Gothamist: Making the Subways Free and Other Wild Ideas

a

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 11:58:48 -0500

Why not build a 42nd street gondola like they have in Portland instead of a light rail. i'm sorry, but this is the stupidest thing i have ever read. the "gondola" in portland goes up a mountain to connect two separate hospital sites. it's not designed and could never work in a high volume area like times square. and it's hilarious that you mention light rail, because portland's transit system is predominately light rail. and i don't know about brookline, but it doesn't make the cross traffic worse. the traffic lights are synced, the trains are short, and it's really no big deal.

Jen Chung

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 10:38:00 -0500

Yeah, one question I have is how the subways can generate revenue if fares were free - NY State has stiffed us on funding as it is.

fishtale

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 10:01:51 -0500

saw kheel last night on tv talking about how the subways are an amazing resource and are "very under-utilized." have you been on the train in the last 20 years you old bag?? we could use more trains as it is, how in god's name will there ever be big infrastructure improvements if the subway is free??

Shmurf

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:54:45 -0500

Boy, You folks know how to dream !

Two dollaz

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:26:08 -0500

#14 andrew, where've you been? The fare was raised to $2.00 almost four years ago! How can we trust any of your economic "expertise" with that kind of mistake?

rinky dink

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 22:30:09 -0500

1) MTA buses should be free. think of HOW SLOW it is to have everyone metro carding into a bus. the routes would probably double in speed if you just stopped making people pay for the bus. most people are busing to a train, where they will pay - so just let them on the damn bus 2) MTA should switch the subway to an honor/timestamp system like they use in Germany. no gates/no grates - just have squads of folks checking the cars for people who didn't validate their ticket and you get a $500 fine if you didn't buy a ticket. the subway is such a rathole, think of how different it would be to have it opened up, easily walking in and out. all that said, people should still pay to ride the subway. it's a useful commodity and reasonably priced - people will still use it since it is so much more cost effective (and often quicker) than cabs/driving.

Tom

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 21:27:28 -0500

Oh, really? Yes, really. I think most folks who stay in Manhattan past 40 and try to raise a family here are pretty well off, don't you? There will always be selfish people, especially in this city. In a car, you don't have to deal with people begging change, cell phone yellers, cold platforms, late trains, crying babies, packed trains, smelly people, homeless people, and a million other things that the comfort of your own ride prevents. Calling someone "selfish" because they like controlling their own commute is most of the reason people who drive will never listen to mass transit riders.

Brightliner

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:36:12 -0500

Free or not, an awful lot of people would never use the subways. They have a plethora of reasons why they wouldn't. Inconvenient, time-consuming, dirty, lack of personal control compared to their personalized glass & steel cocoon, the list goes on and on. There will always be selfish people, especially in this city. Third try at posting, so maybe triple post. How is it every other blog I've ever visited has no problems accepting comments, but Gothamist has these pervasive problems?

Brightliner

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:33:50 -0500

Free or not, an awful lot of people would never use the subways. They have a plethora of reasons why they wouldn't. Inconvenient, time-consuming, dirty, lack of personal control compared to their personalized glass & steel cocoon, the list goes on and on. Some people will always be selfish. Second try at posting, so maybe double post. How is it every other blog I've ever visited has no problems accepting comments, but Gothamist has these pervasive problems?

Kevin Walsh

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 18:52:49 -0500

>>>People in the city will always have cars. After a certain age, you have enough money Oh, really? www.forgotten-ny.com

andrew

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 18:16:35 -0500

I honestly don't think the cost of the subway stops many people from riding it who would otherwise be driving. $1.50 is a huge bargain (the monthly cards even moreso) The idea of a gondola is weirdly interesting, but would probably never get off the ground due to practical concerns. In the meantime, could we just connect the f-ing 7 line to LaGuardia? It's a little ridiculous that NYC has a huge airport that has virtually NO access to public transportation.

