The family of a 26-year-old Chinese restaurant deliveryman killed by a MTA bus has spoken out about the tragedy. On Friday afternoon, Qi Ming Weng had apparently fallen off his electric bicycle riding on Second Avenue near 96th Street when a MTA express bus rolled over him, crushing his skull. The Post reports that Weng's relatives are blaming it on the Second Avenue subway construction that is taking up lanes. more ›

A MTA bus and a delivery man on a bicycle collided on the Upper East Side today, leaving the bicyclist dead at the scene. The incident occurred at Second Avenue and East 96th Street just before 4:30 p.m.; the bus driver kept going, apparently not realizing someone was hit, and the authorities are still seeking the bus. more ›

When they first hit Second Avenue, the Select Bus Service buses were plagued with ticketing problems and slow service. It was so bad that the city had to add extra buses along the line, which made all the money they put into the new SBS buses sound like a waste. Mayor Bloomberg defended the project in October, saying, "I'm sure you'll write a big exposé that it's a total failure, and six months from now, you will never write the story that it's the success that it's going to be." Well Bloomberg, this post is for you, because the MTA seems to have the SBS working smoothly. more ›

A frustrated Gothamist commenter wants to know why the new M line isn't stopping at 2nd Avenue, particularly because "that station is always packed and now there's going to be even LESS service. Brutal." So we asked NYC Transit about the quirk, and a spokesman tells us, "If you look at the new map, you'll see the Chrystie St cut the M is taking to meet up with the 6th Ave corridor at Broadway/Lafayette. There's no other way for it to diverge from the Broadway Line (J,M,Z) corridor to merge with the 6th Ave (B,D,F—and now M) Line corridor. That, in a roundabout way, is why the M can't stop @ 2nd Ave." And that's one to grow on. Still sucks for the East Village, but at least it's not inexplicably brutal. more ›

Today was a big day for the Second Avenue Subway project: the enormous tunnel boring machine that will dig the "phase one" tunnel from 92nd to 63rd Street was switched on for the first time. (It arrived at the location last month.) We stopped by the site this morning to take some pictures of the current site and the sandhogs who are working down there. And after the jump, some video of the boring machine beginning to turn. more ›

The city and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority unveiled plans for an expansive overhaul of First and Second avenues intended to make commuting by bus and bicycle faster and safer. The proposed redesign stretches from Houston Street to 125th Street, and it calls for so-called select protected bike lanes, pedestrian refuges, and the implementation of so-called select bus service and other bus improvements planned to reduce travel times by 20 to 25 percent. more ›

The city has filed a federal lawsuit against Nigeria over allegations that the nation's government owes the city millions in back real estate taxes. According to the suit, the African country failed to pay taxes for commercial office space and other non-tax exempt spaces in its 22-story Second Avenue building, known as the "Nigeria House," the Post reports. more ›

The MTA is considering rolling out bus-only lanes on First and Second avenues that the agency says might shorten commutes between Houston Street and 125th Street. The "East Side speedway" could be laid down by September 2010, and the agency is planning to stock up on "dozens of super-stretch buses for the new service," the Daily News reports. more ›

Yesterday, the Post reported that a Second Avenue building—right near where the MTA is working on Second Avenue subway construction—was vacated by the Department of Buidlings. Residents and business owners were annoyed, with one saying, "They came today at 2 p.m. and said you have to get out. The building could collapse at any minute." Now it turns out that the building, 1768 2nd Avenue was leaning by 18 inches: According to the DOB, the specific issue is a "FAIL TO MAINTAIN BLDG EXTERIOR BLDG LEANING TO NORTH BY 18' OUT OF PLUMB." While residents and business owners blame the subway construction, today the Post says that an MTA consultant sent a memo to the DOB, back in 2006, "about the poor conditions of the buildings on the block," but the memo was ignored. more ›

Ah, the Second Avenue subway project—that mythical, subterranean Chimera that mayors and governors have spun tales about since time immemorial—is once again in danger of abandonment. With all the talk of service cutbacks as the MTA stares down the barrel of a $1 billion budged deficit, some are wondering if the transit authority should really be spending an estimated $3,000 every minute of every day to dig under Second Avenue at this particular juncture. more ›

While Upper East Side residents feel it's been hell without a second subway line, some Second Avenue business owners are feeling the pinch from the MTA's construction of the long-awaited Second Avenue Subway. Yesterday, businesses asked Mayor Bloomberg to give them a hand, by boosting state legislation aimed at aiding them. more ›

The MTA unveiled its 2008-2013 Capital Plan, which explained almost $30 billion will be needed to improve mass transit and complete projects like the Second Avenue Subway, the East Side Access plan and more by 2030 (many of those projects will also be delayed). Though the current MTA capital plan doesn't expire until next year, the MTA presented this plan because the state congestion pricing legislation required them to present a plan by the end of the first quarter of 2008. more ›

One hundred years ago today, the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad opened for business with one mission – to get the passengers to and from the various railroad terminals on the Hudson County New Jersey side of the river to or from Manhattan who would otherwise have to take ferries. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the PATH, the Port Authority is giving free PATH rides today between 6AM and 11PM. more ›

Thanks to Modern Mechanix we can now see what New York was supposed to look like by the year 2000, as seen from 1927. In that article "streets on five levels have been prophesied," but by 1931, two-level streets (pictured) seemed more realistic.

