Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Sandy

Scenes From a Commute Without Subways

10:07 AM EDT on October 31, 2012

Photo:

With the NYC subway system knocked out indefinitely and service suspended on the LIRR, Metro-North, NJ Transit, and PATH systems, New Yorkers are gamely heading back to work today. MTA bus routes have resumed service, but across the board, their status is "Delayed." Early reports indicate that traffic is a disaster. It looks like HOV restrictions, busways, and bike/ped lanes can't come soon enough.

Here are a few images from NYC's streets this morning, sent by readers and plucked from Twitter. Send in your photos of the commute without subways to tips@streetsblog.org.

Waiting for the M104. Michael Paulson, an editor at the Times, reports that crammed buses are bypassing stops. Photo:
A bus stuck amidst the cars on the inbound Gowanus. Photo: Streetsblog reader Moocow
Traffic snarled on Queens Boulevard, heading toward the Queensboro Bridge. Photo:
Ben Fried
Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Bike Lanes

The Streetsblog Angle: The 70th Street Bike Lane Is In the Epstein Files!

Somewhere, maybe, Woody Allen finally regrets opposing that bike lane.

January 30, 2026
Delivery workers

The Mamdani Effect: Three Delivery Apps Must Pay $5M In Minimum Pay Settlement

A new era: Mayor Mamdani's worker protection department announces new enforcement against UberEats, HungryPanda, and Fantuan for not complying with the minimum pay law.

January 30, 2026
Streetsblog USASpecial Features

Friday Video: Should We Stop Calling Them ‘Low-Traffic Neighborhoods’?

Is it time for London's game-changing urban design concept to get a rebrand?

January 30, 2026
Parking Placards

Ten Years of Placard Abuse: The Criminal Practice that Mamdani Must End

Placard corruption has drowned New York City in illegally parked cars for more than a decade. Mayor Mamdani must end it for good.

January 30, 2026
Traffic Enforcement

Data Analysis: Super Speeders and Red Light Violators Are Less Likely to Get NYPD Tickets

Drivers caught most often by speed and red light cameras are at the receiving end of comparatively little NYPD enforcement.

January 30, 2026
Car-Free Streets

Open Streets are Business Incubators, Yet Another Report Shows

Want jobs? Keep out the cars.

January 30, 2026
See all posts