More on the F/G Service Disruptions

*UPDATED BELOW*
The Brooklyn Downtown Star called me about the upcoming service disruptions on the Culver Line (F&G trains) that will leave many riders at Ft. Hamilton Parkway and 15th Street stations in the lurch.

Transit advocates and local Councilman Brad Lander have called for NYC Transit to provide shuttle service along the affected route during the duration of the outages.  The unfortunate reality is that that is unlikely to happen.  Ideally, the MTA could take this opportunity to test out something new, such as running bus service through the Battery Tunnel to supplement the affected service area.  But the chances for robust mitigation were essentially doomed when the State Senate smothered Congestion Pricing (and/or East River Bridge Tolls).

I applaud our City Council Member Brad Lander for standing up for the residents of the 39th District and the visitors who depend on the F/G lines for their mobility.  But until our dysfunctional state legislature provides sustainable means of funding for NYC Transit, the burden will fall on the riding public in the form of increasing fares and diminishing services.

One thing you can do to let Albany know how important reliable mass transit is to NYC is join the Rider Rebellion sponsored by Transportation Alternatives.

UPDATE:  I received this comment from Councilman Lander, which clarifies the service mitigation he is requesting:

One small thing: what we are actually pushing for on the F/G is not shuttle service, but simply a short/temporary extension of the B68 (which runs up Coney Island Avenue and Prospect Park SW, through sections of Windsor Terrace & Kensington served by the 2 stations there facing closures) from its current terminus at Bartel Pritchard Square/15th Street Station, to the 7th Avenue F/G Station.

We'll have an online petition up tomorrow, and Straphangers & I will be out at the stations tomorrow petitioning live.

This is a sensible and cost-effective fix that would be a win for everyone involved.  Transit users would gain from the improved service mitigation, and the MTA could benefit from some much needed good press.

YES! Espada Slush Operation Raided By FBI, IRS

Fare Hike Four member and Senate turncoat cum Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada may finally face justice. In a state with no shortage of seedy political actors, Pedro Espada may be the sleaziest of them all. He is an out and out scumbag, thief, liar, and worse.

Espada conspired with Hiram Monserrate to swing control of the Senate to the Republicans, and ultimately extorted his current leadership position. He conspired with Monserrate, Carl Kruger, Ruben Diaz (each of whom have primary challengers I'm supporting this year) and Senate Republicans to block sustainable transit funding last year. He is directly responsible for the upcoming bus service cuts in Brooklyn.

Espada claims to represent a Bronx district, but in reality lives in a fancy house in Westchester. Perhaps that's why he has shown little sympathy for the needs of working New Yorkers: he lives in the suburbs! And for many years Espada has been operating a crony and family controlled slush fund in the form of Soundview Healthcare Network, which he has bled millions in public funding.

I am excited beyond words that Espada, a public menace, might finally be brought to justice. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's actions yesterday and the raids by federal agents this morning give me a renewed sense of hope.

FBI, IRS raid state Sen. Pedro Espada's Bronx clinic
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/fbi_irs_raid_ny_state_senators.html

MTA Fare Hike, Service Cut Rollout Schedule

Second Avenue Sagas has the breakdown.

For anxious Carroll Gardens residents: Fare hike happens May 31st; the B75 sleeps with the fishes June 28 . . . . if the Senate Republicans and the Fare Hike Four (or six, or whatever it is today) don't knuckle down, face reality, and enact the Ravitch Commission Plan or similar.

I've said in other places, the Ravitch Plan could be tweaked slightly by applying the payroll tax to employees, rather than employers. Every economist will tell you, the employees will bear the cost either way . . . this does, however, eliminate the "anti-business!!1!" disingenuous rhetoric from opponents of the plan.

I understand many drivers do not want to pay tolls on the bridges. But the reality is we need the revenue from those tolls. And tolling the bridges will reduce traffic through our residential neighborhoods, giving us safer streets, by eliminating the perverse incentives for commuters to avoid tolled crossings like the Batrtery Tunnel in favor of "free" routes like the Brooklyn Bridge.

