NYC-WTC_000230627

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Transit System Faces Tough Test Gene Russianoff has been a thorn in the side of the a Metropolitan Transportation Authority for more than IN THE two decades. New York’s moat prominent advocate for f SUBWAYS better mass transit and lower fares. cn So it was surprising to hear Russianoff heaping o

1 1 praise on the mass transit system during Tuesday's MTA board meeting. “Lyas'the only public speaker and I did what 1 thought was the right thing to do,” Russianoff said yes­ terday. “I thanked them for their blood, sweat and tears over the last two weeks to keep the system mov- >

3 e But, in a time of crisis, the true test for a transit sys- . - tem already bursting at the seams will begin today Ray with the implementation of dramatic traffic restric­ o tions in Manhattan. > Sanchez For the first time since the 1980 transit strike, sin- , what is going to be a new era in New York City,' Translation: It will get worse before it gets bet> said John Kachny, executive director of Transpoc - ler. ‘Transit ridership has reached its highest lev* gle-occupant passenger vehicles are being barred tation Alternatives, a group that advocates “bicy- els since the late 1960a,' Russianoff said “There in Manhattan The new ban afFecta vehi­ cling, walking and enrironmentally sen- are 1 million more subway and bus riders on anav- iw cles an most bridges and tunnels enter- sible transportation.” erage weekday today than there were four years Ma , ing midtown and lower Manhattan weekdays from 6 a.m to noon. The hope li Kiissianoff said, “I'here are many then- sands of people now who put American ago. Subway ridership is up 29 percent over the last five years matched only by about an 11 per- is the restrictions will help ease tTaliic

g flags on their cars to show their con* cent increase in service." that has snarled midtown and lower cams about the future of the city and the While there are more subway riders, there are Manhattan since the Sept.' 11 terrorist country. Now they need to put a passen- also more motor vehicles than ever entering Man­ ; attack on the World Trade Center. ger in their cars to show they're doing hottan, more thana million a day during the week. So there was RussianoT, attorney for their part to keep the city moving. It is a Downtown had been choking on traffic for years. 00 the Straphangers Cfimpaign, several Q former ciiv Transportation Department fair sacrifice.” se wifi subway and bus service im- end political leaders did precious little to discour­ age people from driving into Manhattan- pl H prinmissionGrs, members of Transport-a- prove enough to handle the extra load? For decfidea, groups such as Transportation H ■ tion Alternatives and the Tri-State Transporiaiion Campaign yesterday at That cannot be taken for.granted. The masters of the subway have not done Alternatives have pushed for stern anti-cor men- sures like tolls on the East River bridges and ex- N) ' a gridlocked midtown intersection to .nearly enough to handle the extra hun*‘ press Hur lanes in and out of Manhattan. Finally, 1 show Lhcir support for the new mea- * ' sures. „ , G®™® RDSSlanon dreds of thousands of riders a day pro- duced by MetroCurd discounts. government is listening. “To have to realize it through a tragedy is sad," KJ I "The subways are crowded to begin “Well run as much subway end bus- Kaehny said. , with, this will make them even more crowded,” service as possible while renewing our call for busi- “To be honest," RussianofT said, ‘’none of us feels s Rus-sianofTs^id. “But like many things in the City nessBS to stagger work hours," said Al O’Leary, comfortable pushing our agenda on the bones O o now, we all have to do our pari. Traffic on city New York City Transit spokesman. “That's to take o streeu is insane.’ or available „p.dt, Wfc™ aM .■U a tune when everyone is desperately looking therus our • . fice just three blocks awav. o for * way out of nourrtin^, thev spoke in tbp new Bti AYC TransK asks fur rhe wntinued pa- fhe subways are a s^-robol of the atys resQ- o disaster. Bui normajry is incompal- tience of our customers, who have been wonderful- ieivp,’ he TrT "hi~”\-|JTiirir ^-ntrr arm ibk vnh I ly understanding during these difficuli times/ that dajirwalltKj jgptovD (cad m cr viSr cd* o *Tbb w ofenet tilowmf people ume to adjust to J co co o ro M3 Ui-

NYC-WTC_000230627