Kate Hinds

Was your heartbeat racing, as fast as your wheels?/ When you flipped over on the Mass Pike, like a clown on a peel (...of a banana)

It was just such fears that led the federal government to shutter Chinatown bus operator Fung Wah earlier this month.

Now, Marc Phillipe Eskenazi has composed a mournful musical tribute to the end of $15 bus service between New York and Boston.

The song, a parody of Bob Dylan's "Farewell Angelina," is filled with gems like:

I'll think of you always with nostalgia and fear / Ian Grossman from the Department of Transportation wants to watch you disappear

But in the back alleys of my mind you've never been so dear / farewell, Fung Wah, your engines may be crazy, but they still got me here.

(via The New Yorker.)

NY City Council members James Vacca, Christine Quinn, and Jimmy Van Bremer (photo by Kate Hinds)

In the wake of several high-profile traffic deaths, key members of the New York City Council are throwing their support behind state legislation that would bring speed cameras to the city.

Speed camera legislation has languished in Albany for years, due in part to the steadfast opposition of Rochester democrat David Gantt, who chairs the Assembly's transportation committee. Most recently, in 2012, the state legislature failed to bring a speed camera bill to the floor for a vote, earning the ire of New York's mayor.

But advocates say it looks like there's more hope this time around: the Assembly bill has over 30 co-sponsors,  it's got strong support in the City Council -- which council speaker (and mayoral candidate) Christine Quinn says stands ready to deliver a home rule message to Albany -- and, perhaps most tellingly, the state assembly has included the pilot program in its 2013-2014 budget proposal.

"Speeding is, tragically, the number-one cause of fatal crashes in New York City," said Quinn. "This is a really significant problem. Anywhere in America, but (especially) in the biggest most congested city in the world, where we have such a pedestrian city -- to lack this type of enforcement...puts people at risk."

"We just need these cameras to help keep New Yorkers safe," she said.

According to city data, in 2011 70 deaths and 4,700 injuries were attributable to speed-related crashes. The New York City Department of Transportation has not released 2012 data yet.

Quinn was joined at a City Hall press conference by fellow council members James Vacca, Jimmy Van Bramer, Steve Levin and Gale Brewer.

The bill is co-sponsored by Assemblywoman Deborah Glick. Under the terms of the legislation, up to 40 speed cameras would be placed at high-risk intersections in New York for a five-year pilot program. Council members said the cameras would not photograph drivers, fines would not exceed $100, and insurance companies would not be notified of violations.

Those provisions may be necessary to sweeten the deal for opponents who say speed cameras are privacy-invading revenue generators. Because for New York City to get the cameras, the capital has to sign off -- and so far it hasn't proven eager to do so.

"This is a classic example where we are in the hands of Albany," said Jimmy Vacca. "I wish this was something we could do at a city level. If we could, we would." He added: "This is not something I view as a revenue-raiser. This is something I view as a lifesaver."

(Side note: New York City does have red light traffic cameras, although they are currently being litigated.)

The bill could also be riding a tide of renewed energy to combat traffic deaths. Recently, the New York Police Department announced it was reforming how it investigates traffic crashes -- which it now refers to as collisions, not accidents.  NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly told a City Council budget hearing Tuesday that the department will add up to 10 new investigators to its collision squad. "One of the challenges we had in setting up this squad is handling the number of accidents that can be handled by the number of people that we have," said Kelly.

That squad currently has 19 investigators.

Previously on TN:
Post-Sandy Repairs To NYC Subway Will Cause Years Of Disruption (link)
With the A Train Gone, Traveling to the Rockaways Becomes Much Harder (link)
After Spate of Traffic Deaths, NYPD Surfaces Long Sought Reforms (link)
NYC Subway Ridership At 62 Year High, Despite Sandy Disruptions (link)

Happy Women's History month: According to New York's MTA, these are the first 12 women hired as toll booth operators at the Queens Midtown Tunnel in 1943. (Photo via New York MTA)

Bike share is coming to Pittsburgh in 2014. (Post-Gazette)

Will Chicago's new fare system unfairly burden the poor? (Chicago Tribune)

Here's a list of the 238 air traffic control towers that could close on April 7 as the FAA imposes budget cuts. (FAA)

House Republicans want the Obama administration to reject a $5.5 billion loan being sought by a private Nevada company to build a high-speed rail link to Las Vegas. (AP via Miami Herald)

The U.S. government sold off nearly half a billion dollars in General Motors stock in February. (Detroit Free Press)

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Mega-commuter number crunching dashes some perceptions: "Typically, commuting lengths have been very, very stable in terms of time for the better part of a century." (Marketplace)

Top stories on TN:
How Gender Matters on American Roads (link)
Toll Lanes Touted as Congestion Fix for Central Florida’s I-4 (link)
Old South Ferry Station, Replaced At a Cost of $530 Million, Pressed Back Into Service (link)
FTC Sticks Up for Taxi Apps in Colorado (link)

Public transit ridership is up. (Photo of PATH WTC station by Kate Hinds)

The NYPD is now investigating traffic crashes that result in severe injury, not just death, and they're doing it with a newly renamed unit: it's now the "Collision Investigation Squad," not the "Accident Investigation Squad." (New York Times)
To read about the previous policy, go here.