Ravitch Commission Plan Released

Second Avenue Sagas is hosting the document in an easily readable format.

This plan is balanced and very necessary to ensure the continued viability of the MTA. The City and State underfunded transit and relied on debt for far too long, which led to the current crisis situation.

We will also need a significant amount of federal infrastructure spending to build out the capital plan. But the Ravitch Commission Plan is a fair and workable plan to put the MTA on solid footing. It must be passed.

Already, you can hear the voices of false populism decrying the impact on the lower and middle classes. To them I say, what about the far greater number of New Yorkers who can't even afford to own cars? Mia and I happen to own a car. We have family in Massachusetts and New Jersey, and sometimes Mia uses the car for work. We both use the subways virtually every day. Every time I ride an F train into Manhattan, I pay for it. It's not too much to ask people who want to drive their own personal transportation device pay for the privilege.

An impressive roster of transit supporters and other organizations has already assembled to support the plan. Lots of great quotes in the press release from the Empire State Transportation Alliance . . . which I can't seem to find online, damn it. I'll use Ben's fancy tool:

2008-12-03 ESTA Press Release - Free Legal Forms

Frustration: Internet and Albany

Posting has been light as I've been choked off from internet access for much of the day and been working long hours. The Blackberry is a lifeline but only for keeping up (on delay) through RSS feeds.

So today was a roller coaster of disappointment, interspersed with peaks of hope before plunging once again into despair. I speak, of course, of congestion pricing. Streetsblog covered the unfolding events heavily throughout the day, and at times it looked like a deal might be pulled out. But it was not to be.

At least, for now. CP has been declared dead before, so we'll see. We'll see what alternatives are offered, because we are looking at a disaster for transit funding if we don't identify a replacement revenue stream, stat.

I commend Joan Millman for her last minute support of congestion pricing. I know Joan, and I know that her office wrestled mightily with this issue and sought the best solution for our district. And I say, thank you for listening and ultimately making the right call.

Ben Kabak reacts to this inexcusable failure of Albany over at Second Avenue Sagas.

The ball is in your court Mr. Silver. The city needs tens of billions of dollars in new transit infrastructure investment. This plan has died on your doorstep. Now it's up to you to FIND THE MONEY.

Congestion Pricing Passes City Council

A battle won! I am frankly disappointed with where Bill deBlasio ended up on this issue (voted no), though David Yassky, Tish James, Simcha Felder and Domenic Recchia deserve kudos for their votes. And you really have to admire the way that Speaker Christine Quinn wrangled the votes; I am truly impressed with her whip ability.

The war remains. We still need to get this measure passed at the state level. Contact your Assembly and Senate delegations . . . we still have a fight on our hands.

Remember: you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Be civil and rational when stating your case. I know that my own Assemblymember, Joan Millman, has had concerns about aspects of the congestion pricing program. I am still hopeful that she can come to support this very necessary measure.

Congestion Pricing Hearings @ City Hall TODAY & TONIGHT

Per Streetsblog:

The morning session, beginning at 10:00, will be open for public viewing but closed to public testimony.

The evening session begins at 6:00. Members of the public who wish to testify may sign up on a first-come first-served basis, beginning at 5:30. Public testimonies are limited to two minutes each.

Needless to say, it is important that the council (and the media) hear from as many pro-pricing citizens as possible. The Campaign for New York's future suggests bringing signs or wearing pro-pricing t-shirts, whether you are able to testify or not. CFNY would like to hear from those who will be attending, if possible; contact Katie Savin at ksavin@mrss.com.

The hearings will take place in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, Second Floor.

I am hoping to squeeze in at 6:00 - I have my first CB6 Public Safety/Environmental Committee meeting tonight in Park Slope at 6:30 . . . and there is no public testimony at the morning session. I can't stress enough how important it is to our transit infrastructure to get this passed.

