New Yorkers' experience of the transportation system has changed since the current mayor took office. That is clear from the newly released mayor's management report, which emphasizes the administration's accomplishments, but in fact presents both good and bad news.
(Except as noted, all figures compare fiscal year 2004, which ended this past June, with fiscal year 2001, during which the mayor took office.)
* Traffic fatalities declined by 15 percent to 330. There were declines in every category: motorists/passengers, bicyclists/pedestrians and those related to driving while intoxicated. New York City now has about one-half the number of traffic fatalities per 100,000 residents as do Los Angeles and Cook County (which includes Chicago).
* Bridges that are rated very good or good increased from 14.7 percent to 27.8 percent as a result of comprehensive preventive maintenance and rehabilitation programs. Subway service on the Manhattan Bridge doubled as a decade-plus of work on that bridge was completed. However, the amount of bridge painting - a simple but essential maintenance function - declined by 17 percent.
* Slightly fewer people are running red lights at camera-equipped intersections: Notices of Liability issued from red light cameras declined seven percent.
* Travel time on through streets in Midtown declined by about two minutes, to six minutes and 31 seconds since launch of the program in October 2002. The Thru Streets program restricts some vehicular turns off of nine streets between 34th and 60th streets on weekdays from 10 am to 6 pm.
* One hundred percent of intersections have LED lenses and international pedestrian signals; there were none three years ago. The LEDs are brighter, use less electricity and last longer than their predecessors.
* Streets maintained with a pavement rating of "Good" fell from 82.2 percent to 74.3 percent. Ratings declined in all boroughs even as the number of pothole repairs increased by 57 percent, to 190,000.
* The cleanliness rating of city-franchised, privately operated buses dropped from 96.8 percent to 70 percent. City officials blamed this decline on labor issues and the pending (and repeatedly postponed) transfer of the program from the city Department Of Transportation to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
* Average response time to traffic signal defects increased from one hour 37 minutes to two hours and 35 minutes. These are required to be fixed within two hours.
* On-time trips on the Staten Island ferry declined from 97 percent to 93.4 percent due to heightened security procedures, mechanical problems on aging boats, terminal construction and a fatal accident in October 2003.
* Taxicab service complaints increased 46 percent. This increase might be in part due to greater public awareness of the 311 complaint number, which began taking taxi complaints last October. But the profile of complaint by type suggests that service quality worsened in some areas but not others. Complaints for service refusals increased by 59 percent; for violation of traffic rules complaints increased by 59 percent. Complaints for overcharging increased by much less (16 percent) and the number of complaints about rude or abusive cab drivers was essentially unchanged.
* "Adoption" by businesses of arterial highway segments fell from 93.1 percent of the system to 62.2 percent. The business community evidenced a lack of interest in this program to sponsor the cleaning of highway segments.
* Operable on-street parking meters as a percentage of all meters inched up from 90.7 percent to 91.6 percent. The chance of finding a non-working parking meter was essentially unchanged as the percentage of parking meters that are electronic nearly doubled, from 58 percent to 96 percent. Evidently, the electronic meters work just as well as the old mechanical parking meters.
* Summonses issued for moving violations fell by 11 percent to 1,252.
* Parking violation summonses increased by 16 percent to 8,859 summonses. The number issued by police officers declined slightly, more than offset by increased issuance by parking enforcement officers.
* Vehicle tows increased by 13 percent to 117,189.
Bruce Schaller is head of Schaller Consulting, which provides research and analysis about transportation, and is also a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Transportation Policy and Management at New York University.
2004 NYC GENERAL ELECTION – JUDICIAL CANDIDATES
Bronx
Brooklyn
Manhattan
Queens
Staten Island
Click here for Election Results beginning at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 2, 2004.
