Transit Strike Contingency Plans

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Transit Strike Contingency Plans
12/10/2002 11:03 AM
By: NY1 News

New York City's bus and subway operators have threatened to strike if they don't get a new contract. NY1 has amassed the following information from contingency plans released by the city and related agencies:

Contingency Plans On Official Websites

City of New York

Taxi and Limousine Commission.

MTA (Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North)

Hotline
To ask questions about strike contingency plans, call the city's hotline, 24 hours a day, at 212-CALL-DOT or 718-CALL-DOT.

Park & Ride

In the case of a strike, transportation into Manhattan will be available at the following Park & Ride locations:

Yankee Stadium (Metro-North Shuttle to Midtown)

Shea Stadium (LIRR to Midtown Off Peak: 9 AM to 4 PM & 7 PM to 10 PM)

SI Yankee Stadium/Cromwell Center (Staten Island Ferry)

South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (Brooklyn Ferry)

Belmont Park (Shuttle Bus to LIRR stop at Floral Park)

Long Island Hunters Point Terminal (Hunters Point Ferry)

Carpool Staging Areas

The following areas would be available for drivers to meet friends or colleagues or to form ad-hoc groups to carpool to Manhattan:

Brooklyn: Marine Park, Abe Stark Skating Rink, South Brooklyn Marine Terminal
Queens: Flushing Meadows, Alley Pond Park
Bronx: Orchard Beach, Ferry Point Park
Staten Island: South Beach, Wolf's Pond Park
Manhattan: 148th Street and Riverside Drive

Occupancy Traffic Restrictions

To enter or leave Manhattan, private vehicles must have at least four occupants on weekdays and two on weekends. The HOV (high occupancy vehicle) restrictions would be in effect 24 hours a day.

All tunnels and all bridges to and from Manhattan will be HOV-restricted, except for I-95 through traffic on the George Washington and Alexander Hamilton bridges.

In addition, the following highways will be HOV-restricted:

Grand Central Parkway to the Queens Midtown Tunnel

Bruckner Expressway from the Bruckner Interchange to the Triborough Bridge

Harlem River Drive from Dyckman Street to the FDR Drive at 125th Street

FDR Drive from Harlem River Drive to 96th Street

Henry Hudson Parkway from Mosholu Parkway to 72nd Street

Belt Parkway from 4th Avenue to the merge with the Gowanus Expressway (at 60th Street)

Gowanus Expressway from 92nd Street to the interchange with the

Brooklyn-Queens Expressway from the Gowanus Expressway to the Manhattan Bridge (The bus/HOV EZ-Pass lane will be for buses and emergency vehicles only)

Prospect Expressway from Church Avenue to the Gowanus Expressway

Exemptions:

Emergency medical personnel in private vehicles with proper identification

Disabled license plates

Access-a-Ride vehicles and ambulettes

Buses and commuter vans

Taxis and for-hire vehicles

Motorcycles

Hearses

Commercial vehicles (with proper license plates)

Reserved Corridors

Midtown Manhattan
To provide north/south and east/west access for priority vehicles and emergency services in Manhattan, all commercial and passenger vehicles would be banned from the following corridors from 6 AM until 8 PM:

Fifth Avenue, 23rd to 96th Streets

Madison Avenue, 23rd to 96th Streets

26th Street, First Avenue to West Street

29th Street, First Avenue to West Street

49th Street, First Avenue to West Street

50th Street, First Avenue to West Street

Priority vehicles include medallion taxicabs, for-hire vehicles, buses, commuter vas (with New York State DOT permits) and Access-A-Ride vehicles, and mopeds, motorcycles and bicycles would be permitted as well. All vehicles would be allowed to enter and exit garages located on any of these streets by using the nearest cross street.

Lower Manhattan
The following corridors will be reserved for emergency vehicles from 6 AM until 8 PM:

Nassau Street, Wall to Spruce Streets

Rector Street, West Street to Broadway

Vesey Street, West Street to Park Row

Church Street, South of Barclay

Maiden Lane/Cortlandt Street, Water to Church Streets

Parking on Reserved Arterials
All authorized parking privileges (with the exception of those conveyed by the NYC Special Parking Identification [SPI] permit) and truck loading areas on the reserved corridors will be suspended for the duration of the transit strike.

Secondary Measures
If conditions warrant, other arterials may be reserved as follows:

Park Avenue and Park Avenue South from 23rd to 72nd Streets - reserved for taxicabs and emergency vehicles.

66th and 65th Streets from First to Columbus Avenues (including the 66th Street Central Park transverse roadway) - reserved for taxicabs, buses, and emergency vehicles.

Additionally, traffic flow considerations may warrant the suspensions of authorized parking privileges and truck loading areas throughout Manhattan.

