Items tagged with 'transportation'
Should we punch the ticket for more expensive parking?
People get very passionate about parking and seemingly all things parking-related: paying for it, permits, meters, shoveling. And these conversations almost always revolve around whether there's enough parking -- and whether it's cheap enough.
Well, in a NYT column this weekend economist Tyler Cowen pushes the case that in most places parking should be... more expensive:
Is this a serious economic issue? In fact, it's a classic tale of how subsidies, use restrictions, and price controls can steer an economy in wrong directions. Car owners may not want to hear this, but we have way too much free parking.
Higher charges for parking spaces would limit our trips by car. That would cut emissions, alleviate congestion and, as a side effect, improve land use.
Cowen goes on to talk about the work of Donald Shoup, a UCLA urban planning professor and the author of The High Cost of Free Parking. He continues the discussion on his excellent blog -- and responds to criticism.
Also via Cowen: San Francisco is testing parking meters that change the price based on current supply and demand.
By the way: Troy is considering residential parking permits for three of its neighborhoods. [TU]
Earlier on AOA:
+ Assembly passes Albany residential parking permits bill
+ Meters parked in Troy
+ The ethics of the shoveled parking spot
+ Ask AOA: Parking in Center Square
+ How the rest of us are ticketed
photo: Kim M
How much, where?
One the left, home prices as a percentage of median income. On the right, household median income.
Here's something that might help you kill time until you can leave work get a better picture of the Capital Region.
The Housing + Transportation Affordability Index is an online mapping tool that lets you apply all sorts of filters to local maps -- housing affordability, median household incomes, autos per household, transportation costs and so on. The maps are based on census data.
The index is a project of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, which promotes "more livable and sustainable urban communities." That viewpoint shows up in some of the explanations on the site.
[via Jen]
screengrab: CNT
Driving schools?
Carl asks:
I wonder if anyone has any good experiences to share with Albany / Troy area driving schools. Because the do-it-yourself model is not working with my daughter.
We've always thought having your parent teach you how to drive is maybe not the best idea. There's just so much... baggage. (Red light! You don't have to use that tone with me. Brake! I am braking!!)
So, a suggestion here could really smooth the road. Please share!
photo: Naimi Grondin (Flickr user Naimi&virg)
Bumper gawking
Updated with another pic!
As we've mentioned before, we plead guilty to a moving violation for dorkiness.
There are times that not only do we smile or note odd license plates around town -- we actually take photos of them, too.
Here's the most recent batch...
The car sharing conversation
It sounds like Albany common councilwoman Leah Golby is trying to push things forward on car sharing. From an email she sent out on Friday (links added):
If you aren't sure what car sharing is -- the best way to describe it is: short-term car rental. If you've traveled to larger cities, you've likely seen ZipCar -- that's the large for-profit car sharing company. Car sharing is access to a car without the hassles of car ownership. Car sharing helps to reduce gas emissions, promotes use of public transit and can save you $ by (for example) down-sizing from a two-car household to a 1-car household. ...
I happen to be more in favor of locally-controlled non-profit car sharing for the reasons that an Austin group described on the attached.
Momentum for any car sharing company would need to work collaboratively with all of the colleges/ universities leaders from our neighborhoods with parking issues (Center Square/ Hudson Park and Pine Hills), the city's Planning Department and CDTA/ CDTC.
Golby is hoping to prompt discussion via a Twitter hashtag: #ImagineAlbanyCarShare.
Of course, something like this wouldn't have to be limited just to Albany -- there are probably a handful of neighborhoods/areas/centers in the Capital Region that might benefit from car sharing.
Updated July 29, 2010 to include link to the pdf.
Earlier on AOA:
+ Report: car sharing coming to the Capital Region. Sort of.
+ Assembly passes Albany residential parking permits bill
+ From 2008: Not-yet-councilwoman Leah Golby talked about living in the Capital Region without a car
photo: Flickr user Jason Rodriguez
Toy car
So, what is the preferred glue for sticking a figurine to one's hood?
While we're on the subject of art cars: we passed this car in the parking lot at Colonie Center this past weekend.
