Andrea Bernstein

NYC Livery Cab (Photo: Ilya Marritz/WNYC)

(New York, NY -- Ilya Marritz, WNYC) It's a quirky New York phenomenon -- there's the yellow cab world, which (unlike many cities around the world) can be hailed on the street most places in Manhattan and in small pockets of the outer boroughs, like Brooklyn Heights, a tony neighborhood just across the Brooklyn Bridge.

But then there's the world of livery cabs -- on call services, patronized by many New Yorkers who are too poor (or can't be bothered) to own a car.  New York has the lowest car ownership rates of any large city in the country.

And livery cabs tend to be run by groups of aspiring immigrants, many of them from South or Central America.

(Montgomery County, MD -- Matt Bush, WAMU)  Council members in Montgomery County, Md., received an update on plans to build Bus Rapid Transit lines in the county this week. The price tag for the plan is high, but at least one County Council member says it must be built because Montgomery County is losing the transit battle with its neighbors.

On Randolph Road, the Bus Rapid Transit route would go from the White Flint Metrorail station to the Glenmont Metrorail station. Courtesy of: Matt Bush View more images from this gallery.

The proposed bus lines aren't the traditional routes you see now. They would be rapid buses that would use county roads but have their own lanes, so stopping because of traffic would be minimal.

And the buses look different too. They're low to the ground, resembling something that looks more like a rail car, according to Michael Flood, with the consulting firm Parsons Brinckerhoff.

"It's not your father's bus. It's not the bus many of us have known. It's a sleek vehicle," he says.

From the AP.  We'll have more later:

WASHINGTON (AP) - It would be harder for tour bus companies to win permission to operate and easier for the government to put rogue operators out of business under a series of bus safety steps announced Thursday by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Other proposals announced by LaHood would make it easier for the government to take away bus drivers' commercial licenses if they violate drug and alcohol laws while operating a vehicle other than a bus or if they fail to pay fines.

President Obama Comforts Family Members of 9/11 Victims on the The Attacks' Ninth Anniversary, in September 2010 (White House Photo)

As President Obama visits the still not-quite finished World Trade Center memorial to lay a wreath today to honor those killed in the 9/11 attacks days after the attacks' mastermind was shot and killed, most of Lower Manhattan will become a frozen zone.  Most roads in Lower Manhattan  will be closed and PATH trains to the World Trade Center Station will be halted today around midday -- but otherwise, mass transit will be the only way to get around.

The  Daily New's Gridlock Sam advises:

President Obama heads to New York City on Thursday for a four-to-five hour visit.

The President is scheduled to land at Kennedy Airport about 10:30 a.m. Thursday before taking a chopper to Wall St. About 11 a.m., the President will most likely motorcade up the FDR Drive, take the 42nd St. exit and visit with firefighters between Seventh and Eighth Aves. in the 50s. Gridlock Sam will keep you abreast of any route changes at www.twitter.com/GridlockSam.

After the firehouse, Obama will head downtown and lay a wreath at Ground Zero about 1:30 p.m. This means he will backtrack down the FDR, probably through the Battery Park Underpass and up West St. to the World Trade Center site. He'll also visit with 9/11 families before heading back to Kennedy Airport about 3 p.m.

Here are the freezes drivers face as the presidential motorcade zips around town:

- The FDR Drive below 63rd St. between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

- All avenues from Eighth to the FDR between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

- Northbound West St. below Chambers St. and the Battery Park Underpass between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

- Church St. between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

- The northbound FDR below Pearl St. between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

- Heavy delays at the Battery Tunnel and Brooklyn Bridge.

The World Trade Center PATH station will also be closed between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, and the M5 along with some express buses will be delayed and/or diverted

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The US DOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics release is just out:

"Average domestic air fares rose to $337 in the fourth quarter of 2010, up 5.2 percent from the average fare of $320 in the fourth quarter of 2009 (Table 1), the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today. Newark-Liberty, NJ, had the highest average fare, $461, while Atlantic City, NJ, had the lowest, $156.

"Fourth-quarter fares decreased 0.9 percent from the third quarter, the second consecutive quarterly decline after four increases.

"BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reports average fares based on domestic itinerary fares, round-trip or one-way for which no return is purchased. Fares are based on the total ticket value which consists of the price charged by the airlines plus any additional taxes and fees levied by an outside entity at the time of purchase. Fares include only the price paid at the time of the ticket purchase and do not include other fees, such as baggage fees, paid at the airport or onboard the aircraft. Averages do not include frequent-flyer or “zero fares” or a few abnormally high reported fares.

