service problems of the F train servicing Roosevelt Island when the Tramway is brought down later this year?

Can't the second avenue line move further east when it goes south of 14th Street? Alphabet City is so far away from 2nd Ave.

Christine
the L in th e AM has been so bad lately but this week it's been better i hope that means the construction is coming to an end!

Who are the contractors who work on stations? Seems so sloppy, disorganized. Do not understand why 59th street or Jay street Borough Hall even proceeds in the manner it does. Often lots of guys standing around as well.

My station, Borough Hall, is an even bigger hub than Fulton Street. About 15 years ago a renovation was undertaken which continued slowly for a number of years until fizzling out. When will this be completed? The historic wall tiles are still broken; the "new" floor tiles are already broken; the station is a mess. How can a job be started and never completed?

CAN YOU ASK WHY the 2nd ave subway is going to skip 79th street but stop at 72nd? This train should stop wherever there is a cross town bus but if you must skip one, skip 72nd street. No sane person takes that cross town bus because it detours down to (66 is it?) and then comes back up. PLEASE RE-CONSIDER

I live in Upper Harlem. Routinely buses on the M3 line come right behind each other. The second one does not wait a minute. So, if you've missed to two buses which are following each other---within feet- up St. Nicholas Avenue you are doomed! Last week THREE buses went by, one following after the other.

What is the policy and why can't one bus sit at the stop for at least 5 minutes and/or until it fills up? Aside from the HUGE inconvenience for the riders, it's such a fuel WASTE, not to mention less revenue for MTA.

Thank you.

"Those alarmed exit gates are an EARsore!"--people exit them sometimes not even
for any reason (like stroller, etc.) and that
alarm is ear-blasting! What's the point? I'm
for an exit for strollers, suitcases etc. w/out
alarm!

The M60 bus which runs along 125th St and into Qns to LaGuardia airport is always extremely crowded. Is it possible to use a double length bus for this run since people are usually getting on with luggage etc. Right now, the route is run by a standard bus...sorry I don't know the technical names for these bus sizes

I wish I didn't feel like I was paying to get into prison every time I use the monkey bars turnstile. Sometimes I need to hit it like a linebacker to get through. Also, swipers need to be maintained more. They often reject even fresh monthly cards forcing you to wait ten minutes or walk to the next stop.

Stimulus money for already-existing projects is a problem -- the 2nd ave line was already budgeted! No new economic activity is being stimulated if funds are thus diverted!

What structural changes have been accomplished on the A train tracks? Almost every weekend last spring and summer we were stuck on shuttle buses north of 168th st, which have begun again this year.

This has been very frustrating, especially on the Ft. Washington line where the buses seem to run far less frequently. The drivers, to make it even more fun, are generally surly and unhelpful. But now in JANUARY, when the temps have been below freezing most wknds, it's almost unbearable to be standing outside waiting for a shuttle bus. We might wait 5 minutes, maybe 15, where there is no protection from the weather.

Why is this taking so long, and why can't it wait at least til the weather is a little more cooperative??

Good question, Ralph[90].
Same thing I've been wondering, each time he says that.

Why not link #7 Train and Shea LIRR stop to LaGuardia?

When is the MTA going to provide G train service comparable to ANY of the other lines in the entire NYC subway system? It seems quite obvious to me that because this line does not service Manhattan at all that is is neglected and not considered a vital subway line. Brooklyn is the biggest borough--isn't it?--in the city and has the lousiest crosstown service I'm pretty sure. There are complaints about plans to cut further service into Queens; I'm more concerned about the low frequency of trains.

The 181rst Street Station on the 1 line is an absolute death trap. During peak hours, it can take up to 20 minutes to get out of the station. Passengers wait on the stairs to get into the elevator. The only emergency exit is a ladder and two of the four elevators are usually out of service. This is at the very least an extreme fire hazard.

RE: reducing trains and/or buses (tighter scheduling)

I live near the B71 which usually comes twice an hour. The fact that the bus is almost always on time, to the minute, is not only rare, but makes it more convenient. I am not afraid to plan my trip knowing that the bus will come at that the actual time listed.

If there could be a more consistent and timely schedule for buses and train we could reduce the # of trains and buses. I may not mind only three or Four 4/5 trains an hour if I knew when they were coming.

