Commuter Age

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Metro-North Railroad conducts 22nd annual coat drive at Grand Central Terminal this month

Monday, December 6, 2010 by:Martin Cassidy
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Metro-North Railroad is conducting its 22nd annual coat drive at Grand Central Terminal this month to help out individuals to provide coats for individuals in need.

Throughout December, volunteers from the New York Cares organization will collect coats in the Graybar Passageway near Track 15, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Clean and gently used winter over coats, jackets, and parkas for adults and children are needed.

Last year Metro-North customers donated 4,130 coats, and Grand Central Terminal was New York Cares’ busiest location.

Last year citywide the group collected 70,000 coats to distribute to men, women, and children in need during the winter.

Coats are also being collected at New York City Police Department precincts and at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, as well as Penn Station.

For additional information about collection stations call 212-402-1173 or visit New York Cares’ Web-site here.

New York City seeks input on taxi-cab designs

Monday, November 15, 2010 by:Martin Cassidy
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A potential design for a future taxi by Karsan USA, one of the finalists in New York City's Taxi for Tomorrow contest.

A potential design for a future taxi by Karsan USA, one of the finalists in New York City's Taxi for Tomorrow contest.

New York City is conducting a survey to gauge passenger input in selecting a redesign for the city’s 13,000 plus Yellow Taxis.

The city has narrowed the field of potential manufacturers to the Ford Motor Company, the Nissan Motor Company, and Karsan USA.

Here is an excerpt from the city’s new Web-site about the iconic appearance and role cabs have in New York City:

The taxicab is a symbol of New York to millions of tourists. It marks arrival and departure—the modern equivalent of a city gate. It is the space of entrance to the city. It frames the visitor’s first glances.

Great cities are symbolized by structures and spaces—bridges and domes and towers, rivers and boulevards and plazas. Think of the Eiffel Tower, St. Peter’s or St. Paul’s, the Golden Gate or the Brooklyn Bridge. But they are also symbolized by their subways, buses, and taxis. As much as by Big Ben, London is symbolized by its red double-decker busses, its red phone booths —and its black taxis. Just as much as it is represented by its piers or subways, by the same token, New York is symbolized by its taxis.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority police log Oct. 25 to Nov. 2

Wednesday, November 3, 2010 by:Martin Cassidy
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Here are the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police arrests on the New Haven Line from Oct. 25 to November 2.

DATE:  10/30/10

TIME:            4:30pm

REPORT #:  10-13542

LOCATION:  South Norwalk Station

ARRESTEES: F/B 17 y/o of Norwalk, and F/B 15 y/o of Norwalk

CHARGES:  CT 53a-136 – Robbery-3rd degree, CT 53a-161 Assault 3rd degree.

NARRATIVE:

On Saturday, October 30th at 4:30pm MTA Police responded to the South Norwalk Station for a report of a robbery in the past.  A female victim was sitting on a station bench when two juvenile females approached her, assaulted her, and took her cell phone.  Two female juveniles were arrested and charged with 3rd degree Robbery and 3rd degree assault.  Both subjects were released with written promise to appear notices.

INCIDENT:  Breach of Peace – Arrest Made

DATE:  10/30/10

TIME:              4:00am

REPORT #:  10-13518

LOCATION:  Stamford Station

ARRESTEE:  Hayward, Mckinley, M/B- 08/27/1974- 36 y/o of 59 Longdale Ave, White Plains, NY

CHARGES: CT 53a-181 – Breach of Peace, CT 53a-167a – Interfering with an Officer

______________________________________________________________________________________

NARRATIVE:

On Saturday, October 30th at 4:00am MTA Police were on patrol of the Stamford station when they observed a male lying across a bench passed out, blocking free movement in the area.  The male was identified as Mckinley Hayward of White Plains, NY and was asked if required assistance.  Hayward became combative with officers and was arrested and charged with Breach of Peace and Interfering with an Officer.  Hayward was held on $1,000 bond.

INCIDENT:  Traffic Stop – Arrest Made

DATE:  11/01/10

TIME:  9:35pm

REPORT #:  10-13651

LOCATION:  Bridgeport Station

ARRESTEE: Peterson, Khyre, M/B- 10/25/1989- 21 y/o of 273 Beardsley Ave, Bridgeport

CHARGES:  CT 14-147c – Misuse of Plates, CT 14-18a – Fail to Display Plates, CT 14-12a – Unregistered Vehicle, CT 14-36a – Unlicensed operator, CT 14-213b – Uninsured vehicle

NARRATIVE:

On Monday, November 1st at 9:35pm MTA Police conducted a traffic stop in front of Bridgeport Station resulting in the arrest of the vehicle operator.  Khyre Peterson of Bridgeport was arrested and charged with multiple vehicle and traffic law misdemeanors.  Peterson was released with a written promise to appear and an 11/8 court date at Bridgeport Superior Court.

INCIDENT:  Marijuana Possession – Arrest Made

DATE: 10/30/10

TIME: 12:50am

REPORT #: 10-13512

LOCATION:  New Haven Station

ARRESTEE: Phillips, Geoffrey, M/W, 03/02/1983- 27 y/o of 7 Meadow Lane Duxbury, MA

CHARGES:  21a-279c – Illegal Possession of Marijuana

NARRATIVE:

On Saturday, October 30th at 0050 hours MTA Police were on patrol of the New Haven station when they observed a male smoking marijuana on the track #2 platform of the station.  Geoffrey Phillips of Duxbury, MA was arrested and charged with illegal possession of marijuana.  He was held on $250 bond.