Mass transit usage rose nationwide in 2012 to the highest numbers since 2008-- despite the massive loss of trips due to Sandy. (USA Today)

Speaking of Sandy: the commute time between the Rockaways has virtually doubled since the storm took out the A train. (WNYC)

Transit crime is down in New York City. (New York Daily News)

Parsing the reasons behind BART delays: aging equipment, police investigations, medical emergencies. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Running buses along the shoulders of highways has proven successful in the Chicago area. (Chicago Tribune)

Thousands of speeding convictions in the U.K. could be overturned because the font used to display the numbers on some variable speed limit signs may not have complied with traffic regulations. (BBC)

NY Senator Charles Schumer wants the TSA to reverse its decision relaxing a ban on small knives on planes. (CNN)

Dubai is building more pedestrian bridges to combat road deaths. (Emirates 24/7)

Worried about climate change? Land Rover's solution: buy an SUV. (Quartz)

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Top stories on TN:
NYC Taxi E-Hail Program Delayed (link)
BART Fares and Parking Fees Set to Rise (link)
Bicyclists in D.C. Lobby for Safety (link)
Old Diesel Equipment Still Spewing Soot Into Pittsburgh’s Air (link)

Golden Gate Bridge toll booths (photo by chrisinphilly5448 via flickr)

Manhattan's old South Ferry subway station will be pressed back into service the first week of April. (AP via Wall Street Journal)

Setting clocks back one hour this weekend will generate a 300 million-hour national sleep debt. "In transportation, this lost sleep kills, injures, and costs billions of dollars." (NTSB blog)

Los Angeles harbor commissioners approved a $500-million rail yard that could dramatically boost business but also drive more noise and dirty air into schools, parks and low-income neighborhoods. (Los Angeles Times)

Legal sticky wicket of the day: if a driverless car crashes, who's liable? (NPR)

All-electronic tolling will begin March 27 on the Golden Gate Bridge. (SF Examiner)

The shuttering of Chinatown bus Fung Wah has thrown some long-distance relationships for a loop. (DNA Info)

How much more Williamsburg development can the L train take? "As it turns out, quite a bit." (Observer)

Halting the EE!eeEEE!ee!EEEE!!! train: how to make NYC subway trains quieter. (Narratively)

New York Post opinion: NYC needs to enforce its own traffic laws. "The NYPD gave out 6,458 summons for illegal trucks last year — 29 percent fewer than the 9,098 in 2011." (Link)

Radio alert: tune into WAMU's Metro Connection today at 1pm (eastern) to hear @MartinDiCaro talk about DC's big parking debate.

Plans to develop a new commuter rail line in Texas were dealt a serious blow when the Fort Worth City Council rejected a resolution supporting the project. (Star-Telegram)

Flight attendants aren't happy about the TSA's new knife rules. (Marketplace)

Onion story of the day: the TSA is relaxing some security protocols and allowing small terrorists on planes. “After reviewing our longstanding policies, we have decided to ease our boarding requirements to allow any terrorist 5 feet tall or shorter to enter the airplane cabin."

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(photo by bluepix52 via flickr)

A pilot program allowing New Yorkers to hail taxis via smartphone will not begin Friday after all.

On Thursday afternoon, New York State Supreme Court Justice Carol Huff issued a temporary restraining order, blocking the city from implementing its e-hail app program while she considers the case. She is expected to make a decision on March 19.

Livery car companies sued the city last month, saying the e-hail program violated the law. They got a boost Wednesday when two New York City council members filed amicus briefs in support of the suit.

A representative for two of the groups suing the city -- the Black Car Assistance Corporation and the Livery Roundtable -- issued a statement saying the groups were "relieved," adding: "This is the first step in sending a clear message that no one is above the law. We now look forward to presenting our case in court."

NYC Taxi and Limousine Commissioner David Yassky said in a statement that "passengers can wait ten days to enjoy the latest technology.” Michael Woloz of the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, a coalition of fleet owners siding with the city, said e-hail technology will "potentially make hailing yellow taxis more modern and more efficient." He also dismissed the livery car companies' argument as "pure nonsense."

Updated 8:28pm

For more, read this.