Are there any plans to REALLY improve the train service and scheduling for the Port Jervis line, which the MTA contracts out to NJ Transit? I've been riding on those trains from the old Conrail days, and although the ridership has greatly increased, the train services have not.

In terms of emergency preparedness, what is the NYCT doing to be prepared for fires, derailments, potential terrorist attacks, etc? Are each booth/station managers familiar with evacuation procedures? I feel like most station managers I've encountered are not even familiar with their own stations, in terms of layout and spatiality. Wouldn't it make sense for these civil servants to have physical plans/maps to refer to? - or do they?

When the 7 is out of service on weekends btwn Queensboro Plaza and Times Square, why is there no shuttle bus from LIC through the Mid Town Tunnel. It is a huge problem for people living at Vernon Jackson, Hunter's Point, and Courthouse Sq.

Screeching trains!!! Why can't you silence them????? It is not normal for riders to stuff their fingers into their ears to protect their eardrums.

I would like to hear Lee's concern that monthly riders, who are the heart and soul of the MTA, have had their fares repeatedly hiked and hiked- from $63 to $81 in less than 5 years - while the base has remained at $2 during that entire period. Do you feel that monthly riders can get a break for once?

It seems like the Broadway-Lafayette / Bleecker transfer problem has something to do with the rails being offset. Looks like the MTA drew up some plans to fix it a couple of years ago:

http://secondavenuesagas.com/2007/05/30/mta-to-connect-uptown-irt-to-the-rest-of-the-bleecker-stbroadway-lafayette-st-station/

Why is the subway monthly pass going straight up to $105? Why not step it up over 5 years?

Peter Olsen, comment 43, brings up an important point. The sound of my morning commute are these alarms. Now, the MTA has absurd posters in the trains that threaten enforcement of the unauthorized use of emergency exits. Don't hold your breath.

The MTA has taken "service exits" and re-labelled them "emergency exits". You've prohibited us from using them, and enabled a loud, piercing alarm. Why are you punishing us for trying to exit the station in a timely manner?

It seem a decision was made to put up uniform bus stop shelters that are decidedly modern in design, glass and aluminium looking like MoMA's facade. Who designed them and who decided against a more traditional look?

In Portland, all the buses are outfitted with GPS and you can call a number listed on the stop with your cell phone to check the ACTUAL next bus arrival time.

This system is cheap and easy, when will we get this technology here in NYC on our buses?

Thanks

If ridership has "exploded", why isn't the MTA rolling in dough? Where is their money going?

Is it true that they are going to cut the R train service?
It is impossible to understand there are section of Queens and Brooklyn where the only train is R. How can you be cutting that service?

I don't mean to harp on the pavillion, but the guest that's not Lee Sanders said not finishing the pavillion as planned would "engender a lot of criticism." I mean, who would criticize that that wouldn't criticize the rate hikes and services cuts they were planning.

"L" train,

Why does it always experience delays during the morning commute?

It is over crowded and very annoying to take.

Will it ever be better?

Why do buses not have better maps? As a Brooklyn resident, I would love to depend on the bus, but I have no idea where it is going! I understand that there are too many stops to list them all, but why on the stops is there not a simple map that lists the intersections or neighborhoods they go through? Just because I know a certain bus is going to Greenpoint, if I don't have a general idea of the route, I'm not going to get on!

With so many people moving into areas north of central park, are there any plans to make it easy to go east to west, connecting the 4/5/6, with the B/C, and 1/2/3?

I wonder if the MTA, along with the Department of Transportation, is lobbying the federal government for special funds to improve New York City transit. I've read the New York is the only city in the country where over 50 percent of the population rides public transit daily, and it seems that we should be rewarded for that, rather than getting fares raised and being forced to shut down bus and train lines. New York City should be a model for transit throughout the country, and I don't think it's a stretch for us to ask for some extra funds to keep our transit system up and running.

Why was a stairwell connecting the E/V/G underground station to the above ground 7 train at Court Square in Long Island City closed and demolished? The entrances were reduced from two to one. It is mind-boggling to me that infrastructure would be reduced that allows for fast and safe connection.

Buses:

Why aren't they tied to the signals so that they don't spend so much time & fuel idling at red lights?

