Mta | The Lo-Down : News from the Lower East Side

Hey MTA, How Do You Get to “Northfolk Street?”

Maybe it’s not the MTA’s biggest problem, but it looks like the sign shop might want to brush up on those proofreading skills.

Local resident Micah Arbisser spotted new signage in the Delancey Street Station today. Norfolk Street was spelled “Northfolk Street.” Contractors for the beleaguered transit authority apparently noticed the error upon consulting their work order, and the sign came down pretty quickly.

Micah thanked these guys for their diligence.

Community Board 3 Protests M22 Bus Service Cuts

Community Board 3 and local elected officials are protesting the MTA’s decision to cut weekend service on the M22 bus.

Starting April 1, you’ll be waiting 30 minutes instead of 20 minutes for the M22 on weekends between 8-9 a.m. and 8-9 p.m. CB3 approved a resolution last night that read, in part:

The M22 is currently the only nearby mass transit option for residents between South Street and Madison from Pike Street to the water’s edge that provides crosstown service to the downtown area. The M22 is the closest mass transit option to get to the Gouverneur Hospital and the Lower Manhattan Hospital/NY Presbyterian… CB3 believes that if service were more reliably on time on the M22 line, that would have a better chance of actually increasing ridership. In addition, we believe that any modest benefit to the MTA’s operating expense is far outweighed by the adverse effects this proposed cut would have on those who depend on M22 bus service, not to mention potential further declines in ridership.

The M22 was brought up during a meeting of the MTA board’s transit committee in January. Here’s part of a story in The Daily News after that meeting:

MTA board member Andrew Albert, a riders advocate, said the MTA was sending buses into a death spiral. “This … perpetuates the self-fulfilling cycle of death for bus routes,” Albert said. “Because those buses have become slow, riders have opted for a different option, so when the counts are done, the counts show fewer riders. So once again, the service is cut.” Albert picked out one service change to hold up as an example — the M22 route across lower Manhattan. On weekends, the M22 will run every 30 minutes, instead of every 20 minutes. “That’s one heck of a big service cut,” he said.

At last night’s community board meeting, a representative from City Councilmember Carlina Rivera’s office said they’ve been in contact with the MTA about the situation. One of the points Rivera is making concerns the addition of ferry service at Corlears Hook this coming summer. When NYC Ferry begins operating from the area, there could be stepped up demand for the M22. Her office is preparing to make the case to the MTA that cutting service is ill-advised for that reason.

Politicos Visit East Broadway Station; Urge MTA to Fix MetroCard Machines

City Council member Margaret Chin showed her colleagues in government some of the trouble spots in the East Broadway station.

If you were passing through the East Broadway station at around noon today, you probably came across a swarm of local elected officials and reporters.

It was part of the, “Riders Respond Transit Tour,” a two-day, 22 station journey to learn about commuters’ biggest subway service concerns. It’s meant to lay the groundwork for a City Council oversight heating next week. As the “summer of hell” continues throughout the transit system, Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo are, of course, squabbling like children over who’s going to pay for the MTA’s $800 million emergency rescue plan. One of today’s messages: the city and state must work together.

We’ve been joined by @CM_MargaretChin & @yuhline at E. Broadway. We’re hearing concerns here about broken metrocard machines #RidersRespond pic.twitter.com/E65lFWZ3Di

— Ydanis Rodriguez (@ydanis) August 3, 2017

Seniors & disabled deal with multiple flights of stairs. That’s why I pushed to include E Bwy in #ridersrespond tour. We need fixes now. pic.twitter.com/XCg3goQao5

— Margaret S. Chin (@CM_MargaretChin) August 3, 2017

This station is, of course, plagued by subway swipe scammers who vandalize the vending machines on a regular basis, and then sell discounted fares to commuters.

During the lunchtime gaggle, a rep from City Council member Margaret Chin’s office passed out a letter sent this week to MTA Chair Joe Lhota. It was co-signed by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Sen. Daniel Squadron and Assembly member Yuh-Line Niou. They wrote:

We are writing about unacceptable conditions at a major gateway to transportation in a primarily low-income neighborhood with few other transit options. For weeks, many, if not all, of the MetroCard vending machines have been out of service at the East Broadway F line station… We request that New York City Transit make the necessary repairs to the (vending machines) immediately so that this station can again provide reliable service to thousands of area riders. We also request the re-installation of the service booth and staffing at the East Broadway and Rutgers entrance. Furthermore, we request that the station be evaluated for other necessary improvements, including correcting a water condition that has left stairwell landings flooded from heavy rainfall in recent weeks.

In an interview, Assembly member Niou said, “I think the most important thing is that people know about the lack of accessibility for our East Broadway station.” While escalator service was finally restored after a lengthy outage, seniors are forced to lug carts or navigate walkers down stairwells. “Since we have a rapidly aging community right around this area, they really need the access.”