BRONX – SUPREME COURT (3 Vacancies)
Mary Brigantti-Hughes (Rep/Dem)
Christopher Garvey (Con)
Barry Salman (Rep/Dem/Con)
Fernando Tapia (Con)
Robert Torres (Rep/Dem)
BRONX – CIVIL COURT – COUNTYWIDE (2 Vacancies)
Nelida Malave (Dem)
Lucianna Locorotondo (Rep/Con)
John Wilson (Rep/Dem/Con)
BRONX – CIVIL COURT – DIST 2
Lizabeth Gonzalez (Dem)
James Walsh (Rep/Con)
BROOKLYN – SUPREME COURT(5 Vacancies)
Louis Marrero (Rep/Dem)
Sylvia Hinds-Radix (Rep/Dem)
Michelle Weston Patter (Rep/Dem)
Eric Prus (Rep/Dem)
Wayne Saitta (Dem)
Matthew Sciarrino, Jr. (Rep/Con)
Thomas Stadnik (Con)
Philip Smallman (Con)
BROOKLYN – CIVIL COURT – COUNTYWIDE (3 Vacancies)
Johnny Baynes (Dem)
Gerald Dunbar (Dem)
Richard Izzo (Rep/con)
Evelyn Laporte (Dem)
Vincent Martusciello (Rep/Con)
Joanne Minsky Cohen (Rep/Con)
April Newbauer (WF)
BROOKLYN – CIVIL COURT – DIST 1
Sarah Krauss (Dem)
BROOKLYN – CIVIL COURT – DIST 2
Geraldine Pickett (Dem)
Robin Kelly Sheares (WF)
BROOKLN – CIVIL COURT – DIST 6
Pamela Elisofon (Rep)
Bernard Graham (Dem/WF)
MANHATTAN – SUPREME COURT (5 Vacancies)
Emily Jane Goodman (Dem)
David Saxe (Rep/Dem)
Jacqueline W. Silberman (Dem/Rep)
Peter Tom (Dem/Rep)
Louis B. York (Dem)
MANHATTAN – SURROGATE COURT
Eve Premnger (Dem)
MANHATTAN – CIVIL COURT - COUNTYWIDE (4 Vacancies)
Alrene Bluth (Dem)
Shirley Kornreich (Dem)
Milagros Matos (Dem)
George Silver (Dem)
MANHATTAN – CIVIL COURT – DIST 2
Martin Shulman (Dem)
MANHATTAN – CIVIL COURT – DIST 8
Jose Padilla, Jr. (Dem)
MANHATTAN – CIVIL COURT – DIST 10
Debra James (Dem)
QUEENS – SUPREME COURT (6 Vacancies)
Augustus Agate (Rep/Dem/Con)
Randall Eng (Rep/Dem/Con)
William Erlbaum (Rep/Dem)
James Golia (Rep/Dem/Con)
James McGuire (Rep/Dem/Con)
Brathwai Nelson Vale (Rep/Dem/Con)
QUEENS – CIVIL COURT – COUNTYWIDE
Peter Lane (Rep)
Lee Mayersohn (Dem)
QUEENS – CIVIL COURT – DIST 1
Joseph Esposito (Dem)
Cassandra Mullen (Rep/Ind/Con)
STATEN ISLAND – SUPREME COURT (4 Vacancies)
Slyvia Hinds-Radix (Rep/Dem)
Louis Marrero (Rep/Dem)
Michelle Weston Patter (Rep/Dem)
Eric Prus (Rep/Dem)
Matthew Sciarrino (Rep/Con)
Thomas Stadnik (Con)
BRONX
BROOKLYN
MANHATTAN
QUEENS
STATEN ISLAND
To read more about competitive state races, see Eye On Albany Campaign 2004. Click here for Election Results beginning at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 2, 2004.