Why don't some of the longer routes, ie B61, either get split into 2 lines or run some limited routes so that we don't have 1 super crowded bus followed by a 1/2 hour wait and then 2 half empty buses?

I ride the C from Fort Green Brooklyn to the 14 st station every day. When returning after work at rush hour time, while waiting at the 14 th at station, I have watched as many as 5 E trains before a C comes along. And the E below 34th street is often close to empty. Why Not turn some of those E trains into a hybrid C/E lines that runs local through Brooklyn Like the C, up 8th ave and through to queens like the E. It seems such a waste for all those E trains to be running empty. And since you can walk underground between chambers and wtc stations

The 79th Street Stop on the #1 uptown train is constantly flooded, causing the exit on the north side to be unusable. Why can't this be fixed?

On Brooklyn buses...
Roughly 75% of the time that I wait for a bus in Brooklyn, it never comes. I will wait for 2-3 or the scheduled buses to arrive before I opt to walk up to several miles to my destination. Why don't the buses come?

The answer to our questions about spending such a large chunk of EMERGENCY money from the goverment to one station is ridiculous. The MTA does not HAVE to as your guest has suggested. Bus routes for the elderly and poor will be slashed but once again the rich pet projects is of higher importance than the majority of riders

On the Lorimer street station in Williamsburg the other side of the station that is open without a booth clerk has no metrocard vending machine to purchase metrocards who can we call to have a metrocard vending machine installed. It is such an inconvenience after walking all the way up the stairs to walk all the way back down and walk a lenghthly block and back up the stairs again on the other side of the station.

I have a great question;

What does it take to maintain lower income neighborhood stops? I can't tell you how many times I've gotten on the Bedford Nostrand G train Stop in Bed Stuy and discovered someone has taken a dump on platform right under the stairs. I'm not even kidding. I'm frustrated about the fare increases and I just wanted to know how many swipes it takes to get people to stop defecating on my commute. - Inmates clean up our highways why not our stations?

Who cares if a station is a little dingy? The MTA has been wasting mucho $$$ in the last few years renovating stations that don't need renovating. If you want to give the 7th ave station a makeover it doesn't need use your own money, not mine.

On the Manhattan side of the N/R train at 59th St. in Brooklyn, there are not enough trash cans -- particular on the platform near the front of the train.

How can we get the station to place more trash cans on the platform?

Thank you.

Is there any plan to re-establish Express train service on the Brooklyn portion of the F line, similar to what exists on the Queens portion of this line? We need it badly.

Currently, the express tracks are used by the G train (between the Smith & Ninth Street stop and Church Ave stop). If ther eis no plan to re-establish express F, then PLEASE allow riders to get on G trains starting at Church Ave.

Thanks.

A caller asked why there is no connection to the Uptown 6 at Broadway/Lafayette on the B/D/F.

This is because the tail end of uptown platform at Bleecker St, one block north of Houston, which the B/D/F run under. So a significant passageway needs to be created.

No. 104 busses often arrive 2 in a row. Then don't arrive for a long time. They totally miss their schedule.

PLEASE!

Find a way to connect A,C,G line at Lafayette to Atlantic Center with an coridor.

Oh! And more trashcans and recycle bins!

What bout Information Systems in Stations especially connecting stations letting passengers know of all the construction going on or delays and best alternates in real time.

Bleecker-Lafayette:

It would be enormously expensive to build a tunnel under the tracks.

But MTA COULD allow a free transfer for those who had to go up to street level to get to the uptown 6--much as they do for transfers between the F and the 4,5,6 at 59th St.

Why create the 2nd ave. subway line if the TA is so broke? The 456 lines are crowded, but i use them frequently during rush hours and they are ridable and scarecely more crowded than other lines.

Why can't the V line be extended one stop to Delancey street so passengers can connect to the JMZ lines?

Please ask your guest why the main offices of the MTA have not been moved to cheaper real estate in Queens or the Bronx? Why haven't they sold their big nyc waste of a building to save us money - our money?

Why is there not better service on the G train? Intra-Brooklyn travel is torturous when you have to wait outside in the cold or heat for half an hour or more when attempting to travel from north to south brooklyn, or vice versa. For those of us who depend on this outer-borough train, we must leave so much time for travel that it is an inconvenience, rather than a convenience.

