Meanwhile, the Subway Has Really Improved!

If you compare stats from a few years ago [View this email in your browser]( An Overdue Check-in on How Our Subway Is Doing Plus: Alec {NAME} has filed a defamation suit against the guy he fought with for a parking spot. Drunk people are scootering all over Hoboken. And some graffiti artist gave a D train a Halloween makeover. By [James Ramsay](mailto:james@wnyc.org?subject=We%20the%20Commuters) Gothamist If you signed up for We The Commuters for the subway coverage, our apologies — we recognize that this newsletter has lately been a weekly digest of all things happening at street level. But there's been a lot worth covering above ground: cyclist fatalities are spiking; congestion pricing is on the horizon; (almost) everyone is infatuated with the 14th Street busway; carbon emissions are an existential concern; and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who’s likely to be a leading candidate for mayor in 2021, has made [a revolutionary streets redesign]( a signature priority. That said, we know that most New Yorkers still commute via subway. Weekday ridership is over 5 million, and if New York is going to continue to be a great city, it’ll need a better subway system, not just more bike lanes. So I asked WNYC transportation reporter Stephen Nessen to catch us up on everything that’s happening underground. JR: Remember back in the summer of 2017, when the subway’s dysfunction was confirmed/memorialized by [that video]( of people trying to claw their way out of a sweaty F train that’d been stalled for over 40 minutes? Is it still that bad, or has subway performance improved? SN: By most accounts, yes! Things have improved incredibly. When that incident on the F train occurred, the On-Time performance — that's how often trains get to the end of the line within 5 minutes of their scheduled arrival time — was 64.5%. And the worst was yet to come. In January of 2018, On-Time Performance hit a recent nadir of 58.1% average overall, with the worst line, the F, on time a shocking 32% of the time. Fast forward to August this year, when the MTA hit a new high of 84%. And our friend the F is chugging along a little faster, with an on-time performance of 66.8%, more than double what it was back in 2017. Looking at delays, there were 67,452 trains delayed back in May of 2017. This September, the total number of trains delayed was 28,231. So, that's a huge reduction. Fires on the tracks, caused by debris and other items, were a major problem a few years ago. In May of 2017, there were 988 trains delayed because of fires. In September of this year, there were just 168 (yay [VAKTRAK](. One thing that is lagging that could also impact riders' experience is the reliability of subway cars. We want cars to go more miles before they break down, but compared to two years ago, subway cars are breaking down about 8,000 miles earlier. Also, escalator and elevator availability is down a few percentage points from last year. JR: For many riders, hope for the future has largely been tied up in the presence of Andy Byford, the British transit expert who was hired to fix the subways, then resigned, and was then mysteriously convinced to un-resign. What was that all about, and how’s he doing? SN: The short answer is, we don't really know. [Politico]( reported Byford was unhappy about the looming threat of service cuts, and being sent to so many conferences. On the record, though, Byford just says there were some disagreements, and those have been addressed. Every transit reporter worth his/her salt has filed a FOIL request to get their paws on the resignation letter to see what Byford actually wrote, since neither he nor MTA leadership will explain in any detail what happened. That said, he seems totally jazzed about the new 14th Street busway. And the MTA's recently approved $51.5 billion Capital Plan allocates more money for the subways than any time in history. He says he's looking forward to implementing major improvements, and he will be here to see those through. JR: Something that’s emerged of late is Gov. Cuomo blaming homeless people for a sub-par subway-riding experience, while Mayor de Blasio keeps harping on turnstile-jumpers, and all this has culminated in a beefed-up police presence in the subway system. To what extent are these real problems? SN: Depends what you mean by "experience." If you mean getting home on time, homeless people have been blamed for 659 train delays, which is a drop in the bucket for MTA delays. There were 880,078 trains delayed in 2018. But by "experience," which the governor — who is coming up on his three-year anniversary of having [last rode the