Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Bloomberg's latest bright idea

The most recent bombast from the great dictator:

Mike's Plan for a Better NYC Transit System

FANTASY:

Reopening dormant LIRR stations in underserved neighborhoods

* Several LIRR stations in Queens have long been closed, depriving residents of an additional mass transit option, even though the trains continue to pass through their neighborhoods

* The MTA should reopen the Glendale, Richmond Hill and Elmhurst LIRR stations, all of which would also be eligible for the expanded CityTicket program


REALITY:

Elmhurst, on the Port Washington Line, has frequent service direct to NYC. But there is a subway station one block away.

Glendale and Richmond Hill are on the Montauk Line, which means the ride dead-ends at the now infamous LIC station. Riders would then have to walk to the #7 train and pay another $2.25 to get to NYC. Currently there is only one westbound train in the morning and one eastbound train in the evening.

As the NY Times mentioned in 1998 when Richmond Hill and Glendale closed:

The L.I.R.R. is abandoning the five Queens stations and five others in Nassau and Suffolk Counties because they are deemed too "lightly used" to justify the cost of necessary renovations. It would take an estimated $260,000 to $2.25 million per station, L.I.R.R. officials say, to modify them to comply with Federal requirements on access for the disabled and accommodate the railroad's new double-decker diesel trains.

And that was in 1998 money. God knows how much that would cost now. Hey, maybe we can throw more federal stimulus money down the tubes for this.

Glendale didn't even have a platform when it closed and certainly doesn't now.

So what idiot at the Bloomberg campaign came up with this? Does this guy even know the details about what he's proposing?

Should be fun today if he's allowed to take questions during his 10:30am appearance at the Glendale Diner which was meant to promote this.

Thompson and Avella should be all over this as more proof that this guy is out of touch with reality and not a very good manager.

22 comments:

Taxpayer said...

"Thompson and Avella should be all over this as more proof that this guy is out of touch with reality and not a very good manager."

Not a very good manager?

This little twit was fired for incompetence.

He's a brainless bore who has no connection to reality. And, because he's the Commissar, he believes that he doesn't have to have any sense of reality.

So, he purchases even more brainless bores whose only skill is tongue roto-rooter. These morons don't know what stupid is.

But they do know the Commissar is way too stupid to examine their proposals.

When he fails, they'll sell themselves to some other imbecile.

Anonymous said...

The mayor also proposes free crosstown buses for Manhattan. Hey, how about Queens?

Unknown said...

Remember who is/was on the MTA board.. a relative of Atlas Park. From they time they started building they have been looking into using the LIRR tracks near them as a station to entice people to their "life style center".
Plus they have been wanting to put hotels there. A LIRR stop would make it more convenient for the air ports... (in their world)

Missing Foundation said...

Creating Light Rail or Street Car Services in Western Queens Neighborhoods

• Many neighborhoods in the city, particularly along the Queens waterfront, have existing, dormant trolley and train tracks running through their streets

• New light rail or street car service on these tracks would connect waterfront neighborhoods to the rest of the transportation network

Expanding Ferry Network and Linking to Transit System

• The plan would create a robust, high frequency inter-boro ferry service along the East River connecting to existing facilities in Long Island City

• Passengers could use their MetroCards for ferries and newly connecting bus service

----

Wanted you to take a look at this - the rest Queens suffers because subway lines that could servie 100,000s and were proposed in the 1920s were never built, and are not still considered, while subsidizing 10,000s of Tower People in toxic brown fields and floodzones built away from transporation will get taxes paid by you and me.

Again.

Anonymous said...

As Bloomberg begins to feel the noose (heh, heh, heh) tightening around his neck this coming November...he's becoming more fully aware that all of his hopes for achieving a 3 term in office might be coming to a swift conclusion.

That's why he's stomping around in circles...screaming out frantic orders to his PR staff to come up with any hair brained stalling scheme to gain an edge and a possible stay of execution.

Too late amigo...democracy still rules and it's not too late to dump this demented sawed off dictator!

If every voter who's unsatisfied with hizzoner's past 8 year lack of performance will help spring the scaffold trap with their votes against Mike...he'll be kaput...out of our hair...history!

Tick, tick, tick...you're popularity numbers continue to tumble in the polls Mayor Mike.

It's getting time to make your peace with the padre.

Amen!

Anonymous said...

Bloombucks:

out of touch ~ out of office

Anonymous said...

Should be fun today if he's allowed to take questions during his 10:30am appearance at the Glendale Diner which was meant to promote this.
---

Only if you ask the right questions with the cameras rolling and ACT UP!