1. Why can't the bus schedules be better coordinated with the subway schedules?

Case in point: Often, when I exit the Bedford L train stop to take the B61 bus to South 11th St. all I see is the tail lights of the bus and are up for a 20m walk...
Why is there not s system, that shows the bus driver that a train has just arrived and that he/she should wait 1 minute for the passengers to spill on the street?

2. Why don't have all buses a GPS system that shows where they are to the other drivers and to the public, so that crowding (2-3 buses at once and then nothing for a long period) can be avoided and that one could check on their computer, iphone or at the bus stop, that there is a bus coming 3 stops away...

3. public transport should be subsidized by gas tax! and car owners should get a FREE mta card in return...

The Bx 12 bus line is the epitomy of the Rube Goldberg-like beaureaucratic incompetence that is the MTA. In these times when the city is scrambling for money, this line has become a giveaway free-for-all. Many people get on and do NOT pay, people look for discarded tickets on the floor, I have begun to see scalpers at the stops selling their tickets for $1, and since this line has begun (in June, I believe) I have seen MTA security at random stops to enforce payment a total of FOUR stinking times! We few honest riders are financing the felonious multitude. To paraphrase Wile E. Coyote "MTA head hochos: Super Genius!"

How about toning down the ear-splitting noise of the buses when they drop down and go back up (the so-called "kneeling buses")? It is sooo darn loud! And I think the warning purpose it serves is a bogus one.

Questions:
1) Whatever happened to the repair plan for the intercom system? Someday there will be a fire or something and you won't be able to communicate to the people in the tunnel.
2) Why aren't the trains coordinated better? Why is it that the F train has to wait for a G train crossing in its path (in Brooklyn) at 1 a.m.? Isn't there a system for coordinating this kind of thing?
FINALLY
3) Why doesn't the MTA send a crew to Tokyo or any other city with a subway system that works to get some pointers on cleanliness, worker pride, signage, announcements, etc. I lived in Tokyo for years and the trains run on the minute.

I would love to use Metro North.

However:
It costs more than driving.
The schedule is not frequent enough or late enough.

Drop the 2nd Avenue project. again. We can't afford it.

Drop the glass pavillion project. It's not time for expansion or new projects. We can't afford it.

As I asked on the general page for this set of interviews: What happened to installing GPS devices on NYC Buses? The information they turn out is of course very valuable to passengers, but also of crucial importance for improving the reliability of bus services (see: Chicago Transit Authority's recent efforts, among others).

BEFORE YOU ANSWER: don't tell me that GPS doesn't work because of all the tall buildings. This is probably _more_ important in the boroughs, where tall buildings and subway stations are both often in short supply.

Thanks,

Mike

With all the fare increases, why is a different (lower) fare for NYC residents never discussed? How about a low cost weekday pass for people who use the subway to go to work? Raise the price for tourists and not the working people of New York.

Dave, Brooklyn

Have you seen the Smith and 9th St. stop on the F?

The rusty overpass has been covered in tar-paper for at least 4 years. Maybe instead of suing F Line bagels you guys could fix the roof from leaking. That's why the escalators break. Because water comes pouring in through the roof.

I've lived in NYC for 6 years. Prices have gone up and service has gotten worse.

I feel like I'm getting robbed. If I could figure out how to make MTA cards I would hand them out for free.

HEY, the transfer to the uptown 6 at bway/lafayette is in the current pipeline; the money is allocated! As is connecting the R at Lawrence St to the A/C/F at Jay St/Borough Hall. Roberts should know this.

When will the construction activity going on in the Columbia Circle station finish? For as long as I remember, there has been construction work going on there. Every week, a different part of the station is cordoned off. This has been going on for years. It is totally confusing, even to regular riders.

Why are there no emergency call boxes in the cars? In the event of an emergency, or of an act of violence in the cars, I have no way of "notifying a train crew member" as indicated by the frustrating information panels in the cars. The same is true in the stations. ALL of them. This is very dangerous, and discouraging to a single female like myself who frequently is harassed or followed in the trains. FURTHERMORE, on a different topic, I have lived in New York, Paris, and San Francisco and cannot understand why New York trains do not run on a regular schedule? I take the train every day and every day I wait a different amount of time for the train to come. Thank you for your reponse.

