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New Projects, Same No Money


The city’s transportation to-do list has lengthened. One big-ticket project, new rail service for Lower Manhattan, was added to the list. Another task, shifting private bus lines that operate primarily in Queens to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, was not resolved despite a self-imposed June 30 deadline. The city (and region) thus remain mired in debates tied up by a lack of funding and unresolved disagreements over priorities.

Train to the Plane & and Long Island

In early June, rebuilding officials requested consultant proposals for a study of new rail connections to link Lower Manhattan to JFK Airport and the Jamaica, Queens station of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will oversee the $5 million study, expected to take up to nine months. Recommendations will lead to environmental reviews of (as the request for proposals [In PDF format] puts it) a recommended alternative(s).

Officials foresee the new rail connection running between Lower Manhattan and the AirTrain, an automated, elevated line that will connect Jamaica to JFK. Officials envision either a new rail tunnel beneath the East River, or using existing A line or M line subway tunnels. The new service is intended to reduce travel time from Jamaica and JFK to Lower Manhattan, reduce the number of transfers involved in these trips and possibly increase the frequency of service.

When the AirTrain opens later this year, a two-seat ride from Lower Manhattan to JFK will take approximately 48 minutes, with frequency of four to eight trips per hour. Officials want to reduce the trip time and possibly eliminate the transfer between the A train and AirTrain. The consultant will study the option of designing an advanced-design rail vehicle that could operate on both the AirTrain’s automated guideway (there are no conductors or train operators on board) and traditional subway tracks. These cars could provide a premium service, akin to a good-quality commuter rail service, aimed at business travelers.

The consultant will also analyze short-term options such as enhanced subway service and ferry services. These options could presumably be implemented more quickly than a new rail line, and at much lower cost. Ironically, the ferry option could also address Lower Manhattan’s most pressing transportation need, which is better access from the northern suburbs of the city, as I have discussed in earlier columns and a recent report. The contemplated rail link to JFK and Jamaica would in fact save commuters just a few minutes as compared with current travel times.

The Lower Manhattan business community has strongly advocated direct rail service to JFK and Long Island, viewing airport access in particular as providing a competitive edge over Midtown. Governor George Pataki has picked up the cause. He promised in an April 24 speech to select and implement direct rail service to Lower Manhattan. This study is the first step in finding the best plan.

Competition for Dollars

Finding dollars for the plan will not be easy. Direct rail service to Lower Manhattan joins a long wish list of transportation mega-projects. Heading the list is connecting the LIRR to Grand Central Terminal, a project that is heading toward construction and will enhance the attractiveness of midtown office space at the expense of downtown offices.

Next on the list is the long-sought Second Avenue Subway, now undergoing environmental reviews and as yet largely unfunded. The Second Avenue Subway would relieve the severe overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue subway, in the process improving access to Lower Manhattan from Grand Central Terminal (and thus the northern suburbs) and the Upper East Side.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been relatively cool to Second Avenue plans, focusing instead on extending the 7 train to the West Side of Manhattan. The 7 train extension is a key part of plans for the city’s 2012 Olympic bid. It supposedly has separate funding sources, though there are doubters and it could end up competing with Second Avenue for scarce dollars.

Other big-ticket projects that would benefit New York City and are more-or-less advanced in consideration are a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River; a cross-harbor rail freight tunnel; and in Brooklyn, Gowanus Expressway rebuilding (or perhaps replaced by a tunnel).

The total cost of all these projects comes to $25 billion to $40 billion.

Where will all this money come from? One source that seems less and less likely is East River Bridge tolls. In his campaign, the mayor extolled the idea of charging drivers to enter the Manhattan business district. But with sinking poll ratings, the governor’s opposition, and higher taxes already pouring into city coffers, the mayor has cooled to even a limited idea such as tolling the four city-owned bridges that connect Manhattan to Brooklyn and Queens. The xity recently took toll revenue out of budget plans, and the Daily News quoted a spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg as saying, "The plan to toll the East River bridges is off the table." News reports the next day quoted the mayor as holding out for tolls down the road, implying that he may revisit the issue in a second term.

Nor can New York rely on the federal government. Reauthorization of the six-year transportation funding act is underway in Washington with a main point of dispute being how much gas tax revenue transit-rich states such as New York should get versus car-faring states such as Texas. It is quite possible that New York and other northeastern states will end up with less of the pie in future years than they have lately. With billions in federal funds already allocated for Lower Manhattan rebuilding, few in Congress outside of the New York delegation have much desire to help fund more NYC projects.

