Kate Hinds

Top stories on TN:
Amtrak Breaks Holiday Travel Record, Readies for Contentious Congressional Hearing (link)
NY Conflicted on Hiking Tolls for Trucks (link)
NJ Transit Chief: We Thought We Had 20 Years to Respond to Climate Change (link)
VIDEO: See What 25,000 LED Lights on the Bay Bridge Will Look Like (link)
NY MTA Enters 21st Century–You Can Now Claim a Lost or Stolen Metrocard Online (link)

A NYC ghost bike (photo by Kate Hinds)

Even as deaths behind the wheel of an automobile fell last year to the lowest level since the Truman administration, there was an increase in fatalities among bicyclists, pedestrians, motorcycle riders and big-rig truck drivers. (Washington Post)

What's on tap for New York's upcoming transit fare hike? Tune into the Brian Lehrer Show at 10am to hear a discussion. (WNYC)

Government officials are quietly installing sophisticated audio surveillance systems on public buses across the country to eavesdrop on passengers, according to documents obtained by The Daily.

Massachusetts plans to eliminate toll collectors and switch to an entirely electronic system. (Boston Globe)

During the Twin Cities' recent snowstorm, ridership on mass transit jumped 25%. (KTSP)

Disney cruises won't be sailing from Galveston anymore -- leaving the port scrambling to make up for that lost revenue. (Houston Chronicle)

The cast of Downton Abbey! In a New York City subway station! Which looks to be Columbus Circle! (Entertainment Weekly)

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With the state budget in the red and federal aid at risk of plunging in two years, how will Connecticut maintain its highways and expand its mass transit network? Three words: transit-oriented development. (Hartford Courant)
Or maybe just one: tolls. (CT Mirror)

Ladies and gentlemen: meet the members of the Tappan Zee Bridge Mass Transit Task Force.

All aboard the walking school bus in the East Bay. (KALW)

A federal judge has permanently blocked North Carolina from issuing an anti-abortion specialty license plate. (Reuters via Yahoo)

Video: 13 minutes of "road behavior I've never imagined, find hard to explain, which raises all kinds of questions." Because in Russia, every driver has a dashboard camera. (NPR)

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Hoboken Terminal, flooding during Sandy (photo by accarrino via flickr)

The head of New Jersey Transit dug in his heels on Monday, defending the agency's preparations in advance of Sandy -- and adding it previously thought it would have at least 20 more years to adapt to climate change.

As Transportation Nation reported, critics say there's a direct line between NJ Governor Chris Christie's  inaction on climate change and New Jersey transit’s costly decision to store brand-new trains in low-lying, flood prone rail yards during storm Sandy.

At a Senate subcommittee hearing last week, New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg questioned NJ Transit's decision to park trains in rail yards that flooded during Sandy. But when agency head James Weinstein defended that decision, saying his information indicated an "80 to 90 percent range that no flooding would happen," the questions stopped.

For four days.

At a New Jersey Assembly Transportation Committee hearing in Trenton on Monday, Weinstein was asked to retread the steps the agency took to secure its fleet in the face of the oncoming storm -- and explain why it decided not to study the impact of climate change on its rolling stock.

Assemblywoman Linda Stender picked up the issue.  "Back in March," she said, "it was reported that New Jersey Transit declined to have climate change consultants do an analysis -- they were told to skip it."

Not so, Weinstein said.

"Basically, it was a study to determine a study," he said. 'It was sort of the beginning of a process, and I think the response and the decision that as made at that time was  that if we understand the vulnerability of our properties, where we store equipment -- the way you deal with equipment is to move it to places where it's not vulnerable.  So I'm not quite sure what a consultant would have told us, other than ' this facility is in harm's way,  you need to move it out of harm's way.'"

Stender wasn't mollified. "I guess my concern is I don't understand why a decision like that was made," she said, pointing out that other transit agencies were studying the issue. "It really seems to me that was a very bad choice to have skipped something like that."

Weinstein disagreed with that characterization. The agency did the study, he said -- just not all of it.

"We did not skip the study," Weinstein retorted. "We actually executed the study. The only thing we didn't do in that study was an analysis of the actual equipment. We did an analysis, the beginning of an analysis, on the facilities...and the reason that we did that is because if you determine that the Meadowlands Maintenance Facility, for instance, is flood-prone, then.. that informs your decision not to keep equipment there...We actually -- that study is actually complete, I've seen a copy of it, although I confess I have not studied it, but I don't want to leave the impression that we just said 'no, we're not going to do that.' That's not what we did. We did the study; we just concluded that the way you address the equipment problem, the rolling stock problem, is by moving it."

But wouldn't a study show that the facility was vulnerable and the equipment should have been moved, countered Stender?

"Actually, Assemblywoman, that study showed -- concluded -- that we had as much as 20 years to start making -- to adapt to climatological changes that are taking place," said Weinstein, "and I just go back and say this: it was the worst storm in my memory, in our generation, and the reality is that there is no history of flooding at the Meadowlands Maintenance Complex. I know everybody says it's in a flood zone. It's not! The western part of Hoboken Terminal is not in a flood zone. Now, having said that, we are informed. We know now that under circumstances like Sandy that that's going to flood. So we've got to come up with a better idea."