I travel a lot...Europe, Asia, and most recently South America, and it's clear that the scope and age of the MTA, combined with 24-hr service, makes competing with the modernity and efficiency of transit in other "world cities" difficult.

I've lived in New York City for 12 years and been very positive about the systems we have, but enough is enough. The New York MTA is embarrassing. I'm not kidding. We're talking 3rd world nation status. The stations are decrepit. Paint is peeling (why use paint in the first place?) Metro North service is antiquated, dark, dirty, while serving one of the most affluent communities in the tri-state area. LIRR skips Grand Central.

A mag-lev line over the center of the freeways would make airport access into mid-town globally competitive, while clearing a lot of traffic. It's time to think big again.

BAY RIDGE!!! ASk any of us: WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH WAITING FOR THE R TRAIN AT 59th Street????

Sometimes train loads of N's drop off several people and we're waiting for EVER for the R.

Please ask him about this. I have lived here for almost 10 years and it's never gotten any better.

Thanks

I ride the C from fort green brooklyn to the 14 st station every day. whe returning after work, while waiting at the 14 th at station, I have watched as many as 5 E trains before a C comes along. and the E below 34th street is often close to empty. Why Not turn some of those E trains into a hybrid C/E line that runs local through brooklyn Like the C, up 8th ave and through to queens like the E. It seems such a waste for all those E trains to be running empty.And since you can walk underground between chambers and wtc stations.

thanks, jack

Annetta
I think it's true but because of the type of work they do transit workers have greater health problems and die earlier than office workers

If we are receiving money from the recovery bill for transit, shouldn't a major amount of this money go to prevent a hike in fares? In this economic crisis, to use this money to bail out a project that ran scandalously over budget at the same time as you charge the riders more money would be just as shameful as the Wall Street bonuses.

Is there any rider group out there that's planning a boycott?

The F line is tremendously crowded as more people have moved to Brooklyn. Why can't the F be made to run express in Brooklyn as it is in Queens, and extend the V line as the local all the way to Coney Island?

The tracks are there.

I ride the C from fort green brooklyn to the 14 st station every day. whe returning after work, while waiting at the 14 th at station, I have watched as many as 5 E trains before a C comes along. and the E below 34th street is often close to empty. Why Not turn some of those E trains into a hybrid C/E line that runs local through brooklyn Like the C, up 8th ave and through to queens like the E. It seems such a waste for all those E trains to be running empty.And since you can walk underground between chambers and wtc stations

thanks , Jack

One of the repercussions of budget cuts and reduced staffing at stations has been the strange increase in the non-emergency use of emergency exits. While this may seem a trivial concern, the alarms are an awful form of noise pollution in a city that is already screaming at us. For me it represents a significant decrease in the quality of life here in New York City. Or at the very least, a harbinger of it.

Why do the R, V and G trains all stop serving
Woodside at night? People in Woodside are forced to drive when going out at night and on the weekends, encouraging drunk driving.

These are great trains. If they would just
continue working at night like most other lines,
Woodside would benefit so greatly, and frankly,
it's not fair that other Queens lines like the N and W run all night.

We R, V & G people have needs too!

would a corporation allow such cost overruns?
what is the source?
is it just bad contracting?

During the winter months, when passengers are buttoned up under heavy winter coats, we enter MTA buses in which the driver is sitting at the wheel in his shirtsleeves. The heat is blasting on high to keep him warm, while the customers swelter. Can this policy of having the drivers sit in the bus near the door in winter in their shirtsleeves please be changed, and get the heat in the buses down to a reasonable level?

I agree with Zach

Previous appearances by Mr. Sander on your show have focused on improvements for Manhattan transit facilities. The outer boroughs also badly need investment to rehabilitate subway lines. In particular, the N line in the Brooklyn Bensonhurst neighborhood is badly deteriorated. I ride the F train, so I am not just asking for improvements on my own line. The 4th Ave.-9th St. line does need improvement, although its capital improvement was recently delayed. It appears that the outer boroughs are being sacrificed to fund improvements in Manhattan.

On the N/W trains going toward Astoria-Ditmars (my stop).