Mid-C Frank

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:47:12 -0500

The "Urban Elevator" concept -- ie free subways et al -- has been proposed before. But the real issue will be the total lack of respect for MTA property if it becomes a free service. Also, NYer's pay a larger portion of their ride than transit riders in any other US city, so where wil the money come from to make up for lost revenue. I personally think it's a great idea, but doomed in the current political and social climate.

take that

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:35:13 -0500

That being said, Bloomberg will never do it without paying some consulting company a billion dollars to screw it up beforehand. Warren, what does Bloomberg have to do with Port Authority? The Port Authority is a financially self-supporting public agency that receives no tax revenues from any state or local jurisdiction and has no power to tax. It relies almost entirely on revenues generated by facility users, tolls, fees, and rents. The Governor of each state appoints six members to the Board of Commissioners, subject to state senate approval. Board Members serve as public officials without pay for overlapping six-year terms. The Governors retain the right to veto the actions of Commissioners from his or her own state. Board meetings are public. The Board of Commissioners appoints an Executive Director to carry out the agency's policies and manage the day-to-day operations.

Nick

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:32:45 -0500

The 7 train changes were terrible. 4 trains and 3 transfers to get to Lincoln Center! That's just not right. They're going to be even worse in the next few weeks, though.

John

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:16:58 -0500

After a recent move to Queens, I can say that the 7 train in the morning is more than equal to the L on a bad day--I often have to wait for one or more of the express 7's to pass before I can get on one. Not sure of any solution other than just more and more trains on the tracks...

tien

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:11:47 -0500

a gondola on 42nd street? yeah, that's practical. i'm sure the business in front of the supports will love that idea.

j

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:59:35 -0500

i can only imagine what the homeless situation would be like in the subway if it was free. in fact, i don't even want to imagine it! it would probably be out of control.

jg

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:39:55 -0500

blah: have we forgotten entirely about elevated trains? a tramway isn't exactly a great idea for a multiple-stop line with consistently the same elevation.

warren

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:32:39 -0500

The fourth airport proposal is genius. That being said, Bloomberg will never do it without paying some consulting company a billion dollars to screw it up beforehand.

Blah

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:27:21 -0500

Why not build a 42nd street gondola like they have in Portland instead of a light rail. You use the same components they manufacture for ski areas, so your cost is low. They are 30-50 feet off the ground so that they don't interfer with the traffic. Better yet you could have it cross the hudson river to Jersey at 42nd to a giant parking complex?

Tom

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:11:14 -0500

The vision is nice, but most of it is impractical. If the subways are free, who pays the drivers and the other worthless employees the MTA has? Even if you removed the booth operators and engineers, you still have a mess of track inspectors and repairmen to pay. As for the 42nd Street railway idea; go to Brookline in Boston along the Green Line. It makes the traffic along the cross streets worse, not better. Not to mention the inevitable "Train hits car at grade crossing, 50 pedestrians dead" headline. People in the city will always have cars. After a certain age, you have enough money and you don't want to spend every weekend here. Until Amtrak builds an efficient system that actually stops in remote places where people want to go, cars are never going away.

Jen Chung

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:09:46 -0500

Transit Enthusiast, thanks for adding that - I've edited the post accordingly.

Paul Moss

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:04:05 -0500

It could be the smartest $100,000 the city never spent. Does anyone know of any other cities that have tried such a proposal?

Transit Enthusiast

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:01:35 -0500

Just to be crystal clear: the guy is infirm and could not use the subways in his condition. He uses a cane and needs assistance getting around, he could barely stand for more than a few moments. Obviously he has money, hence the "chauffeur" instead of Access-a-Ride. I saw him speak at the reception and I think he's got a great vision. And in addition to the fun fact the guy went toe-to-toe with Robert Moses over the use of toll money to subsidize transit back in the day, and won. Now that's a fun fact. Just want to clarify, as the chauffeur comment will be distorted by some.