On September 11, 2001, I was two months pregnant. 

(Andrea Bernstein, Transportation Nation)  On September 12th, 2001, New Yorkers tried to go to work.   Since so many subway lines were disrupted, that often meant taking routes WAY out of the way, and miles and miles of walking.    But, accustomed to getting around obstacles, New Yorkers shrugged and tried anyway. What else could we do?

When, a few days later, the city began offering a ferry service from Brooklyn to replace the lost subways, those ferries were packed.  I rode the first one over into Manhattan, tilting my head from side to side, trying to comprehend the Lower Manhattan skyline without the twin towers.

Later that fall, when the U.S. declared war on the Taliban, Mayor Rudy Giuliani encouraged everyone to go out, go to work, "go see "Proof" -- referring to a popular Broadway show.    The streets were packed that day, a gorgeous October Sunday,  even though New York City was more or less on red alert.

After the London Underground was bombed in July 2005, I was posted at Grand Central station.   Commuters were taken aback that I would even ask if they'd thought twice about going to work.   "What else would I do, stop my life?" was the general sentiment.   (And "No" was the answer.)

Today was no different.  Osama bin Laden was shot and killed, the government is on high alert for retaliation, and we are going to work.

WNYC's Jim O'Grady has been at Grand Central Station.  He writes:

"Checked every train, bus and light rail line on NJ Transit website and found no current delays. Boards at Grand Central still reporting good service, as is the MTA website, but for a train delayed on the Ronkonkoma line due to medical emergency.

"In a sign of normalcy, a man billing himself as Galdort Gumbo is playing a Yamaha piano in the lower concourse and singing emo versions of Billy Joel, James Taylor and "Easy" by Lionel Ritchie. America endures."

WNYC's Ailsa Chang was reporting from Times Square.  She noted any obvious increased police presence as "very minimal.  Times Square looked only slightly more policed today, but I think I only noticed because I was trying to look for police cars."

One WNYC staffer's husband said the car commute through the Lincoln Tunnel was faster than usual, but so far, most other reports are that this was a normal morning commute, and MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin says the Authority didn't note any drop in ridership.

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From the AP:

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - NASA says it's calling off today's launch of space shuttle Endeavour because of a technical problem. The shuttle was fueled and ready to go on its final mission. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords traveled to Florida to see the liftoff of a mission on which her husband will serve as commander.

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Rendering of the now renamed -- and re-funded -- "Xanadu" mail

Our colleague Bob Hennelly over at WNYC has a story reporting that Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, who killed an already-in-progress $9 billion transit tunnel under the Hudson River, citing fears of cost overruns, is poised to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in New Jersey funds on a thus far failed mall project.

Also don't miss Bob's terrific, earlier investigative report (also here, co-reported with Michael Grabell of ProPublica) on the so-called "Xanadu" project, documenting how the Port Authority's Board (many of whom had links to the project) approved $200 million for a rail link to the mall.   But as Bob reports, planners expect that most people will still drive to the mall, which will have an energy-guzzling year-round indoor ski-slope, among other services.  That is, if it's completed -- the project has so far stymied four governors and more developers than you can count.

Bob writes of the current developments:

In case you missed our post yesterday:

(Okay, we're hooked too!)

[The Princess] traveled "in a Rolls Royce Phantom VI, accompanied by her father. The Rolls Royce was presented to The Queen in 1978 for her Silver Jubilee by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders."

"Prince William rode in a Bentley, accompanied by Prince Harry. The State Bentleys have been uniquely designed enabling greater use to be made of the vehicle’s interior space. The Bentleys are 6.22 metres long and, at 3.84 meters, their wheelbase is 1.3 metres longer than that of an average family sized saloon.

State cars are painted in Royal claret livery. The Rolls-Royces and Bentleys do not have registration number plates, since they are State vehicles. On processional occasions, the State cars travel at around nine miles per hour, and sometimes as slow as three miles per hour."

More information about all things Royal Wedding -- including the breeds of horses used in the procession, as well as mention of the Glass Coach -- can be found at the official wedding website.

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(Andrea Bernstein, Transportation Nation)  Once, NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan spoke with elation of a planned protected bikeway all the way from New York's Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan up to Harlem.  "With this one project alone which will go from lower Manhattan all the way to 125street  on First and Second Avenues, we will be putting in 160 blocks of protected bike lanes which will nearly double the citywide total in just one year," she told  WNYC's Brian Lehrer.

But first Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith -- maybe -- put the kibosh on the plan (listen to the audio and judge for yourself) above 34th street.  The official word was there wasn't time to build the lanes in 2010 because of construction schedules.  Then, later in the year, the commissioner cast doubt on whether the protected lanes would be extended in 2011.

