Gothamist: Transit Strike 2005: More Walking Than Ever

bp

Wed, 25 Jan 2006 13:01:21 -0500

The absolute stupidest thing during the strike was not allowing cabs back into the city if they didn't have the minimum 4 passengers. It made no sense since the cabs were supposed to be helping to shuttle people around.

pmoney

Wed, 25 Jan 2006 11:14:02 -0500

As a matter of fact, I cross the Brooklyn Bridge every morning on my walk into work and this morning there was a guy on the BB with a little ticker-counter thingie (and an orange vest). He was clearly counting the amount of people crossing the bridge.

Joe

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 18:21:59 -0500

Comparing bicycle traffic in warm April 1980 vs. cold December 2005 is like comparing apples to oranges. It's so obviously wrong that it's weird for DoT to be doing so. Transportation Alternatives has more relevant numbers. According to TA, rush hour bike traffic across the bridges increased 500% during the strike compared to the week previous. As of last week, bike traffic was still up 12-36% over pre-strike levels.

jess

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 16:33:44 -0500

hmm, who actually counts all the foot traffic on the bridge? hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. what a job..

Joe

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 15:17:06 -0500

Of course there's a drop in cyclists from a warm spring month (April 1980) to a cold winter month (Dec 2005). That's like comparing apples to oranges. The more relevant questions to ask are: did cycling increase during the strike compared to the week earlier or over the same time period in the previous year; and does the increase in cycling have any legs, that is, are more people continuing to cycle long after the strike? Transportation Alternatives estimated that commuter cycling increased by 500% during the strike (link to pdf document), and according to the Daily News yesterday TA statistics show that rush hour ridership remains higher than pre-strike levels over the lower East River Bridges. It's not clear whether there's a temperature factor to the increased cycling - more people are riding bikes to work because it's been unseasonably warm.

crybaby

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 15:10:22 -0500

"sociological"

Kevin Walsh

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 14:39:15 -0500

>>>the DoT also thinks that the restrictions on cars coming into the city may have been "too restrictive." Heh, what did you expect from them. To the DOT, there are passengers, and there are DRIVERS. www.forgotten-ny.com