Top stories on TN:
Sequestration Means Less $$$ To Harden Northeast Transit Against Future Storms (link)
CHART: January a Deadly Month for NYC Pedestrians (link)
DOT Head Questioned Over Support of MWAA Leadership (link)
Meet the Feline Station Master of the Wakayama Electric Railroad (link)
California is Least Improved in Highway Conditions (link)

Cycling in London (photo by Tejvan Pettinger via flickr)

On this morning's Brian Lehrer Show: WNYC investigative reporter Robert Lewis discusses a government-approved $776 million effort to rebuild in flood-prone areas. (WNYC)

The mayor of London laid out a £913m 10-year plan to make London safer for cyclists... (Guardian)

...and London's Assembly criticized it as "not ambitious enough" and called for Boris Johnson to double its budget (ITV).

Ray LaHood needs more convincing that Boeing's proposed fixes to its Dreamliner battery are adequate. "I am going to ask a lot of questions" before a final decision is made, he said. (Wall Street Journal)

Texas prosecutors are using social media to help them go after people who provide alcohol to drunk drivers. "Because we know that if people are out there drinking, they're taking pictures of themselves with alcoholic beverages and also the people who are serving them." (KUHF)

Chicago's Transit Authority is expanding its employment program for people exiting prison. (WBEZ)

Freight railroad company BNSF is switching from diesel to natural gas. (Marketplace)

Bike sharing is coming to Tampa this fall. (WTSP)

After a year of underground work preparing the way, crews began laying street car tracks in Downtown Atlanta for the first time in decades. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Houston's new parking rules are more flexible. (KUHF)

Traffic police officers who are short, obese or abusive are being removed from the streets of Vietnam's capital. (BBC)

Why people give up on transit. (Forbes)

Kansas City bus advocates are pleading with a City Council committee to increase funding for the Area Transportation Authority, saying the proposed budget violates a promise to voters. (Kansas City Star)

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Here's another way to attract people to transit -- put a cat in charge of the local train station.

In 2007, Japan's financially beleaguered Wakayama Railroad was on the verge of closing its Kishi Station. But after a railroad executive adopted a local stray, Tama the calico cat became something of a local celebrity. Responsibility soon followed, and she was officially appointed station master. Her job, when she's not napping, is to greet passengers. (According to Wikipedia, "in lieu of a salary, the railway provides Tama with free cat food.")

Mitsunobu Kojima, the CEO of Wakayama Railroad, Kojima credits her with reviving the moribund railroad ("single-pawedly," according to the above Animal Planet segment.) Tama was credited with pumping as much as 1.1 billion yen (10.44 million dollars) into the local economy in 2007 alone.

Now, Tama has a Facebook page, Wakayama Railroad is chugging along, the trains have been redecorated, and the town is so cat-crazy it's possible to ride in a taxi cab festooned with 880 cats.

The cat train of the Wakayama Electric Railroad. (Photo by Douglass Sprott via flickr)

Top stories on TN:
Florida Space Advocates Talk Up Drones to State Lawmakers (link)
Beyond the School Bus: How Children Around the World Get to School (link)
LaHood: The Next Secretary Won’t Stand on the Table At Bike Confab (link)
D.C. Considering Lifting Mandatory Parking Minimums (link)

#Snowquester! (Photo by Wayan Vota via flickr)

The FAA will close 173 air traffic control towers at small- and medium-size airports on April 7 because of the sequester. (CNN)

Go ahead, bring that small knife on an airplane: starting next month, the TSA is relaxing some carry-on provisions for air travel. (AP) Want to eyeball how long the blade can be? Check a visualization out here.

The D.C. region is curtailing transit and warning drivers off of roads in advance of a coming winter storm. Hashtag: #Snowquester. (Washington Post)

And: it's already snowing in DC: check out @MichaelBolden's Vine video here.

Pencil this in: According to @WAMU885News, The Official Dupont Circle Snow Ball Fight is penned in for 4pm this afternoon, conditions permitting.

Yesterday's snowstorm caused 215 vehicle crashes across Minnesota. (KSTP)

A Washington state lawmaker has apologized for saying cyclist's heavy breathing is a pollutant. (Seattle Times)

The City of New York is prepping for a 27-inch water level rise by 2050. (The Real Deal)

And: a new map developed by Rutgers University shows the impact of a range of rising sea levels down to the street level in New Jersey. "The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is directing homeowners rebuilding after Sandy to consult with FEMA's flood maps—which don't account for sea-level rise—not the Rutgers map." (Wall Street Journal)

Mexico-based tour buses are skirting U.S. safety laws. (Los Angeles Times)

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Private contractors in California are struggling to deliver bus service. (Bay Citizen)

The MBTA says transit riders in the Boston area could face fare increases of up to 33 percent or dramatic reductions in service unless the state provides additional funding for the financially strapped system. (AP via WBUR)

The poorest 10% of car-owning households in the UK are spending more than a quarter of their disposable income on buying and running a vehicle, research suggests. (BBC)

Was that a drone spotted flying in airspace near JFK Airport? (New York Magazine)

As construction picks up, U.S. truck manufacturers are racing to put out new versions of their pickup trucks. (NPR)

Why are the 2013 NYC mayoral candidates treating congestion pricing like the third rail? (Capital NY)

Don't hold your breath for the F express in Brooklyn. (New York Daily News)

NYC fare evaders: beware the MTA's Eagle Team. (MTA)

Harley Davidson has pulled the plug on music on the factory floor. (Marketplace)

A Lego spill closed down one lane of a highway in West Virginia, "no doubt giving drivers traumatic flashbacks to the last time they stepped on a Lego brick in bare feet." (CNet)

Volvo is revamping its pedestrian detection system to automatically brake for cyclists. (Engadget; video)

For thousands of children worldwide, the toughest part of getting an education is getting to school.