It's a compact Nissan with with figurines stuck to the hood. And the trunk was covered in chalkboard paint, with an accompanying bin of chalk. People had written messages all over the trunk (among them: "Freakin epic car dude!!!").
A few more pics after the jump.
The Vehigloo could be yours
The Vehigloo in 2009.
You may have seen the "Vehigloo" driving around town -- it's an art car designed to look like a rolling igloo.
And now the Vehigloo could be yours. The owners have posted it on Craigslist. For free. From their posting:
You will get more attention driving around in this super fun car than if you were driving a Ferrari. Honks, waves, screaming, mooning -- you name it. It is not for the super shy unless you are trying to come out of your shell. We counted that we were photographed 50 times during our 6 hour trip to Baltimore. That is once every 7 minutes! There is a PA system so you can make animal and siren noises. The inside is also decorated/painted including hanging icicles. This car has been in a bunch of parades. ...
We are looking to give this to someone who will either enjoy it as it is or change it into their own style of artcar. You are not going to get this car to look like a regular car again, so don't even think about it! :) PLEASE email me with your plans for the car.
As it happens, the Vehigloo is/was a 1991 Toyota Corolla -- and the owners say it needs some work.
Said Andreas, one of the creators, in a comment here on AOA last year: "I did it just for the fun of it. It is a unique experience to drive in something like this. Sometimes you feel like a rock star, and sometimes like a freak!"
(Thanks, StickFigureMan!)
NY City Bus update
Still a pretty cheap ride.
The NY City Bus line has raised its Albany-New York City fare to $20 each way. When we talked to a rep this afternoon, he said the $10 fares had been a promotional rate (not entirely surprising... it was really cheap). He said there's now a $5 discount when you book a roundtrip.
Thirty-five bucks to get to and from NYC isn't a bad deal. But it's a lost closer to the Megabus fare (anywhere from a few bucks if you're really lucky, to about $50) and the Dragon Deluxe (running its own $35 promotion right now).
Kalyn recently talked with a few people (among them, Albany Jane) about their NY City Bus experience -- and they sounded reasonably happy. Though, as a few commenters noted, the extra bucks for the Megabus do you get a few extras (air conditioning, wifi).
Good to know: NY City Bus is planning to start service from Saratoga Springs. The fare currently listed on the schedule is $20. The listed pickup point is near the Saratoga Springs Visitor Center on Broadway.
The rep we spoke with said they're hoping start the service August 1, but it could be later. He said their website would have the date when it's confirmed.
(Thanks, Andrew)
Earlier on AOA:
+ What's the new $10 bus ride to New York like?
+ NY City Bus -- competition for the MegaBus?
+ The best way to get from Albany to NYC?
photo: Albany Jane
What's the new $10 bus ride to New York like?
A cheap ride.
As of today, the NY City Bus -- which runs between Albany and New York for just $10 each way -- has been up and running for a month.
So we thought now would be a good time to track down some people who've ridden the bus to give us the scoop...
Assembly passes Albany residential parking permits bill
The approximate area covered by the 3/4 mile radius. Not every spot will be subject to the permits.
The state Assembly has passed the bill that would allow the City of Albany to run a trial residential parking permit program around the Empire State Plaza. From Albany Common Councilman Richard Conti's Facebook status last night:
Albany Permit Parking Bill just passed the Assembly, 80-45! Thanks to Assemblymembers McEneny and Canestrari for their efforts on moving this forward ... now it moves to Governor Paterson for approval.
The bill passed in the state Senate last week.
Among the bill's provisions:
+ The City of Albany would be allowed to "pilot a residential parking permit system with a two year sunset" within a 3/4 mile radius of the ESP.
+ No more than 2,750 spaces would be made available by permit in the permitted area. (The bill figures there are about 9000 spaces total in the affected area.)
+ Permit parking would not be allowed on streets where adjacent properties are zoned for "commercial, office and/or retail use."
+ At least 20 percent of the spaces in the permit would be available for non-residents to use for at least 90 minutes at a time.
(Thanks, Mike and others!)