Bronx Senate
Senate District 28
Augustin Alamo Estrada (Con)
Olga Mendez (Rep/Ind)
Jose Serrano (Dem/WF)
Senate District 31
Jose Goris (Rep)
Eric Schneiderman (Dem/WF)
Senate District 32
Ruben Diaz (Dem)
Michael Walters (Con)
Senate District 33
Efrain Gonzalez, Jr. (Dem)
Jeffrey Sternberg (Rep/Con)
Senate District 34
John Fleming (Rep)
Jeffrey Klein (Dem)
Stephen Kaufman (Ind/Con)
Senate District 35
Ruth Hassell-Thompson (Dem/Ind/WF)
Andrew Osterczy (Con)
Bronx Assembly
Assembly District 76
Dennis Fiddler (Rep/Con)
Peter Rivera (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 77
Anthony Curry (Rep/Ind/Con)
Aurelia Greene (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 78
Richard Retcho (Con)
Jose Rivera (Dem)
Assembly District 79
Michael Benjamin (Dem/WF)
William Britt, Jr. (Con)
Gina Demalijaj (Rep)
Eric Stevenson (Ind)
Assembly District 80
Anthony Chiofalo (Rep/Con)
Naomi Rivera (Dem)
Assembly District 81
Stephen Bradian (Rep/Con)
Jeffrey Dinowitz (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 82
Raymond Capone (Rep/Con)
Michael Benedetto (Dem)
Assembly District 83
Carl Heastie (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 84
Agustin Alamo (Con)
Carmen Arroyo (Dem)
Assembly District 85
Ruben Diaz, Jr. (Dem/WF)
William Newark (Rep/Con)
Brooklyn Senate
Senate District 17
Victor Guarino (Rep/Con)
Martin Malave Dilan (Dem/WF)
J. Rebecca White (Green)
Senate District 18
Patricia Hunter (Con)
Velmanette Montgomery (Dem/WF)
Senate District 19
Abrinmore Britton (Rep)
Ernest Johnson (Con)
John Sampson (Dem/WF)
Senate District 20
Carl Andrews (Dem/WF)
Anthony Herbert (Con)
Senate District 21
Sal Grupico (Rep/Con/Ind)
Kevin Parker (Dem/WF)
Senate District 22
Martin Golden (Rep/Ind/Con)
Senate District 23
Al Curtis (Rep/Ind/Con/School Choice)
Diane Savino (Dem/WF)
Senate District 25
Martin Connor (Dem/WF)
Senate District 27
Carl Kruger (Dem/Rep)
Stephen Walters (Con)
Brooklyn Assembly
Assembly District 40
Diane Gordon (Dem)
Mohammad Qureshi (Rep/Con)
Assembly District 41
Mary Madden (Rep/Con)
Helene Weinstein (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 42
Rhoda Jacobs (Dem)
Harriet Katz (Rep)
Assembly District 43
Clarence John (Rep/Con)
Clarence Norman, Jr. (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 44
Susan Cleary (Con)
James Brennan (Dem/WF)
Lawrence Littlefield (Ind)
Assembly District 45
Stephen Cymbrowitz (Dem)
Arthur Gershfeld (Rep/Con)
Paul Gouldini (Ind)
Assembly District 46
Adele Cohen (Dem/WF)
Alexander Kaplan (Rep/Con)
Assembly District 47
Glenn Bell (Con)
William Colton (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 48
Dov Hikind (Rep/Dem)
Herbert Ryan (Con)
Assembly District 49
Peter Abbate, Jr. (Dem/Ind/WF)
Fred Martorell (Rep/Con)
Assembly District 50
Joseph Lentol (Dem)
Allan Romaguera (Rep/Con)
Assembly District 51
Felix Ortiz (Dem)
Allan Romaguera (Rep/Con)
Assembly District 52
Anne Marie Coffey (Con)
Joan Millman (Dem/WF)
Scott Santandrea (Rep)
Assembly District 53
Mark Borino (Gre)
Anthony Miranda (Ind)
Vito Lopez (Dem/WF)
Theresa Prevete (Con)
Assembly District 54
Khorshed Chowdhury (Rep/Con)
Darryl Towns (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 55
William Boyland, Jr. (Dem/Ind)
Rose Laney (Rep)
Assembly District 56
Mayra Radden (Rep)
Annette Robinson (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 57
Roger Green (Dem)
Ricardo Ocasio (Rep)
Assembly District 58
Nick Perry (Dem/WF)
Dora Robertson (Rep/Con)
Assembly District 59
Robert Mahoney (Con)
Frank Seddio (Rep/Dem/Ind)