Jerry Rotondi said...

This latest proposal only continues to show just how much Mayor Bloomberg has been out of touch with the real issues and the non-wealthy residents of NYC.

Can we abide 4 more years of folly at the hands of this elitist boob?

Vote the rich runt out for good!

Anonymous said...

Chrissy Quinn has been hizzoner's chief "tongue roto rooter" whenever she could find some time tear herself away from her belle de jour!

Anonymous said...

"Should be fun today if he's allowed to take questions during his 10:30am appearance at the Glendale Diner which was meant to promote this."

And which Queens reporters do you think will be astute enough to ask him about this? Remember, they are told to not ask anything that's slightly controversial because of all the ad revenue their papers derive from hizzoner.

Jerry Rotondi said...

If you don't think that hizzoner will take any of your questions, then be sure to show up with some pithy signs.

The media can't afford to ignore those.

It gets them the readership which in turn supports their ad revenue.

Too bad I didn't have the time to show up with my latest creation.

Next time Mayor Mike!

Anonymous said...

Should be fun today if he's allowed to take questions during his 10:30am appearance at the Glendale Diner which was meant to promote this."

And which Queens reporters do you think will be astute enough to ask him about this? Remember, they are told to not ask anything that's slightly controversial because of all the ad revenue their papers derive from hizzoner.


Because John Q Public with a cell phone asking the right question, and watching him lose it, and posting it on Crappie, is worth a sea of ink, and a forest of pulp, of Queens Tribunes, Queens Couriers, Queens Chonricles, and Queens Gazettes.

Thats why.

faster340 said...

The MTA should focus on bringing the LIRR into Grand Central. That would be really convenient for travel on the east side of Manhattan.

Anonymous said...

Doucheberg took control of schools-FAILURE!!!! Schools are overcrowded and kids are bussed across boroughs to attend classes, WTF??? now this Fuckberg wants control of MTA. NEVER KING Douche, go to Bahamas and play with your little boys.

Anonymous said...

Just what we need, another glossy full color brochure from Bloombucks full of verbiage like his PlaNYC and no substance. Only 35% of Queens residents work in Manhattan. We need free buses here and busses that have routes we need.

Sergey Kadinsky said...

I have to say that while much of the Mayor's plan is unrealistic, here are some points worth keeping:

1. Eliminating toll plazas.
2. Ferry expansion.

As for the Richmond Hill and Glendale stations- unless this LIRR line is connected to Manhattan, fuhgetaboutit!

Kevin Walsh said...

REOPEN? Bloomie and his staff never see Queens out their limo windows. Elmhurst has been completely gone since 1980--they can't reopen it, they'd have to REBUILD it.

If they want Glendale to reopen they would have to build high platforms on all the old Montauk Line stations, which the LIRR cited in cost concerns when closing the line's stations between LIC and Jamaica in 1998.

www.forgotten-ny.com

Queens Crapper said...

Here's the best:

"Specifically in Queens, Bloomberg said the MTA should reopen the LIRR stations in Glendale, Richmond Hill and Elmhurst, which he said would not be a big expense since the stations are already there."

Define station. If it means no platform, no ticket booth, no seats...then yeah, Glendale is ready to reopen tomorrow.

PizzaBagel said...

These are all empty promises. Just so much pie in the sky. There's no chance in hell that any of these brilliant ideas will even get to the planning stages within the next mayor's -- hopefully not his -- term, and he knows it. He has only so much clout with the MTA. All this is just so much blather that he thinks the populace wants to hear and will eat up without questioning it. Just say no to four more years.

Anonymous said...

Every day this despicable despot proves how clueless he is about the outer boroughs. I hope that our counterparts in Brooklyn are taking note of the destruction of the beloved Cony Island site. Wake up people and see though this a*wipe before it is too late. Another four years and the destruction will be irreversable.

Anonymous said...

Lookie here missing foundation - don't propose the existing under-utilized or abandoned tracks be awaken with commuter trains - there are close to 500K folks sleeping next to these tracks.

However your suggestions about light street rail is very doable and cost 2% of any major rail build-out.

I say let the LIRR rider foot the bill to restore the stations despite the faults they have as we Queens residents need alternative good, bad and ugly!

Missing Foundation said...

Lookie here missing foundation - don't propose the existing under-utilized or abandoned tracks be awaken with commuter trains - there are close to 500K folks sleeping next to these tracks.
--

Subways, bub, subways. No one builds elevevated anymore, or even surface lines.

I am old enough to remember when cars used to get stuck behind trolleys.