"I would really recommend that ... you revisit that issue," said Stender. "The fact that it happened means that there was a possibility that it could happen and somebody didn't see it."

Later in the hearing, Weinstein said the Meadowlands facility could not be relocated -- "nor frankly do I believe, at least at this point, that there is a necessity to do it. I believe that we can build some resiliency in, and we're going to be looking that those, but frankly, rail yards have been located in that area of our state for well over 100 years."

He said NJ Transit planned to elevate some electrical substations. And, he said, it had learned from Sandy's experience. "I can assure you that we will not be parking equipment at the Meadowlands Maintenance Facility in the face of a similar storm in the near future."

Weinstein  also assured lawmakers NJ Transit wouldn't raise fares to cover the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage it sustained during the storm.  "Absolutely not. There will be no fare increase to cover the costs. We believe all of those costs will be covered by other means -- insurance, FEMA reimbursement. Period."

That assertion was questioned by Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, who sounded incredulous. "You're assuring [us] that there won't be any rate increases, even though the insurance companies -- once they cover your damages -- they're going to hike up your premiums?"

"There will be no fare increases," Weinstein said firmly.

"For how long?" pressed Chivukula. "This is the question the committee - "

"For as long as I am executive director," Weinstein interjected.

"I don't know how long that will be," said Chivukula.

"Nor do I, sir," responded Weinstein, causing the assemblyman to dissolve into laughter.

Top stories on TN:
Critics: Christie Deep-Sixed Climate Change Prep (link)
Census Data Show Public Transit Gender Gap (link)
What Does Acquittal of Chinatown Bus Driver Mean for Safety? (link)
NYC Vintage Buses Called into Service — For Holiday Spirit (link)
NYC Bike Share Delayed Again — Until May, Sandy Flooding Cited (link)

Happy holidays, LIRR riders: your trains are back to normal. (Photo of Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn by Kate Hinds)

The Long Island Rail Road is running on a normal rush hour schedule for the first time since Superstorm Sandy forced it to trim service. (AP via Newsday)

Another look at what New York City's coming fare hike could look like: base fare up 25 cents; monthly passes up $8. (New York Daily News)

California's high-speed rail project now has a policy of hiring disadvantaged people. (Modesto Bee)

A private company wants to start operating two-person lunar missions by the end of the decade. (Los Angeles Times)

The New Jersey Assembly will hold a hearing today on the damage Hurricane Sandy did to roads and transit in that state. (NJ Legislature)

The great decline of American driving: miles driven in September 2012 are 8.60% below the 2005 peak. (Business Insider; graph)

BART is looking at raising parking prices. (San Francisco Chronicle)

After rescuing several people who were trapped in the wilderness after using Apple's map app, police in Victoria, Australia, issued a warning discouraging iPhone users from relying on it. (cnet)

Stockton (CA) thieves are targeting truck catalytic converters. (Recordnet)

Metal recyclers are reporting an uptick in business due to cars scrapped post-Sandy. (WNYC)

Traffic congestion is costing the U.K. economy more than £4.3bn a year, or £491 per car-commuting household. (Telegraph)

Having Alaska license plates is a great way to meet the neighbors, when you're new to suburban Chicago. (WBEZ)

Today in transportation history: On December 10, 1868, the first traffic lights were installed outside the British Houses of Parliament in London, by a railway engineer. (ASCE)

Wait, how do those newfangled lights work? Check out a 1937 film from Chevrolet that takes you "inside the electrochemical 'brain' of the traffic light."

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Top stories on TN:
So You’ve Landed On A New York City Subway Track: 5 Bad Options To Consider (link)
NJ Transit Chief: NJ Transit Trains, Equipment, Suffered $100 Million In Sandy Damage (link)
Bloomberg: In Reponse to Climate Change, NYC Needs Levees (link)
Virginia Governor Promises Action on State’s Transportation Funding Woes (link)
California County Cancels Transportation Tax Recount (link)

London's Overground (photo by Hectate1 via flickr)

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is opening the door to serving in President Obama's cabinet for a second term. (The Hill)

A new branch of the London Overground -- the city's orbital railway - opens this weekend. (Atlantic Cities)

The Port Authority approved a $3.5 billion preliminary 2013 operating budget. Two notes: of that $3.5 billion total, $2.57 billion is the operating budget and the remainder is for debt repayment. And: the agency is still totaling Sandy damage. (Asbury Park Press)

The oil boom in Montana and North Dakota is boosting ridership on that region's Amtrak line. (NPR)

DC's Metro will have some employees log their work and sleep habits as part of a study into how fatigue affects their performance. (AP via Washington Post)

Taiwan's bike share program was languishing -- until the city made it possible to rent bikes with a mobile phone. BOOM. (CNet)

Air pollution has worsened markedly in Asian cities in recent years and presents a growing threat to human health. (New York Times)

Because "incomes are now at that sweet spot of just passing $4,000 per capita" in parts of Southeast Asia, General Motors sees the possibility of a new market. (Marketplace)

The head of the Federal Communications Commission called on the FAA to allow "enable greater use of tablets, e-readers, and other portable devices" during flights. (The Hill)

A rash of pedestrian fatalities and injuries in the past week has Metro Vancouver municipalities searching for ways to improve safety. (Vancouver Sun)

Apartments are sprouting at a rapid clip along Charlotte’s Lynx Blue Line in South End, as developers look to cash in on a booming rental market and cater to young professionals who want to live near uptown. (WCNC)

A note for the transit chief: beware the endorsement from Giuliani. But even if Joe Lhota "dodged the Giuliani curse, he would be running right after having presided over an increase in the subway and bus fare. That ought to make him really popular." (New York Times)

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(The hearings have ended.  Here's our story. Follow along with the live webcast of a Senate subcommittee hearing here . It begins at 10:30 eastern time.

