78thand2nd

MTA Raises Fares

In case you missed the news, as of 12:01 AM on Sunday, the MTA raised its fares. A basic breakdown via the Times:

Base Fare: The base fare will remain at $2 for subways and local buses and $5 for express buses, but relatively few people pay the full fare.

Unlimited-Ride MetroCards: The cost of unlimited-ride MetroCards will rise to $25 from $24 for a 7-day card and to $81 from $76 for a 30-day card. The 1-Day Fun Pass will cost $7.50, up from $7. A new 14-day MetroCard will be sold for $47. The cost of a 7-day express bus pass remains $41.

Pay-Per-Ride Bonuses: Under the current rules, riders can buy MetroCards in denominations from $4 to $80. Putting $10 or more on a card results in a 20 percent bonus. Most commonly, a $10 card gives you $12, or 6 rides for the usual price of 5.

All About the M.T.A. fare increase [NY Times]
Angry riders say: Un-fare! [NY Post]
As the fare goes up, service changes abound [SecondAveSagas]

Next Second Ave Subway Task Force Meeting Could Be Fun

The Second Ave Task Force has pushed its Monday meeting back a week to March 3, but it will give us some extra time to mull the potential of what could be an interesting sit-down. On the agenda for the next meeting? Among the usual topics is this: "Discussion re: the Second Avenue Business Association and ways in which CB8's Second Avenue Subway Task Force and the Second Avenue Business Association can work together in a supportive and constructive manner."

Folks, mark down March 3 on the calendar. If the Second Ave Business Association is comprised of business owners who've felt the subway's construction on the bottom line, this meeting could get real interesting, real fast. If anyone attends, please drop us a line after.

SASTF meeting has been postponed until March 3 [CB8]

Second Ave Subway Task Force To Meet

The Second Avenue subway task force is meeting tonight to review, among other things, safety concerns related to the construction, and an ongoing discussion about the impact the project will have on certain areas.

January 29
7:00 PM
NY Blood Center, 310 East 67th Street, (First-Second), Auditorium
Community Board 8 Office
info@cb8m.com
212-758-4340

Flashers Go To Work On The N, 6 Trains

Some pervs have been hard at work on the subway in the past week.

The first instance happened last Friday on the 6 down at the Astor stop, when our tipster, a woman in her 40s, noticed a "tall white guy" wearing only sweatpants and a t-shirt staring at an "attractive younger girl who was on her blackberry." What happened next?

"It was late morning, there were five of us on the train at this point and the guy moved so he's sitting directly across from the girl. As we pull up to the Astor Place stop he just pulls it out and starts masturbating!"

Traffic Congestion Committee To Meet

The commission set up to recommend ways to alleviate traffic congestion and raise money for city transit has put together its report and will now hold hearings to give all of us a chance to weigh in. If you want to share your thoughts about ways to reduce traffic and fund transit improvements, this is your chance. 

The hearing is Wednesday, January 16th starting at Hunter College's Kaye auditorium at 4 p.m.

To sign up for the hearing click here.

MTA Gives One Last Chance

Today at noon the MTA is offering one last chance for you to chime in on its fare and toll plan by hosting a "Webinar" according to the Straphangers Network.

If you're using a monthly unlimited-ride Metrocard for the subway or bus, you're going to be hit the hardest under the proposed plan.  So, if you plan on participating in today's web event, all you need to do is register, and then you'll be able to listen to the meeting in real-time, as well as submit written questions to the forum.

For more info, click here. 

Concerned About MTA's Proposed Fare Hike?

Concerned about the MTA's proposed fare hikes for 2008? The Straphangers Campaign has teamed up with the Working Families Party and state legislators to win new transit aid from Albany to help prevent a fare increase, according to an email from the group.

The MTA is planning to raise fares for riders who use 7-day and 30-day MetroCards, as well as the bonus pay-per-ride MetroCard. 

Anyone concerned can get more info at haltthehike.com.

6 Line Shut Down Due To Incident At 77th

11:15 AM at the 68th Street subway entry; MTA worker directing people elsewhere.

Update:
The 6 line was shut down late morning due to an incident at the 77th Street subway station, which was a total mess – ambulances, NYPD, NYPD emergency vehicles (if my memory is correct), and NYFD were all swarming, along with lots and lots of displaced commuters. Reports at 77th Street subway pointed towards a jumper on the tracks.

The 6 line was shut down between 42nd and 125th streets on both sides while police investigated. All service resumed by noon.

Second Ave Subway Gets $1.3 Billion In Funding, Future Still In Doubt?

The Second Ave Subway project got a boost from the federeal gov't in recent days when it was formally revealed that $1.3 billion in financing was approved for the project’s first phase. According to the Times, the money will be paid over the next seven years as construction progresses on the subway's first leg.

The project's multiple misfires -- the Times says the subway has been "a dream of mayors, straphangers and urban planners since at least the 1920s. In the 1970s, a few isolated sections of tunnel were built, then covered over and abandoned when the city ran out of money" -- have led many to be skeptical of the progress touted by officials.

SecondAveSagas, a must-read for all things related to these issues, gives an in-depth look at the MTA's annoucement.  Fearing that the current project is headed down the same path as past ones -- a history "filled with federal grants that have never turned into a physical subway line"  -- SecondAveSagas makes a bunch of great points supporting his case, which can be seen here.

More:
Doubting The Future Of The Second Ave. Subway [SecondAveSagas]
U.S. Approves $1.3 Billion for 2nd Avenue Subway [NY Times]
Second Ave. Subway Line To Get $1.3 Billion In Fed Aid [nbctv]

4, 6 Line Subway Diversions

Via the folks at Straphangers.org, below are some subway schedule changes coming down the pipe in the next week.

4 Line:
Diversion #1: Downtown trains skip 33, 28, and 23 Sts
Late night, Oct 30 - 31
12:01 AM to 5 AM Tue to Wed
* For service to these stations, take the 4 or 6 to 14 St and transfer to an uptown 4 or 6.
* For service from these stations, take an uptown 4 or 6 to Grand Central and transfer to a downtown 4 or 6.

6 Line:
Diversion #2: Downtown trains skip 33, 28, and 23 Sts
Late night, Oct 30 - 31
12:01 AM to 5 AM Tue to Wed
* For service to these stations, take the 4 or 6 to 14 St and transfer to an uptown 4 or 6.
* For service from these stations, take an uptown 4 or 6 to Grand Central and transfer to a downtown 4 or 6.