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In case you didn't realize it on August 8, when a tropical storm caused the massive flooding in the streets and subways, essentially shutting down the system, the MTA didn't so such a great job of anticipating the storm's severity or letting riders know how to get around. But now, a report to Governor Spitzer lays it all out in its 115-page glory (here's the PDF). Highlights:
Operations Findings:Recommendations include creating an MTA Emergency Response Center, a "corrective action plan for top flood-prone locations," improving its weather forecasting and increasing bandwidth to their website. Most exciting: The fact that the MTA should send text messages and email alerts to riders when service is disrupted during emergencies.
- The storm was not predicted early enough by weather forecasters, hindering the MTA’s response.
- While in most instances MTA agencies worked together to maximize service options, communication across agencies was not as well-coordinated, efficient, and frequent as possible.
- In many cases, MTA agencies failed to provide disrupted customers with travel alternatives.Engineering Findings:
- Flooding occurred at points throughout the MTA’s system for three primary reasons:
- Extraordinary amounts of water entering subways or low-lying rights-of-way (ROW) areas. These areas have been subject to water entry or flooding in the past.
- Overwhelmed pumps or backflow caused by water levels above design capacity. While only one pump in the system malfunctioned, the remainder could not remove the water inflow fast enough and in some instances had no place to pump it. In other areas, excessive water inflow came from backflow from external drainage systems where the MTA currently has no check valves.
- Debris blocked interior and exterior drainage structures. Regular cleaning along rights-of-way (ROW) or roadways is necessary to ensure proper functioning of drainage systems. The initial downpour washed debris into drains that may not have been clogged. The MTA and our regional partners must do whatever they can to keep drains clean in advance and do whatever they can to clear them of debris during storms.Communications Findings:
- Customers did not always have access to accurate information in stations.
- Customers lacked access to real-time service information on the go.
- Many customers had difficulty accessing the MTA’s website, www.mta.info, or easily finding critical information on the site.
- Information on the severity of the NYC Transit disruption was delayed reaching media outlets.
Photograph by reader Faith, of a Manhattan-bound platform of a Queens subway station; share your photos with us by emailing us at photos(at)gothamist(dot)com or tagging them "gothamist" on Flickr
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great pic.
in one ear...
this happens once every two years, or once a year, tops. What's the big deal? Instead of setting up a master plan for the one day, when rain overwhelms the system, why not just invest in other new stuff that we will use 364 days of the year. Hey - the slog on that day sucks - but at least everyone has a story to tell.
That's the Broadway station on the N/W line. I pass by that station on my short trip to work, but I pass by before 8:00 AM. It's hardly that crowded then.
#3, you have a good point. I would like to see a cost-benefit analysis comparing: A) city productivity lost by subways being out one day per year (minimized of course by adequate notification systems) versus B) spending millions or billions of dollars fixing the pumps
Also, seeing this news article brought back bad memories of walking 1 hour on the hottest, most humid day of the year to get to work.
Tropical storm?? There was no tropical storm! It was just a complex of thunderstorms, nothing more. And the fact that it "was not predicted early enough by weather forecasters" is total BS. Single thunderstorms are NEVER predicted and never will be in the near future. That's why the NWS issues probability forecasts. Any idiot
monitoring publicly-available radar could have nowcasted the storm and flooding an hour or two in advance. That is the MTA's job, the the NWS's.
i stopped reading after "so such a great job"
It's so sad to see the impact of "debris", much of which I suspect is litter.
I know I'm up-tight, but I'm always surprised when I see people throwing their trash on the street or onto the subway tracks. I haven't done that since I was about 4 (and my mother made sure I didn't do it again). I usually think they must be tourists or B&T who don't care if they screw up this city.
Having the MTA spend $millions for a 1 day event may be poor value for money, but reducing litter can be free. If only we could bar those shit-eating pigs from our nice city. See, there I go again.
I don't know why the MTA can't choose two stations a day to unclog the drains or otherwise clean the tracks.
By the end of the year, the drains would almost all be working again.
The condition of some tracks does not change for what seems like years.
Why is Jen repeating the fallacy that this was a TROPICAL STORM! It was absolutely no such thing. It was a single severe thunderstorm, an entirely different scenario.
As a 4-year resident of Astoria, Queens I can attest to the fact that the picture above is not at all unusual for Manhattan-bound Queens residents.
In fact, the above photo is pretty much the standard morning commute. You don't need a torrential downpour for that to happen.
MTA = currupt money stealing burearocratic slobs.
The subways are a disgrace.
why in the name of zeus do they comission a study for these things? shit happens once or twice a year, the mta sucks, there is no communication with customers whatsoever in mta metropolitan transit. WE KNOW THIS ALREADY. spend the money you just wasted on this dumbass study on slowly improving conditions and attempting to bring the system into the late 20th century
Oh my God!!! People!!! It seems that you have never lived in a city with NORMALLY functioning subway system!!! It was not "one time a year" event! It is happening every day. How often do you hear: "There is a train in front of us. We will be moving shortly." WTF???
Or conductor yelling on top of his lungs : "Next train is right behind us! Release the door" Of course it is, dumb ass, it cannot switch the rail. I lived in cities as big or bigger than NYC, which I love, but it was never taking me such a long time to get from point A to point B. I am not even talking about "esthetics" of this shit-hole!!!
3:Cool: Excellent point. I mean, there were what, several hundred million gallons of water all trying to find the lowest point at once? I understand it messed up peoples' commutes, but it only happens every once in a blue moon.
Sheesh.
It doesn't happen once a year you idiots, it happened at least 3 times this past summer and happens more often. If you like walking to work for 3 hours in the unbearable heat that my hat is off to you but majority of people need some kind of communication to tell them what to do in this kind of emergency. If MTA doesn't get some kind of up to date real time customer communication system in place it does NOT deserve to raise fares etc.
Subways have to be in tip top shape, as seen in the seventies when you let infrastructure decay you pay for it 100x in the future. So if you don't fix the pumps now, you will pay 100x what it costs now to have to fix them in the future.
The MTA was unprepared? No sh*t, Sherlock...