Streetsblog also has a liveblog of the Committee hearings going on. The first two installments are here and here. Great summary of Jeanette Sadik-Khan testimony. Check it out.

Pro Congestion Pricing Commercial On The Air

I turned on NY1 this morning to check the weather, and was greeted by this commercial from the Environmental Defense Fund. They also have a punch list of the "Four Ways New Yorkers Will Benefit From Congestion pricing" up here.

Nice to see some advocacy out there from environmental groups. I don't know much about EDF, but this left me with a good first impression.

In other news, the NYT reports that we are still short of votes on the City Council. However,

Ms. Quinn also expressed confidence that she and the mayor could swing enough votes to push the plan through the Council.

History is on her side. In her two years as speaker, she has used steady persuasion and the political power of her title to secure wins, often by garish margins, for bills that were unpopular with many of her members. They include the mayor’s long-stalled garbage plan, and tough new campaign finance restrictions.

In fact, Ms. Quinn has never lost a vote on a bill she has supported during her time as speaker, and has never received close to 20 votes against her.

The article also hints that David Weprin, the Queens-based Qixote who has relentlessly tilted against the plan, realizes that Bloomberg and Quinn will ultimately get their way.

At this point, I think the only question remaining is what sweeteners the holdouts demand for their votes. At least at the Council level, CP will pass.

Congestion Pricing Plan Announced

Via Streetsblog, which has a link to the full report:

"Compared to the Mayor’s plan, the Commission’s plan has considerably lower operating and capital costs and a simpler fee structure. By increasing both the cost of taxi trips and parking within the zone, the plan ensures that those who live inside the zone also pay for auto use. The plan will also reduce traffic in neighborhoods adjacent to the zone, decrease vehicle emissions, and benefit the City and regional economy."

This is encouraging for a couple of reasons: (1) The plan is better than the Mayor's original proposal, and (2) included in the Plan is a provision for Residential Parking Permits (RPP), which are important to prevent "park and ride" behavior that defeats the purpose of congestion pricing.

More on this in the coming weeks. And don't forget, we have the RPP forum coming up on Monday night:

When

February 4, 2008 7:00 pm

Where

St. Francis College Auditorium
Remsen St.
Brooklyn Heights

Notes

Organized by: Council Members David Yassky, Letitia James and Bill DeBlasio and the Boerum Hill Association, Brooklyn Heights Association, Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association, Clinton Hill Association, Cobble Hill Association, Concord Village, Fort Greene Association, Park Slope Civic Council, Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council

Rumor Mill - Congestion Pricing Announcement

From a tipster - tune in to New York 1:

The Mayor's Task Force is announcing
their version of Congestion Pricing in
a press conference this afternoon at 3PM.

Congestion pricing Forums - Next Week

Streetsblog has the locations. Most importantly, you MUST fill out and return this registration document to speak at the event.

I'll be there. And if that's not a draw, well, I don't know what is.

Congestion Pricing Forum Coverage

The big news out of yesterday's forum is: more organized backing for congestion pricing, which is great news. First, the NYT reports that the Transit Workers Union finally came out to support an initiative that will funnel hundreds of millions a year to our transit infrastructure. And that wasn't the only good news:

Second, a new coalition of pro-congestion pricing groups, calling itself Communities United for Transportation Equity, presented research suggesting that black and Hispanic riders and low-income riders have the longest commutes of any residents of the New York region.

Of the 750,000 New Yorkers who travel more than an hour each way, two-thirds make less than $35,000 a year and only 6 percent make more than $75,000 a year, the group noted, citing an analysis by the Pratt Center for Community Development of census data.

This has been a long time coming; an explicit answer to the utterly false, disingenuous brand of populism spouted by congestion pricing opponents.

Speaking of false and disingenuous, Streetsblog responds to Councilman David Weprin's latest meretricious attacks here. Let's hope that the end of his council term marks the end of his political career as well.

