Ferries Want Bailout

NY Waterways is looking for more money despite falling fuel prices. Perhaps the biggest problem faced by the ferry company is an expiring lease on equipment coming due in September, which won't be renewed by owner CIT Group looking to minimize risk.

Meanwhile, as passengers tighten their belts, the $1.75 PATH ticket might just be a savings commuters can't pass up.

NY Waterways is looking for a buyout from one of the region's transit agencies claiming the service, like mass transit, is a crucial piece of infrastructure. In one sense, the owners are right. Not only were the ferries the first to rescue passengers from the downed US Airways jet, but the ferries carried passengers off the Island during the blackout in 2003 and on September 11th. On the other hand, maybe if the ferry service goes bankrupt, the regional transit agencies could buy up the company on the cheap.

Traffic Light Installation Must be a Patronage Job

Journal Square JC asks about a Baldwin Avenue traffic light fail. Two of the traffic signals are directed at a building on Baldwin Avenue, as evidenced on Google Maps Street View. There are two signals pointed east towards the building where no driveway or road exists.

NEW's New PATH Train Video

We Are New has a look inside the Port Authority's new PATH cars, in case you haven't seen them for real just yet. The new train will be alternating between lines each week until more of the fleet arrives. The new trains are incompatible with the existing, 40 year old rolling stock.

Sink Hole to Keep Marin Closed

A sink hole on Marin Blvd, the result of a broken water main, will keep two lanes of the road closed while repair crews attempt to correct the problem, reports the Journal.

Sink Hole Opens on Marin

A four foot deep sink hole opened on Marin Blvd, reports Hudson Now. The hole opened up between the Newport Mall and the Jersey City Fire Department.

New Area Transit Site Aims to Ease Commute

A new website was launched over the weekend to aims to aggregate area transportation alternatives in one, easy to use place. JC Transit.com includes bus, ferry, light rail and PATH schedules, as well as information on parking and taxis.

PATH App for the Gullible

Coinciding with the launch of its newest iPhone, Apple launched an application store to sell software for the phone and Touch iPod. One of the programs available at launch is iTrans PATH, a $5 application designed to provide easy access to the PATH system map and schedule. Unlike the nebulous MTA system, the PATH is a mere four routes, and the entire system map is available from the Port Authority for free, and NYNJ.net provides "next train" schedule information, also for free.

PATH to Increase Service for Fireworks

The PATH system will run on a Sunday schedule on Friday, July 4th. However, additional trains will be added between 6pm and midnight to accommodate travelers headed into and out of the city for the New York fireworks display sponsored by Macy's, in the East River.

Cheap Gas on 1&9

The Journal reports that gas stations along 1&9 north of Tonnelle circle are engaged in a mini price war, leading to lower prices. There is no mention as to whether or not these stations passed May's state inspections. In May, the State inspected a quarter of gas station in the state, and found a number were cheating customers or displaying incorrect pricing information, including several in Jersey City.

World Trade Center Delayed, Incompetence Strangely Absent from List of Reasons

The Port Authority updated the status of progress at the World Trade Center reports the Times. While much of the project is delayed by years and billions of dollars, the Port Authority refused to provide an updated schedule there by ensuring they will not miss future deadlines.

More importantly though, the PATH transit hub continues to be the primary target of cost cutting measures with the design for the once inspiring structure still under revision. The final design for the station is not even finished, but might cost $2.5 billion. PATH riders should get used to the existing configuration of the station, because the Port Authority may make the temporary access point permanent.

Many New York politicians are pushing for the Port Authority to take over for the Moynihan / Penn Station Expansion project, thereby ensuring that project will also be delayed and over budget. The expansion of Penn Station and the subsequent addition of two more heavy rail tunnels between north Jersey and New York should relieve PATH congestion, at least temporarily. For now, Hoboken serves as a transit hub for half of NJ Transit trains, many of which will be sent directly to midtown once the new Trans Hudson Tunnels and Penn Station Expansion are finished.

Four Bergen Avenue Buses Back in Service

JC Register notes that four more buses are in service on the Bergen Avenue line after 12 were pulled by the state for failing inspections. Build a subway.

Bergen Avenue Buses to be Restored Tomorrow

The Journal reports that Bergen Avenue buses will be back in service tomorrow after repairs are completed. Riders have been complaining since the state realized most of the buses operating on the line were deficient, and yanked them from service. The state will reinspect the buses before they enter service tomorrow. Only two buses have been operating on the route since the state intervention.