While we were standing near the subway turnstyle, a man opened the emergency door and let a large number of people through. Niou pointed out that, oftentimes, commuters have few options when they can’t buy or refill a MetroCard. “Machines are broken,” explained Niou. “They’re constantly out of service. You’re not able to get in, so this guy is the only option.”

When asked about the city/state feud regarding funding, Niou said, “Our government needs to work together.” While acknowledging that the city should do its part, she added, “I think the state is very much responsible and needs to make sure we have the money to fund the MTA.”

In 2014, at the urging of the SPaCE Block Association, Sen. Squadron leaned on the MTA to make some repairs at the East Broadway station. With huge residential developments in-the-works and thousands of residents flooding into the Two Bridges area in the next several years, there’s obviously a lot more work to be done.

Sen. Squadron Asks For Full Review of 14a and 14d Bus Lines

14a bus on Grand Street. File photo.

State Sen. Daniel Squadron is taking another run at improving service on the 14a and 14d bus routes.

In response to persistent complaints from constituents, he has written a letter to the MTA asking for a “full line review” of the routes and ridership information. In the past, Squadron has requested full reviews of subway lines as a way of focusing the transit authority on critical service issues.

In the letter to Veronique Hakim, president of New York City Transit, he explained, “M14A and M14D bus service is critical to the Lower East Side community. These lines provide much needed public transportation to a transit-starved area. My office receives complaints about long wait times for buses, bus bunching, and unexpected scheduling of the two lines.”

In 2014, the MTA rejected pleas from residents for more frequent 14A service. A transit official said that regular ridership surveys are conducted and schedules adjusted as needed.

Man Struck, Killed By F Train in East Broadway Station (Updated)

File photo.

A man was struck and killed this morning by a northbound F train in the East Broadway station. It happened at about 9:30 a.m.

The victim, who has not yet been identified, was declared dead on the scene.

The MTA rerouted F trains over the A line between West Fourth Street-Washington Square and Jay Street-MetroTech.

Delays should be expected on the A, C, E, F and G lines.

We’ll have more detail as they become available.

UPDATE 4:10 p.m. Police sources told the Post that the victim might have been a “passenger who was between two train cars.” The operator of the train didn’t see what happened and police said there were no witnesses. NY1 reported the man was 38 years old.

Lower East Side Resident Dies After Being Struck By MTA Bus

City Will Release Request For “Expressions of Interest” in Lowline Site Next Week

MTA Shows No Interest in Boosting 14A Service; Silver Makes Another Plea

Fastrack on the F Train This Week: No Overnight Service on the Lower East Side

Update: Escalator at East Broadway Station is Once Again Out of Commission (Updated 1:39 p.m.)

This morning at the East Broadway station. Photo via Vinny M’s twitter feed.

As we reported earlier, the escalator at the East Broadway station isn’t working this morning. After being closed for a year-and-a-half, the new escalator began rolling late yesterday. But commuters this morning have been telling us that it’s now stopped, forcing people to walk up to street level. Here’s some photographic evidence, via Vinny M’s twitter feed.

UPDATED 1:34 P.M.

East Broadway near Rutgers Street; Con Ed crews are on the scene.

Allan Drury, a spokesperson for Con Ed, says the utility has crews on the scene, where they’re trying to repair a problem with an electrical cable leading to the East Broadway subway station. The outage is impacting the escalator, as well as lighting in the station.

Memorial Plans Set For William Pena, MTA Bus Driver With Lower East Side Ties

Elected Officials to MTA: Fix East Broadway Escalator Now

Readers Want to Know: When is the Escalator at the East Broadway Station Opening? (Updated)

Escalator in East Broadway Subway Station to Be Replaced

The escalator at the East Broadway station on the F line will soon be demolished.

Over the past few days, commuters at the East Broadway station on the F line learned they’d be climbing more stairs in the next 10 months. According to signs posted throughout the station, the escalator that runs up from the platform to the mezzanine level will be out of service until June 2013. In fact, the MTA plans to demolish the escalator and install a new, more reliable and convenient one in its place.

M9 Bus Route to Expand in 2013

The M9 bus. Photo via batteryparkcity.com.

Good news for those who take the bus downtown: the M9, which travels through the Lower East Side and Chinatown before terminating at City Hall, may be moving even further south in 2013. According to a press release today from State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, the bus line will be extended to Battery Park City in January, reversing budget cuts which curtailed the route in 2010. The bus line will also stretch further north, going as far uptown as 29th Street to provide accessibility to Bellevue Hospital and NYU Medical Center, Silver’s office said today.

In the release, the Speaker said he had approached MTA Chair Joseph Lhota about extending the M9 line because his Lower Manhattan constituents had suffered commuting difficulties since it was shortened in 2010. He noted that the extended service would greatly help children traveling to Battery Park area schools and elderly people visiting hospitals uptown.

A spokesman for the MTA could “neither confirm nor deny” any plans to extend the M9 bus route before July 25th, when the MTA Board will meet to discuss the matter. More specific information about the bus route’s future will be available after the board convenes.