» Getting Around NYC

Green Taxis in NYC?
May 4, 2012

NYC_Taxi,_green‘Taxi Yellow’ is a color we all know because it’s what we see on the 13,000 NYC taxis driving mostly in Manhattan. But make way for ‘Big Apple Green Taxi’, which is the color of licensed NYC taxis that will primarily be in the NYC boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.

Governor Cuomo signed legislation in January 2012 allowing the sale of NYC taxi licenses for street hails in NYC outer boroughs, and NYC’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) approved rules for this new fleet in mid-May 2012. After May 29, 2012, NYC will accept applications for the first 6,000 licenses, with another 12,000 licenses becoming available over two years. According to The New York Times, 20% of the new Big Apple taxis will have to be wheelchair-accessible.

Not everyone loves the new green. It’s also being described as ‘mint’, ‘warm wasabi’, and ‘big, pastry green.’ Personally, it seems most like ‘sea foam green’, ‘Crayola lime’, or ‘celadon’ to us.

Filed under: Taxis — Tags: , — mtohn @ 10:43 am
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Gridlock Sam: Fixing NYC Traffic
April 30, 2012

We adore Sam Schwartz, aka ‘Gridlock Sam’. He’s a one man army dedicated to making NYC driving and traveling a pleasant experience, which means less traffic, happy drivers who don’t honk the horn, and a fantastic public transportation system that runs on time and gets you where you want to go.

How is he doing it? All on his own time, this owner of an internationally recognized transportation and engineer firm has designed a plan to bring peace to the roads and underground of NYC. The plan includes:

  • $5 toll on all bridges and tunnels coming into Manhattan below 60th St to spread out the congestion on the currently free bridges — Williamsburg Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, and Queensboro/59th St Bridge — and the currently tolled crossings — Queens Midtown Tunnel, Brooklyn Battery Tunnel,
  • $5 charge to enter Manhattan below 60th St if you haven’t used any of the tolled crossings, and
  • $1 surcharge on all taxi trips below 60th St.

During his career as NYC’s Traffic Commissioner, Sam saw it all. Read more about Sam’s career and his love for NYC.

Filed under: Congestion / Traffic Pricing,Driving & Traffic News,Taxis — Tags: , , , , , , , , — mtohn @ 10:51 am
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How to Drive a Ferrari in NYC
April 27, 2012

Ferrari in NYCFerraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis all look great in the movies when you see someone driving up Madison or through NYC’s Times Square, but anyone who lives in NYC knows that just isn’t happening. Not when you have 13,000 NYC taxis, thousands of delivery trucks, buses, and private vehicles all trying to get somewhere fast.

That’s what Charles McGrath found out when he rented a Ferrari and took it for a spin in NYC. Things we learned:

  • Ferraris don’t do well with potholes and metal grates,
  • A 24 hour rental will cost you $1,100,
  • You can drive a good stretch without hitting a traffic light on Lafayette St north of Houston,

Read more about the ups and downs of driving a Ferrari in NYC.

Filed under: Driving & Traffic News,Getting Around NYC — Tags: , , — mtohn @ 4:20 pm
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NYC Bridge & Toll Pricing Plan
March 27, 2012
NYC Bridge & Tunnel Toll Plan, Sam Schwartz

Courtesy: Wall St Journal

Sam Schwartz, aka ‘Gridlock Sam’, has been working on a new plan to ease NYC’s traffic and congestion. This isn’t the Congestion Pricing Plan from 2008. This plan is designed to encourage public transportation where it’s available by charging vehicles at congested areas, and not charge where there isn’t good public transportation. Here are the highlights of the plan:

  • Queensboro Bridge/59th St Bridge: No toll into Manhattan becomes $7 toll to reduce the congestion on the bridge. Read more…
Filed under: Bicycles,Congestion / Traffic Pricing,Driving & Traffic News — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — mtohn @ 10:44 am
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How Walkable is NYC?
March 26, 2012

Walkanomics_map walking in nycMost people would agree that NYC is a ‘walkable’ city — after all, millions of people experience what it’s like to walk in NYC every day. And now there’s an app to give you a city’s ‘walkability’ rating. Walkanomics will give you ratings on these factors:

  1. Road safety: How safe do you feel from traffic on this street? It is influenced by actual road accident statistics (where available), street type, traffic speeds and activity.
  2. Easy to cross: How easy it is to cross the street at regular points along the street? It is influenced by the traffic activity on the street, street width, physical barriers and provision of pedestrian crossings. Read more…
Filed under: Getting Around NYC — Tags: , — mtohn @ 7:26 pm
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NYC Bicycle Tickets 2011
March 12, 2012

All those added miles of NYC bike lanes seem to have increased the number of tickets issued to bicyclists. Transportation Nation has reported that:

In 2011, 48,566 summonses were given to bicyclists:

  • 13,743 were for Moving Violations (eg. riding on the sidewalk or a pedestrian path in a park)
  • 34,813 were for Criminal Court Summonses (eg. going through a red light)

As a comparison, in 2011 truck drivers were given 25,377 summonses: 14,960 for Moving Violations & 10,415 for Criminal Court Summonses.

The New York City Department of Transportation reports that about 250,000 people ride a bike each day in New York City, and about 500,000 ride at least several times a month.

 

Filed under: Bicycles — Tags: , , — mtohn @ 10:07 am
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NYC Subway Touchscreen Maps

NYC_Subway_On_The_Go_TouchscreenDo all those paper posters telling you about NYC subway service changes – taped to the subway platform poles –  confuse you?

Good news is here. According to the NY Daily News, the MTA has plans to install 47-inch interactive tablets throughout the entire 468-station NYC subway system. Features will include:

  • Subway schedules
  • MTA subway maps
  • NYC subway service changes
  • Neighborhood map with stores, landmarks, restaurants, other subway stations, etc.

These touchscreens will replace the paper maps and all those posters telling you about service changes. No details about the rollout schedule or cost yet.

You can see one of these touchscreens in the Bowling Green NYC subway station, Atlantic Ave.-Pacific St. in Brooklyn, and Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave. in Queens.

 

 

Filed under: Subways — Tags: , , — mtohn @ 9:28 am
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How to Hail a NYC Taxi
March 6, 2012

NYC Taxi MedallionIn November 2011, we described the confusing messaging on top of NYC taxis that indicates if the NYC cab is available or cannot accept passengers. Shortly after, the TLC (Taxi and Limousine Commission) conducted a review and has come up with a very simple solution:

If the taxi is available, the light on the roof will be ON’.

If the taxi is not available, the light on the rood will be OFF.

Of course, that leaves the common situation of a NYC cab driver who is technically Off-Duty but is willing to pick up a passenger who is ‘going my way’.

All NYC taxis will have to replace the current rooftop signage beginning Fall 2012. Read the full NY Daily News article.

Filed under: Taxis — Tags: , — mtohn @ 5:10 pm
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Great NYC Subway Announcements
March 5, 2012
Bernie_Wagenblast NYC Subway Announcer

Bernie Wagenblast, NYC Subway Announcer

‘We’re currently experiencing a delay due to work on the tracks’.

‘The next downtown 6 train will arrive in 4 minutes’.

‘Mind the gap’.

So boring that we tune out these NYC subway announcements, right?

Well, here are some new announcements, recorded by the fabulous Bernie Wagenblast — the voice of many NYC subway platforms. The announcements were part of a competition by The New York Times.  Whilst you probably won’t hear most of them on the subway, we’re sure you’ll enjoy these messages telling you to wake up and giving you compliments, warning about loud headphones, a poem, and even a rap!

Filed under: Subways — Tags: , , — mtohn @ 6:15 pm
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How to Reduce Congestion
February 17, 2012

Many cities are facing the problem of too many cars and traffic congestion. According to Dennis Burns, a guest columnist for the International Parking Institute magazine, Parking Professional, here are some ideas from around the world:

  • In Singapore, prospective vehicle owners are required to obtain a Certificate of Entitlement, which can start at $48,000 in local currency for a small-size automobile.
  • Some countries are considering metered charges for private car use. A satellite/internet based system would track your car via GPS and calculate a charge for each trip on a mileage-based formula that incorporates the car’s fuel efficiency.
  • A number of European cities have begun to reduce the supply of parking spots within their cores. Read more…
Filed under: Bicycles,Driving & Traffic News — Tags: , — mtohn @ 10:48 am
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