subway]( (and the last time was really just a ceremonial ride for the new 2nd Ave. subway stations' opening) — means is begging, and I guess just seeing homeless people on platforms and in cars. According to federal statistics, the number of homeless people on the subways is up this year over last. But as far as creating unsafe conditions, the numbers don't really bear that out. NYPD crime stats show that since January, major felonies are down 1.4% compared to last year. And total arrests on the subway are also down 25% compared to the same time last year. And while the governor did call for adding 500 officers (a mix of MTA police and NYPD) to the subways starting this summer, it’s not clear exactly what impact it’s had. The MTA reports that fare evasion is lower when an officer is standing by a turnstile. But I don't think anyone wants officers stationed at every single turnstile. Oh, and if the experience is as bad as the governor says, then why is ridership up 4.5% this September, compared to last? That said, the governor is telling the MTA to keep moving forward and to hire 500 more permanent MTA police for the subways. But with an upcoming operating budget due (that is reportedly very grim and may include service cuts), union contracts (negotiations still underway (since May)), and [videos of police aggressively arresting young men of color]( at subway stations, it’ll be interesting to see whether the MTA believes it still needs to hire 500 more police. JR: One thing that’s been an internal mantra for We The Commuters is, the subway is never going to be "fixed." It’s the world’s largest subway system, it runs 24 hours a day, and it serves a constantly changing city, so the MTA will always be playing catch-up. That said: When you think of the next five years, what does a world-class, New York City subway system look like? SN: Hmm, honestly, I can't imagine things will look that different. In five years, we'll be lucky if the Lexington Ave Line re-signaling project is, oh I don't know, just getting started? If there's even just a few more working elevators that'll be a triumph. I guess the L train will be done by then, which will be nice for those who ride the L. I think really the most noticeable change will be the end of the MetroCard, with OMNY fully operational. So, folks will be tapping like it's nothing. Best of the Week From Gothamist and WNYC Julie Jacobson/AP Alec {NAME} is suing his parking spot adversary for defamation. It was this time last year that {NAME} pleaded guilty to a harassment charge after a Greenwich Village parking dispute, telling the cops, ["He’s an asshole. He stole my spot. I did push him."]( But the alleged spot thief, 49-year-old Wojciech Cieszkowski, claimed {NAME} punched him in the face, which is why he's being sued by the famous actor. Mayor de Blasio is insisting cyclists of all ages should be legally forced to wear helmets. Currently, anyone under 14 must wear a helmet when biking in New York State. But following [a nationwide recommendation for mandatory helmets]( from the National Transportation Safety Board, Mayor de Blasio reiterated his support for the idea here in New York City. Opponents point to evidence that helmet requirements discourage cycling — and the way to make cycling safer is not to require helmets, but to get more cyclists on the road. Private valet parking services in Bay Ridge are sticking plastic signs in public, free curbside parking spots. Restaurants, which use the valet companies, claim it's necessary in the neighborhood, where 62 percent of households have a car. City Councilman Justin Brannan doesn't buy it: "[It’s not only illegal, it’s totally obnoxious](. When parking is at such a premium, and you see the restaurant around the corner is reserving 10 parking spots… people get rightfully frustrated and start resenting the businesses." The first protected bike lane to be uninstalled during the Vision Zero era is now being reinstalled. In 2017, the city built the bike lane on Dyckman Street in Inwood. Then it was ripped out at the urging of Congressman Adriano Espaillat and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who wanted to appease local drivers and business owners. [Now that it's coming back]( it's unclear whether Espaillat and Brewer will try to get it removed once again. An 87-year-old cyclist was killed by a minivan driver last week while riding through an intersection near his Midwood home. Preliminary details provided by the NYPD indicated that the driver was traveling north on the Ocean Parkway service road "with the traffic signal in [his] favor" when he ran over the cyclist. Witnesses disputed claims that the cyclist ran the red