Update: From a PEF press release:
The New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) is disappointed state lawmakers have passed the Albany Permit Parking Plan, pandering to a small group of residents while shunning the needs of the general public.
The union is calling for Paterson to veto the legislation.
Earlier on AOA: Is the brake coming off residential parking permits near the ESP in Albany?
Is the brake coming off residential parking permits near the ESP in Albany?
Not every street within the proposed area would be subject to residential parking permits
Via Bob Conner comes word that a bill allowing residential parking permits near the Empire State Plaza is moving through the legislature again.
The bill passed in the Assembly a year ago, but died in the state Senate. Bob reports that Neil Breslin says it looks like there will be enough votes to pass it this time around in the Senate.
Among the bill's provisions:
+ The City of Albany would be allowed to "pilot a residential parking permit system with a two year sunset" within a 3/4 mile radius of the ESP.
+ No more than 2,750 spaces would be allowed in the permitted area.
+ Permit parking would not be allowed on streets where adjacent properties are zoned "commercial, office [and]/or retail use."
(The full text of the bill's provisions is after the jump.)
One possible hitch: the Assembly version of the bill differs from the Senate version in the size of the allowed area for permits -- 3/4 mile vs. 1 mile. Bob reports that CSEA dropped its opposition to the bill because of the reduced radius. Update: Albany common councilman Richard Conti stopped by in the comments to note the Senate bill is identical to the Assembly bill and includes the 3/4 mile radius (it appears the Open Senate entry for the bill hasn't been completely updated, yet).
Jerry Jennings told AOA last October that he wants permit parking -- and would pursue it if the legislature allowed it.
Report: New Yorkers are the least knowledgeable drivers
That's quite some company for New York in the slow lane.
A nationwide test/survey concluded that drivers in New York State are the least knowledgeable in the nation.
The test, which was sponsored by GMAC Insurance, asked drivers a series of 20 questions that were taken from state DMV exams. The New Yorkers' average score was a 70 -- the worst of any state (including DC) and just good enough to be considered passing (under 70 was considered failing).
Here's an explanation of the methodology.
This is the second year in a row that New York was ranked last in the nation. Other states near the bottom: New Jersey (shock), DC, California and Rhode Island. The Empire and Garden states have ranked near the bottom for the past five years.
Kansas had the top average score (82.3). The national average score was 76.2.
[via CapNews9]
Earlier on AOA: Listomania: a list of lists which list the Capital Region and New York
map: GMAC Insurance
Exit 6 closed this weekend
We admit it: we like to say "SPUI."
Just a reminder that Exit 6 on the Northway in Latham will be closed this weekend for construction on the SPUI. The ramps to/from I-87 are scheduled to close at 10 pm Friday night and open back up at 6 am Monday. There will also be lane closures on Route 7.
In other words: avoid, if you can. Here's a list of detours.
This weekend's work on the SPUI "marks a major milestone in the project and the approximate halfway point in this year's work," according to the state Department of Transportation. Barring any "unforeseen issues," the agency is projecting the interchanged will be open in the new Single Point Urban Interchange configuration "sometime in October 2010." The whole project is scheduled to be finished in 2011. Total cost: $41.9 million.
Oh, yeah: Not only does Exit 6 have its own website (Exit6.org) -- it's also a check-in location on Foursquare: Exit 6 Cluster F*ck. (Ouch.) The mayor is Jerry (@derryX).
Earlier on AOA:
+ Talkin' about SPUIs
+ It's pronounced "spoo-ee"
image: NYSDOT
NY City Bus -- competition for the MegaBus?
A new bus service between Albany and NYC started up today. The aptly-named NY City Bus is selling one-way rides to/from the city for $10.
That's cheap -- even cheaper than the MegaBus in many cases. A round trip ride on the MegaBus this week will cost you $60 if you bought now. (You can get it for as little as $18 if you book the same ride for a month from now.)
We had never heard of NY City Bus until recently, so we did a little bit of poking around -- and it looks like the bus line has a lot of similarities to the DragonDeluxe line. There are so many similarities that we wonder if it's connected to the Dragon. It shares the same pick-up (91 Colvin Avenue and 102 Central Ave in Albany) and drop-off (26 Canal Street and near Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan). And the two services seem to use one of the same operators (All State). The NY City Bus corporation was registered this past March and the listed address in Chinatown in Manhattan is different from that of the company that runs Dragon Deluxe, according to the listing on file with the state.