We will be tweeting highlights -- so follow along.

Here's who's on tap to testify.

Top stories on TN:
Uber Now Legal in D.C. (link)
New Tappan Zee Bridge Designs Released (link)
Hey, I’m Parking Here (link)
Senate Hearing Will Detail Hurricane Sandy’s Transit Damage (link)
Homeowners Group Notches Up Fight Against Billion Dollar Highway Expansion (link)

A toy train barrels down the track at 11th annual Holiday Train Show at Grand Central Terminal. (Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin)

The $600 million dilemma: should NYC rebuild the South Ferry subway station -- located squarely in a flood zone -- or should riders walk six minutes to the next station? (Bloomberg)

California's high-speed rail brawl hits the House floor today -- with added fiscal cliff pressure. And yes, the Secretary of Transportation will testify. “Ray’s very agitated," reports one source. (Politico)

The Trans-Texas Corridor: the failed infrastructure plan that keeps on giving. "Along with the approach to financing the project, the toll road’s 85 mph speed limit, the fastest in the country, also has roots in Perry’s corridor plan." (Texas Tribune)

Pay-per-mile car insurance launches in Portland. (The Oregonian)

The official portrait of John Mica -- the outgoing House Transportation and Infrastructure committee chair -- was unveiled Wednesday at the Capitol. (The Hill)

Human Rights Watch decried Singapore's prosecution of mainland Chinese bus drivers who went on strike, calling for the charges to be dropped and discrimination to be ended. (Reuters)

At least 16 cities across the U.S. have installed bicycle traffic signals. (USA Today video)

Washington State is now a right-to-toke state. But that may be at odds with another new law: the state recently set a legal DUI impairment level for THC, the psychoactive composite in marijuana. "Activists worry that medical pot users could be forced to give up their freedom to get around –or incur the costs of taking taxis." (Oregonian)

A perilous stretch of one Northern California road -- where the state was found liable in 2010 for endangering pedestrians -- continues to claim victims as people try to cross the busy six-lane thoroughfare. (The Bay Citizen)

It will cost more for commuters to ride Go Transit in the Toronto area, but parking will still be free. (Buffalo Business First, Toronto Star)

A New York Post editorial begs MTA head Joe Lhota to run for NYC mayor.

A long-planned movable median barrier could have prevented a fatal crash on the Golden Gate Bridge -- but the earliest it will be in place is 2014. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Reminder: we'll be live-tweeting the Senate hearing on the impact Hurricane Sandy had upon transportation. Read up on it here. And watch @TransportNation starting at 10:30!

Traffic thought experiment, courtesy of The Onion: "The U.S. Department of Transportation announced plans Wednesday to stage Traffic Jam 2013, a brand-new highway concert series that will feature popular musical acts performing for passing motorists on America’s shoulder lanes, median dividers, and overpasses." As always, come for the story, stay for the photoshopping. (link)

Tribute: Dave Brubeck Quartet:"Take the A Train" (1966)

New York City Council Member Jimmy Vacca (2nd from right.) Photo by Kate Hinds

The New York City Council Transportation Committee met Wednesday to discuss a slate of bills designed to make life easier for New Yorkers who park.

Three bills are under consideration: Int. 762 would make it easier for vehicles to stand near a school or day care center; Int. 527 would require the DOT to post notice of permanent street sign changes that affect parking, and Int. 824 would make it expressly legal for homeowners to park in front of their own driveways -- something committee chair Jimmy Vacca called "a simple bill -- quite frankly, it should be a no-brainer."

That last idea didn't fly with Kate Slevin, the New York City Department of Transportation Assistant Commissioner testifying on behalf of the NYC DOT.

"It's unclear what issue the bill attempts to address," she said, adding it was "particularly troubling" that the bill, as written, could effectively provide 'blanket forgiveness" for a variety of parking violations.

Slevin also said the DOT wouldn't support the other two bills. The no-standing regulations near schools, she said, are necessary to protect children. And as for posting advance notice for permanent parking sign changes: Slevin said the DOT maintains over 1.3 million signs -- of which 20 percent are devoted to parking. Providing advance notice, she said, would "essentially double the workload" of staff people who change signage, which would result in increased costs.

Rather than debate if people should read signs, or signs about signs, the hearing first focused on a topic not on the agenda: prices, specifically an already-rescinded rate increase notice the DOT had sent out to people who use municipal parking facilities.

Jimmy Vacca, reading from the letter, said "Effective January 1st, the City Council has approved rate increases for all New York City DOT municipal parking facilities."

