Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about MTA

He's the boss. Photo: Flickr/NYS Governor's Office

When the Going Gets Tough at the MTA, Andrew Cuomo Disappears

By Ben Fried | May 19, 2017 | 9 Comments

Remember when Andrew Cuomo announced that he'd sealed the deal on a new contract with the TWU? Or when he empaneled an "MTA Reinvention Commission" to shape the agency's five-year capital program? Or when he ordered the MTA to quit dragging its heels on cashless tolling, and the agency promptly delivered? The governor would like you to forget all that.

New buses are nice, but without improvements like all-door boarding and transit signal priority, they don't make service faster or more reliable. Photo: Flickr/NY Governor's Office

67 State Legislators Tell Cuomo: Speed Up Buses ASAP

By David Meyer | May 18, 2017 | No Comments

A broad coalition of 67 state legislators want Governor Andrew Cuomo to pursue two potentially transformative improvements to NYC's notoriously slow and unreliable bus service.

The governor celebrates his transportation infrastructure achievement by driving FDR's old car over the new Kosciuzsko Bridge. Imagery: @NYGovCuomo

After Yet Another Subway Meltdown, Where’s Cuomo?

By Ben Fried and Brad Aaron | May 9, 2017 | 28 Comments

Cuomo has been governor going on seven years. He's had more than enough time to assess the problems afflicting the transit system and work on solutions. But as the core transit system declines, Cuomo continues to fixate on shiny mega-projects.

Pounding on these off-board fare machines probably didn't make them work better.

This Angry Dude in Queens Is Reason #283 the MTA Needs Electronic Proof-of-Payment Yesterday

By David Meyer | May 8, 2017 | 9 Comments

Off-board fare payment is a huge time saver for the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who ride the city's Select Bus Service routes. It cuts out the time-consuming process of each passenger dipping a MetroCard one by one. But the technology that off-board payment relies on could be better.

There are three queue jumps on the M86 route, including this one at Fifth Avenue and 84th Street. Photo: DOT

The M86 Moves Faster and More People Are Riding Thanks to Queue Jumps

By David Meyer | May 2, 2017 | 8 Comments

While bus ridership is down citywide -- and especially in Manhattan -- there are some routes that are bucking the trend. One that's gaining riders is the M86, which got a package of upgrades from DOT and the MTA in 2015. The improvements included off-board fare collection and queue jumps -- short bus lane segments that enable buses to cut ahead of other traffic at signals.

Cuomo Drives Old-Timey Car Across Brand New Bridge While Sticking NYers With Old-Timey Transit System

By Brad Aaron | Apr 28, 2017 | 7 Comments

As it happens, FDR's car is the same vintage as many components in the signal system of the New York City subway. The difference is that the signal system isn't a museum piece that Cuomo can commandeer for a day -- it's real equipment that keeps millions of people moving on a 24/7 rail system.

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