The Dragon Deluxe fare is roundtrip fare is more expensive -- $40 vs. $20. The NY City Bus site doesn't list the $20 fare as a promotion or sale or anything like that.
The NY City Bus lists a handful of routes around the country. Has anyone ridden it before? Anyone have the scoop?
Earlier on AOA: We broke down the travel options between Albany and NYC by price, time and ease.
image: NY City Bus
The CDTA iPhone app
Screenshots from the app.
CDTA released an update to its iPhone app this week, so we decided to check it out. And it's pretty cool.
The app has four primary functions: map, stop finder, trip planner, advisories. The map alone would be worth a download, but the other functions are helpful, too -- especially if you don't ride the same route all the time or you're not a hardcore CDTA rider.
At the pump
The chart above is from AlbanyGasPrices.com, the crowd-sourced gas prices site. It tracks the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the Albany area over the past year. The price has backed off during the last week or so, but it's still just about at the high for the last year.
If you go to the Albany Gas Prices site, you can graph the price against the national average (it tracks pretty closely) and crude oil prices -- and over different time spans, too.
AAA also tracks this data for the metro area, but without the graphs (and who doesn't love a graph).
The federal Energy Information Administration forecasted today that average gasoline prices will increase about four percent over the next year.
[prompted by a tweet from @AndyArthur]
Earlier on AOA:
+ From 2008: Gas hits four dollars and everyone's squeezed
+ How many gallons per mile?
+ Save money on gas... at Price Chopper?
graph: Albany Gas Prices
Can cars and bikes coexist in the Capital Region?
Tom Benware
Tom Benware might have passed you in traffic. On his bike. Which was on the side of a bus.
Tom appears on a CDTA bus as a part of a new initiative launched in April encouraging Capital Region motorists and cyclists to share the road.
In real life, the Delmar resident is a transportation guru, public transit advocate and 1,000-mile-a-year cyclist. He worked at the state Department of Transportation for 14 years and now he's the senior legislative analyst for the New York State Senate Transportation Committee. Just last week he helped advance new legislation that would require New York roads be designed with all users in mind - not just drivers.
I took a moment to talk with Tom about biking in the Capital Region, his favorite places to ride and what it's like to see yourself on the side of a bus.
Report: car sharing coming to the Capital Region. Sort of.
A Zipcar in Portland, Oregon. The program at UAlbany will be run by Hertz, according to the ASP.
The ASP's Jon Campbell reports that car sharing is coming to UAlbany via partnership with Hertz.
Over the last few years we've heard a handful of people -- online and off -- express their desire for car sharing here in the Capital Region.
A mixed case for street signs
Also, don't go that way on Marshall.
After D mentioned the new mixed-case street signs on the reconstructed section of Delaware Ave in Albany, B went out a took a photo (you can see the old-style all caps signs in the background of the large version).
Both D and Summer commented that the new mixed-case signs are hard to read. Wrote Summer: "It makes no sense to me, because all you see is a big "D" and the rest is tiny."
As CapHwys noted, mixed-case lettering on street signs is now a standard in the latest edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the bible for road signs. There's research from as far back as 1950 that using mixed-case, as opposed to ALL CAPS, is easier to read. (Although, the gains from lower case letters apparently drop off when people aren't sure of the word they're looking for.)
Earlier on AOA:
+ Next exit: the correct lettering?
+ Next exit: illegibility
photo: B
Next exit: the correct lettering?
It just looks wrong.
It sounds like state Department of Transportation is finally on the case of the rogue typeface on the Northway signs near Exit 6. Said DOT spokesperson Peter Van Keuren in a quote at the TU's Getting There blog:
"... the lettering on these signs is not standard as a result of an error that was made by the consultant," he said. "New signs with the standard font will be installed at no added expense to the state."