Taxi and Limousine Services

LIVERY CABS

Sixty percent of livery cabs would follow public bus routes in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Passengers can wait to be picked up at regular bus stops. Flat price is $$2 a passenger. No more than four passengers can ride in each car, and cabs would not cross borough lines.

Other livery cabs would pick up pre-arranged fares at regular rates. Street hails would also be allowed.

YELLOW MEDALLION TAXIS
In addition to regular street hails, yellow medallion taxis would be able to pick up groups of 2-4 passengers, based on destination, at the locations below. The total fare for each group ride will be the fare displayed on the meter plus a surcharge of $$2 for each passenger. Drivers may accept group rides under this fare structure only at designated group ride locations:

Manhattan

South Ferry Terminal

Pier A (Battery Place at West Street)

Pier 11 (South Street near Wall Street)

Water Street and Wall Street

Pier 16 (South Street near Fulton Street)

Liberty Street (between Broadway and Church)

Vesey Street (between North End Avenue and West Street)

Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall (Chambers Street)

Williamsburg Bridge

Penn Station

34th Street at East River

Herald Square (PATH Station)

Grand Central Terminal (Metro North)

Port Authority Bus Terminal (8th Avenue at 42nd Street)

Columbus Circle

59th Street and 5th Avenue

Queensboro Bridge/Tramway at 60th Street/2nd Avenue

West 72nd Street and Broadway

York Avenue at 72nd Street (existing Group Ride site)

125th Street and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard

George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal (West 179th Street)

Queens

Shea Stadium Park and Ride

Kennedy Airport

LaGuardia Airport

Queensboro Plaza North

Long Island City at Hunters Point R.R. Station

Brooklyn

Court Street/Borough Hall

95th Street/4th Avenue

Bronx

Yankee Stadium (161st Street and River Avenue)

COMMUTER VANS
Commuter vans will pick up passengers at designated sites for travel between Manhattan and the other boroughs ($$4) and travel within boroughs ($$1.40).

Queens

71st Avenue-Continental Avenue at Queens Boulevard

179th Street/Hillside Avenue

Kennedy Airport/LaGuardia Airport

Jamaica Center (Parsons Boulevard/Archer Avenue)(LIRR)

Main Street/Flushing at Roosevelt Avenue

Roosevelt Avenue at 61st Street (LIRR)

Ditmars Boulevard/Astoria at 31st Street

74th Street/Broadway/Roosevelt Avenue (Jackson Heights)

Queensboro Plaza North

Metropolitan Avenue/Fresh Pond Road

Hunters Point Avenue (LIRR Terminal, Long Island City)

Kew Gardens Station (LIRR)

Shea Stadium Park and Ride

Brooklyn

Court Street/Borough Hall

Broadway Junction at Eastern Parkway Extension

Atlantic Avenue Complex

Flatbush Avenue/Nostrand Avenue Junction

Hoyt Street/Schermerhorn Street

Brooklyn Army Terminal

Utica Avenue at Eastern Parkway

Flatbush Avenue at Avenue U

86th Street and 4th Avenue [for p.m. commute to Staten Island]

Staten Island

Hylan Boulevard and Steuben Street [for a.m. commute to Brooklyn]

Manhattan (to other boroughs, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.)

South Ferry Terminal

Queensboro Bridge/Tramway at 60th Street and 2nd Avenue

Port Authority Bus Terminal at West 42nd Street and 8th Avenue

Williamsburg Bridge (Clinton Street and Delancey Street)

Port Authority Bus Terminal at West 179th Street

Columbus Circle

Grand Central Terminal (Metro North)

59th Street and 5th Avenue

Penn Station (NJ Transit, LIRR, Amtrak)

West 72nd Street and Broadway

Herald Square (PATH)

Water Street and Wall Street

Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall (Chambers Street)

York Avenue and East 72nd Street (existing Group Ride site)

Manhattan Bridge (Bowery and Canal Street)

Manhattan (routes within borough)

Lexington Avenue corridor from 125th Street to Wall Street

Madison Avenue between 57th and 23rd Streets

Broadway between 96th and Canal Streets

5th Avenue between 96th and 23rd Streets

29th Street between 1st and 12th Avenues

30th Street between 1st and 12th Avenues

49th Street between 1st and 12th Avenues

50th Street between 1st and 12th Avenues

Disabled Passengers
The TLC Call Center (212-NYC-TAXI) would accept requests for transportation from disabled people who need transportation. Requests for service would be forwarded to licensed transportation providers.

Commuter Rails

The Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North, PATH, New Jersey Transit and the Staten Island Railway would still run. Public bus routes in New York City operated by private companies (mostly in Queens) would not be affected by a strike.

