Does “Induced Demand” Also Apply to Subway Capacity?
by Judd WileyAugust 8th, 2008, 5:23 pm
One of our readers, Eric W, brought up a very interesting point the other day. We hear a lot about the "induced demand" hypothesis - If you expand road capacity, more people will use these roads, which will become more congested. This ... more
Posted in Highways, Light Rail, Mass Transit, Subways | 9 Comments »
New Variable-Speed Escalators for New York Subways
by Lewis DerkinsAugust 6th, 2008, 11:57 pm
Today, The New York Times reports on an MTA plan to begin replacing its standard escalators with “variable-speed escalators”. Variable-speed escalators [use] infrared motion sensors, [and] the escalators will slow to a crawl of just 15 feet per minute when no one ... more
Posted in Congestion Pricing, Government Workers, Mass Transit, Spending, Subways, Tax Increases | 8 Comments »
Filthy New York Subways
by Lewis DerkinsAugust 5th, 2008, 7:07 pm
Add filth to the growing list of problems with New York’s subways. A Post survey of dozens of stations found a decrepit, aging system fraught with overcrowded trains, crumbling platforms and stations, unfinished repair work, serious rat and cockroach infestations, mystery ... more
Posted in Mass Transit, Spending, Subways | 3 Comments »
Will NYC Congestion Pricing Just Die Already?
by Lewis DerkinsAugust 4th, 2008, 5:38 pm
Faced with a looming $900 million budget shortfall at MTA, congestion pricing advocates have reared their ugly heads again to rally for the implementation of the fees in order to fund mass transit. I make no attempt to conceal the ... more
Posted in Congestion Pricing, Gas Taxes, Mass Transit, Spending, Subways, Tax Increases | 14 Comments »
NYC MetroCard Machine Meltdown, Straphangers Powerless
by Judd WileyJuly 30th, 2008, 5:28 pm
For the second straight day, New York subway commuters were forced to endure a “widespread malfunction blocking the use of credit or debit cards to purchase MetroCards from subway station vending machines.” The 2,245 malfunctioning machines succeeded in “delaying ... more
Posted in Government Workers, Mass Transit, Subways, Technology | No Comments »
Report: NYC Subway Car Breakdowns Increase
by Judd WileyJuly 30th, 2008, 1:48 pm
The Straphangers Campaign, a New York-based transit advocacy group, released a disturbing “report card” yesterday on the state of the NYC subway system. By far the most outrageous finding is that subway car breakdowns have increased dramatically over the past year. The ... more
Posted in Mass Transit, Subways | No Comments »
More Gas Tax Revenue Problems
by Lewis DerkinsJuly 29th, 2008, 11:31 pm
The hits just keep coming as the New York Times reports today that Department of Transportation Secretary, Mary Peters, proposed borrowing from the Federal Highway Trust Fund’s Mass Transit account to pay for unfinished road projects. Gasoline tax revenue is falling ... more
Posted in Car Taxes, Gas Taxes, Highways, Mass Transit, Spending, Tax Increases, Uncategorized Rage | 11 Comments »
Falling Gas Tax Revenues = Bad For Mass Transit
by Lewis DerkinsJuly 28th, 2008, 9:56 pm
Uh oh! Last week, I mentioned that taking cars off the roads will only hurt mass transit. Today, The Wall Street Journal confirms my sentiments. The first sentence of this article says it all: An unprecedented cutback in driving is slashing the ... more
Posted in Congestion Pricing, Gas Prices, Gas Taxes, Highways, Mass Transit, Tax Increases, Uncategorized Rage | 13 Comments »
If Siraj Wahhaj Isn’t A Terrorist, Leave Him Alone
by Judd WileyJuly 27th, 2008, 7:43 pm
If you read the New York Post, you’re probably familiar with Siraj Wahhaj, the controversial Brooklyn imam whose organization, the Islamic Circle of North America, plans to plaster 1,000 subway cars with pro-Islam advertisements this September. According to the group’s website, ... more
Posted in Mass Transit, Politics, Subways | 1 Comment »
Who Pays Their Own Way in New York?
by Lewis DerkinsJuly 26th, 2008, 11:37 pm
We often hear that automobiles are heavily subsidized. We hear that there are far more expenditures for automobiles than revenues derived from their use. This argument is typically used to advance pro-bike and pro-mass transit agendas. We hear, without much evidence, ... more
Posted in Bicycles, Car Taxes, Highways, Mass Transit, Spending, Subways, Tax Increases, Uncategorized Rage | 5 Comments »
Green Metro Stations Pointless
by Alvin MacIntoshJuly 25th, 2008, 5:17 pm
DC Metro announced today that all new and substantially rehabilitated Metro facilities will be designed and built with the goal of receiving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification. This is commendable, but I wonder what share of Metro’s utility ... more
Posted in Environmentalism, Mass Transit, Subways | 2 Comments »
Metro Dulles Expansion Price Increase
by Lewis DerkinsJuly 24th, 2008, 5:57 pm
The Washington Post reports that Metro’s Silver Line expansion to Dulles is in for a price increase of $54 million. The start and completion dates have also been pushed back. The contractor, Dulles Transit Partners, will now be paid $1.63 billion. ... more
Posted in Congress, Government Workers, Mass Transit, Politics, Spending, Subways | No Comments »
New York MTA Hurt by Rising Fuel Costs
by Lewis DerkinsJuly 23rd, 2008, 5:11 pm
Today, Streetsblog commented on the way rising fuel costs and declining revenues are contributing to a $900 million budget shortfall with New York’s MTA. Writer Ben Fried points to possible solutions: In the face of these numbers, why are Paterson and Bloomberg ... more
Posted in Bridges, Congestion Pricing, Fines, Gas Taxes, Highways, Mass Transit, Spending | 13 Comments »
NYC Subway Delays Way Up
by Judd WileyJuly 22nd, 2008, 12:30 pm
Surprise, surprise – New York City subway delays have increased dramatically over the last year. The numbers are really quite amazing. We’re talking about a 24% increase in the number of MTA delays systemwide, measured over the year ending in May. According ... more
Posted in Gas Prices, Government Workers, Mass Transit, Politics, Subways | 1 Comment »
California’s War on the Suburbs
by Lewis DerkinsJuly 21st, 2008, 7:19 pm
On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal ran an editorial critical of Jerry Brown’s policies toward the suburbs. Jerry Brown is the Attorney General of California, and is accused of using coercion to create the demographic patterns he wants. In recent months, ... more
Posted in Environmentalism, Gas Prices, Laws, Mass Transit, Politics | 1 Comment »