Thus, not only is funding for these projects an open question, officials can not agree which projects are the most important. Several years ago, then-Senator Alfonse D’Amato, from Long Island, jumped the LIRR connection to Grand Central to the top of the list and got Congress and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to commit to the project. Nowadays, the Lower Manhattan business community understandably places top priority on projects that would help revitalize downtown. The governor and to a lesser extent the mayor have lined up in support of their needs.

The mayor looks at transportation in an economic development framework. He feels that extending the 7 train would spark development on the West Side and help bring the Olympics to New York. Transportation officials and many transit advocates identify relieving overcrowding on the Lex line as the top priority, and thus push for the Second Avenue subway.

Differing constituencies and differing objectives thus make it difficult for officials and the business community in the city, much less the state or region, to agree on priorities. The lack of consensus impedes efforts to fund any of the projects, whether with city, state or federal dollars.

Still on the List: Private Bus Lines to the MTA

Officials had hoped to reach agreement on a deal to transfer control of private bus lines to the MTA by June 30. Newsday reports that the city and MTA now hope to reach agreement by January 1, 2004. MTA officials reportedly will not make a deal if the takeover creates new costs for the MTA. Another unresolved issue is how the private bus companies’ contracts with the Transport Workers Union Local 100 will be handled in a takeover.

Eliminating the city’s subsidy is the main reason for the city to transfer the lines to the MTA. Thus, unless the MTA can run the bus lines more efficiently than the private companies -- a proposition open to question -- it is easy to see why the matter remains unresolved.

Meanwhile, the city will continue to subsidize the seven bus lines, which operate mostly in Queens and have been criticized for providing inferior service.

Bruce Schaller is Principal of Schaller Consulting, which provides research and analysis to government, business and non-profit groups seeking to identify and meet customer needs in the transportation sector. He is also a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Transportation Policy and Management at New York University.

New Projects, Same No Money


The city’s transportation to-do list has lengthened. One big-ticket project, new rail service for Lower Manhattan, was added to the list. Another task, shifting private bus lines that operate primarily in Queens to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, was not resolved despite a self-imposed June 30 deadline. The city (and region) thus remain mired in debates tied up by a lack of funding and unresolved disagreements over priorities.

Train to the Plane & and Long Island

In early June, rebuilding officials requested consultant proposals for a study of new rail connections to link Lower Manhattan to JFK Airport and the Jamaica, Queens station of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will oversee the $5 million study, expected to take up to nine months. Recommendations will lead to environmental reviews of (as the request for proposals [In PDF format] puts it) a recommended alternative(s).

Officials foresee the new rail connection running between Lower Manhattan and the AirTrain, an automated, elevated line that will connect Jamaica to JFK. Officials envision either a new rail tunnel beneath the East River, or using existing A line or M line subway tunnels. The new service is intended to reduce travel time from Jamaica and JFK to Lower Manhattan, reduce the number of transfers involved in these trips and possibly increase the frequency of service.

When the AirTrain opens later this year, a two-seat ride from Lower Manhattan to JFK will take approximately 48 minutes, with frequency of four to eight trips per hour. Officials want to reduce the trip time and possibly eliminate the transfer between the A train and AirTrain. The consultant will study the option of designing an advanced-design rail vehicle that could operate on both the AirTrain’s automated guideway (there are no conductors or train operators on board) and traditional subway tracks. These cars could provide a premium service, akin to a good-quality commuter rail service, aimed at business travelers.

The consultant will also analyze short-term options such as enhanced subway service and ferry services. These options could presumably be implemented more quickly than a new rail line, and at much lower cost. Ironically, the ferry option could also address Lower Manhattan’s most pressing transportation need, which is better access from the northern suburbs of the city, as I have discussed in earlier columns and a recent report. The contemplated rail link to JFK and Jamaica would in fact save commuters just a few minutes as compared with current travel times.

The Lower Manhattan business community has strongly advocated direct rail service to JFK and Long Island, viewing airport access in particular as providing a competitive edge over Midtown. Governor George Pataki has picked up the cause. He promised in an April 24 speech to select and implement direct rail service to Lower Manhattan. This study is the first step in finding the best plan.

Competition for Dollars

Finding dollars for the plan will not be easy. Direct rail service to Lower Manhattan joins a long wish list of transportation mega-projects. Heading the list is connecting the LIRR to Grand Central Terminal, a project that is heading toward construction and will enhance the attractiveness of midtown office space at the expense of downtown offices.