Walking to school in Calcutta  (photo by Alfred Yaghobzadeh/SIPA)

A new exhibit now on display at the United Nations chronicles those sojourns.  Journeys to School follows the routes of children in 13 different countries take as they walk, ride donkeys, snowmobile, ride the subway, and even canoe to school. Many of them must navigate dangerous roadways -- an issue that was thrown into sharp relief in New York City last week, where a 6-year old boy was struck by a truck just blocks from his school.  All the photos underscore the link between transportation and education. Getting to school in a safe -- not to mention timely -- fashion is as important as the condition of the classroom.

(Photo by Kate Hinds)

Children going to school via somlot, a motorcycle rickshaw in Mae Sot, Thailand. The driver is also the children's teacher. "If I can't get the kids only 50% would attend class," he said. (Photo by Nicolas Axelrod/SIPA)

According to UN statistics, 1,000 people under the age of 25 are killed in traffic crashes each day.

Six-year-old Elizabeth Atenio walks two hours every day to attend classes at the Kibera School for Girls in Nairobi. (Photo by Nichole Sobecki/SIPA)

While much of the exhibit was devoted to countries in the developing world, some children are in major cities -- including New York.

14-year-old Far Rockaway resident Santiago Munoz, who commutes over two hours each way to school in the Bronx (photo by Kate Hinds)

Santiago Munoz lives in Far Rockaway, Queens -- a New York City neighborhood devastated by Sandy. Before the storm, Santiago's commute to the Bronx High School of Science was already daunting.

"I used to walk six blocks to the nearest A train station," he said, "and from there I would ride it for around, I would say 50 minutes, then transfer to the 4 train for 40 minutes." Tack on a ten minute walk from the station to the school, and his commute -- on an average day -- was one hour and 40 minutes.

But then Sandy washed out a key segment of the A train, and he now takes two buses to get to the subway. "And now it takes me two hours and a half to get to Bronx Science." He says he uses his commute time to do homework or catch up on sleep.

Munoz said the exhibit gave him perspective. While he acknowledges his commute appears tough to the average New Yorker, "compared to these kids -- not at all. They're very inspiring."

Ruth McDowall, standing in front of her photographs of schoolchildren in Nigeria (photo by Kate Hinds)

Photographer Ruth McDowall talked about the average school day for children of the nomadic Fulani minority in Kulumin Jeji, Nigeria.  "They have to wake up at 5:00 in the morning," said McDowall, "to do chores like collecting firewood, getting water -- sometimes it can take an hour or more in dry season." The kids start walking to school by 6:30 am. "They get to school by eight, do about three hours of school, and then do another hour and a half walk home." Because the walk is long and hot, many children become dehydrated on the way to school, where they often find it difficult to concentrate. When they get back home, the rest of the day is devoted to herding responsibilities.

(photo by Kate Hinds)

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (photo by Kate Hinds)

The exhibit is on display in the United Nations Visitors Center until April 26, 2013.  It's organized by UNESCO, public transportation company Veolia Transdev and photo agency SIPA Press.

Top stories on TN:
NY MTA Says Charging $1 For A New Metrocard Is Not, As One Rider Claims, “Ridiculous!” (link)
Harlem Has History of Child Pedestrian Danger (link)
SF Program Free Muni for Youth Gives 40,000 Students a Free Ride (link)

(photo by alist via flickr)

Wait times at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints at major U.S. airports have already nearly doubled since sequestration was implemented, says Janet Napolitano. (The Hill)

NJ Transit approved up to $19 million in parts and emergency repairs for trains waterlogged during Hurricane Sandy, plus up to another $1 million for repairs to Hoboken Terminal. (Star-Ledger)

Gateway tunnel update: to get Amtrak trains through Manhattan's Hudson Yards development, a "tunnel box" has to be built. (Star-Ledger)

MARTA directors and union workers want the Georgia State Senate to reject proposed changes to state law that would mandate privatizing certain functions of Atlanta's transit authority. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

More trouble looming for Maryland's Silver Spring Transit Center: an engineering report is four months late because consultants have identified problems beyond previously disclosed issues with the thickness and strength of concrete in some areas of the bus-and-train hub. (Washington Post)