Finally,Streetsblog has a post on the "Virtuous Cycle" alluded to by Lee sander in yesterday's Op-Ed in the Metro:

By decongesting the streets not just in Manhattan but throughout the city, as commuters from all the boroughs leave their cars at home congestion pricing would make travel times for bus riders faster. That leads to a virtuous cycle. As traffic is reduced, buses become faster. Faster buses attract more riders out of their cars, which reduces traffic further.

More Public Hearings On Congestion Pricing

Good news. I just got off the phone with Andrea Miles-Cole, and there WILL be additional public hearings on the short list of congestion pricing alternatives in each of the outer boroughs.

Brooklyn's will be:

January 23rd 24th, 6:00pm
Medgar Evers College
(Room TBA) 1650 Bedford Av. (bet. Montgomery & Crown Sts.)

Good news.

UPDATED
Streetsblog has all the locales. As does the DOT website.

Congestion Pricing Alternatives - Make Your Voice Heard!

Having read through the 10 page Executive Summary, I have an overwhelming favorite among the competing CP plans: tolling the Harlem and East River Bridges (among other things). Streetsblog has a good description of the key element of that plan:

Under that plan, a $4 toll would be imposed on all crossings into and out of Manhattan, 24 hours a day, with higher tolls for trucks. The plan would reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by 7 percent -- qualifying the city for $354 million in federal funds -- while raising an estimated $859 million annually for transit.

Unfortunately, Newsday says that the Commission is actually leaning towards a modified CP plan, which would raise far less money for transit and cost more in capital spending.

AM NY reports that the Commission will be voting on the plans on January 31, less than three weeks from now. We need to ensure that the best plan makes it to the voting floor: the plan that will raise the most money for transit, in the most cost-effective manner. Who's going to pay for the new trains we'll need for the F Express, after all?

Fortunately, there is a last minute forum coming up at Hunter College (h/t Michael Cairl):
Hunter College Auditorium
East 69th Street b/w Park & Lex
Wednesday January 16th
4:00pm

Convenient? Absolutely not. But we've got to make our voices heard on this. I'll give the final word to Commissioner Shaw, quoted by Streetsblog, from yesterday's hearing:

There are only two ways to reduce congestion. Less people come to work or you improve mass transit. We don't want less people to come to work and the only way to improve mass transit is with money and resources which we don't have. The City and State are, relatively speaking, going to be relatively broke as we put together the next MTA capital plan. This congestion pricing plan is one of the best hopes for this town to fund the next MTA capital plan.

Congestion Pricing Commission Releases Preliminary Report!

Via the NYT City Room,

In one option, the panel proposes placing $4 one-way tolls on all the bridges across the East River and the Harlem River. That would both cut traffic and raise $859 million a year for mass transit projects, according to the report.

The other options are Mr. Bloomberg’s original congestion pricing plan; a scaled-down version of the mayor’s plan that eliminates the charge for car trips within the pricing zone; and a proposal for license-plate rationing, which would bar every car from entering a congestion zone once every five days during the work week. (See Page 68 for a comparison of the plans.)

The report also includes a package of measures that could be added on to any of the plans, such as raising parking charges or cutting back on the parking placards given to city workers and placing an $8 surcharge on taxi trips in the congestion zone.

The 72 page pdf (warning!) can be downloaded here. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, and probably won't until the weekend. Then I'll have a more detailed post up.

Congestion Pricing - Brooklyn Presser Tomorrow

Tomorrow at 11:00 there will be a press conference in Downtown Brooklyn to publicize the map of proposed initial transit enhancements to go along with congestion pricing.

As you can see in the photo (click for a larger image), the enhancements are essentially new and bolstered existing bus lines throughout Brooklyn. The only immediate subway enhancement, near as I can tell, is extending C trains to 10 cars (a welcome improvement). Of course, any version of congestion pricing that comes down the pike MUST include enhanced F/V service in its medium-term planning.