Next on the list is the long-sought Second Avenue Subway, now undergoing environmental reviews and as yet largely unfunded. The Second Avenue Subway would relieve the severe overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue subway, in the process improving access to Lower Manhattan from Grand Central Terminal (and thus the northern suburbs) and the Upper East Side.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been relatively cool to Second Avenue plans, focusing instead on extending the 7 train to the West Side of Manhattan. The 7 train extension is a key part of plans for the city’s 2012 Olympic bid. It supposedly has separate funding sources, though there are doubters and it could end up competing with Second Avenue for scarce dollars.

Other big-ticket projects that would benefit New York City and are more-or-less advanced in consideration are a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River; a cross-harbor rail freight tunnel; and in Brooklyn, Gowanus Expressway rebuilding (or perhaps replaced by a tunnel).

The total cost of all these projects comes to $25 billion to $40 billion.

Where will all this money come from? One source that seems less and less likely is East River Bridge tolls. In his campaign, the mayor extolled the idea of charging drivers to enter the Manhattan business district. But with sinking poll ratings, the governor’s opposition, and higher taxes already pouring into city coffers, the mayor has cooled to even a limited idea such as tolling the four city-owned bridges that connect Manhattan to Brooklyn and Queens. The xity recently took toll revenue out of budget plans, and the Daily News quoted a spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg as saying, "The plan to toll the East River bridges is off the table." News reports the next day quoted the mayor as holding out for tolls down the road, implying that he may revisit the issue in a second term.

Nor can New York rely on the federal government. Reauthorization of the six-year transportation funding act is underway in Washington with a main point of dispute being how much gas tax revenue transit-rich states such as New York should get versus car-faring states such as Texas. It is quite possible that New York and other northeastern states will end up with less of the pie in future years than they have lately. With billions in federal funds already allocated for Lower Manhattan rebuilding, few in Congress outside of the New York delegation have much desire to help fund more NYC projects.

Thus, not only is funding for these projects an open question, officials can not agree which projects are the most important. Several years ago, then-Senator Alfonse D’Amato, from Long Island, jumped the LIRR connection to Grand Central to the top of the list and got Congress and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to commit to the project. Nowadays, the Lower Manhattan business community understandably places top priority on projects that would help revitalize downtown. The governor and to a lesser extent the mayor have lined up in support of their needs.

The mayor looks at transportation in an economic development framework. He feels that extending the 7 train would spark development on the West Side and help bring the Olympics to New York. Transportation officials and many transit advocates identify relieving overcrowding on the Lex line as the top priority, and thus push for the Second Avenue subway.

Differing constituencies and differing objectives thus make it difficult for officials and the business community in the city, much less the state or region, to agree on priorities. The lack of consensus impedes efforts to fund any of the projects, whether with city, state or federal dollars.

Still on the List: Private Bus Lines to the MTA

Officials had hoped to reach agreement on a deal to transfer control of private bus lines to the MTA by June 30. Newsday reports that the city and MTA now hope to reach agreement by January 1, 2004. MTA officials reportedly will not make a deal if the takeover creates new costs for the MTA. Another unresolved issue is how the private bus companies’ contracts with the Transport Workers Union Local 100 will be handled in a takeover.

Eliminating the city’s subsidy is the main reason for the city to transfer the lines to the MTA. Thus, unless the MTA can run the bus lines more efficiently than the private companies -- a proposition open to question -- it is easy to see why the matter remains unresolved.

Meanwhile, the city will continue to subsidize the seven bus lines, which operate mostly in Queens and have been criticized for providing inferior service.

Bruce Schaller is Principal of Schaller Consulting, which provides research and analysis to government, business and non-profit groups seeking to identify and meet customer needs in the transportation sector. He is also a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Transportation Policy and Management at New York University.

The Tour Guides Complain


 



Three articles in this series:
• Testing The Tour Guides
• The Tour Guides Complain
• Test Your NYC Knowledge


It is no secret that some of New York City's tour guides may be lousy, most notoriously those who worked for New York Apple Tours , closed in 2001 for environmental and safety violations. Nor do many in the tourism industry respect the flimsy licensing exam that allowed for such guides. Indeed, more than a decade ago, the bus company Gray Line began a more rigorous test for its own guides.

But when the city recently upgraded its licensing exam , many of New York's professional tour guides seemed outraged, judging from a hearing last month at the New York City Council. Why?

