Queens Blogger Runs His Own Commuter Contest
By way of comment on Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing proposal and, perhaps, in response to Transportation Alternatives' recent bike vs. subway vs. taxi commuter contest, the author of Queens Crap, a blog focused on local development issues, conducted his own rush hour comparison test. Here are his results:
8:00: left house, walked to bus 8:03: arrived at bus stop 8:07: bus scheduled to arrive 8:23: bus arrived, packed* 8:55: bus deposited Crapper at subway 8:56: Crapper boarded Manhattan bound train 9:10: Crapper switched for uptown express 9:25: Train arrived, Crapper boarded** 9:40: Crapper emerged from subway and walked 9:45: Crapper arrived at work, 45 minutes late (and was out 3/4 hour pay) Total commuting time: 1 hr, 45 minutes Transit cost: $4 (including return home) Wages lost: $32 Total cost: $36 Number of times Crapper was late this month because of the MTA: 6
Alternate route taken by Crapper's neighbor:
8:00: Left house 8:10: Arrived at Queens Midtown Tunnel 8:25: Got to other side of tunnel 8:40: Arrived at parking garage 8:45: Had breakfast 9:00: Arrived at work Total commuting time: 40 minutes Transit & parking cost: $27 Wages lost: $0 Total cost: $27 Number of times neighbor was late this month because of traffic: 2 Yes, congestion pricing will improve the average New Yorker's commute and quality of life. The Crapper will now be carpooling with neighbor and splitting cost. * Reason bus was late: driver called out sick and there was no replacement for him ** Reason train was late: it was announced, but God knows what was said on the PA system
Perhaps Mr. Crapper wants to consider skipping the bus altogether and riding a bicycle to the subway station?
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog New York City
Bus Advocates Target Anti-Busway ‘Hypocrites’ at Bronx Zoo and Botanical Garden
A petition drive by Bronx bus riders calls out the institutions for boosting transit on their websites, but then trying to undermine it in the real world.
‘Duped’: A Harlem 20-Something Blows the Whistle on an Illegal Temporary License Plate Business
Kareem found out the hard way that his Craigslist gig delivering temp tags was illegal. Now he's exposing the operation that employed him, revealing clues about his anonymous bosses that all trace back to the same place.
Day 3: These Hunger Strikers aren’t Paid Lobbyists — But Albany Can’t Tell the Difference
ALBANY — “They are putting every barrier in our way to not have to face us directly and look us in the eye and then make an unconscionable decision. This is Albany at its worst,” said Amy Cohen.
Manhattan Pol Wants OMNY to Work With Citi Bike
Citi Bike could become even more popular if the MTA figured out a way to integrate it with the OMNY pay system.