I like the new cars on these trains. They are clean and informative (when the digital marquees work--there are some glitches).

Are these model cars going to be used for the rest of subway upgrades? How is it they seem to offer more space for commuters? The seem WIDER, but this can't be possible because the tunnels and platforms haven't widened!

Also, a shout-out to the conductors on these trains. They are clear, informative, and sometimes kinda funny, mixing up the ride with "have a niiiiiiiiiice and pleasant evening," in the style of old-school "real" train conductors. Kudos to them for making me smile after a long, hard day!

Quick Q:

Signs on the 4/5/6 lines state that the 2nd Avenue subway will be operational by 2015.

Exactly how far uptown will this line reach by 2015 (e.g., all the way to 125th St in Harlem)?

during the last MTA strike, I met an MTA worker who told me that employees can retire at age 55. is that true? if so, it seem to me a great opportunity to save money by raising the retirement age to something more in line with the rest of the country...

Mr. Sanders:

I live off the G line and am looking to move in part because I am tired of waiting for the train. I realize that money is tight and running more frequent trains is expensive however my time is valuable. I regularly wait for up to 20 minutes at Hoyt/Schermerhorn or the Metropolitan stop when traveling home after 10pm.

My $2 ride is just as valuable and yet I get much less for my money. When you are making cuts do you plan on reducing the number of runs in Manhattan first? We are already hurting here in Brooklyn/Queens.

I moved to New York from California - I believe that paying a bit more for mass transit IS in the rider's best interest. The monthly MTA pass costs much less than I paid for an automobile and insurance in California. Distributing the cost among all riders makes sense to me: unlike systems that charge additional rates for riders for longer trips (which would penalize New Yorkers who live in lower-cost areas near the periphery of the city) we all pay a bit more. Manhattanites may not travel as far but pay just as much, which subsidizes the lower-cost neighborhood's transit. New York is expensive, but transit here is cheap in comparison with other transportation methods around the country. We should value it and pay for it.

I ride the C to 14 th st and 8th ave from Fort greene brooklyn and back every day. Very often after work, I have watched as many as 5 E trains go by before a C comes along. And the E, below 34th street, is often close to empty. Why not turn some of those E trains into a hybrid C/E line that runs local through brooklyn Like the C, up 8th ave and through to queens like the E. It seems such a waste for all those E trains to be running empty and since you can walk underground from chamber st stations to the wtc station.

thanks , Jack

I'm curious as to why the C train is only 8 cars long instead of 10 like the E train. It becomes a problem when you enter the platform through the turnstile and the C train goes careening past stopping so far from the entrance of the station that you end up having a mad rush of people running and crushing each other trying to get onto the last car. If it's going to stay 8 cars, why can't it stop so that you can access the train from the entrance to the stations (14th Street station is a great example when you're coming from the L train) rather than have the train go all the way to the end of a platform that's designed for longer trains?

How does the mta get out of the entrenched debt service in took on in the last decade? Thanks.

Hi! I'm Jules.

I live in Brooklyn and rely on the transfer at Franklin Avenue from the 2 train to the 4/5.

It happens at least once or twice a week that I'm getting into the station on the 2 train, and 4 train speeds away.

Why can't the 4/5 train wait an extra minute (and we really are talking ONE minute here) so that the passengers across the platform can get on the train?

It's so deliberate and insulting, they way they speed off like that. We're all just commuters trying to get to work.

when is the Q line construction in Brooklyn going to be finished? it took an hour and 45 minutes to go from 33rd st in Manhattan to Newkirk Ave in Brooklyn. After midnight the Q turns into a pumpkin.

spending the stimulus money on a glass pavillion makes no sense. it's like spending 4 million to rename a bridge. whoops. we already did that.

As an uncommon economic indicator and a question for Mr. Sander, what is being done about the sudden uptick of homelessness in subway stations and subway cars. I have been in entire subway cars that are entirely vacant because of homeless people sleeping in the seats and the compounded stench that they emit. (Talking specifically about the Manhattan-bound E line)

On three occasions recently buses have driven right by me and fellow passengers waiting at a stop. All of these incidents were evening around 11pm or later, and all on the M11, M104. I'm able bodied and can run up to the next stop if the lights allow - and each time the driver just says, "I didn't see you." With this extremely cold weather, I'd hope drivers would be more attentive than less. What's goin on?