Now comes a plan from NYC with protected bike lanes for another 15 blocks on First Avenue, and then so-called "shared bike lanes" -- not segregated from traffic, up to the East 50s.  The diminished plan comes amidst protest by a loud but significant and influential minority of New Yorkers (polls show about a third don't like the miles of  lanes installed by the city) including editorializing against the lanes in the city's boisterous tabloids, The New York Post and The New York Daily News, and a lawsuit backed by the the former city transportation director, now a private citizen living along one of the lanes (and her husband, the U.S. Senator, Charles Schumer.)

Commissioner Sadik-Khan once said the protected bike lanes were a necessary precondition for bike share in New York City, but the city is moving ahead with a bike share plan for some 10,000 bikes for 2012.

The new plan is being circulated for comment among community groups, and was first unveiled last night.  (Hat tip: Streetsblog.)

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"Refusals stick in the craw of a lot of New Yorkers," said Taxi and Limousine Commissioner David Yassky. "It may be a small issue in terms of dollars and cents compared to other things, but it's a big issue in terms of how it feels."

It's not as if drivers loathe going to the outer boroughs — most live there. But to be successful, drivers said they have to focus on volume and not distance.    For the rest of the story, click here.

(New York, NY -- Kathleen Horan, WNYC) One of the the three auto maker finalists in the running to be the taxi-provider for the next decade in New York City  is stepping up the competition by vowing to build the cars in Brooklyn if selected.  New York is currently holding a competition to replace the iconic Ford Crowne Victoria, which in turn replaced the iconic checker cab.

The Turkish automaker Karsan has informed New York city officials that they'd outfit a 250, 000 square foot space at the south Brooklyn marine terminal to produce thousands of vehicles if they're selected to be the "Taxi of Tomorrow" manufacturer.

Karsan USA President Bill Wachtel [WACT-tell] says since they're planning to partner with [the American company] Chrysler for the engines, transmissions and gear boxes, it's actually a better to assemble the vehicles here.

"It makes far more sense for us to build the car in Brooklyn than it does to send all these U.S. components to Turkey and ship it back," Karsan USA President Bill Wachtel says.  he says his proposal includes a partnership with Chrysler to build engines, transmissions, and gear boxes for the taxis.

Wachtel says the project could provide 2-300 local jobs at the outset.

The other competitors in the Taxi of Tomorrow project --Ford and Nissan are staying tight lipped about Karsan's proposal but a spokesman for the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission says the agency in the process of evaluating the 3 proposals from their finalists.

(Andrea Bernstein, Transportation Nation)  Transportation information is knowable -- though not always to a centralized authority.    But the proliferation of both smart phones and social media means regular folks can tell each other when the bus is come as quickly as...well...they can tell you there's a revolution underway in the Middle East.  Will Roadify and other apps revolutionize the way we get around?   I take a deeper look, on Marketplace Money.

Governor Quinn at Harvard Avenue Bike Shop last summer Photo: Flickr/Harvard Avenue Photostream

(Andrea Bernstein, Transportation Nation)  This just in from the Governor of Illinois -- one of the first statewide efforts we're aware of to track a serious safety concern for cyclists -- when motorists suddenly open doors into bike traffic, frequently knocking cyclists to the ground.   Illinois officials says the database is an effort both to track the number of incidents and educate motorists about the practice, so they can train themselves to check for cyclists before they open doors into bike traffic, much as motorists now check for cars.  Illinois says a database will go online in about a month, and will have data -- so far as it's recoverable -- dating from May 2010.  Police will now be asked to note any incidents where they're called when a cyclist is hit by a motorist opening the door of a car.

UPDATE:  The knowledgeable Caroline Sampanaro of the NYC-based Transportation Alternatives says she hasn't heard of any such state-wide efforts to track "dooring."  If you know of local efforts that we're missing, let us know.

New Tracking of “Dooring” Crashes Will Identify Problem Areas

CHICAGO -- April 25, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn announced today that the state will begin tracking “dooring” crashes -- accidents involving bicyclists who are struck by opened doors from parked cars. The change will take effect immediately to help determine locations where road improvements and public outreach efforts may be necessary to protect bicyclists from these dangerous collisions.

“As more people are riding bicycles and embracing other green modes of transportation, we need to ensure that Illinois collects data that presents a complete picture of what is happening on our roads,” said Governor Quinn. “This new initiative will address a major safety issue for bicyclists and drivers, and will make our roads safer for everyone.”

