NYC transportation post-Sandy

[RosieTR]

Any New Yorkers out there? Do you know how you plan to get around until the subways are up? Any ideas when they might be? I heard anything from "four or five days" to "months" depending on who wrote the article and what they were assuming. This must be very frustrating since many people in NYC do not have any other mode of transportation available besides their own two feet.

[CathyA]

I'm not from NYC, but I keep hearing it will take a few more days to get the subways going. This is absurd.........it will probably take months. I think they're afraid to actually say that to the millions of people who use it every day.

[RosieTR]

I read they'll start opening some stuff tomorrow. Some will take weeks or maybe even months, I think, esp Lower Manhattan.

[bunnys]

I read they'll start opening some stuff tomorrow. Some will take weeks or maybe even months, I think, esp Lower Manhattan.

What? Will people just get off in Midtown and walk the rest of the way?

[SteveinMN]

Well, there's buses and cabs and walking is not beyond consideration. Most Americans don't walk all that much, partially because most places they live do not accommodate it as well as NYC does. MTA also may set up a schedule of shuttle buses to act as surface subway cars (not that I know that for a fact, but I do know the light rail here does arrange buses when parts of the system are unavailable).

[CathyA]

There is absolute gridlock in NYC. The mayor has made a rule that there must be at least 3 people in each car coming into the city, and there are check points to make sure this happens.
Also, there are people waiting for miles in their cars, and running out of gas. There are long lines at gas stations too. I think this is probably the worst catastrophe that the U.S. has ever had.
Yes, 9-11 was horrendous, but the destruction was far less, even though there was greater loss of life.

I hope they don't open up the subways prematurely. I'd hate to see a big subway disaster next.
This is just the worst, and I'm sure people are going to start getting frustrated/angry/etc. which will lead to even more chaos..........
I don't mean to be so negative, but this is really bad.

[creaker]

I expect there are a lot of businesses in NYC smacking their heads and wondering why they weren't more proactive with work from home options.

The ones I really feel sorry for are the folks dependent on public to get to/from work, shopping, everything. A lot of people in the city do not have the choice of "well I'll just jump in my car instead".

[SteveinMN]

Also, there are people waiting for miles in their cars, and running out of gas. There are long lines at gas stations too.
One thing I've never understood is why people idle in their cars for tens of minutes. They just let them run. It simply wastes fuel for no good purpose. Except for the rare car that has starting problems, there's no reason the car shouldn't be shut off for very long traffic lights and for waiting in lines. In fact, some cars now come with a stop/start system that does just that automatically.


I think this is probably the worst catastrophe that the U.S. has ever had.
It certainly will be in the running for the most expensive catastrophe, though it seems that every disaster now outranks its predecessors in expense. I don't know as it will outstrip Katrina, though, in the complete displacement of people and the length of time it will take to return most people to normalcy or outstrip the widespread and life-disrupting effects of either the Great Depression or the Dust Bowl. Time will give Sandy its proper place.

[jp1]

Gene Russianoff from the Straphangers Campaign is not easily impressed. I really really expected the recovery of the subways to take much longer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/nyregion/new-york-subways-find-magic-in-speedy-hurricane-recovery.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0