Not The Kind Of Hike I Would Like To Pos t About...

“The MTA is looking to raise fares on the world's largest transit system, right here in the Big Apple. They are proposing a 50 cent fare increase, which would bring the cost of a single ride to $2.00. This is a significant increase, amounting to 33%. Of course, this is meeting a lot of angst from commuters and straphanger groups. It is also coming at a bad economic time, especially for a city that is still reeling financially from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Unfortunately, right now, unemployment is at an extreme high and the economy is in the dumper, with no end in sight. Also, it seems like the federal tax cut 'mask' is throwing more fiscal responsibility on the states and local municipalities, which results in higher property taxes, service cuts, etc. I can understand the people who depend on mass transit in the city feeling like the system is letting them down. It's not what anybody needs, especially now.

On the other hand, in the interest of fairness, I will say this. As it currently stands, $1.50 will get you to just about anywhere you want to go within the city limits. That's not bad. Most of the work that is being done to maintain the system is done on weekends and nights, to keep the trains running smooth during the weekdays. There are relatively few delays, if any, on most rides to and from work. It is an extremely efficient system. Even two dollars for that type of service is not a bad deal, comparatively speaking. Maple and I get monthly unlimited access 'Metrocards' for 63 dollars/month. The plan is to raise that up to 65 dollars. A modest increase, I must say. The cost of a weekly pass will go from 17 to 20 dollars. That I can't complain too loudly about.

One thing I am waiting for is the word on how much the bridges and tunnels will go up for drivers. But, that, my friends, is another story...”

“And so it goes in The BIG City.

Baltimore desparately needs subways, trolleys and decent buses.

Our new governor, Herr Erlich, says he will not ask for U.S. money to improve public transportation.
Thanks, Bob!

Last year it was a regular occurance to have wheels fall off of the half-a$$-maintained buses.
They are just lucky as all hell that one of those runaway wheels didn't take down any pedestrians.

Oh, the wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round
Runnin' people down
All over town!

I suppose we should just count our blessings and be grateful that none of those ramblin' bus wheels were flaming as they bounced and rolled down the street.”

“Sorry Tom, just remembered the movie "Speed." Gawd, that was bad.”

“Hey treebeard, I still have more than 20 bucks on my MTA card. I'll give it to you Friday night, I won't be needing it! :-)”

“That's cool. I can definitely use that for my daughter...”

“Wish I could get to work for $63/mo.”

“That's why I qualified it in the last paragraph, Violin. It is a pretty good deal, overall.”

“It's fun passing the time while waiting for a subway by counting how many rats you can see near the tracks.”

“I can't believe that New York City has the worlds largest transit system. It seems much much smallet than Tokyo's.
(but I agree that there should be a bigger public committment to public transportation).”

“Ped, I always thought this system was the largest. It has 468 stations and 656 miles of track.

If you are interested, here's a concise page of facts:

subwayfacts”

“Nice post treebeard. I think the hike sucks. This proposed NYC commuter tax sucks even more. Bloomberg wants us (LI, NJ, Conn., etc.)to pay for the city's woes. Commuters spend enough in the city on restaurants, entertainment, transportation, etc.”

“True dat, WB. It's going to be a rough ride in the near future...”

“don't know about you but my salary's not going up accordingly or anytime soon. Happy I have a job though.”

“Neither is mine, Bro. But I am pretty stable for now. I guess we have to be thankful for that...”

“Interesting facts TB: It's hard to be sure that we are comparing apples to apples, but it looks like NYC has more subway miles, while Tokyo has more stations, more capacity and more passengers. That means that the difference is not as clear as I thought - based on taking the subway in both cities... I was probably influenced by how developed the connections were between Tokyo and the rest of the country. Anyhow... it looks like either city can claim braggin rights and my "gut" reaction was wrong.”

“ped, you guys in Boston have a pretty cool system. I rode it last year and other then the fact that the last train leaves around 1:00am and if your drunk and you miss it, then hope you got your hiking boots on.

LOL”

“As long as I'm stroking the transit system, (lord knows why, on the day they are to raise the fares) I have to give them credit for one other thing. They promote something called 'Music Under New York'. In many stations, one can see and hear struggling street musicians doing their various acts. I am glad that the cops don't just shoo them away, but more or less encourage artistic exhibition. I walk through Grand Central Station daily to get to work and have witnessed some folks with extroadinary talent. In particular, there is an electric violinist who works with a high tech percussion guy that are phenomenal. His playing is reminiscent of Jean Luc Ponty or Sugarcane Harris. I could go on and on about specific people, but the funniest one I have seen is the Spanish guy that dances to Salsa music with a 'dance hall' clad dummy. Her legs move in a semi realistic way when viewed from behind or from the side. There's also some subpar talent. The little old guy who breathes in and out into a harmonica incessently while hopping from one foot to the other is a prime example. But that's another thread entirely...”

“NYC definitely has a better system than Boston - what y'all have puts us to shame.

We've still got a Puritan streak about a lot of things. Folks just can't see that anyone who needs to ride the subway after 1AM could be up to anything but no-good. We've still got all sorts of blue laws.

As an Aussie once told me: "You got the Puritans and we got the convicts, I think we got the better end of the deal."

The rail system in Japan, especially Tokyo puts everything I've seen to shame. You can set your clocks by the trains.”

“I support the musicians. I buy there CD's when it's possible.
I have stumbled onto some wonderful music.”

“Is Tokyo's system 24 hours, Ped? I was under the impression (at least this was true some years ago) that NYC had the only 24/7 system in the world.”

“It wasn't when I was there in '87...”

“The Tokyo system, that is...”

“there's this guy at the wall st. station who plays guitar all the time. A couple of weeks ago it must have been like -10 degrees down there and there he was like clockwork. I don't know how he could play like that-hand's freezing and all. I like the steel drummers.”

“True, WB. Some of these folks endure some rough conditions not suited for comfortable playing. Some get the better spots than others, I guess. Hey, it's even competitive down there.”