New York City Transportation System Initiates Major Changes

As a bus driver in New York City, Barry Baldwin received several awards for accident-free service. Barry Baldwin was also honored for his role in assisting passengers with disabilities. His employer, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), is making significant changes after New York governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in 2017 for its subway system.

The goal of Phase I of the Subway Action Plan is to address 79 factors that cause delays. In addition, MTA is making other improvements, such as cleaning and repainting stations and making elevators and escalators easier to use. It will also carry more passengers on selected trains, place emergency medical technicians at some stops, and make signs more visible.

Other methods are being devised for informing users about delays and route changes. Online information will be easier to personalize, and a new MTA smartphone app will be rolled out. Customer service representatives will be in busy stations, and employees will be trained to suggest other transit choices. Countdown clocks will be installed at all locations.

The estimated cost of Phase I is $380 million. The plan is part of a five-year capital campaign to enhance transportation statewide. The MTA’s Genius Grant Program is intended to discover new methods of increasing on-time operations.

Biking Guidelines in New York City

 

Biking
Image: nyc.gov

A former bus operator with NYC Transit Authority, Barry Baldwin provided dedicated service to public transit riders for 27 years in New York City and was awarded several safety awards and certificates throughout his lengthy career. Barry Baldwin of New York maintains a healthy lifestyle and stays active by running five miles per week and biking approximately ten miles each weekend.

New York City offers almost 1,200 miles of paths, streets, and roads for bike enthusiasts. NYC strictly enforces bike laws; therefore, obeying traffic lights and avoiding riding on the sidewalk are critical to prevent the chance of getting a costly ticket from local police. It is also helpful to understand silent hand signals to communicate with others on the road. New York’s Department of Transportation offers an online education pamphlet on this topic.

New York provides three different types of bike lanes all riders should know about namely, protected bike lanes, conventional bike lanes, and shared lanes. Protected bike lanes are blocked from traffic and marked in green, while conventional bike lanes have a white border between the bike lane and the motorist lane. Shared lanes are used by both motorists and cyclists, and occasionally feature an image of a bike painted in white to remind users to share the lane. Greenways are an additional type of pathway where cars are not permitted to drive and are marked on NYC bike maps.