What's odd about this situation is that there are clearly defined guidelines about how text should appear on interstate signs. Also, the new signs don't appear to use Clearview, the easier-to-read typeface being used on new interstate signs around the country.
It would be interesting to find out who this consultant is (seemingly not a font nerd) and what other projects they've been consulting on.
(Thanks, Fred!)
Earlier on AOA: Next exit: illegibility
Thruway scheduled to be widened in Albany
The NYS Thruway Authority announced today that it will be spending $110 million to reconstruct and widen the Thruway from Exit 23 (Albany, I-787) to Exit 24 (Albany, I-87). The plan is add one new lane in each direction -- which would bring to the stretch to three lanes on each side.
A mini-site for the project says construction is scheduled to start in mid-2011, with completion scheduled for 2012. It says no detours are expected -- a temporary lane will be added to the median during construction.
That stretch of Thruway runs along the back of a bunch of residential neighborhoods. The "project is not anticipated to directly impact adjacent land uses," according to the site. It does report that the extra lanes "may increase noise levels." The document says noise will be monitored and some sort of sound mitigation might be an option (example: noise walls).
The Thruway says a 2002 study reported that an average of 48,100 vehicles traveled on that stretch daily. That study concluded that northbound traffic operated at an "unacceptable Level of Service" and southbound traffic was projected to reach that point in... 2008.
Update: The TU reports the project is scheduled to start April 2011 and be finished in the fall of 2013. The project's chief engineer told the Gazette that stretch of Thruway is in "in significant disrepair."
The Thruway also announced today it will be resurfacing pavement on the following stretches:
- from milepost 121, south of Interchange 21B (Coxsackie) to milepost 141 near Interchange 23 (Albany, I-787)
- from Interchange 24 (Albany, I-87) at milepost 148.15 to west of Interchange 25 (Schenectady, I-890) at milepost 153.85
- nearly seven miles of pavement resurfacing and safety upgrades on the Berkshire Spur, from the Canaan Toll Barrier to the Massachusetts State Line, approximately $7.5 million.
Price Chopper gas discount for CDTA fares
$50 at PC = $2 off a CDTA pass
Price Chopper has extended its Fuel AdvantEdge gas discount program to CDTA fares.
Here's how it works: This discount is based on 10 cents/gallon up to 20 gallon discount for gas. So for every $50 you spend at Price Chopper (while swiping your AdvantEdge card, of course), they'll knock $2 off the price of an eligible bus pass (31 day rolling, 10 day trip, Star tickets). Spend $100, save $4 on a bus pass. Spend $150, save $6. And so on. (As with the discount for gas, the credits can be used once and expire after 90 days.)
Here's a brochure that lists all the details.
The Chopper and CDTA are touting this program as maybe the first of its kind in the nation. They're running it for a 90-day trial period (now to May), "with the option to continue contingent upon its success."
photo: Price Chopper
How many gallons per mile?
There's a bill in the state Senate that would require all new cars sold or leased in New York to come with a sticker that lists the autos' gallons-per-mile. Yep, that's gallons-per-mile -- not just miles-per-gallon.
So, why GPM?
Exit 6 construction delays
The end product. But, you know, with cars.
The construction of SPUI at Exit 6 on the Northway is set to start back up in March -- and it looks there will be delays. Lots of delays.
The DOT says it will be closing three lanes of the Rt 7 bridge. That should constrict things considerably for the 45,000 cars that pass through that point every day. The DOT is also planning a handful of weekend closures of on/off ramps at the exit, starting in March. [WTEN] [Fox23]
In other words: avoid. The Exit 6 web site includes a list of alternate routes through the surrounding area.
Earlier on AOA:
+ The Latham SPUI now has its own website
+ Talkin' about SPUIs
+ It's pronounced "spoo-ee"
The best way to get from Albany to NYC?
The Megabus wasn't an option the last time we did the math on this.
To New York City and back is a pretty common trip for people in the Capital Region. So... what's the fastest way? What's the cheapest? What's the best?
We ran the numbers almost two years ago -- but things change. So we did the math again, this time with even more detail.
The full breakdown after the jump.
... said Kaitlin about Viva Kaitlin!