"This City Council never approved any rate increase," Vacca said, adding that the same letter had been sent out last year. "This is two years in a row that this is a mistake."

He took the occasion to argue for more Council control over parking regulations, and said he wanted the City Council to be brought in as a partner when it comes to parking rate increases -- not an afterthought. "I don't appreciate agencies telling me what they're going to do, after they've decided what they're going to do."

The often-tense hearing did deliver some choice exchanges that reveal a persistent tension in city transportation planning.

"What do people do who have cars in this city?" Vacca wanted to know.

"Well, luckily for us, we have a wonderful transportation system," said Slevin, "and less than 50 percent of the households in New York City own cars, so there's a lot of other options people use to get around town."

This did not placate Vacca.

"Some people who live in boroughs outside Manhattan do need a car," snapped Vacca. "I hate to break that to DOT. Some people who do not live in Manhattan, especially, need a car. We do not have mass transit options that you think we have, or that we should have."

Slevin told him the new municipal parking lot rates were going into effect in February 2013.

The heads of transit agencies affected by Sandy will testify on Capitol Hill Thursday, in what will be the most public assembly of the top brass of the NY MTA, NJ Transit, Amtrak and the Port Authority of NY &NJ in one public place for the first time since the storm.

New Jersey senator Robert Menendez called Hurricane Sandy the "largest mass transit disaster in our nation's history" last week. Thursday's Senate hearing should reveal additional details about the damage and destruction.

The transit agencies of both New York and New Jersey are largely functional -- but none are back at 100 percent. New York's MTA suffered $5 billion worth of damage. One-quarter of New Jersey Transit's passenger rail cars were flooded. And the Port Authority still can't say exactly when its Hoboken PATH train terminal will reopen.

Because so many Northeasterners use transit to commute, Senator Menendez said last week Hurricane Sandy affected 40 percent of the nation's mass transit users.

Thursday's hearing is being chaired by New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg. A spokesman for the senator said "the hearing will allow Senator Lautenberg and his colleagues to further review the devastation to the region's infrastructure and move forward rebuilding New Jersey's transportation systems so they're stronger and better prepared to handle the next storm."

One question expected to come up: why New Jersey Transit parked so many rail cars in an area that had been predicted to flood.

Lawmakers from both states are eager to receive federal disaster relief. New Jersey estimates that it suffered $37 billion worth of damage; New York is requesting $42 billion in aid.

We'll be live tweeting the hearing, which starts at 10:30am. Follow along on @TransportNation.

Top stories on TN:
Capital Bikeshare Expansion Halted By Parts Problems (link)
LA Mayor: Parties Agree to Federal Mediator to Resolve Los Angeles Port Strike (link)
H is for Hoodie: Rockaways Shuttle Swag Will Benefit Hard-Hit Queens Neighborhood (link)

Boarding a Muni bus in San Francisco (photo by Lulu Vision via flickr)

San Francisco's MTA voted unanimously to spend an estimated $1.6 million in federal funds on a 16-month program offering free Fast Passes to low-income San Franciscans under 18. (San Francisco Chronicle)

On the table in fiscal cliff talks: raising the federal gas tax. (Politico)

NY MTA chair Joe Lhota met on Monday with Mayor Bloomberg to discuss running for mayor. (New York Times)

One side benefit of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel flooding during Hurricane Sandy: it acted as a drainage ditch. (Capital NY)

Downtown L.A.'s streetcar is the missing transit link. (Los Angeles Times)

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is defending his decision to constrict traffic on a popular street that runs through the heart of Chicago’s congested downtown area — by installing 12 blocks of protected bike lanes. (Chicago Sun Times)

A former head of NJ Transit takes to the opinion page to defend his former agency's handling of Sandy. "Rather than sit back and play Monday-morning quarterback, we should commend NJ Transit and its staff for restoring the system quickly." (Times of Trenton)

The city of Greenville, South Carolina, is getting a six-station, 28-bike bike share program. (Greenville Online)

Once a funeral procession hits DC's streets, respect for the dead falls by the wayside. (Washington Post)

Do Bloomberg's waterfront redevelopment efforts make sense in a post-Sandy New York? (WNYC)

Houstonians are now ready to embrace public transit, says the head of that city's Metro. (KUHF)

New Hampshire will consider selling naming rights to roads and bridges. (Union Leader)

A stern letter from lawyers representing Greyhound Canada nixed plans for a student-run, low-cost bus service from London, Ontario, to Toronto during the holidays. (The Star)

Months of gridlock, power outages and business interruption: Afghans hope paving roads in Kabul will be worth it. (NPR)

Discuss: does The Mindy Project accurately portray the NYC subway? Judging from the height of the subway car pictured, the answer would seem to be 'no.' (Gothamist)

Take a trip back in time to 1963 and see what it took to build British Columbia's George Massey Tunnel.

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For $34, you too can dress like MTA chair Joe Lhota.  Note: the catwalk is his actual office. (Photo courtesy of NY MTA)

You can ride the H train for free -- but the shirt is a different story.

On Tuesday, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority launched the Rockaways Collection -- shirts, magnets, and pins branded with the logo of the shuttle now plying the heavily damaged Queens neighborhood.

