The Subway Just Had A Great Month

But its leader's last day is tomorrow [View this email in your browser]( Update: The Subway Is Improving, Thanks In Part To Its Outgoing Leader Plus: Citi Bike e-bikes are back. Several candidates running to unseat New York Democrats want to make public transit free. And a new trailer for a documentary about the L'Pocalypse gets the blood pumping. By [James Ramsay](mailto:james@wnyc.org?subject=We%20the%20Commuters) [Andy Byford, the outgoing NYC Transit chief, visits the 168th Street subway stop in December of 2019] Marc A. Hermann/MTA The subway just had its best January since 2013. According to the MTA, weekday trains last month had an 83.3% on-time arrival rate. Delays were down 28% compared to the previous January. And nearly every train line saw faster trips during rush hour. All of this would be cause for celebration — if Andy Byford, the NYC Transit head who's largely credited with making these improvements, wasn't leaving after two years on the job. "By and large, we attribute the improvement in on-time performance to Byford's [Save Safe Seconds campaign]( that helped speed up trains that were [deliberately slowed down]( said Riders Alliance's Danny Pearlstein. As we noted in [a previous newsletter]( Byford's success hasn't been tied to a major infrastructure improvement or a notable influx of cash — the trains have been running better because Byford is really good at running trains. For example, he launched a task force that [tested speed timers]( to find spots where trains could be going faster. At a certain point, though, basic operational improvements can only get you so far. A [Riders Alliance analysis]( found that in 2019, signal problems delayed four out of five morning commutes. The next step in fixing the subways will involve a $7.1 billion signal system upgrade, which is accounted for in the MTA's 2020-2024 capital plan. But the job of actually implementing that signal overhaul will now go to the MTA's new capital construction and development division. This group, which came out of [Gov. Cuomo's MTA reorganziation effort]( was reportedly a reason Byford resigned in the first place. Meanwhile, [Politico]( has reported that congestion pricing — a crucial factor in raising the money to actually pay for those signal upgrades — may not go into effect by next January when it's supposed to. (Cuomo [said today]( that "I wouldn't hold my breath on congestion pricing," which [needs federal approval]( before it's implemented.) With or without congestion pricing next January, the MTA has other immediate issues. The agency is currently facing a projected deficit of $976 million. And it doesn't yet have a permanent replacement for Byford, whose last day on the job is tomorrow. — [Reporting by Jake Offenhartz]( The Carpet Really Tied The Car Together [commuters sit on the carpeted subway cars from the 70s, known as the State of the Art Cars]( Transit Museum For a few months in 1974, New York City had carpeted subway cars. The State of the Art Car (SOAC), which was co-developed by Boeing and tested in several cities in the early '70s, was faster, wider, and quieter on the inside than other subway cars. It also had lounge-like seating arrangements with tables. And it was 100% more carpeted than [your average R-42](. For New York commuters, this was a lot to take in. According to the [New York Times]( riders "stared in disbelief when the new train breezed into their stations. "Many riders seemed afraid to get on," the article continued, "and some of them waited for another train." Though the trains did get positive reviews from others, they were eventually yanked from the system shortly after their debut. The Transit Museum at least kept one of the photo-heavy brochures for the SOAC, [which you can flip through here](. This Week's News From Gothamist And WNYC [A Citi Bike e-bike stands propped up on the sidewalk, sporting its signature lighting bolt logo. ] Gothamist Citi Bike's e-bikes are back. This comes almost a full year after all the pedal-assist e-bikes were yanked out of circulation because of a braking problem that sent some riders flying over the handlebars. [We tested one out this week]( and can confirm that it worked just fine! Lyft, which operates Citi Bike, says there will be thousands of these e-bikes on the streets by this summer. The city has announced where it's putting 10 new miles of protected bike lanes in Manhattan. Among the selected locations: 6th Avenue between Herald Square and Central Park; 5th Avenue between 110th and 120th; Avenue C between Houston and Delancey; and on the approaches to the Queensborough Bridge. This is part of the Department of Transportation's goal to install [30 miles of new protected bike lanes across the five boroughs]( by the end of 2020. Some Astoria residents are concerned that a redesigned bus network will eliminate routes they rely on. At a recent workshop tied to Queens' first-in-a-century bus network redesign, some riders complained that [what's needed is better service into Manhattan]( — not a proposed new route between Astoria and Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The MTA says these changes, which include expanding the distance between bus stops, are meant to increase speed in the system while also connecting riders to existing and future accessible subway stations. Transit workers on Monday morning found two subway trains in Jamaica Yard that had been completely covered