Meanwhile, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and state Democrats are proposing to raise taxes on gasoline by $2 billion over five years to pay for highways, transit and other transportation projects. (Baltimore Sun)

For third time in less than a week, a DC Metro operator was able to stop a train before hitting someone on the track. (Washington Post)

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A big challenge for Google's self-driving car: how to handle snow. "When snow is on the road, the cars often have a tough time 'seeing' the lane markers and other cues that they use to stay correctly positioned on the road." (Business Insider)

The Obama administration is not expected to decide whether to approve the controversial Keystone pipeline until this summer, but a new report gives clues about the White House's pipeline strategy. (Marketplace)

Following the hit-and-run deaths of a young Brooklyn couple and their unborn child, two local officials have announced new legislation to allow prosecutors to assume hit and run drivers were under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the offense -- and charge them accordingly. (Voz Is Neias?)

The Staten Island Ferry -- which is free to riders -- costs taxpayers $4.86 per passenger, each way. (Staten Island Advance)

Do you travel at least 90 minutes and 50 miles to work every day? The U.S. Census Bureau calls you a "mega-commuter" — and you're not alone. (WNYC)

Bicyclists are polluters, too: a Washington State lawmaker doesn't think bicycling is environmentally friendly because cyclists have “an increased heart rate and respiration" -- meaning CO2 emissions. (Seattle Bike Blog)

Previously on TN:
NY MTA Raises Fares For Fourth Time In Five Years — What You Need to Know (link)
A Deadly Mix: Students, Trucks, and a Missing Crossing Guard in Harlem (link)
Feds Shut Down Fung Wah (link)
Christie Gets to Whiz Thru the Lincoln Tunnel. And He Wants You to Know It. (link)
Report: For Short Trips, Passengers Flock to Rail (link)
City of Alexandria Joins Homeowner Battle Against Location of I-95 Ramp (link)

Sign in Amtrak's quiet car (photo by Kate Hinds)

Two D.C. Metro train operators–in separate incidents– managed to stop their trains without hitting two people who tried to commit suicide on the rail tracks this weekend. (Washington Post)

Reminder: higher fares are now in effect on New York MTA subways, buses, trains, bridges and tunnels. (TN)

Tweet from @MikePick in response to above subject: "Hey guys the price of a bike commute goes up today by 0%."

Quiet cars are turning some passengers into vigilantes. Example: "two passengers mistakenly got on an express train at Newark, N.J., instead of the local—and then stood in the quiet car as they discussed their dilemma. A stranger on the train told them to shush. A shoving match ensued. Police were called in. The train was delayed on its route for 30 minutes." (Wall Street Journal)

A recently released California Department of Transportation investigation shows that four state engineers misrepresented or ignored data or other "consequential" information on four freeway structures. The kicker: two still work for Caltrans.(Sacramento Bee)

China is likely to dismantle its sprawling, scandal-plagued Railways Ministry into operations and commercial arms that will be supervised by different agencies. (Reuters)

A NJ rail advocacy group will receive an update on the Gateway Tunnel today. (Star-Ledger)

Will rat birth control deal with the NYC subway rat problem? (DNA Info)

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A pair of newlyweds expecting a baby were killed in a car crash in Brooklyn; the baby was delivered prematurely. (New York Times)

New York Times editorial: NYC must be able to have more traffic cameras to catch speeding cars and drivers who blow red lights.

Separate but equal? Israel launched two Palestinians-only bus lines in the West Bank, a step an Israeli rights group described as racist and which the Transport Ministry called an improvement in service. (Jerusalem Post)

Oil was discovered in the Turkana region of northwest Kenya one year ago. Now local people fear they will be displaced and won't get a fair share of any future oil profits. (Marketplace)

The city of Raleigh hopes to recoup about $350,000 a year in unpaid parking tickets by getting the state Division of Motor Vehicles to block car registrations for parking scofflaws. (News Observer)

After the A/C broken down on a local Qantas flight, the cabin temperature reached 104 degrees -- and two passengers had to be taken to the hospital. (BBC)

The old South Ferry #1 subway station is looking pretty good -- could it be almost ready to be put back into service? (h/t @SecondAveSagas)

Governor Christie gets to speed through traffic, and he wants you to know.  Earlier this week, Christie's press office sent out a clip of the Governor, joking with second graders.  Kind of the warm and accessible and funny image Christie's team likes to project.

Speaking Wednesday at a meeting in Montville,  an 8-year old named Audrey asked the Governor what his favorite thing to do is.  There's a "fun" answer to that, Christie said, and it's "going to New York City."  (There's a serious answer to, having to do with making people's lives better.  But back to our story.)

How do you get to NYC? the Governor asked Audrey.

The reply: "Usually I drive to the train station and then we use the train to get to the city."  But not Christie.  "Some people," he said, "in fact a lot of people -- don't take the train. When you're governor, they close the Lincoln Tunnel for you. And you get to drive right through! No traffic! It's the best!"