The MTA says all profits from the sales will go to the Graybeards, a Rockaways non-profit helping rebuild after Hurricane Sandy. Products will be sold through the New York Transit Museum.

But can the MTA afford to give away money? The transit agency sustained $5 billion in damages from Sandy. It will cost $650 million alone just to restore A train service from mainland Queens to the Rockaways. It had to truck subway cars out to the neighborhood just to operate the free H train shuttle service.

An MTA spokesman says yes.

"We have a financial plan," says Aaron Donovan. “We will have money available through issuing short-term notes to restore the service and we expect to be reimbursed by FEMA and our insurance.”

The MTA announced last week it was taking on debt to pay for Sandy damages and will issue $950 million in bonds. At that time, chairman Joe Lhota said he had "an enormous amount of confidence" that the MTA would receive "a substantial amount of money" from the federal government.

Since then, both New York City's mayor and the state's governor have gone to Washington to make the case for federal aid.

To learn more about the H train, and to watch a video of how the MTA got subway cars out to the Rockaways, go here.

Top stories on TN:
PHOTOS: One of World’s Great Toy Train Collections Chugs Into NY Museum (link)
New Yorkers Believe Climate Change Caused Hurricane Sandy: Poll (link)

(photo by Kevin Kovaleski/DDOTDC via flickr)

How did New York City's coastline become a place to put the poor and vulnerable? "Largely because Robert Moses wanted it there." (New York Times)

In Rajasthan, there were 9,232 accident deaths reported in the state in 2011. Of that number, 895 were pedestrians. And of that number, pedestrians were at fault in 27 cases. (Times of India)

After the post-Sandy success of the 'bus bridge from Brooklyn,' New York's MTA is talking about express bus service from Brooklyn to LaGuardia Airport. (Capital NY)

D.C.’s long-planned expansion of Capital Bikeshare this fall has hit a snag because the city has been unable to get all of the needed equipment from its supplier. (Washington Post)

A special tax district to fund a streetcar in downtown L.A. has won, with voters approving $62.5 million in local funding. (KCET)

Thick fog, a chain-reaction of crashes and speed led to a 95-car Thanksgiving Day pileup on a Texas highway. (Houston Chronicle)

U.S. consumers bought new cars and trucks at the fastest pace in nearly five years in November as low interest rates and the need to replace Sandy-damaged cars drew people into showrooms. (Detroit Free Press)

NYC's DOT issued its first intercity bus permit in Chinatown to YO!, a bus line owned jointly by Peter Pan and Greyhound, for curbside pick-ups. (Crain's New York)

A day after the Port Authority hiked cash tolls at its bridges and tunnels to $13, a watchdog group says its most senior cops are paid an average of $83.99 an hour — "dwarfing the $58.86 earned by their counterparts at the NYPD." (New York Daily News)

Opinion: More than a month after superstorm Sandy damaged more than 300 NJ Transit coach cars and locomotives, New Jerseyans still don't have answers as to why the agency put its rolling stock in a flood zone. (The Record)

Three motorists who incurred $50 red-light camera tickets are filing a class-action suit against New York City. (New York Post)

The U.N. is holding its first climate change meeting in the Persian Gulf, and "the oil-rich location is bound to spur discussion on fossil fuels." (Marketplace)

Seven facts about cycling, including this one: a bicycle can stay upright without a rider as long as it's moving at about 8 mph or faster. (Popular Mechanics)

Listen to this 1904 song about riding the subway, which was viewed as quite the romantic escape. "If married and home is unhappy, you can now hide away from your wife." (Gothamist)

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Areas of Long Island, N.Y. following Hurricane Sandy Oct. 30, 2012. (Photo by U.S. Coast Guard / Petty Officer 2nd Class Rob Simpson)

Most New Yorkers say climate change is the reason for severe storms like Hurricane Sandy.

According to a recent Siena poll, at least 63 percent of voters from across the state -- including two-thirds of upstate residents and three-quarters of those in New York City – say severe storms over the last two years demonstrate the existence of global climate change.

"There may be a debate about what has caused the global climate change," says Siena pollster Steven Greenberg, "but for most New Yorkers there is no debate that it is occurring.”

That mirrors national numbers. In a pre-Sandy poll conducted in October by the Pew Research Center, 67 percent of respondents said they believed in global warming.

But the issue reveals a stark partisan divide. In the Siena poll, eight in ten Democrats say severe storms demonstrated climate change -- whereas Republicans are nearly evenly divided, with 46 percent saying climate change is behind big storms and 44 percent calling them isolated weather events. The Pew poll found similar national numbers.

(Two New Yorkers who believe in climate change: Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The latter said it was the prime force behind his endorsement of  President Obama for reelection. And the governor is likely to be talking about it as he makes the rounds in D.C. to push for disaster aid.)

But as politicians, these two are outliers. Neither Obama nor Republican Mitt Romney mentioned climate change during the presidential debates. A Frontline documentary that aired in October provides some thoughts as to why: climate skeptics have worked hard to introduce doubt into the conversation surrounding the climate change debate -- successfully making it a partisan issue.