New Canaan line off-peak busing scheduled for Nov. 15 to 19 for tree cleanup

Wednesday, November 3, 2010 by:Martin Cassidy
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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will substitute bus service for trains on the New Canaan branch line from November 15 to 19 for annual tree and branch cleanup on the 7.9 mile line.

Metro-North Railroad’s power department has identified 16 locations where nearby foliage is close to nearby catenary lines, causing a risk of damaging the lines during snow and ice storms.

The first substitution will be the 9:06 a.m. train from Stamford to New Canaan, and the last the 3:27 p.m. train from New Canaan to Stamford. An average of 550 customers ride the line during that period.

Smart growth advocates need to understand driver behaviors,RPA planner says

Thursday, September 23, 2010 by:Martin Cassidy
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David Kooris, vice president of the Regional Planning Association of New York made some interesting comments at a Yale University event last week about the difficult proposition of marshaling statistics to make a case for smart growth in cities to make lifestyles more compact.

Kooris spoke last week at a roundtable hosted by the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences.

In order to correctly place smart growth developments and increase the odds of reducing the amount of vehicle miles traveled, Kooris said, urban planners need better statistics showing where vehicle trips take place, the distance they cover, and whether mass transit options and development patterns can reduce automobile use and by how much.

There is also the matter of cost and convenience of the other transportation modes like rail and bus that will probably also influence where the hypothetical traveler of the future wants to live.

American Automobile Association’s marking national Child Seat Week

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 by:Martin Cassidy
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A new study from the New England chapter of the American Automobile Association finds that 80 percent of parents improperly install child safety seats in their cars, based on an inspection of 10,000 installations made by technicians in the past eight years.

The results were released to mark National Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs from Sept. 19 to 25.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that motor vehicle accidents are the number one killer of children under the age of 14.

Based on data compiled since 2002, 86 percent of those who took advantage of the AAA’s child seat installation service had previously installed the equipment incorrectly, according to spokeswoman Fran Mayko.

Some of the findings of the study are:

•72 percent of parents secured the seats too loosely in the vehicles.

•Harness straps were not used correctly nine percent of the time. Harness straps should be flat and snug across the shoulders of the child without any slack. The retainer clip which holds the straps in place—should be placed at armpit level of the child, according to the AAA.
•In eight percent of cases, locking clips, a buckle like device sometimes used to keep the seat in place,  weren’t used or were used incorrectly.

The organization launched Seated, Safe, & Secure, a child safety seat initiative in 2002, which aims to educate parents and guardians about proper safety belt usage.

The AAA will next do a clinic in Stamford will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,  Tuesday, October 12, at the Belltown Volunteer Fire Department, 8 Dorlen Road.
To make an appointment for that or another AAA clinic you can call 203-765-4222 x 3142.

SWRPA getting ready for Westport/Saugatuck rail parking review

Sunday, August 22, 2010 by:Martin Cassidy
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The Southwestern Regional Planning Authority, an agency which conducts transportation planning for eight towns from Greenwich to Weston is seeking requests for qualifications from interested companies to do a study of possible upgrades at the Westport and Green Farms stations, including more parking and links to bus service.

It will be interesting to see how much the study will focus on amenities for hybrid automobiles, such as charging stations. Westport has already obtained $330,000 in federal money to build plug-in charging stations for hybrid vehicles at the Saugatuck Rail Station.

The study will include 10 parking lots in all, seven at the Westport station and three at Greens Farms,and will determine options to both increase the parking supply and maximize the use of the existing lots.

Other areas of interest will be improving circulation and pedestrian safety in current and future lots, establishing a plan to increase mass transit bus service to the stations, and improving access to the station for bicyclists, walkers, and mass transit bus riders.

Interested firms can find the required form for their qualifications requests on-line.

Ahoy, freight coming through, Bond Commission rail vote delayed

Wednesday, August 11, 2010 by:Martin Cassidy
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The state of Connecticut has been found eligible by the U.S. Department of Transportation to compete for a newly available $7 million set aside to expand the New London to Orient Point ferry route to carry freight to get commercial traffic off of roadways between  New York and Connecticut.

The marine highway corridor is one of eight projects and six initiatives selected by the U.S. DOT to be eligible for the assistance.

“These projects will help make better use of America’s Marine Highway by reducing gridlock, improving the environment, and putting skilled mariners and shipbuilders to work,” said David Matsuda, Maritime Administrator for the U.S. DOT.

Aside: Getting a freight barge program going definitely seems a more feasible(less costly) mid-term goal than reviving long moribund rail freight corridors. Those corridors will probably take many more billions to significantly rebalance the country’s truck to train freight ratio.

Elsewhere, Gov. M. Jodi Rell rescheduled the State Bond Commission’s meeting Wednesday which included nearly $500 million in railroad-related bonding projects announced last month.

Rell has asked the State B0nd Commission to authorize borrowing $260 million towards the $880 million venture to double track a rail line New Haven to Hartford to Springfield rail line, which would permit trains to potentially thunder along between 90 to 110 miles per hour in that corridor. (I prefer a more leisurely ride)

The DOT has also made an additional request for $220 million to the Federal Railroad Administration towards that project.

A second request would appropriate $226 million to act on an existing option to buy an additional 80 rail cars from Kawasaki Rail Corp.

The state has already authorized spending for 300 of the new cars to replace the New Haven line’s M-2 and M-4 rail cars.

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