Wait a minute. The Lincoln Tunnel gets closed when the governor drives through it?

We at TN wondered about that practice, so we asked around.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns and operates the tunnel, would not answer questions about whether this is common practice for the governor -- or anyone else. Neither would they say how often they close the tunnels for this reason. "For the record," said a spokesman, "the Port Authority does not comment on security issues."

Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for Governor Christie, said his office wouldn’t discuss security protocols that are determined by the Port Authority and the governor's executive protection unit.

But two sources familiar with the Port Authority cast doubt on that. "It would take an hour, at least, to close the tunnel," said one source.  "They probably just create some room for him to whisk through. "I’ve never heard of the Port Authority closing the Lincoln Tunnel for a governor before,” said another source.

This was echoed by Veronica Vanterpool, the head of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. “I’ve never heard of the Lincoln Tunnel being closed for a governor," she said. "In fact, I can’t remember it being closed for anything other than a calamity.”

Vanterpool's group, and others, are still steaming about Christie's decision a few years back to halt construction of the ARC transit tunnel under the Hudson River.    That would have mean, planners have said, less traffic for everyone in the Lincoln Tunnel.

Transcript:

Christie:  Here's my favorite thing about being governor, on the fun side. Going to New York City. Let me tell you. Have you ever gone to New York City?

Audrey:  Yeah.

Governor: Okay. How did you get there?

Audrey:  Usually I drive to the train station and then we use the train to get to the city.

Governor:  Okay. Some people -- in fact a lot of people -- don't take the train. And a lot of people drive. And maybe when you're on the train and you see the people in all the traffic, trying to get to the Lincoln Tunnel? When you're governor, they close the Lincoln Tunnel for you. And you get to drive right through! No traffic! It's the best! I love going to New York now! I used to hate it because I'd sit in the traffic! Now, no traffic! I love it! That's the most fun thing, on the fun side, about being governor, is going to New York City. In fact, Mary Pat, who -- you know there's lots of things about this job that she doesn't like -- we were going into New York about three weeks ago, and they stopped the traffic. And you go all these odd ways and you go the wrong way on a one-way, it's just great. And all of a sudden there it is, there's the tube and it's completely open and you're flying through. She looked at me and she goes "this never gets old." It might be the major reason she wants me to get re-elected. I'm not sure.

 

Top stories on TN:
A Year After the Trayvon Martin Shooting, Florida City Examines Urban Design (link)
Anatomy of a Water Main Break (link)

A Metro station (photo by Kate Hinds)

DC's Metro cars are going only 46,274 miles between breakdowns, far short of the agency's target of 60,000 miles. (Washington Examiner)

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by five California cities to block that state's high-speed rail project from using a certain route. (Mercury News)

Chrysler will hire 1,250 new workers and spend $374 million to upgrade transmission plants in central Indiana. (Detroit Free Press)

Starting today, PATH train weekend service to and from the World Trade Center will be up and running. (New York Daily News)

Oklahoma blocked a bill that would ban texting while driving. (AP via New York Times)

Houston's Metro is launching an education campaign in advance of the three light rail lines that are opening next year, because it wants to avoid the kinds of problems it had when the first rail line opened nearly a decade ago. (KUHF)

How you know the Harlem Shake has jumped the shark: the FAA is looking into a mid-flight dance video. (CNN)

Chicago's transit authority and a local newspaper are embroiled in a public battle about transit crime data. (WBEZ)

How finding a baby on the subway led to becoming adoptive parents: one couple's story. (New York Times)

"Unless arranged in single-file line, at no time shall a party of more than two walk together." Pedestrian penalty cards. BRING IT.

Top stories on TN:
VIDEO: Light Sculpture to Brighten the Bay Bridge (link)
Washington State Admits Bridge Problems Result Of Design Flaw (link)
Fung Wah Halts Popular Long Distance Bus Service (link)

A token booth in Brooklyn (photo by Kate Hinds)

Do light rail systems lessen traffic congestion? The results are surprisingly inconclusive. What does reduce traffic? Congestion pricing. (Washington Post)

Summer of sequestration: The head of the TSA told lawmakers that the biggest impact of sequestration budget cuts on airport security would come in the summer months of this year. (The Hill)

California lawmakers held a hearing to evaluate whether the agency running the state's high-speed rail project has addressed its organizational problems. (AP via San Francisco Chronicle)

New York's MTA has fixed a subway exit that left riders trapped after passing through the turnstiles some evenings. (New York Times)

Driving-related deaths of 16- and 17-year-old drivers have risen 19 percent in the first half of 2012. (CT Mirror)

Once upon a time, the average monthly Long Island Rail Road ticket cost $74. Now, it costs $309. Fare hikes have outpaced inflation by 50%. (Newsday)

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The head of Boeing went to Japan to reassure the public that the company's set of "permanent fixes" would address the safety troubles on its grounded Dreamliner 787. (Wall Street Journal)