Watch Climate of Doubt on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Top stories on TN:
R Train To Go Further South in Manhattan, But Not Crossing To Brooklyn — Yet (link)
Lights Out for NYC Taxi “Off Duty” Lights (link)
Tolls Going Up Again On NY-NJ Port Authority Crossings Despite AAA Lawsuit (link)
How Much to Fine? D.C. Wrestles with Cash Cow of Red Light Cameras (link)
NY/NJ Port Official: We Never Thought We’d See 13-Foot Storm Surge (link)
Taxi Documentary Delivers Cabbie Grit and Wisdom (VIDEO) (link)

Metro escalator (photo by Jonathan Wilson/WAMU)

San Francisco's transit agency, Muni, is considering basing some transit fares on a customer's ability to pay. (San Francisco Examiner)

Nine people were killed in Japan when concrete ceiling slabs fell from the roof of a highway tunnel onto moving vehicles below. (AP via USA Today)

Talks to end the six-day strike at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have yet to be fruitful. (Los Angeles Times)

The new escalators installed this fall at DC's Dupont Circle Metro station have experienced 20 outages in their first 40 days. (Washington Examiner)

Hearing alert: Lawmakers in the House and Senate will review Hurricane Sandy's impact on northeast U.S. transportation systems this week. (The Hill)

Maryland transportation officials are setting less ambitious goals after failing to significantly reduce pedestrian deaths in the state. (AP via Washington Post)

In Britain, women drivers are about to outstrip men for the first time. (Telegraph)

Delta may be bidding for a stake in Virgin Atlantic. (Marketplace)

Introducing: the Lincoln Motor Co. (Detroit Free Press)

Berlin's yet-to-open new airport is plagued by delays, cost overruns, and now a lawsuit from one airline. (NPR)

The battle between taxi hail app Uber and city governments underscores the tension between lawmakers and technology companies at a time when Web sites and mobile apps can outmaneuver old rules. (New York Times)

Opinion: New York should put its tech-friendly money where its mouth is and embrace e-hail apps. (New York Daily News)

Boston's bike share program has performed 50% better than expected, and may remain open for winter next year. (Boston Globe)

More of the NYC hurricane recovery subway map will be shaded in on Monday morning at 6am (click for large version)

New York's R train -- which hasn't gone south of 34th Street since Hurricane Sandy -- will make it as far south as Whitehall Street beginning Monday morning.

In an email, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said “the resumption of service to the Whitehall Street station will restore a vital link to midtown’s west side for Staten Islanders and also ease crowding along the Lexington Avenue Line."

The Whitehall station is located near the ferry terminal. The South Ferry #1 station, which was completely flooded during the storm, is still being repaired. The MTA has ballparked the cost of restoring both stations at $600 million.

Cuomo's email called the restoration of service a "herculean task" that required "repairing and replacing track, third rail, communications systems, pumping equipment, electrical feeds and controls."

But straphangers planning to exit at Whitehall could be working out their quadriceps. According to the MTA: "Customers should be aware that only one escalator at this deep station, leading from a landing above the platform to the mezzanine located at the south end of the station nearest the ferry terminal entrance, will be in operation. The escalator at the north end of the station (Stone Street entrance) had previously been removed from service for replacement and remains out. The two escalators at the southern end sustained extensive damage in the wake of the storm but one has been restored to service. We urge anyone who has difficulty climbing stairs to consider using the Rector Street station instead. "

The Montague Tube, the tunnel which carries R trains between lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, was flooded during the storm and is still being repaired. Service on the R between the two boroughs is expected by late December.

Want to watch subway service return, post-Sandy? Check out this GIF.

Top stories on TN:
At L.A. Auto Show, a Big Star Is a Gas-Powered Engine (AUDIO) (link)
Hurricane Sandy was “Largest Mass Transit Disaster in our Nation’s History,” Says Senator (link)
Lights Out for NYC Taxi “Off Duty” Lights (link)
Prediction: D.C. Area Highway and Transit Crowding Will Get Worse (link)

NYC subway car, 1973 (photo by Erik Calonius/EPA/Documerica via flickr)

In Miami, residents spend 72% of their income on housing and transportation. In New York, it's 56%. (Atlantic Cities)

To fund transportation, Minnesota's governor wants to raise taxes by $20 billion over 20 years. (Star Tribune)

Michigan took its first step towards creating a regional transit authority -- which, if successful, could open the door to federal transit funding. (Mlive)

A transportation ballot measure in Northern California -- initially thought to have failed -- is getting a recount. (KQED)

Two Green Line trolley cars either collided (Boston Globe) or bumped (WBUR) in Boston, causing minor injuries in three dozen people.

NJ Transit was enjoying its second-best summer of ridership and was on pace to shatter its annual rail on-time performance record...and then Hurricane Sandy happened. (Star Ledger)

A commission ordered by Gov. Cuomo to investigate power companies after Sandy wants to know if the utilities responded fast enough to outages that affected public transportation. (NY Post)

Metro may have to spend millions more than anticipated to operate the new Silver Line because trains will have to travel farther east than planned. (Washington Post)

How bad is traffic in Brazil? In one city, it's $20 billion worth of bad: "Wasted time and fuel consumed in traffic congestion cost the economy of São Paulo nearly US $20bn in 2008, about 10% of its GDP." (Economist Intelligence Unit)

Profile: Joe Lhota, the New York MTA's wartime chairman. (Capital NY) (Note: we know from personal experience that the chairman loves him some Godfather.)