Driver Leads to Disrupted Light Rail Service

A driver made a wrong turn from Van Vorst Street this evening around 9pm and ended up stuck on the Bayonne bound light rail tracks. Despite 'Do Not Enter' signs posted at the end of Essex Street, turned onto the tracks and then continued beyond a short paved segment.

As the car continued west, the front wheels sunk into the gravel around the tracks and the car came to rest on the track itself. The driver attempted to rock the car out of the hole but the result was only to get the front drive wheels deeper. Passing pedestrians stopped the oncoming tram before it struck the vehicle, stuck on the tracks on a bend in the line. Service was temporarily interrupted, but NJ Transit currently reports no delays on the service.

Car on Light Rail in Paulus Hook

A car is stuck on the Bayonne bound light rail line between marin blvd and paulis hook. Service not operating to Bayonne.

Morgan Wants More Buses

Journal Columnist Earl Morgan wants more buses. He notes long wait times, buses in poor condition, and high gas prices all point to a need to increase service. The one thing he doesn't suggest is building a new subway line, but we will. Build a new subway line.

Jersey City Gas Stations Among Cheats

State inspectors have discovered many New Jersey filling stations are cheating customers either through incorrectly calibrated equipment or pricing discrepancies, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. Among the stations listed are several operating in Jersey City, near the Holland Tunnel:

CLK at 210 14th Street
Sunoco at 14th and Grove
Exxon at 202 14th Street

Station list

Motorcycles to Close Holland Tunnel

Two lanes will be closed on 12th Street tonight during rush hour as well as a toll and tunnel lane as more than 1,500 motorcycles file through on their way to Little Italy. The annual Garlic run kicks off from the Rockaway Mall on interstate 80 and passes through the Holland tunnel.

Port Authority Press Release

PATH Turnstiles Debit Extra Cash

Incorrectly scanned Metrocards are leading to the Port Authority turnstiles charging commuters twice claims The Daily Commute. Noting two separate incidents, the Daily Commuter has twice been shorted fares at the 14th Street station heading back to Jersey City. The ever helpful Port Authority passed the buck to the Metropolitan Transit Authority.

Bus Line Short Buses

A bus line that runs from Journal Square to Bayonne doesn't have enough vehicles since a state inspection reduced the fleet to two units, reports the Journal. Also the buses lacked air conditioning. Riders were left waiting up to 40 minutes.

Pulaski Repair Work to Ruin Your Life

Hudson Now reports the NJDOT will be have some nightly closures on the Pulaski Skyway that require diverting traffic every which way. In short, find some other way to leave Jersey City.

PATH Evacuation Caught on Camera

"Move a little faster please," someone says off camera as a PATH train at Christopher Street is evacuated. Flickr user 212NYC captured this week's evacuation out of the PATH train. Smoke fills the station and the cars as riders march toward the far end of the train; not the most dramatic, but worth a look for the curious.

Flickr Video From JC Register

PATH Service Restored After Nightmare Night

PATH service was suspended yesterday from early morning until well past the evening commute. A fire burned through a power cable knocking out service on both the inbound and outbound tracks near Christopher Street. Meanwhile, PATH troubles were exacerbated by signal failures on the World Trade Center line throughout the day. For a time last night, only trains between Hoboken and the World Trade Center were operating. Service has since been restored. The Port Authority announced last year their intention to replace the signal system, a seven year project. Since that announcement the signal system has failed several times, with the biggest outage occurring this past April when all PATH service was suspended for several hours. Seven years is a long time to wait.

33rd Street PATH Out of Order

33rd Street trains will be out of service during tonight's commute, according PATH Alerts. A fire that earlier shut service on the line cut a power cable. Trains from World Trade Center will be operating, and NJ Transit will cross honor tickets.

PATH Failures Suspend Trans-Hudson Service

Early this morning smoke on the 33rd Street line suspended service, according to the Port Authority. Half an hour later, the aging signal system failed on the World Trade Center line, cutting service there as well. Commuters may need to consider NY Waterway or NJ Transit.

New PATH Cars in September

New York's Sixth notes that the promised new PATH cars should start showing up sometime in September.

Roads Repaved, More Work Coming

JC Register points out repaving on Sip and Summit Avenue is nearly finished, though more work at Five Corners is still underway.

Loving the Pulaski

Photoblog Plain Sight points out the beauty of the Pulaski Skyway and making a comparison of the skyway to a Jersey shore boardwalk. Enjoy it now, the Pulaski may soon be replaced.