Penn station moving to post office building? if not, why were those plans scrapped? if so, WHEN??????? (please god before I move off Long Island)

I read today that the MTA is planning on spending a large chuck of the proposed stimulus package on the Fulton Stret transfer station, which sounds good since it involves on-going construction work that will occur immediately (I also work down here and would appreciate a nicer station). But what are the plans for the rest of the money? I assume it can't go towards debt service. I propose the MTA should use that money to reinstate the capital plans for station rehabilation that were shelved at the end of 2008. Those plans seemed ready to go and the stations are still in shambles. Fix em up!

Why is it that every time i ask bus drivers what the "real" purpose is for the bus transfers for the 2/3 lines from Friday thru Sunday eve 96th street to grand corcourse, roll their eyes ? Is there some kind of city planning objective operating ?

Why do certain lines never get new trains. The trains:

A, C, E, F, G and R lines never get new cars.
the last update on some of these lines was in 1977

Some lines:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, N, Q, B, D
seem to get new cars more frequently

why so inequitable?

Have you thought of using different materials for the platforms to make it easier to clean gum spots off?

Two words - Glass Pavillion. Is 1/4 (as WNYC reported yesterday) of the stimulus money really going to go to a glass pavillion? Been on the 4 / 5 lately anywhere from 7 to 10 in the morning? What about the signal system, which we keep hearing there isn't enough money for?

Yes or No question:

Has the MTA subway already been reducing service on the weekends under the guise of performing track and signals work in order to save money?

It's impossible to get anywhere via subway without encountering subway diversions.

Re: Stuart's comment above - There are two lists of comments going on this website, this one and one that started at the beginning of the month. It's pretty much a matter of luck as to which one any commenter will find. So, WNYC, please also refer to the other list, which has comments dated through today. And actually ask some of the questions. Last week all comments were ignored. Maybe Sanders should be on for another month to answer these questions. The other internet way of commenting to the MTA is on their website, where any question results in a cut and paste boilerplate answer which may or may not be particularly relevent and is highly unlikely to answer the particular comment in any way.

One could easily project increase in subway crime with worsening Economy. Does MTA have any plan for addressing this issue?
MTA could train their people as security officers and let them stay in those red booths.

In this economic downturn don't you think it is wise to re-prioritize capital spending?

If the MTA postponed the East Side Access Capital Project the $7.2 Billion (before cost overruns) could be freed up and used for the MTA's debilitating debt service. Then MTA would not have to cut service and drastically increase fares in a time of reduced ridership.

Has Mr Sanders ever been on the S Train -- the most on-time, efficient line in the system? That and one stop on the 1, 2, or 3 gets you from Penn Station to Grand Central fast.

Why not leave the Fulton street station the way it is and use the new federal money to prevent service cuts and a fare hike?

This is outrageous this money going for a glass dome at the station.

Who is making this decision??????!!!!!!!!!!1

Can you finally debunk the idea the light rail is "flexible"?

You can change a bus line when there is a broken water line or a fire on a particular street. Light rail can't function in a case like that.

Can you finally get cameras for the front of buses to keep the bus lanes free of stopped cars?

Does the MTA have any hard evidence that its own advertising has any actual effect on behavior and how much does the MTA spend on such advertising? In light of the purported financial difficulties the MTA is facing, I find it very annoying to see that money is spent on so much advertising, such as posters regarding littering or running in the subway. I can't imagine such posters have any effect on riders' behavior. It seems like a ridiculous waste of money, and of course it also takes up space that could be used by paying advertisers.

Last night, I walked into the Fulton Street station (Lexington line) and noticed some several "Wet Paint" signs. What had been painted were temporary plywood partitions built around some work sites. I use the station every night, and I know that the partitions were already blue -- I saw no pressing need to spruce up the plywood.

How is it that funds are spent on such useless tasks in the midst of a budget crisis?

My question: why is the G train composed of so few cars? The G train is very crowded and increasingly so over the past few years. It seems that adding a couple of cars is a very easy way to at least partially remedy this possible. Please explain why that hasn't or can't be done.