Their biggest complaint is that all licensed guides, no matter how experienced, must take the new test. "In effect our licenses have been revoked without provocation, just cause, due process or misconduct," reads a petition circulated by some of the 200 members of the Guides Association of New York .

The issue is a contentious one; disagreement about whether to fight the test or not is one reason why the entire nine-member board of the guides association resigned on June 25.

Many guides seem to resent that the Department of Consumer Affairs has imposed this new requirement on them, while at the same time the department has not done anything to crack down on unlicensed guides -- even bus drivers dangerously doing double duty -- who bring in tour groups from out of town.

There are 1,300 people who hold tour guide licenses in New York City, though it is unclear how many of these work regularly. Most guides work either as "step-on" freelancers for bus groups (schools, packaged tours, etc.) visiting New York or on staff at companies like Gray Line. A smaller number specialize in walking tours.

"There are many kinds of guides; there is only one test," complained Andy Sydor, the shop steward for Gray Line's more than 100 guides. Independent guide Joseph Schiff, for example, specializes exclusively in Jewish neighborhoods; his tour participants are "not coming to see the Waldorf-Astoria." A proper test for him, he testified at the City Council hearing, would include asking how to tell the difference between a Hasid from Crown Heights and one from Williamsburg just by their clothing.

Among the other complaints and accusations:

1. Tour guides were not sufficiently consulted. "I don't understand why it was done in such a unilateral fashion," declared Councilmember Phil Reed, chair of the Consumer Affairs Committee, after listening to the testimony of one tour guide after another at last month's hearing, wondering why the city had not done more to hear from them first.

2. The test, with its mini-essays, is unfair to those guides who are not native English speakers (many of whom offer their tours in foreign languages), and none of the nine books that the consumer affairs department suggests as preparation for the test are available in languages other than English. .

3. The person who wrote the test has a conflict of interest because he competes in the marketplace and teaches a guide enhancement course for NYC & Company, the city's tourist bureau. Though it was the guides association leadership itself who suggested Justin Ferate, a well-respected guide, as the test writer, Seth Kamil, president of Big Onion Walking Tours, said this was "the equivalent of the Educational Testing Service asking Kaplan Test Prep to write the SATs."

4. The test contains too much trivia. Of sample questions, some guides have lambasted several such as this one:

The physical size of the Bronx is approximately the equivalent of what European city?

(a) Paris, France (b) Copenhagen, Denmark (c) London, England (d) Brussels, Belgium

This is a request, they say, that requires irrelevant knowledge of Europe. (The answer is Paris)

"You know what is not in the test? How do you get 8th graders interested in New York?" said Jane Marx, a tour guide in New York for 23 years, as quoted in a report about the debate on National Public Radio. "You can't test humor, warmth, kindness, presentation of information, silliness. And that is the essence of a good tour."

5. The test is too difficult. By the time of the hearing last month, only 36 percent of those who took the test had passed.

Consumer Affairs Commissioner Gretchen Dykstra has answers for most of the criticism. She says that some guides themselves have supported "periodic retesting" in order to keep standards rigorous, and that the new test holds to higher standards than previous ones, which were written by employees of the consumer affairs department rather than a professional guide: "We have finally brought some integrity and intellectual fervor" to the test, she said at the hearing. Besides, the files of the department are such that it is not clear which guides took which test, nor how comprehensive nor even accurate these tests were.

Dykstra is proud, she said, that "the new test captures the depth and breadth of New York's history and our contemporary culture," and dismissed as narrow-minded such complaints as the one from one tour guide that "ethnic foods don't apply to our job." She promised to look into offering the test in translation.

As for the test's difficulty, she noted that New York Post columnist Gersh Kuntzman -- not a licensed guide -- passed the test easily, getting more than 80 percent of 150 questions correct. Still, Dykstra has said, if the failure rate remains high, she will reconsider the grading curve. Guides can be retested for free until next March.

Dykstra said interstate commerce rules prevent the city from regulating tours that do not originate in the city -- those most likely to use bogus guides. Some licensed guides say that's bunk --after all, other cities exercise such jurisdiction. That issue will be aired at a follow-up hearing Councilmember Reed promised for the fall.

"I think this is a bigger issue than I had expected," Reed said. "There's something wrong here."

Norman Oder is a journalist and licensed NYC tour guide.

 



Three articles in this series:
• Testing The Tour Guides
• The Tour Guides Complain
• Test Your NYC Knowledge



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