Long Island Rail Road
During morning and evening rush hours, regularly-scheduled trains would skip all stops in Queens. Instead, shuttle trains to Penn Station will serve Jamaica; shuttles will stop at other Queens stations in off-peak hours. A shuttle from Jamaica to Long Island City will also coincide with ferry services. (Changes take effect 24 hours after start of strike.)

For complete info: go to mta.info/sd/lirr.html, or call 718-217-LIRR.

Metro-North
Regularly-scheduled trains would skip stops in the Bronx. Three shuttle trains would operate between the Bronx and Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. (Changes take effect 24 hours after start of strike.)

East Bronx (Harlem Line): Tremont, Fordham, Botanical Garden, Williamsbridge, Woodlawn, Wakefield and Mount Vernon West (every 15-20 minutes peak, every 30 minutes off-peak)

West Bronx (Hudson Line): Morris Heights, University Heights, Marble Hill, and Spuyten Duyvil (every 15-20 minutes peak, every 30 minutes off-peak)

Yankee Stadium: park and ride (every 20-30 minutes during rush hours; once an hour other times)

For complete info: go to mta.info/sd/mnr.html, or call 1-800-METRO-INFO or 212-532-4900.

Ferries

The Staten Island Ferry will run hourly trips between Whitehall and East 34th Street, from 5 AM to 10 PM. The city also expects to offer free ferry service along the following routes:

Manhattan

W. 125th St. to W. 38th St.

W. 79th St. to W. 38th St.

W. 38th St. to Pier A (Battery Park)

E. 34th St. to Pier 11 (Wall St.) and Whitehall Terminal

Queens

Shea Stadium to E. 34th St.

Hunters Point, Long Island City to E. 34th St.

Hunters Point, Long Island City to Pier 11, Wall St.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn Army Terminal to Lower Manhattan

Sheepshead Bay to Pier 16 (South St. Seaport)

Service will operate from 5 AM to 10 PM, except for Shea Stadium service, which will be offered from 5 AM to 11 AM and 2 PM to 11 PM. Hours for Brooklyn Army Terminal service are subject to revision.

New York Waterway says its ferries will be free if there's a strike, and service will be boosted. Other private ferries would also continue to run:

Seastreak

NY Fast Ferry

Fox Navigation

NY Water Taxi

Bicycle and Pedestrian Lanes

The following crossings into Manhattan are pedestrian and bicycle accessible:

Queensboro Bridge
Manhattan - 60th Street
Queens - Queens Plaza

Brooklyn Bridge
Manhattan - Park Row & Frankfort Streets
Brooklyn - Tillary & Adams Streets

Williamsburg Bridge
Manhattan - Clinton & Delancey Streets
Brooklyn - Bedford Avenue between South 5th and South 6th Streets

Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan - Bowery & Canal Street
Brooklyn - Jay Street between Fulton & Sands Streets

Willis Avenue Bridge
Manhattan - 1st Avenue, 125th Street
Bronx - Willis Avenue, 134th Street

Third Avenue Bridge
Manhattan - 129th Street
Bronx - 135th Street

Madison Avenue Bridge
Manhattan - Madison and Fifth Avenues
Bronx - 138th Street

145th Street Bridge
Manhattan - West 145th Street
Bronx - East 145th Street

Macombs Dam Bridge
Manhattan - West 155th Street
Bronx - Jerome Avenue

Washington Bridge
Manhattan - West 181st Street
Bronx - University Avenue

Broadway Bridge
Manhattan - Broadway near 225th Street

Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan - Bowery and Canal Street
Brooklyn - Jay Street and Sands Street

Bryant Park Bike Check: Security staff would manage a bike check-in area at Bryant Park. Bike must be picked up by 6 p.m. Call 212-768-4242 (weekdays between 8:45 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.)

Schools

New York City's public schools would open their doors at the regular times during a strike, but classes would start two hours later. Dismissal time would also stay the same, school bus pick-ups would also be two hours later.

Morning pre-K classes, field trips and most after-school programs would be canceled. Yellow school bus routes won't be extended, as previously suggested, but drivers will try to accommodate extra children at any of the usual stops.

Catholic schools are expected to follow the same contingency plan as public schools.

For more information, call the Department of Education hotline at 718-482-3777 or go to www.nycenet.edu.

Jury Duty

The city's courts will stay open. Jurors are urged to report for duty if possible, but those who can't make it will be re-summoned for a new date. Jurors already hearing a case should follow the instructions of their judge.

For information on court contingency plans, call 1-800-COURT-NY or go to www.courts.state.ny.us. For specific reporting instructions, go to www.nyjuror.com or call one of the following numbers.

Manhattan: 1-866-721-5879
Brooklyn: 1-866-622-5879
Queens:1-888-711-5879
Bronx: 1-866-299-5879
Staten Island: 1-718-390-8104