Question: Going forward can the mta look into a light-rail and street car alternative when building new lines for under served areas? Bottom line they are cheaper and less intrusive when they are built.

(1) Why are we referred to as "customers"? That is a fairly recent phenomena of the last few years, and it suggests that we are unconnected to the control and management of the system. In fact, we as taxpayers are part owners of the system, unlike the standard definition of "customer"--I don't have any ownership whatsoever over Macy's or GM or the Gap etc. If addressing us as "taxpayers" seems to awkward for printed/ad materials, how about at the very least as "passengers"? And when discussing us in interviews, hearings, etc., that is when we should be referred to as owners!

2) Referring to Claude's question (1) above: I agree with him and would like to add: When offering unlimited rides at a higher amount of money, we fall into what has become an all-to-common paradigm: we have to *have* money to *save* money--we have to *have* $81 on hand--which many poor and working-class people do not have--in order to save through it. We save less when we buy $10 cards, or are forced to buy single-ride tickets because we only *have* $2 on hand! This is profoundly regressive and hurtful to those who can least afford it.

What percentage of the MTA budget is debt service -- interest and principle?

Could you ask Sander to breakdown the cost of a single ride?

For example, 1 dollar goes for new train cars, 50 cents for maintenance, 50 cents for pension and retirement benefits. Or whatever.

The disagreement over what the fare should be aside, what is the breakdown?

Hi Brian and Producers:

(1) Just for kicks and for good ol' times, can we ask a question about transparency and accountability and follow up when we get the typical non-answers? I.e., go back to many of the questions from the past month.
(2) Related to transparency and accountability, how will we know that the new funds coming from the Feds will not be used to fund projects that have already been funded and they are going to supplement funding gaps or fund entirely new projects that were not already funded?
(3) Can you have the MTA's independent auditor in the coming weeks for a 20 minute interview? That would be nice because according to Ravitch and Sanders they get plenty of audits and oversight.

To Brian and his producer(s):

In his first two previous appearances, Mr Sander was barely given the opportunity to respond to callers or website posts. Since not everyone has the ability to attend the MTA hearings, please don't do an interview during this visit. Go back to the posts made during the last 3 episodes and ask those questions.

Has anyone asked Mr Sander about the article in one of the daily papers a few weeks ago that said his daughter would be affected by the cutting of bus line service during the weekends?

Excellent question, Irwin. Two things, I don't know how old you are but if you were around in the seventies you will know that the work was "in the works then" and they "ran out of (read: pocketed) funds". Second the tunnels are already there now from that time so, yes, why is it taking so long when over 100 years ago the entire work, digging, drilling, design, building was completes in four years!! The longer they wait the higher the price. Do you think they do that on purpose? Or is that just my conspiracy theory. It seems to be how it's done these days. Just today they reported that the new statio--is it on Fulton?--is delayed and costs have risen 300%.

If you brilliant guys who run the mta and the nyc transit system are so good that you command huge salaries and perks, why can't you at least be creative and make the systems break even??? You are improving your own personal wealth. It is too easy to just demand that poor riders and tax payers to come up with the money. I wonder if one day these poor people might jut rise up and refuse to pour any more money into your mismanaged systems. There was a boycott of white businesses in the south a few decades ago, and it worked!! Laiah Raphael

We are told that the second Hudson rail tunnel will have funding from NJ sources but not from NY sources because of the expense of the 2nd Ave subway project. Will the MTA support regional transportation action and throws its weight behind the rail tunnel, especially in seeking support from Washington as part of the stimulus package?

Why is the truncated second avenue line taking eight years to build when the first IRT line was built in four years, this was a hundred years ago.

Good Morning:
1.It would be not be equitable to increase the subway rates on the less fortunate portion of the population who are the vast majority of the riders when those decisions are imposed to them and they are loosing jobs. By contrast, the increases on bridges and tunnels are often VOTED down. The daily rider does not have a choice as to what transportation to use. The car user does: he can use the subway. Besides they pollute the city and if they can maintain a car in Mahattan, thy can afford it.
2.The platforms of the 2nd avenue subway would be air conditioned when all others are not, I read somewhere: tell me it's not true. If so, why?
3.How about freezing executive pay for a few years to
fix part of the budget?