Michael Cairl of the Park Slope Civic Council had this to say:

"Immediate implementation of transit improvements is essential to the success of congestion mitigation, and such improvements must occur whether or not congestion pricing is adopted, because of the severity of congestion today. Immediate improvements must include peak-hour, peak-direction express service on the F line between Kings Highway and Jay Street-Borough Hall, accompanied by increased frequency of G service and its extension to Church Avenue. MTA New York City Transit should also give serious consideration to extending peak-hour V service from its current terminal at Second Avenue to Kings Highway, providing local service on the Culver Line to complement F express service. Together, these will speed travel to the Central Business District, improve transit options within Brooklyn, and will contribute significantly to a reduction in congestion."

That's right on the money.

I'll post further details of the press conference when I have them.

Congestion Pricing & Parking Reform Make a Lovely Couple

Regular readers know that I have an obsession about coupling the proposed congestion pricing plan with improved mass transit (e.g., enhanced F/V/G service on the Culver Line).

There is another ingredient that should be baked into this cake, and that is parking reform. First off, rampant placard abuse must be curtailed. Second, many placards which are currently legitimate should be eliminated; there are way too many city employees today with a license to violate the parking laws. Lastly, residential parking permits should be established in certian outer borough neighborhoods to discourage "park and ride" practices that bring overcrowding and excess traffic to local streets.

Streetsblog has got a good post up toda on parking reform that's worth checking out.

March 31, 2008: Congestion Pricing, MTA, Enhanced F/V/G

I learned some interesting things today; first from Ben's blog, that March 31, 2008 is the date that the MTA will submit it's capital budget for the next 5 years.AND March 31st is an important deadline for the Mayor's Congestion Pricing plan. We need the F express and ancillary enhancements in that capital plan. We need the congestion pricing plan to prioritize enhanced subway service in Brooklyn. This date is vitally important.

Second, at the CB6 Transportation Committee meeting, a Ms. Haiman from the Office of Sustainability gave a presentation on PlaNYC and the need for congestion pricing. There I learned that the City has identified 24 problem neighborhoods, where an inordinate number of people drive into the Central Business District. One of those neighborhoods? Kensington! I pointed out that there is a simple, eloquent solution to that issue: restore the express service on the F line that services Church Avenue in Kensington. PlaNYC only provides for an additional bus route through Kensington; the correct solution is to restore the Culver Line (that's the F for non-transit geeks) to its former glory.

Third, I learned from my Assemblywoman that her office has been receiving calls and drop-ins to advocate for the F express. The interest that all of you have shown is making a difference.

CB6 Transportation Meeting Thursday: Congestion Pricing and 4th Avenue

This is an important meeting. It's a great opportunity to point out that Brooklyn will need transit enhancements to mitigate the impact of Congestion Pricing. And what better way than to restore the F express and extend the V local to Brooklyn?

Sep 20 Transportation

Briefing by representatives for the Department of Transportation on the Mayor's PlaNYC 2030 Transportation initiatives, which includes a proposed Congestion Pricing pilot program. The Transportation section of the plan can be reviewed in advance and is available at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/plan/plan.shtml Update from representatives for the Department of Transportation on the Downtown Brooklyn Traffic Calming Plan initiatives (Capital project HWK1153) already underway, and discussion of further needs for 4th Avenue corridor and environs.

Middle School 51 350 5th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11215 Auditorium

6:30 PM

Commission to Study Congestion Pricing Approved

Like I said, rumors of the death of congestion pricing have been greatly exaggerated. And as for the $500MM we lost forever after missing that arftificial deadline?

The City Council would be required to approve whatever plan the commission recommends, and the Legislature would have until the end of next March to approve it, Mr. Bruno said.

The agreement appeared far more modest than what the mayor originally proposed. Still, state and city officials said they had been in talks with Bush administration officials and believed New York might still qualify for as much as $500 million in federal aid, despite the passage of an ostensible Monday deadline for cities to submit congestion plans to the Department of Transportation.

“We will continue to work together to access the federal funds that are available,” Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement.

Well, what do you know.