The new policy is the result of collaboration between Governor Quinn, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Active Transportation Alliance. Prior to the change in policy, dooring collisions went unrecognized in IDOT’s annual reporting of traffic statistics because a moving motor vehicle was not involved.

The data collected and analyzed by IDOT can be used to plan for improved roadway designs and additional communication with motorists in areas with high concentrations of bicyclists.

“We appreciate Governor Quinn’s action on this issue,” said Ron Burke, executive director of the Active Transportation Alliance, an advocacy organization that works to improve conditions for walking, biking and transit. “Data on dooring problem spots will help communities take steps to reduce these collisions. We are grateful IDOT will track these crashes, and look forward to working with them to increase safety and education surrounding dooring.”

To assist police in submitting the correct information, IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety is reaching out to law enforcement agencies across the state with instructions on how to begin recording dooring crashes. Police departments that have already have begun tracking dooring collisions, including Chicago, will have their data included in the state’s traffic statistics, retroactive to May 2010.

“We are committed to working with our partners in law enforcement to make roads safer for bicyclists,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig said. “Safety always will be a top priority at IDOT. The recognition of dooring accidents is another step in the right direction.”

(Jerusalem --Patricia Willens, WNYC) The tag line for Jerusalem’s transportation master plan is “everything is connected,” a resonant phrase for such a complicated place. Palestinians and Israelis; Science and Faith; Politics and Religion. It’s all connected here but in a tenuous and tense way. Still, everyday life continues and the bald fact for many Jerusalemites is that traffic is terrible. It’s hard to get around even though the city is small, with a population of about 800 thousand people.

Listen to the radio story.

Many residents rely on public transportation here, meaning buses. According to the city’s own count, there are 500 thousand trips per day. The main artery -- Jaffa Street -- at one point had 200 buses running in one hour, moving at about 5km/hour. Central Jerusalem was polluted, noisy and inefficient, according to transit official Nadav Meroz.

“So we took this corridor which was the main corridor for private cars and public transport and we brought it back for the people of Jerusalem,” he said.

(New York, NY -- Anna Sale, It's A Free Country)  In a political climate with a chorus for cutting, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy is underscoring that he's going a different way.

"We need to argue our case," he told a regional planning gathering in New York City on Friday. "This is not a time to be timid."

He said decisions not to invest in infrastructure — roads, bridges, transit and electrical grids —is "where the most damage is being done in our country."

Without naming names, Malloy blamed "governor after governor, legislature after legislature," for making short-sighted decisions,b but noted, "I'm more than happy, even as I decry what's happening in our nation, to put in my bid to get any dollars Florida or New Jersey or any other state wants to send back to Washington."

He spoke at the annual gathering of the Regional Plan Association, a research and planning advocacy group focused on New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Malloy urged other decision makers to continue investing, "never considering the expense of an item as too great as to hold back a generation of growth for this region.  For the full story, click here.

A downtown Manhattan parking meter--whose rates ARE rising (Kate Hinds)

(Andrea Bernstein, Transportation Nation) So far, only Chicago (a few years back) and Indianapolis (beginning this spring) have completed deals to lease out their parking meters to private companies.  Chicago got more than a billion dollars in cash up front, but the  deal was widely criticized after the private company, Morgan Stanley, immediately raised rates.

The Mayors of Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, pleading empty coffers, tried to lease out their systems -- but those plans were resoundingly rejected by city councils, who said long-term leases to manage parking were just a ruse to raise rates.

But is raising rates such a bad idea?  Rachel Weinberger, of the University of Pennsylvania, says  paltry rate hikes in many cities, like Boston, which raised rates a quarter after 25 years, is a mismanagement of an asset that cities can no longer afford.  She says don't privatize the systems -- just use them to collect more money.

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But the Deputy Mayor of Indianapolis, Michael Huber, says the private sector has the capital to make technological improvements that the city can't, and that maybe its not such a bad idea to hire private companies as a buffer.   Hear the full story here, on Marketplace.

Caitlin Thompson, Editor of our sister site It's a Free Country, points out that it's not just that bikes are being used to sell things...they're, as she says "a very popular theme for wedding invitations."

Why? Thoughts? Examples? -- Andrea Bernstein, TN

A Military Air Traffic Controller

Two interesting Transportation Nation stories on The Takeaway today.

One of President Obama's signature policy initiatives has been to connect 80 percent of Americans to high speed rail within 25 years. However, the 2011 budget allocates no further funding to high speed rail projects. Furthermore, in states like Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin, Republican governors have returned money for high speed rail projects, which was given to them as part of the stimulus. Is high speed rail dead?