NYC Commuter Week Faces Uncharted Ground as Storm Brews

[xchrom]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-04/new-york-commuters-to-begin-week-navigating-uncharted-territory.html


Commuters ride the F train November 1 in New York City after limited public transit returned to New York. Photograph: Allison Joyce/Getty Images

New York-area residents head into their first full week of commuting since superstorm Sandy crippled the biggest U.S. mass-transit network, even as a new storm threatens a fresh set of disruptions to daily routines.

Subways and most commuter-rail lines will run on full or modified schedules, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo. A nor’easter expected to hit Nov. 8 may hamper efforts to restore power to about 180,000 in New York City and Westchester County and led to stepped-up efforts to help those affected stay warm.

Sandy’s floodwaters on Oct. 29 inundated transit tunnels and underground utilities and damaged parts of all five New York boroughs. While the storm left more than 100 dead in 10 U.S. states, including 42 in the city, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said city schools will reopen today, helping restore routines. Power remained out to more than 1 million in the region.

“It’s not going to be normal tomorrow, and people should expect that,” Cuomo said yesterday at a news briefing. The Democratic governor was joined by Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate and New York officials including Bloomberg and Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano.

[marmar]

1. Just knowing what rush hour is like under normal circumstances on the subway......

....... I can only imagine the horror show today.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. NJ < -------------- > NYC

Let's say you live in Bergen County and work in Manhattan.

You usually take a NJ Transit train from your town to Hoboken, take the PATH train (Port Authority Trans Hudson shuttle under the Hudson River), and then a subway to your job.

As of this morning, NJ Transit isn't running a train to Hoboken. Even if you got to Hoboken Station, PATH isn't running yet because it was flooded. You have a shake at a NJ Transit bus that will have to go through the Lincoln Tunnel to the Port Authority or take the ferry to Wall Street. Expect lines for both. Once you get to the PA, maybe you'll get a cab, maybe not. Subways may or may not be running. Buses are packed.

You could try to drive across the George Washington Bridge, past the 2 mile gas lines on Route 4 and try to find parking once you got to Midtown, wasting more gas.

A usual 90 minute route has expanded to 3-4 hours on top of your 8+ hour job.