Gothamist: Form or Function at the Fulton St. Transit Center

lani

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 15:54:53 -0500

Trying to ride get on the 4 5 6 line at union square is quite the production. I agree with Tom, #7 must live on the west side.

Ando

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 15:48:05 -0500

"not building cathedrals" Compare Penn Station and Grand Central Station. Which do you prefer? Something like an oculus seems petty until you consider how many people it will affect every day for decades.

Tom

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 14:29:40 -0500

And the Second Avenue Subway is a massive waste of money. Totally unnecessary. You obviously don't ride the Lexington trains or live on the East side. I find it amusing how they were able to build the Subway system far more efficiently 100 years ago, when technology was far inferior. Guess that's what happens when any government is in charge of anything.

schmod

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 13:32:15 -0500

Devin, Looking at the above drawing, the glass roof doesn't seem to let any light down onto the actual platforms. Personally, I think those ancient 1920s glass sidewalk blocks would be an equally adequate way to let light into the station. I really don't care how the stations look above ground. A nice stairway on the street corner is adequate for me (and an above ground entry booth with a handicapped elevator of course). As long as the platforms are clean, spacious, and well-lit, I'm happy. This $200 mil glass roof is absolutely ridiculous.

Devin

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 12:40:16 -0500

"not building cathedrals"??? Heaven forbid we get lgiht into the subway platforms. They're so pleasant in their current state. They can figure a way to keep both. What about all these MTA budget surpluses we keep hearing about? Or are they over-budget? I guess that depends on what day of the week it is these days. Big changes need to happen at the MTA. It's a huge mess.

typical politicians

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 12:28:26 -0500

I agree with Kushal. I've been saying for years that the city needs to extract more from developers. There have been plenty of times when a builder has cleared a block near a subway station and could have helped make nicer, wider entrances. Think of what could have been done for the Columbus Circle station while all of the Time Warner Center construction was going on. And the Second Avenue Subway is a massive waste of money. Totally unnecessary.

kushal

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 12:22:41 -0500

Why doesn't anybody try to solve this with sponsorships or donations? Certainly, if I had a spare 10 mil, I'd kick it in to have a pretty subway entrance. And if I had a spare billion, I'd be psyched to have the 2nd Ave subway named after me.

matty

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 11:24:49 -0500

sometimes I think transportation is just going to be too expensive to do anything about. At least new york has the infrastructure already in place to be conisdered a complete transit system. Chicago can't complete one new line without massive funding hopes from the FTC and mismanagement throughout the whole dilapidated system - oh and the corruption is equally as bad.

T.R.

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 11:13:05 -0500

Saying that transfering would still available for $1.50 for R/W users, thats insulting! I agree that an "oculus" isn't so cool if the function of the station suffers for it.

Peter

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 10:48:14 -0500

Sounds like the Second Avenue Subway, all over again.

realist

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 10:26:03 -0500

I hope they keep the oculus, its a different design and will make the building stand out.

pedestrian

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 10:10:02 -0500

Reading about transportation issues in the city is always an exercise in frustration.