Thursday, December 15, 2005
Transport Strike In New York: Some Tips
New Yorkers depend on their trusty network of subways and buses to get around this huge and well-organized city of grids. Using the efficient and dependable network of subways and trains they get to different parts of New York within minutes. But, it looks like this trusty transportation system is going to come to a grinding halt.
New Yorkers are gearing up for a major public transportation disruption on Friday, December 16, 2005. Starting at 12.01 am on Friday, trains and buses in the city may come to a grinding halt. And going by news reports the chances of a settlement being reached between the transporation workers and the government appear slim.
The reason for the disruption is that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) contract with the city government comes to an end and they want a new contract with new terms. The 34,000 members of MTA will go on strike even though technically public employees cannot go on a strike. The last time MTA went on a strike was in 1980 and that went for 10 or 11 days and cost over $1 billion to the state.
If the MTA goes on strike over 7 million people will be hit by this strike. Imagine that is almost half the population of Bombay, and imagine if the trains and BEST went on strike in Bombay. You can picture the kind of impact of such a strike would have on the people of Bombay. Now, factor in the cold weather in New York city, and it is going to be tough and miserable to walk those long blocks to get to work. The wind chill factor alone is enough to deter me from stepping out and walk the streets of New York. The Bombay equivalent of this weather factor would be the relentless monsoon rains.
Having had ample notice about the impending strike New Yorkers have turned to the web to arrange for their transportation. The ride share page of Craigslist is filled with over 100 + postings with people asking for ride shares here.
Others like the Zipcar sent out an email offering free shuttle service for their commuters. Here is what they had to say:
On Friday, December 16th, from 7:30am to 7pm, we will be offering freerides to and from downtown. Designated pickup spots are located on theEast and West sides of Manhattan. Just look for the Zipcar employees and banners.
The shuttles will be picking up and dropping off at the followinglocations: -
Upper West Side: H&H Bagels (80th & Broadway) to WTC -Upper East Side: H&H Bagels (80th & 2nd Ave) to City Hall-Grand Central Station: 42nd & Lexington to City Hall-Penn Station: 31st and 7th Avenue to WTC(We would have loved to offer the shuttle service to the folks inBrooklyn and Queens, but due to traffic restrictions on the bridges weare unable to do so. Sorry!)
Of course, you can also be dropped off between the pickup and drop offlocations if your destination is on the way.And, hey, if there is no strike, we'll still be offering free ridesduring the morning commute from these locations so come by and takeadvantage!
Happy Zipping!
The city has recommended that High Occupancy Vehicles (sounds like high networth individuals) have at least four occupants travelling in the vehicle if they use a highway or a bridge. The city has also devoted some space on its website for contingency planning. You can check that out here.
Others like About.com have also pitched with suggestions for commuters on how to plan for alternate travel plans. You can read about it here.
The timing of the MTA strike could have another economic impact on the city and the state and that is the holiday retail earnings will be badly hit. The last few days before Christmas is one of the busiest shopping days, and that is when major retailers rake in a good percentage of their profits.
New Yorkers are gearing up for a major public transportation disruption on Friday, December 16, 2005. Starting at 12.01 am on Friday, trains and buses in the city may come to a grinding halt. And going by news reports the chances of a settlement being reached between the transporation workers and the government appear slim.
The reason for the disruption is that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) contract with the city government comes to an end and they want a new contract with new terms. The 34,000 members of MTA will go on strike even though technically public employees cannot go on a strike. The last time MTA went on a strike was in 1980 and that went for 10 or 11 days and cost over $1 billion to the state.
If the MTA goes on strike over 7 million people will be hit by this strike. Imagine that is almost half the population of Bombay, and imagine if the trains and BEST went on strike in Bombay. You can picture the kind of impact of such a strike would have on the people of Bombay. Now, factor in the cold weather in New York city, and it is going to be tough and miserable to walk those long blocks to get to work. The wind chill factor alone is enough to deter me from stepping out and walk the streets of New York. The Bombay equivalent of this weather factor would be the relentless monsoon rains.
Having had ample notice about the impending strike New Yorkers have turned to the web to arrange for their transportation. The ride share page of Craigslist is filled with over 100 + postings with people asking for ride shares here.
Others like the Zipcar sent out an email offering free shuttle service for their commuters. Here is what they had to say:
On Friday, December 16th, from 7:30am to 7pm, we will be offering freerides to and from downtown. Designated pickup spots are located on theEast and West sides of Manhattan. Just look for the Zipcar employees and banners.
The shuttles will be picking up and dropping off at the followinglocations: -
Upper West Side: H&H Bagels (80th & Broadway) to WTC -Upper East Side: H&H Bagels (80th & 2nd Ave) to City Hall-Grand Central Station: 42nd & Lexington to City Hall-Penn Station: 31st and 7th Avenue to WTC(We would have loved to offer the shuttle service to the folks inBrooklyn and Queens, but due to traffic restrictions on the bridges weare unable to do so. Sorry!)
Of course, you can also be dropped off between the pickup and drop offlocations if your destination is on the way.And, hey, if there is no strike, we'll still be offering free ridesduring the morning commute from these locations so come by and takeadvantage!
Happy Zipping!
The city has recommended that High Occupancy Vehicles (sounds like high networth individuals) have at least four occupants travelling in the vehicle if they use a highway or a bridge. The city has also devoted some space on its website for contingency planning. You can check that out here.
Others like About.com have also pitched with suggestions for commuters on how to plan for alternate travel plans. You can read about it here.
The timing of the MTA strike could have another economic impact on the city and the state and that is the holiday retail earnings will be badly hit. The last few days before Christmas is one of the busiest shopping days, and that is when major retailers rake in a good percentage of their profits.