What does the former president of Amtrak have in common with most people in the NY-NJ region? He also hates Penn Station. (NY Observer)

Ready, set, GO! Subway token booth clerks get a 10-minute limit for bathroom breaks. (New York Daily News)

Raleigh (NC) has really stepped up its bike infrastructure. (Raleigh Public Record)

Photos: the beauty of L.A.'s manhole covers. (A Walker in LA)

Bruce Reynolds, who was the key planner behind the £2.6m Great Train Robbery in 1963, has died. (BBC)

A screen shot of Fung Wah's website on Wednesday, February 27

One day after the federal government ordered Fung Wah's entire bus fleet off the road, the company has been barred from operating out of Boston's South Station.  And on Wednesday, the company said it would suspend service.

This ends -- if only temporarily -- Fung Wah's discount service between New York and Boston.

The company used rental buses to operate service between the two cities on Tuesday, but on Wednesday it put up notice on its web site saying it is suspending service until it can inspect and repair its fleet (see above.)

The federal government's order affected the 28 buses owned and operated by Fung Wah. Massachusetts has issued a blanket order that applies to all buses operated by Fung Wah, including vehicles it rents or leases.

Top stories on TN:
In Case You Forgot: NYC Transit Fares, Tolls Rise this Weekend (link)
Lawmakers Warn of Severe Air Travel Disruptions from Sequestration (link)
Fung Wah’s Bus Fleet Ordered Off the Road (link)

An MBTA train in Providence (photo by Sean Marshall via flickr)

The company that operates Massachusetts' commuter rail system could be in line for a temporary contract extension while state transportation officials weigh bids for a new long-term contract. (AP via WBUR)

A day after a trio of Virginia Democrats appeared at Reagan National Airport warning of sequestration-related flight chaos,  two GOP leaders raised questions about whether the cuts to air service would be as drastic as portrayed. (Washington Post)

Maryland's Senate voted to reconsider an audio-taping measure that was rejected by lawmakers on Monday. (CBS/AP)

NJ Transit is holding a meeting today about BRT in Bergen County. (NJ.com)

Meanwhile, NJ Transit installed a fence around Teterboro's train station that cuts off some pedestrian access. (NJ.com)

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A Brooklyn bike corral is causing some unhappiness. (New York Times)

Wireless charging of electric buses will be put to the test in Germany. (GizMag)

New Mexico officials closed a stretch of Interstate 40 for 37 hours -- for a problem that was in another state. Now, they're doing a post-mortem. (KRQE)

A Texas woman has self-published a book about her experience on the Carnival ship that was stranded earlier this month in the Gulf of Mexico. (Houston Chronicle)

Want to know how long the lines at Hawaii's DMV are? Check out the live web cams. (Hawaii News Now)

A Beijing woman was caught wearing a fake silicone stomach on the subway in order to trick other passengers into giving her their seats. "When she wore it on the train, the belt tying it to her waist came loose. The fake belly dropped to the ground." (Shanghaist)

A Jamaican-born London Underground announcer works very, very hard to make sure his passengers have a great day. Drop it like it's hot, driver. (Vice)

Permitted? It's complicated.

The entire passenger fleet of Chinatown bus company Fung Wah has been ordered off the road for an immediate safety inspection.

This news comes a day after the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities found cracks in many bus frames and asked the federal government to declare the company an "imminent safety hazard."

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Fung Wah - which operates between New York and Boston for about $15 each way -- must cease transporting passengers on its 28 vehicles, which must be immediately taken off the road for inspection.

But, says a DOT spokesman, "the company, if it chooses, has the prerogative to rent or lease other vehicles; the company is not shut down."

A phone call to Fung Wah's New York offices earlier Tuesday afternoon would seem to bear this out, as the woman who answered the phone said the company was still operating buses between New York and Boston every hour.

From the DOT:

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has ordered Fung Wah Bus Transportation, Inc., to immediately cease passenger service and provide its entire fleet of 28 motorcoaches for thorough and detailed safety inspections by qualified inspectors. Going forward, FMCSA will continue to work closely with its state law enforcement partners in Massachusetts and New York to ensure the safety of the traveling public.

FMCSA’s safety investigators are continuing their examination of Fung Wah’s operations, including examining the safety records of its vehicles, drivers and other company safety performance requirements prescribed by federal regulations, and may consider additional actions against the company if warranted.

Beau Duffy, a spokesman for the New York State Department of Transportation, said in an email: "We are working with our partners at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the state of Massachusetts to ensure Fung Wah’s buses are not put back in service until they are inspected and any deficiencies are corrected."