Assembly District 60
Donna Hyer-Spencer (Dem/WF)
Matthew Rones (Rep/Ind/Con)
Manhattan Senate
Senate District 25
Martin Conner (Dem/WF)
Senate District 26
Liz Krueger (Dem/WF)
Peter McCoy (Rep)
Senate District 28
Augustin Alamo Estrada (Con)
Olga Mendez (Rep/Ind)
Jose Serrano (Dem/WF)
Senate District 29
Emily Csendes (Rep)
Thomas Duane (Dem/Ind/WF)
Senate District 30
Alphonzo Mosley (Rep/Ind)
David Paterson (Dem/WF)
Senate District 31
Jose Goris (Rep)
Eric Schneiderman (Dem/WF)
Manhattan Assembly
Assembly District 64
Carrie Sackett (Ind)
Sheldon Silver (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 65
Pete Grannis (Dem/WF)
Patricia Leslie (Rep)
Assembly District 66
Deborah Glick (Dem/WF)
Nic Leobold (LBT)
Assembly District 67
Adam Shun (Rep/Ind)
Scott Stringer (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 68
Adam Clayton Powell IV (Dem)
Assembly District 69
Christopher Lanzillott (Rep)
Daniel O’Donnell (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 70
Edward Daniels (Rep)
Keith Wright (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 71
Allen Cox (Ind)
Herman Farrell, Jr. (Dem)
Faron Henry (Rep)
Assembly District 72
Martin Chicon (Rep/Ind/Con)
Adriano Espaillat (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 73
Jonathan Bing (Dem/WF)
Douglas Winston (Rep)
Assembly District 74
David Berkowitz (Rep/School Choice)
Steven Sanders (Dem/WF)
Queens Senate
Senate District 10
Ada Smith (Dem/Ind/WF)
Senate District 11
Frank Padavan (Dem/Ind/Con)
Senate District 12
Danniel Maio (Rep)
George Onorato (Dem)
Senate District 13
John Sabini (Dem/WF)
Senate District 14
Malcolm Smith (Dem/Rep/Con/WF)
Senate District 15
Serphin Maltese (Rep/Con/Ind)
Senate District 16
Toby Ann Stavisky (Dem/WF)
Queens Assembly
Assembly District 22
Evergreen Chou (Green)
Barry Grodenchik (WF)
Jimmy Meng (Dem/Con/Ind)
Meilin Tan (Rep)
Assembly District 23
Audrey Pheffer (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 24
Mark Weprin (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 25
Brian McLaughlin (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 26
Peter Boudouvas (Rep/Con)
Ann Margaret Carrozz (Dem/Ind/WF)
Assembly District 27
Nettie Mayersohn (Dem)
Assembly District 28
Michael Cohen (Dem/Ind)
Michael Weiss (Rep)
Assembly District 29
William Scarborough (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 30
Margaret Markey (Dem)
Assembly District 31
Michael Duvalle (Ind)
Michele Titus (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 32
Vivian Cook (Dem/WF)
Jereline Hunter (Rep/Con)
Assembly District 33
Barbara Clark (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 34
Ivan Lafayette (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 35
Jeffrey Aubry (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 36
Michael Gianaris (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 37
Catherine Nolan (Dem/WF)
Assembly District 38
Anthony Seminerio (Rep/Dem/Ind/Con)
Assembly District 39
Giash Ahved (Rep)
Jose Peralta (Dem/WF)
Staten Island Senate
Senate District 23
Al Curtis (Rep/Ind/Con/School Choice)
Diane Savino (Dem/WF)
Senate District 24
John Marchi (Rep/Dem/Ind/Con)
Staten Island Assembly
Assembly District 60
Donna Hyper-Spencer (Dem/WF)
Matthew Rones (Rep/Ind/Con)
Assembly District 61
Charles McLean, Jr. (Ind)
John Lavelle (Dem/WF)
John Russell (Rep/Con)
Assembly District 62
Mario Bruno Jr. (Con)
Vincent Ignizio (Rep)
Emanule Innamorato (Dem)
Robert Straniere (Ind/WF)
Assembly District 63
Michael Cusick (Dem/Ind/Con/WF)
Victor Grossman (Rep)