A definite step towards the relief of traffic congestion on much traveled city thoroughfares by the construction of streets under streets is soon to be taken by the city of New York. When this stupendous project has been brought to completion the metropolis will have an underground lane for fast through traffic, a tunnel for local and express trains, all built underneath the surface street, which will be left for local traffic. more ›

Anyone trying to plot the best subway route to serve their departure and destination points has long since given up on the MTA website, which for years has mostly confined itself to below-ground mapping and shown a remarkable disregard for how the subway actually corresponds with the street level. Sites such as Hopstop and OnNYturf have sprung up to fill the void with integrated mapping, but now they’ve got competition from some new improvements on the NYC Transit website. more ›

The police are investigating the murder of a 69-year-old woman in her apartment at 2400 Second Avenue. Helen Abbot's body was found by her daughter on Sunday afternoon, after she hadn't been heard from in two days. A medical examiner determined that she was strangled, stabbed and beaten to death. more ›

The Times takes a look at Portland’s $150,000 project to retrofit some major intersections with cyclist-friendly “bike boxes.” The painted stripes and signs create a zone where cyclists can cross in front of stopped traffic to turn without getting run down by turning trucks, theoretically. Dubbed a “right hook”, it resulted in the deaths of two cyclists last October in Portland, and plenty in New York. more ›

So much for halting the hike! Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Spitzer have both given their approval of the MTA's proposed 4-7% fare hikes for subway and bus riders. The base fare will remain $2, but the unlimited Metrocard prices will increase. The Mayor (from China apparently) said, "Based on the information that my staff and I have received and reviewed over the past few weeks, I am now satisfied that the MTA budget is a... more ›

The two brothers who fell more than 40 stories from an Upper East Side apartment tower--only one surviving--had an inkling, if not outright concern, that the window washing scaffolding and platform they were using was not safe. A brother-in-law of Alcides and Edgar Moreno said that he talked with one of the brothers the morning of the incident, expressing their concern over the safety of the equipment, which apparently had a history of malfunctioning.The family... more ›

The New York City Transit Authority, the MTA division that oversees the subways and buses, will be now split up the management of the subway lines and instead assign a manager to deal with a line or a number of lines. The NY Times spoke to NYC Transit president Howard Roberts Jr.:The goal, Mr. Roberts said, is to have 24 subway lines operating in many ways as 24 self-contained railroads. (The number may vary,... more ›

Last week, the Daily News trumpeted the plight of Amarjit Singh. Singh was injured after a mentally disturbed man's stabbing rampage on Second Avenue in October, and hasn't worked since the incident. more ›

Governor Eliot Spitzer announced that he would ask the MTA to keep the base subway and bus fare at $2 yesterday morning, earning praise from elected officials and Mike Lupica, but it's hard for riders to truly weigh in, as the cost of unlimited Metrocards will probably be going up. About 85% of riders use the unlimited cards, and the director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, Bill Henderson, told the Post... more ›

Today, the Daily News put Amarjit Singh on its cover and asks New Yorkers to help him. Who is Singh? He was the cook at the Texas Smokehouse BBQ in Murray Hill until October 6, when a mentally ill man, Lee Coleman, stormed into the kitchen and grabbed four knives. Singh tried to stop Coleman, but Coleman slashed him in the head before heading outside to repeatedly stab pedestrian Susan Barron. Coleman only stopped when... more ›

Back Forty: Peter Hoffman of Savoy brings his fresh-from-the-farm mentality to the East Village, complete with farm implements decorating the walls. The term "Back Forty" referred to the undeveloped quarter of a 160-acre homestead where farm families went to relax and unwind. The menu may be small, but includes a grass-fed beef burger, Maine shrimp and bacon beignets, and a whole grilled Catskill trout. Wash it down with a house cocktail, or if you've got a sweet tooth, a root beer float. 190 Avenue B, near 12th Street, 212-388-1990. more ›

A homeless man was shot in the stomach by an off-duty transit police officer after he stabbed two people randomly in Murray Hill yesterday afternoon. The assailant, identified as 38-year-old Lee Coleman, was wounded and is in serious condition; he was charged with attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. more ›

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It was originally named the 8th Avenue Subway, but the 'A' train turns 75 today, having opened September 10th, 1932. Officials are holding a ceremony at the line's northernmost station––Inwood/207th St.––and will be running six antique railcars from the 1930s during the day to commemorate the event. This is more than the Eighth Ave. Subway garnered on its opening day: Back in 1932, just before midnight, transit workers simply dropped chains blocking access to turnstiles up and down the line and riders were free to pay the five cent fare at any of the original 28 stations between 207th St. and Chambers St., a total distance of 12 miles. more ›