🚇 Gridlock, AI Used To Improve Bus Maintenance, and the Shutdowns of Fifth Ave: Welcome to Edition #3 of the BOMA-NY Transportation Report 🗞️

We’re wrapping up 2022 with a festive, fiery, and fiercely urban edition.

The December 2022 Transportation Report dives into the seasonal street closures, surging fare hikes, safety tech rollouts, and transit-adjacent drama that every NYC commercial property manager should have on their radar. From Midtown to Moynihan, it’s a full plate of policy, pavement, and public pressure.

In this issue:

🚫 Fifth Avenue goes car-free on Sundays, and Rockefeller Center becomes a pedestrian playground through January

🔥 E-bike battery fires are setting off alarms—190 and counting—with outer-borough residential buildings hit hardest

🧠 Mayor Adams launches involuntary hospitalizations for mentally ill homeless individuals in subways

🚌 MTA turns to AI (yes, really) to stop buses from breaking down and boost maintenance efficiency

🚇 Felony crimes on the subway rose 40% in 2022—but November showed real improvement after the NYPD crackdown

💵 Subway, taxi, and toll fares are climbing; riders and drivers alike are feeling the pinch

🌳 Queens loses 260 mature trees to highway widening. Environmental tradeoff or policy misstep? Depends who you ask

Whether you’re optimizing lobby signage for new fare rates or bracing for holiday gridlock at your building’s loading dock, this edition is tailored for property professionals who need facts, forecasts, and just enough sarcasm to survive Q4.

And New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey….. but it’s also getting $12 billion for a tunnel, so maybe the last laugh is theirs.

📍 Stay alert. Stay ahead. And maybe skip charging that e-bike next to the janitor’s closet.

🛑 Holiday Season Traffic Restrictions & Gridlock Alerts

NYC DOT Public Messaging:

  • Urged the public to avoid driving in Manhattan during the holidays.

  • Emphasized using mass transit for access to Midtown, with new pedestrianized areas to enhance safety and foot traffic flow.

Gridlock Alert Days:
December 9, 13, 14, and 15.

Fifth Avenue & Rockefeller Center Restrictions:

  • Fifth Avenue closed to cars (49th–57th Sts) on Sundays: Dec 4, 11, 18.

  • Rockefeller Center and Radio City surroundings pedestrianized daily from 11 AM–12 AM until mid-January.

  • Movable barriers added on Sixth Avenue (48th–52nd) to expand pedestrian space.

🔥 Electric Vehicles & Fire Risk Concerns

Secret Service Vehicle Fires:

  • Five electric rental SUVs used by Biden’s team caught fire post-return; one was under recall.

E-Bike Battery Fire Risk:

  • FDNY required safety bulletin postings in residential buildings by April 30, 2023.

  • Battery fires spiked: 190 in 2022, primarily in low-income, outer-borough neighborhoods (Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx).

Residential Fire Risk Disparity:

  • Most fires occurred in multi-unit homes or public housing.

  • NYCHA considers banning lithium-ion battery-powered devices on its properties.

💵 Fare Increases & Economic Pressures

NYC Taxi Fare Hike:

  • First increase in a decade: avg. ride from $15.97 → $19.62.

  • JFK flat fare raised to $70.

MTA Subway Fare Proposal:

  • Proposed fare increase to $2.90 (5.5% rise).

  • Deficit of $2.5B/year expected after pandemic relief ends.

🚇 Subway Safety and Crime Data

Crime Stats & Public Perception:

  • Felony subway crimes up 40% YoY; arrests also up 93%.

  • November saw a 13% decrease in subway crime vs. 2021.

  • NYPD added overtime shifts and issued over 100,000 summonses.

Media Coverage & Politics:

  • Crime became a political issue, influencing midterm voter sentiment.

  • Contradictory headlines created tension between real crime stats and public perception.

🧠 Mental Health & Homelessness on Transit

Mayor Adams’ Initiative:

  • Mandated hospitalization for mentally ill homeless individuals even without immediate threat.

  • Expansion of Kendra’s Law and psychiatric bed availability (50 added by Governor Hochul).

🚌 MTA Modernization Efforts

AI Bus Maintenance (Preteckt):

  • Predictive diagnostics to prevent breakdowns.

  • Initial focus on emissions systems; expanding to HVAC and engines.

Signal Upgrade Delays:

  • Contractor errors led to 2-year delays on F and G lines due to mis-sized parts.

Accessibility Investments:

  • Over $1 billion allocated for elevator installations/replacements at subway and LIRR stations.

🚆 Rail Network Developments

Grand Central Madison (LIRR East Side Access):

  • Long-delayed terminal (started in 1990s) expected to open by end of 2022.

  • Cost: $11.6B, potentially $12.7B with debt.

Gateway Tunnel Funding:

  • Federal infrastructure bill allocates $12B, reducing NY/NJ costs.

🛣️ Infrastructure Projects & Controversies

LIE Expansion & Tree Removal:

  • 260 mature trees removed for $83M road expansion.

  • Environmentalists argue replanting doesn’t offset ecological loss.

NJ Turnpike Widening Debate:

  • $10.7B plan faces opposition from NJ & NYC officials.

  • Proposals include adding dedicated bus lanes instead.

🚧 Streetscape & Civic Cleanups

Outdoor Dining Shed Removals:

  • NYC DOT cleared abandoned/violating dining structures (~100 removed).

Vision Zero Progress:

  • NYC saw a 19% traffic fatality drop (2010–2020), outperforming national trend.

  • Hoboken cited as a model: 0 traffic deaths in 4 years, credited to “daylighting” techniques.

🚙 Toll Increases Across NY/NJ

Port Authority (Bridges/Tunnels):

  • E-ZPass: $11.75 → $12.75 off-peak, $14.75 peak.

  • Cash tolls: $16 → $17.

  • AirTrain: $8.

NJ Turnpike & Garden State Parkway:

  • 3% toll increase (Jan 2023), linked to inflation.

📰 Lighter Notes & Humor

  • A Thanksgiving meal was served aboard an L train.

  • NJ DOT was forced to stop using humorous road signs.

  • And Much Much More!

Here’s the Full: December 2022 BOMA NY Codes & Regs Transportation Report