Top stories on TN:
Report Finds 10 Most Dangerous Roads in NYC Area for Pedestrians, “Arterial” Are Worst (link)
GM Will Offer 4G Broadband in Most Vehicles Starting in 2014 (link)

Fung Way bus (photo by Tom Simpson via flickr)

The Fung Wah bus company, which has a history of crashes and other safety problems, has taken almost its entire fleet off the road following inspections by Massachusetts' Department of Public Utilities that found cracks in the frames of many of the company’s aging buses. (Boston Globe)

And: state inspectors are asking federal transportation officials to declare Fung Wah Bus an "imminent hazard," essentially shutting down the operation. (AP via WSJ)

Remember the long gas lines after Sandy? It could happen again, because the region's gas distribution network is still vulnerable. (WNYC)

Minneapolis is working to develop plans to convert a low-traffic street in north Minneapolis to a no-cars-allowed “linear park.” (Gear Junkie)

A Nevada state legislator has introduced a bill to increase the speed limit to 85 mph. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Physics students have calculated that a single spider web, if anchored properly, could halt a four-car New York City subway train traveling at full speed. (Caveat: the spider in question is Darwin’s bark spider from Madagascar. "The silk has been found to be tougher than any other known material and more than 10 times stronger than Kevlar.") (Discovery News)

Boston Globe editorial: bias against bicyclists could be why a grant jury failed to indict a driver for a rider's death last summer. "Disregard for the safety of cyclists has reached pathological levels among some drivers. And this contempt, whether conscious or subconscious, may well have played a role in the minds of grand jurors."

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A "complete lack of common sense" in the U.K.'s transportation department's handling of the West Coast Main Line franchise deal will cost taxpayers "£50m at the very least," members of Parliament have said. (BBC)

Fort Worth's bike share program launches in April. (Star-Telegram)

Poll: Two-thirds of California voters believe global warming is a threat and measures need to be taken to stop it, but the level of concern has dropped significantly over the past six years. (SF Gate)

Winter be damned: there will be no underground pedestrian tunnels for Ottawa's new rail line. (Ottawa Citizen)

What India's new rail budget means for riders: more trains, better internet, and an attempt to protect women. (New York Times/India Ink)

A 2-year-old girl who had been missing for three hours in the snowy fields of central Sweden was found by police officers when they accidentally drove their car into a ditch and then heard her crying. (The Local)

PHOTOS: the abandoned subway tunnels of Los Angeles. Weird side note: "it's unclear why all of the toilets are here." (Business Insider)

In the face of widening controversy and reports claiming red-light cameras actually increased certain types of motor-vehicle crashes, Newark Mayor Cory Booker released a safety video to promote the positive effect the state's cameras have had on his city. (Star Ledger)

Previously on TN...
“It’s Not Perfect” but Virginia House Reaches Compromise on Transpo Funding (link)
Florida’s SunRail Is On Pace to Launch in 2014, Gets Another $87 Million in Fed Funds (link)
Gov Cuomo Shows No Urgency In Appointing Next Chair Of NY MTA (link)

(photo by Kate Hinds)

The trial against BP over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil rig explosion/spill begins today in New Orleans. At issue: was it gross negligence? (Bloomberg)

U.S. DOT head Ray LaHood: sequestration will lead to air traffic controller furloughs. (The Hill)

And his suggestion to bring Republicans to the negotiation table: “Go and see ‘Lincoln"... (Washington Post)

...leading Senator John McCain to defend his party and levy a "shame on Ray LaHood." (Washington Post)

New York's MetroCard isn't going away anytime soon -- but the next generation fare system must be in place by 2019, because maintaining the current system isn't viable beyond that. (New York Times)

Should the U.S. government make like Estonia and build a nationwide charging network for electric cars? (NPR)

A pair of new highway tunnels will divert motorists away from an ocean cliff-hanging roadway dubbed the Devil's Slide south of San Francisco. Bonus: the retaining walls and fake boulders at the entrance were "sculpted by the man who shaped and molded Disneyland's Indiana Jones ride." (AP via SF Examiner)

D.C. may rethink the timing of traffic signals to prevent green arrow pedestrian crashes. (WTOP)

By the end of 2015, solo drivers will be able to buy their way into 90 miles of express car pool lanes on some of the most-clogged Bay Area freeways. (SFGate)

D.C.'s food trucks are facing new regulations. "Ice cream trucks would be required to maintain a regular stream of customers, with no more than 10 minutes between customers, or the truck would have to move from its parking space." (DC Examiner)

A square mile in Staten Island bounded by Midland Avenue, Father Capodanno Boulevard, Seaview Avenue and Hylan Boulevard turned out to be the most dangerous place to be in New York City the night of Sandy. (WNYC)

The mayor of Hoboken will talk about her flood control proposal on today's Brian Lehrer Show.

Japan's All Nippon Airways said it will cancel all Boeing 787 flights until at least the end of May, in the latest blow to Boeing. (BBC)

Chicago's L train once offered funeral car service. (WBEZ CuriousCity)

Curious City: Chicago's funeral "L" cars from WBEZ on Vimeo.