Tuesday Headlines: The City That Never Sometimes Sleeps Edition

When this thing is over, we never want to see this logo again.
When this thing is over, we never want to see this logo again.

Today is the last full day of 24-hour-a-day subway service. Starting at 1 a.m. tomorrow (what most people call Tuesday night, especially if they’re just trying to get home from work or get home drunk or both), the entire subway system will close for four hours a day of early morning cleaning.

The MTA held a conference call with reporters on Monday, and it was clear from the line of questioning that no one trusts the agency’s promise to restore full 24-7 service after the pandemic. But the agency maintains that New York will one day once again be the City that Never Sleeps (Or If It Does, It Does it On The Subway).

Meanwhile, Guse of the Newsuh (who had to wrangle a cat during the Zoom call) focused on the MTA’s promise of police saturation during the closing hours. “The police presence in the subways during the period … is going to be at an unprecedented level,” said MTA Chairman Pat Foye.

The Post didn’t bother to write up the conference call, but reporter David Meyer (corona ‘stache photo available upon request) did ask officials about a photo of an MTA worker cleaning around a homeless person. “We do not ask our workforce or our cleaners to engage in social services or to engage with someone who isn’t interested in moving or doesn’t want to move,” Interim New York City Transit President Sarah Feinberg told the shaggy scribe.

Mark Hallum of amNY highlighted the massive expansion in overnight bus service, which will include free rides, even on express buses.

And we would be remiss if we didn’t mark the historic occasion by sharing a link to Life in a Blender’s beloved 2002 tribute to overnight subway cleaners, “Mobile Wash Unit.” Take it away, Don!

There was other news yesterday, of course.

  • Could this be the first time Streetsblog and the police union occupy common ground? On Monday, Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said cops should not be in the business of enforcing social distancing (NY Post). We wonder if Lynch knows that liberal Council Member Brad Lander said the same thing a day earlier?
  • Great scrappy newspaper minds think alike. We’d been working on our story about the low COVID-19 infection and fatality rate in Asian communities, but The City popped its version up a few hours before we did (darn!). Both are worth reading.
  • Another victim of COVID-19: The city’s plan to make roads safer and reduce carbon emissions by reforming the private carting industry has been put on hold due to the pandemic. We hope it’s temporary! (Waste Dive)
  • The New York Times printed a few dozen reader submissions about the “bright side” of the corona pandemic. Not a single entry mentioned cars. But plenty mentioned biking.
  • And, finally, check it out: Highways officially have bike lanes now. (WhatIsNewYork on Instagram)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

BRT, Rail, and New York City: A Conversation With Walter Hook

By Ben Fried |
Perhaps no one knows the ins and outs of BRT better than Walter Hook. As director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, Hook has advised cities on four continents about BRT implementation, including Jakarta's seven-corridor network, the first full-fledged BRT system in Asia. Streetsblog caught up with Hook -- in between trips to Cape Town and Mexico City -- for an email Q&A about why New York City needs Bus Rapid Transit, common misconceptions of BRT in America, and what will make BRT succeed here.

MTA Budget Proposes Severe Service Cuts, Perpetual Fare Hikes

By Brad Aaron |
Elliot "Lee" Sander As expected, the proposed 2009 MTA budget is rife with grim news. In addition to various cutbacks at the administrative level, the budget and 2009-2012 financial plan — minus an infusion of aid from the city, state or federal government — will have a direct impact on transit customers in the form […]