VIDEO: an Ohio sinkhole so big that the BBC covered it.

In 1971, the EPA hired photographers as part of "Documerica" -- an effort to "provide a comprehensive visual record of the country’s turbulent landscape during the 1970s." These are their NYC subway stories. (Narratively)

Snapped catenary poles on NJ Transit's Gladstone line (photo courtesy of NJ Transit)

At an emotional hearing today before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, senators representing storm-damaged states described the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy.

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) said his state was the "epicenter" of the storm. He listed Sandy's toll upon New Jersey -- 39 dead, 231,000 homes and businesses damaged. And included in his list: the impact of the storm upon the region's transit system.

"The storm was the largest mass transit disaster in our nation's history. Four out of 10 of the nation's transit riders had their commutes disrupted by the storm, many still today," said Menendez. "NJ Transit alone had dozens of locomotives and rail cars damaged in the flooding and miles and miles of tracks damaged."

NJ Transit still has a rail line that is not operational, and the Port Authority says it will be weeks before it can restore Hoboken service on its trans-Hudson PATH train line.

New Jersey is requesting $37 billion in federal disaster aid, of which $1.35 billion would go to transit, roads and bridges.

Watch the archived hearing here.

The question of "is that taxi free or not?" could soon be easier to answer in New York. On Thursday, the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission voted to do away with the off-duty lights. Here's a visual:

Whereas once there were two categories of lights, with four combinations:

(photo by magnus via filckr)

The city's Taxi and Limousine Commission voted to just have this -- the medallion number:

(photo "adjusted" by WNYC's Stephen Nessen)

David Yassky, the TLC commissioner, said off-duty taxi lights "are a relic of bygone days" and that the rules change will make the system easier to understand.

"The only purpose it serves today is to confuse the passenger," he said, adding that the TLC hears complaints "all time" about rooftop lights. "Taxi roof lights should be simple.  If it's on, it means you can flag the cab down. If it's off, it's unavailable."

(Only one commissioner voted against the proposal: Iris Weinshall, a former NYC transportation commissioner who was in the news last year for her dislike of the Prospect Park West bike lane.)

Yassky said people hailing cabs don't care about the particulars of the lighting system. "The passenger only cares if the cab is available or not."

He said he hopes the new system will do away with another perennial vexation -- the way some cabbies use the off-duty light to cherry-pick customers. "It's a source of frustration (for passengers)," he said. "Sometimes they see drivers with the off-duty sign on go from person to person asking 'where are you going' and we don't want that to happen."

That's currently possible because the switch controlling the lights is manual. But when the off-duty lights fade away, so will the driver's control over the roof light.

According to the minutes of the May 2012 public hearing on the rules change, the single light roof light would eliminate the manual switch that controls the off-duty light. Instead, it would be controlled automatically and synched with the meter. So when the meter is engaged, the medallion number light will automatically turn off, and when the trip is over, the light will turn back on.

The new rule technically takes effect 30 days after being posted in the city record. But there could still be off duty lights on top of cabs until April, which is the end of the first quarter inspection period.

Top stories on TN:
PATH Officials: Several More Weeks Before Hoboken Service Is Back (link)
NY MTA Takes On Major Debt Rather Than Raise Tolls & Fares To Pay For Sandy (link)
NJ Transit to Begin Testing Gladstone Line on Friday (link)
Data Art: NY Transit System as a Lite-Brite City Map (link)
Chicago Wants to Pay Diesel Truckers to Swap for Electric Vehicles (link)
D.C.: Car U-Turns Through a Bike Lane Are, In Fact, Illegal (link)

Toy trains (image from New York Historical Society's FB page)

BP won't be able to enter into new contracts with the federal government due to its "lack of business integrity." (Marketplace, KUHF)

The Crenshaw rail line promised to right historical wrongs by connecting South Los Angeles to the city’s business hubs: downtown, the airport and Hollywood. Instead, it may bypass the a low-income, minority neighborhood entirely. (New York Times) (For more on this issue, listen to TN's documentary Back of the Bus: Mass Transit, Race and Class)

United's merger with Continental hasn't exactly been smooth -- the airline is losing money and has the worst operational record among the nation’s top 15 airlines. And we haven't even mentioned the computer malfunctions yet. (New York Times)

Democrats and Amtrak officials pushed back against House Republican efforts to eliminate federal subsidies for the national passenger rail service. (The Hill)

And: Amtrak says it is committed to restoring full Long Island Rail Road service "by the Christmas holiday" with repairs to two storm-damaged East River tunnels. (AP via WSJ)

Smith Electric's third American factory will be in Chicago -- a city that just announced a voucher program for truck drivers to make the switch. (NYT)

American motorists are on pace to spend more on gasoline this year ($483 billion, or $1.32 billion a day) than they ever have before. (Los Angeles Times)

After months of publicly defending the work and secretive process of a panel investigating the testing and safety of the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the California Department of Transportation agreed to allow greater public scrutiny. (SacBee)