light. This marked [the 27th cyclist death in the city]( so far this year. What Else We're Reading Hoboken commuters love e-scooters; so do drunk people. Lime, the scooter company, has helped pay for the city to hire two extra cops to enforce scooter violations, which often occur at night outside the town's bars. Still, the scooters are a hit among people who take the PATH into the city for work, and transportation advocates argue that they reduce traffic. ([The New York Times]( The MTA says it's "much bettered prepared" for dealing with a storm like Sandy. Chairman Pat Foye acknowledged that climate change means more severe storms, and with so much infrastructure near the water or in flood-prone tunnels, the MTA is vulnerable. In the seven years since Sandy, the MTA has spent billions on repairs, but Foye hasn't said the agency is "fully" prepared for another storm of that magnitude. ([AM New York]( Following a man's death on an NJ Transit train, some are asking why defibrillators aren't kept on board. On Monday evening, while a train was waiting to depart, a passenger said he didn't feel well; the conductor asked if there was a doctor on board; and a doctor came and eventually called the EMTs, but they were not able to save the passenger. Amtrak trains keep defibrillators in the cafe car. Should commuter rail trains have them? ([NJ.com]( Who Did This Intricate, Wholesome, Illegal Halloween Graffiti? Jose Martinez/The City Some sneaky tagger(s) decked out a D train at the Norwood-205th Street station in the Bronx on Halloween night with this mosaic of family-friendly cartoon bats. The MTA promptly took the train out of service, but not before a tipster [sent this photo to The City's Jose Martinez](. We don't know the artist's identity, but if historical precedent tells us anything, there's a good chance they're European tourists, who love doing this thing and (maybe?) don't realize it's against the law. I know it's finally starting to get dark and chilly outside, but I'm feeling warm and fuzzy (the optimal commuting mood) listening to "Tropical Noon" from Florence Beatrice Price's "Dances in the Canebreaks." Hear it in WQXR's Classical Commute playlist, which is [streaming for free on Spotify](. Weekend Service Changes: Night of November 8th – Early Morning on November 11th This is a partial list of major service disruptions scheduled for the weekend. For a complete list of the MTA's Weekender updates, [check here](. train service between Chambers St, Manhattan and Flatbush Av, Brooklyn will be replaced by trains. train service between 14 St, Manhattan and New Lots Av, Brooklyn will be replaced by nearby service at , , and train stations. Saturday morning through Sunday night, Woodlawn-bound trains will skip 183 St, Fordham Rd, Kingsbridge Rd and Bedford Pk Blvd in the Bronx. On Saturday and Sunday, Flatbush Av-bound trains will skip Burke Av, Allerton Av, Pelham Pkwy and Bronx Park East stations in the Bronx. train service between Briarwood and Jamaica Center in Queens will be replaced by free shuttle buses. trains will not stop at the 8 Av or 6 Av stops in Manhattan. Jamaica-bound trains will run via the line from Jay St-MetroTech, Brooklyn to W 4 St, Manhattan. train service between Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr and Kings Hwy in Brooklyn will be replaced by free shuttle buses. Bay Ridge-bound trains will run express from Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr to 59 St in Brooklyn. [Check here]( for complete details about the Long Island Rail Road. For NJ Transit, [check here]( for the latest service advisories. Upcoming Meetings and Events Thursday, November 7th Riders Alliance Membership Meeting — 6:30 p.m. NY State Nurses Association [More info/RSVP]( Tuesday, November 12th Joint Metro-North & LIRR Committee Meeting — 8:30 a.m. NYC Transit / MTA Bus Committee Meeting — 10:00 a.m. Thursday, November 14th MTA Board Meeting — 10:00 a.m. Monday, December 2nd We The Commuters: The 12 Delays of Christmas — 7:00 p.m. The Greene Space [More info/tickets]( Registration for two-minute public speaking slots opens 15 minutes before the start time for official MTA committee meetings. To speak before an MTA board meeting, you must register 30 minutes early. All meetings are held in the MTA's Board Room at 2 Broadway, on the 20th Floor. James Ramsay always says: Don't drink and scoot. (Photo by Amy Pearl) Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential transportation coverage and more. [Donate]( Copyright © 2019 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: New York Public Radio 160 Varick Street New York, NY 10013 [unsubscribe]( [update preferences]( [privacy policy](