in graffiti. The phrases "Drugs All Day!" and "Don't Come Here" were among the discernible tagging. The MTA says it has "zero tolerance for these incidents, which take passenger trains out of service and take away valuable resources" to clean. The agency also stressed that [major graffiti incidents were down in 2019](. UPS, which paid $23 million in New York City parking fines last year, is arguing that too much curb space has been devoted to private vehicle parking. "In every metropolitan area today, especially in the U.S., there’s a scarcity of commercial vehicle parking, which often forces deliveries to be made in a way that seemingly conflicts with other road uses, like biking," a UPS spokesperson said. Parking fines for both UPS and FedEx rose last year; online commerce trends suggest that [truck traffic in the city will keep going up]( as well. What Else We're Reading A consulting firm is studying which subway stations can — and can't — support full accessibility. Stantec, which was hired by the MTA to study the cost and feasibility of making the entire subway system accessible, found that nearly all of the first 100 stations it studied could be retrofitted with elevators. The firm also found limitations. For example, the "extreme curvature" of the 4,5,6 platform at Union Square means it can't host an elevator at this time. ([The City]( At least five people running to unseat Democratic incumbents in the New York State Assembly are calling for free public transit. And Peter Harrison, who’s challenging Manhattan Rep. Carolyn Maloney in the upcoming Democratic primary, has a proposal for free public transit nationwide. Experts and advocates for public transportation are split on whether making subways and buses free is the best idea. ([Streetsblog]( People who work during their commute effectively give their employer more than $1,500 of their personal time each year, according to a new national survey. The report says that most Americans relax during their commute, but about 8% use the time to get work done. On the subway, that group largely functions via the cell service that showed up in every station in December of 2016. ([The Wall Street Journal]( G train ridership hasn't risen enough to warrant more frequent trains, according to the MTA. In response to a rider question about crowding on the G train, NYC Transit's Glenn Lunden responded, "We continually monitor ridership on all our lines ... to see if service increases are warranted. We last increased weekday service on the G in 2014. You’re right that G ridership has indeed been trending upwards, and may reach levels that trigger a need to add service. But we’re not there yet." ([AM New York]( Watch This Very Intense Trailer For A Documentary About The L Train Shutdown-That-Wasn't [The title card for "End of the Line," a documentary about the L train] End of the Line film Documentarian Emmett Adler had spent almost three years making a movie about the coming L'Pocalypse when Gov. Cuomo announced that, actually, [the shutdown wasn't happening.]( "I was in shock," Adler told us. "We definitely did some soul searching afterward. It was like: Do we still have a film?" Turns out, they did. Because the reasons for the initial shutdown plan — aging infrastructure, climate change, bureaucratic decision-making — only got more interesting when you added the political intrigue of a governor intervening in the whole thing, creating mass confusion for millions of people who rely on the L train to get to work every day. Adler is now trying to raise $25,000 on Kickstarter, where he posted [a stress-inducing trailer]( that includes some epic drone shots. He hopes to release the film in 2021. Meanwhile, the revised construction inside the L train tunnel is expected to be finished by April, [three months ahead of schedule](. Weekend Service Changes: Night of February 21st – Early Morning on February 24th 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 Dyckman St and 137 St in Manhattan will be replaced by and trains and free shuttle buses. train service between E 180 St and Dyre Av in the Bronx will be replaced by free shuttle buses. On Saturday and Sunday, train service between 111 St and Main St in Queens will be replaced by free shuttle buses. On Saturday and Sunday, downtown trains will skip 50 St, 23 St and Spring St in Manhattan. Downtown will trains skip 23 St and Spring St in Manhattan. train service in Brooklyn between Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr and Kings Hwy will be replaced by free shuttle buses. On Saturday and Sunday, Forest Hills-bound trains will skip 25 St, Prospect Av, 4 Av-9 St, Union St and DeKalb Av 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, February 20th Queens Bus Network Redesign Workshop Korean Community Services, Bayside — 7:00 p.m. [Check here]( for more information on all the Queens Bus Network Redesign meetings, including tomorrow night's meeting in Jamaica, and the four meetings scheduled for next week. Monday, February 24th Joint Metro-North & LIRR Committee Meeting — 8:30 a.m. NYC Transit / MTA Bus Committee Meeting — 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, February 26th MTA Board Meeting — 9:00 a.m. 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 would not hesitate to board a carpeted subway car if one appeared in front of him. (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 © 2020 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](