Arlington (VA) is doubling down on Capital Bikeshare (DCist).  And it might get an all-electric taxi fleet. (Washington Post)

Boston's transit agency unveiled an app allowing customers to purchase tickets for commuter boats and rail lines. (WBUR)

Propeller planes -- which use less fuel than jets -- are making a comeback. "And with new technology that cancels most noise and vibration, they won't be your grandfather's turboprop." (NPR)

The people have spoken: America's Transportation Award goes to... Los Angeles's Mulholland Drive Bridge demolition (aka Carmageddon). (FastLane)

A portion of the prized Jerni Collection — vintage toys and trains valued at more than $80 million — is on display at a New York museum for the first time ever. (DNA Info)

Where is the oldest sidewalk in Chicago, and how old is it? Watch and learn. (WBEZ Curious City)

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NJ Transit's rail system recovery map. The faded gray line is the Gladstone Branch. (Click for full version)

NJ Transit says it's in the home stretch of making repairs to one of its hardest-hit rail lines and will begin running test trains on Friday.

“While every NJ TRANSIT rail line sustained damage as a result of Sandy’s wrath, the Gladstone line was particularly hard-hit, with the heavy damage and unique challenges making repairs more timely and more difficult,” said NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein. “I would again thank our customers for their patience and understanding during this difficult time.”

As a result of Hurricane Sandy, five 90-foot catenary (overhead wire) poles snapped and had to be replaced -- as did more than five miles of overhead wiring along the length of the Gladstone Branch.

Crews also removed 49 trees that were on the tracks and are in the process of finalizing repairs to the line’s infrastructure, such as signals and switches.

The agency says Friday's test trains are needed to ensure all of the systems are operating as intended and to remove the rust build-up along the lines.

Until service resumes, the transit agency is running free shuttle bus service to meet Midtown Direct trains and selected Hoboken-bound trains departing Summit. To learn more about the shuttle buses, visit NJ Transit's website.

To see a slideshow of NJ Transit's storm damage, click below.

Top stories on TN:
Build Highways or Increase Transit? Planners Tackle Fort Meade Traffic (link)
Totaling Sandy Losses: How New York’s MTA Got to $5 Billion (link)
How Prop 39 Works: Closing a Tax Loophole To Bring Clean Energy Funds to California (link)

NJ Turnpike, October 28, 2012 (photo by accarrino via flickr)

New York's MTA is exploring using inflatable and expandable devices to seal subway tunnels and prevent the type of flooding that crippled the system during Sandy. (New York Daily News)

Apple fired the manager of its (transitless) Maps application. (New York Times)

Hurricane Sandy has cost the New Jersey Turnpike Authority at least $15.4 million in labor and fuel costs and lost tolls - more than any weather event in the history of the Turnpike and Parkway, officials said. (Star-Ledger)

Congressman John Mica (R-FL) has dropped his bid to remain on as chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, clearing the way for Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA). (Politico)
Meanwhile, the Committee will hold a hearing on Amtrak's "structural reorganization" this morning at 9am; watch it live here.

Who will take over as the Transit Mayor when Michael Bloomberg leaves office in NYC? "It's a role that, for now, remains up for grabs." (Capital NY)

The Federal Aviation Administration will take back $2.1 million in stimulus funds that it gave to San Francisco International Airport because the money was used improperly. (Bay Citizen)

Workers are preparing the Bay Bridge in advance of a storm heading toward California. "Water is the corrosive enemy of the critical single main cable. Much of it has already been wrapped in layers of zinc paste and interlocking S-wire. The rest is now wrapped in plastic." (KGO-TV)

An end to pedicab price gouging? New York's City Council unanimously passed new legislation that will force pedicab drivers to install publicly visible timers and charge by-the-minute fees, instead of by-the-block fares. (DNA Info)

A bus strike by Chinese workers in Singapore is bringing up racial tensions. Like: "These (Chinese) drivers don't deserve the same salary and benefits...many Singaporeans would agree with me that Malaysians drivers are safer drivers." (Reuters)

Officials are looking at how to make Hyderabad's Tank Bund road -- a "virtual death trap" for pedestrians -- safer. (The Hindu)

Direct costs from deaths and injuries due to motorcycle crashes were $16 billion in 2010. (AP via WRAL)

PODCAST: How our brains know how to steer without really knowing how to steer -- and what that means for steering wheel design. (99% Invisible)

San Diego is considering installing protected bike lanes on streets that have bad track records of bicyclist safety. (KPBS)

The long national nightmare of not being able to watch in-flight films from start to finish is finally over for British Airways passengers. (Telegraph)

A Swedish energy company is equipping bus shelters in the town of Umeaa with light therapy panels to help riders fight off winter depression. (Yahoo via Transit Wire)

The Frugal Traveler sings the praises of local transit: "For me, the public transportation system of a new city is a mystery that always brings a surge of feeling of triumph once you figure it out; add to that the peephole on local life that public buses and trams and subways and cable cars can provide in places as diverse as Beirut, Oslo, St. Petersburg and Medellín, and you know why I have a no-taxi policy." (New York Times)

Cab roulette: a recurring series in which a comedian interviews cab drivers about their experiences on the job. (Animal New York)

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