Arthur Ave Loves Its Parking. It Loves Outdoor Dining Even More.

Plus: Free bus rides are coming to an end. [View this email in your browser]( The MTA Is Going To Start Charging For The Bus Again Plus: Several subway stations now have face mask vending machines. Arthur Avenue in the Bronx is sacrificing its precious parking spots to make way for outdoor dining. And Black Lives Matter bike rides are exposing some cyclists to the inequities in the city's infrastructure. By [James Ramsay](mailto:james@wnyc.org?subject=We%20the%20Commuters) [a near-empty bus cruises through Manhattan] Jen Chung/Gothamist Since [late March]( all local New York City Transit buses have been free to ride, with the agency trying to minimize contact between customers and bus operators. But now that the MTA is facing a $10 billion budget deficit, NYC Transit interim chief Sarah Feinberg said that riders will have to start paying the fare again sometime in August. As fare collection returns, the plan is to install new plastic barriers around bus drivers — an employee group that's been disproportionately devastated by the pandemic. Of the 131 MTA employees who've died of the coronavirus, 41 worked in the bus division. The suspension of fares — along with rear-door boarding and [the perception]( that buses are safer than trains — kept bus ridership levels higher than those for the subway. Now, MTA buses are seeing more than one million riders a day, which is about 50% of their pre-pandemic levels. Bus speeds are currently up 15% from their normal levels, likely due to a decrease in other traffic. But the city did agree last month to install [20 miles of new bus lanes]( which is expected to keep bus speeds higher. Improved service aside, the decision to reinstate fares will come as a blow to commuters who've been relying on contactless bus rides to get to work during the pandemic — especially in parts of the Bronx and Brooklyn where there are [higher concentrations of low-income essential workers](. On top of charging for the bus again, New York City decided in its latest budget to slash funding for the Fair Fares program. After a [botched roll-out]( in January of 2019, the program had just expanded at the start of this year to be able to offer [half-priced MetroCards]( to all city residents living at or below the poverty line. The [budget]( passed this week — which includes deep cuts across city agencies — will reduce Fair Fares funding by $65 million. However, a City Council spokesperson told THE CITY that the cut will effectively "rightsize the spending because of under-enrollment [in Fair Fares] during the pandemic." They said that anyone who's eligible for the discount can still receive it if they apply. — [Reporting by Stephen Nessen]( Select Subway Stations Now Have PPE Vending Machines [a PPE vending machine stands on a subway platform] Marc Herman/MTA If you show up to a subway station without a face mask, you can likely get one for free from the station booth. The MTA said the city and state donated 2 million single-use surgical masks. In addition, ten stations now have vending machines that sell hand sanitizer, wipes, gloves, and 10-packs of masks. Prices are slightly steeper than what you'd find on Amazon — the pack of masks costs $12.49, or $1.25 per mask. The two companies operating these vending machines are renting the space in subway stations in the form of giving the MTA a percentage of the revenue. The 12 machines that have been installed are part of a pilot program — the agency will determine as the summer goes on if there's a demand for more of them across the system. "We want to make it as easy as possible for customers who may not have masks to get them so they can ride the subway," said interim NYC Transit chief Sarah Feinberg. "Wearing a mask is the single most important thing our customers can do to protect themselves and those around them – and more than that, it’s absolutely required to ride the system." — [Reporting by Jen Carlson]( Arthur Avenue Has Long Prized Its Parking Spaces. Now It's Booting Cars To Set Up Outdoor Dining. [parking spaces have been replaced with outdoor dining set-ups on Arthur Avenue] David "Dee" Delgado/Gothamist In a tussle last year over a proposed bike lane installation, the business community in the Bronx's historic Little Italy made its position clear: People drive to shop and eat on Arthur Avenue, and they need places to park. Peter Madonia, the chair of the Belmont Business Improvement District and a former Bloomberg administration official, says that 80% of Arthur Avenue's customers come from 10 to 40 miles away, and with no subway stop nearby, they have no option but to drive. "Even if the subway were close by, what would they do — ride the 2 train with two-gallon cans of olive oil on their laps?" he wrote in an op-ed in the [Daily News]( last fall. "Ever seen a bike rider balance two mozzarella balls, 10 pounds of meat and a loaf of bread on their handlebars for the miles-long journey to Park Slope or Pleasantville?" But now, with businesses hurting from the shutdown — and the prospect of indoor dining [pushed even further back]( — the neighborhood has decided that its best option for survival is to set up tables and chairs in the parking spaces in front of each restaurant. With the help of transportation guru Sam Schwartz, the Belmont BID had devised a plan for Arthur Avenue to close off most traffic several nights a week in order to create [a three-block, 100-table piazza](. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that Arthur Avenue will be among [22 restaurant-heavy stretches in the city that will turn into Open Streets]( on Friday nights and most of Saturday and Sunday through at least July and August. "Right now, we’re focused on getting our restaurants open," Madonia, who worked with Schwartz on the plan, told Gothamist. "The city has said you can commandeer those spaces in front of your dining establishments for 24 hours. And if they don’t do it that way, they can’t use it in the morning — there’ll be cars parked there. So we’ll manage the parking issue at the moment, in favor of making sure our restaurants get as much outdoor dining space as they can." Here's What Else Is Happening New York City plans to ticket more drivers in an attempt to make up for lost revenue from the pandemic. As part of the city budget adopted earlier this week, the NYPD is reassigning 75 officers to ticket-writing duties. With traffic levels still below normal because of the shutdown, the city was projecting to bring in $550 million from tickets in fiscal year 2021, down from the $590 million in summonses issued in 2020. Putting more cops on ticketing duty is expected to make up that difference. Mayor de Blasio said enforcement would happen "only where it's appropriate," but didn't specify which neighborhoods or infractions would be targeted. ([New York Post]( The MTA said Wednesday that it'll run extended Rockaway Park Shuttle service this weekend to accommodate beachgoers. Between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, the shuttle will run between the Rockaway Blvd stop on the line and its normal terminus at Rockaway Park - Beach 116 St. The mayor said yesterday that [beaches are now officially open]( — meaning, there are now lifeguards on duty. Visitors will still be expected to socially distance and wear face masks. ([AM New York]( A community board in the Bronx got the city to remove 10 blocks worth of Open Streets after some residents complained about the program. Rhinelander Avenue in Morris Park originally had a half-mile stretch that was off-limits to most traffic, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to use the street for outdoor recreation during the lockdown. But City Councilmember Mark Gjonaj, who opposed the program from the start, collected enough signatures from the neighborhood to have Community Board 11 formally ask for the removal of the barriers. By last night, they were all gone. ([Streetsblog]( Tens of thousands of cyclists continue to hold Black Lives Matter protest rides in New York City. In addition to rides through Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn, some of these protests have gone deep into East New York and Brownsville. Peter Carre, co-founder of the Black-led group Street Riders NYC, said residents of these neighborhoods have been grateful for their presence. He said he also hopes the protesting cyclists not from those neighborhoods become more aware of the infrastructure imbalances across the city. ([New York Times]( [the logo for WQXR's Classical Commute playlist, featuring Mozart in a conductor's car] You know Aaron Copeland's patriotic touchstone, "[Fanfare for the Common Man]( But are you familiar with Joan Tower's equally important "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman"? Give them both a spin as you cruise into a socially distanced 4th of July weekend. They're included in this week's Classical Commute playlist, which, as always, is [streaming for free on Spotify](. Weekend Service Changes: Night of July 3rd – Early Morning on July 6th 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](. Note: The entire subway system is closed each night from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. until further notice. No train service between 241 St and Gun Hill Rd — trains run in two sections. train service between 149 St-Grand Concourse and Dyre Av will be replaced by trains. On Saturday and Sunday, Flushing-bound trains will skip 33, 40, 46, 52, 69, 74, 82, 90, 103 and 111 Sts. trains will not run between Church Av and Coney Island-Stillwell Av. [Check here]( for complete details about the Long Island Rail Road. For NJ Transit, [check here]( for the latest service advisories. [a close-up of James Ramsay sitting on a vespa] James Ramsay rides the train with gallons of olive oil all the time, for what it's worth. (Photo by James Ramsay) 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](