PATH Ridership Up

PATH ridership is up 6.5 percent during the first quarter of 2008, notes the American Public Transportation Association. Across the country mass transit ridership has increased following the run up in gasoline prices. MTA ridership is up 5 percent.

Ridership Statistics Table (PDF)

NY Times: The Light Rail Is Awesome!

The New York Times writes about the success of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Line. A new study by Rutgers University notes that the system generated $5 billion in property values. Ridership increased fastest near the PATH trains.

The light rail line is a major deviation from normal transportation policy because it was built as a proactive solution. During the planning stages of the system, much of the property traversed by the line was vacant or underutilized. Most of the time the state takes on reactionary projects-- a highway is congested, build a new lane; trains are crowded, add another rail car.

Still, back in March, NJ Transit was griping that despite increased ridership, the light rail line was still losing money.

PATH Resumes After Fire

PATH service was disrupted yesterday when a small fire knocked out signals and power cables, suspending service to 33rd Street. Normal service resumed at 6:30AM today, some 18 hours after the fire.

Pope to Disrupt PATH Service

The Pope will be visiting ground zero Sunday morning. The Port Authority will suspend PATH service into lower Manhattan and from Exchange Place between 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM.

Port Authority Press Release

ZipCar Adding More Vehicles

ZipCar, the time share car rental service, is adding more vehicles, notes a post on JCList. New vehicles are being added at NJ Transit stations around the state including the Liberty State Park station.

City Cracks Down on Commuter Vans

The city began pulling over commuter vans this morning in the Heights neighborhood looking for violations, writing tickets, and sending passengers in search of alternative options, notes Hudson Now.

Church Street Station Closing Tonight

The Church Street entrance to the World Trade Center PATH Station is set to officially close tonight. The Greenwich Street entrance opened last week.

From Port Authority Press Center

Light Rail Derails, Police Confuse JC With Soviet Union

JC Register posts a photo of derailed light rail train which solicited a grand response from Jersey City emergency personnel. More interesting though is the police reaction to a citizen journalist with a camera:

An officer at the scene asked me who I work for and then the individual told that me it was not legal for me to take photographs. I was also informed (the person assumed I was a member of the press) that “you know why and you should know better”.

In fact, photographers can snap photos from public streets. Back in 2005, NJ Transit decided to ban photography of their equipment and facilities. However, since NJ Transit is not a legislative body, their regulations are limited to NJ Transit property. Jersey City's public streets are not governed by NJ Transit regulations.

Heights Bus Discounted

Heights residents riding Central Avenue buses north of Journal Square are enjoying half off their tickets in an effort to boost ridership, notes the Journal. The round trip tickets cost $4; a $2 cash fare can be paid on the bus, but only in New Jersey. The round trip tickets can be purchased in advance with a fifty cent handling fee.

Congestion Pricing Fails

Yesterday marked a federal deadline for the state of New York to approve the city's congestion pricing plan; at stake was $354 million in funds to set up the program that would charge drivers $8 to access the city's core, and promoted by Mayor Bloomberg. The plan was effectively killed by Democratic speaker Sheldon Silver.

“It takes a special type of cowardice for elected officials to refuse to stand up and vote their conscience on an issue that has been debated, and amended significantly to resolve many outstanding issues, for more than a year,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “Every New Yorker has a right to know if the person they send to Albany was for or against better transit and cleaner air.”

New York Times

"When people complain there are not enough trains and buses, you can point to all the state Assembly members," said Councilman Robert Jackson, a Manhattan Democrat. "It was right at their doorstep and they did not stand up for New York City."

AM NY

"I'm glad to see New York lawmakers recognize the flaws inherent in this congestion pricing plan and that we were able to stop discriminatory surcharges being applied to New Jersey drivers entering New York City," Governor Corzine said.

Bergen Record

Village Voice
Real Deal
Gothamist

Developer Offers Embankment With Catch

The Sixth Street embankment has long been the focal point of downtown preservationist efforts to create open space and save a piece of Jersey City's history. However, Conrail sold the land to developer Steve Hyman, and ever since the city, local activists, and Hyman have been in a legal battle over the fate of the 8 downtown blocks. The Journal reports Hyman now wants to play "let's make a deal," offering to sell the embankment to the city in exchange for rezoning land along Newark Avenue and providing tax abatements for future projects on the parcel.

Such a plan is unlikely to appease everyone. The rezoning Hyman wants would allow 4,000 units of housing on land zone for open space and low density housing. Even if the rezoning went through, there would be no provision to create a park as local community groups want, or to build a light rail line as Mayor Healy has proposed.

City Launches Transportation Survey

In an effort to understand travel patterns, the city has launched an online survey to determine how residents and commuters move about. The survey will be used to create a master plan by 2009, Jersey City Mobility 2050, underscoring a major problem with area transportation. PlanNYC 2030 is being developed unilaterally by the city of New York, but neither plan will be a success without the other.

From City Press Release

Healy Supports Congestion Pricing

Mayor Healy supports New York City's congestion pricing plan, reports the Journal. Congestion pricing would impose a fee for entering the heart of New York City during peak periods, similar to a system that has successfully reduced peak period congestion in London. The goal is to both reduce traffic allowing buses and taxicabs fast access to the city's core while decreasing the environmental impact of idling cars, and raising money or mass transit projects throughout the region. Under one plan, commuters paying tolls at Port Authority access points would be exempt. However, if the agency fails to provide a billion dollar payment into a regional transportation fund, vehicles coming from the bridges and tunnels would be assessed additional fees.

Tolls to Substitute as Congestion Pricing

New York City council voted in favor of congestion pricing yesterday, 30 to 20; however, drivers on the New Jersey side will likely not be paying on top of Port Authority tolls, as long as the agency makes a $1 billion contribution to the transportation fund. The plan still needs New York State approval.

Hudson Now
Gothamist

New PATH Station Today

PATH riders should expect to emerge from the World Trade Center train into a new, temporary station today. Curbed has an excellent photo gallery.

Yellow Cabs Gouge Jersey City Residents

New York's yellow cabs don't hesitate to supercharge their fares, notes New York's Sixth. With fares from Manhattan averaging $50, a Hoboken councilman wants the NYC Taxi Cab and Limousine Commission to address fares to Hudson County. Don't hold your breath.

Heights Bus Service Returns

Jersey City Heights residents will soon have bus service from Palisade Avenue to New York thanks to NJ Transit, reports the Journal. Service was previously provided to Palisade Avenue by Red & Tan, which suspended service last year. NJ Transit's service will run less frequently though, with express buses bypassing stops on Palisades.

Erie Street Could Get Stop Signs

Erie Street in the downtown has long been used a quick route to the Holland tunnel by speeding motorists. That could change, notes New York's Sixth, under an old ordinance that has recently resurfaced on the council agenda. The proposal would put stop signs at each intersection on Erie Street to slow down traffic in the hopes of reducing accidents. Previously, the council tabled the ordinance after police objected saying stop signs were not needed.

Pothole Snares Traffic

A major pothole has disabled several vehicles on the Pulaski Skyway, westbound. The right lane is closed causing traffic backups to the covered roadway.

Jersey City DMV Reducing Services

JC Register notes that the Motor Vehicle Commission is reducing the provided services at its Jersey City facility, shifting written tests to the Bayonne location.

Integrated Transit Map From Google, NJ Transit

Last week, NJ Transit announced a new trip planning service using Google maps. Google Transit is still in beta, which becomes obvious when it suggests walking from New York to catch a light rail line in Jersey City. Another limitation is the service seems to be completely ignorant to the PATH, routing any trip between Jersey City and Newark through Hoboken for service on NJ Transit. But otherwise the the software provides estimates on travel times and connections.

Light Rail Gaining Riders, Losing Money

The Record writes that despite increasing ridership and ticket revenues, the light rail line running through Hudson County is still losing money. Plans to extend the line into Bergen County may be in jeopardy without more funding, and part of that funding was to come from Corzine's toll hike.

PATH Card Confetti

The NJ.com Transit blog found the remains of hundreds of PATH Quick Trip cards strewn about near Exchange Place.

The $3.3 Billion Dollar Question

Blogger John de Guzman has noticed new PATH posters stating the Port Authority's undertaking $3.3 billion in capital expenditures, and more importantly, thinks the number a little high.

Last year, the Port Authority laid out a 10 year spending plan allocating money for various projects. Not surprisingly, a quarter of the capital budget is headed straight to security improvements, meaning most riders will never see the results. Another $850 million or so is going to replace the 340 cars the system uses; a full scale model was shown off last month, and the cars will begin showing up for service over the next four years. Another $500 million is projected for signal upgrades which ultimately will allow an increase in peak capacity, to be finished sometime around 2014. Another $220 million is headed for station expansion at Grove Street and Harrison, allowing for 10 car trains on the World Trade Center Line.

$3.3 Billion sounds rather impressive, until you consider its all part of a ten year program; averaged out, thats a mere $330 million dollars per annum. Of course, posters with with "$.33 billion in PATH Improvements" probably wouldn't garner as much attention.