🚨 National Guard, Grand Central Reversals & the Subway Crime Surge: Welcome to Edition #13 of the BOMA-NY Transportation Report 🗞️
March 2024 | BOMA-NY Codes & Regs Committee
It’s March madness—New York-style.
This month’s Transportation Report drops into a city wrestling with crime underground, lawsuits above, and elevators that might (finally) arrive by 2055. From Governor Hochul’s National Guard deployment to yet another pivot on Penn Station access, we’re covering the policy shifts, flashpoints, and infrastructure issues that matter most to CRE professionals trying to keep tenants, deliveries, and buildings moving.
In this edition:
🔫 Subway crime rebounds after NYPD cut back—leading to National Guard troops in the tunnels
⚖️ Congestion pricing lawsuits stall projects—but a June 15 start is still technically on the books
🚫 Three out of four stations still lack elevators—disproportionately affecting disabled riders and caregivers
♻️ E-bike fires rise, while NYC and NJ scramble for better regulation and infrastructure
⛴️ NYC Ferry operator files for bankruptcy, but swears service will continue
🚸 Good news: NYC had its safest-ever year for pedestrians
🎷 Plus: $30K lost-and-found, rock radio anniversaries, and a supersonic return to the Intrepid Museum
📍From the platforms to the courtrooms, it’s all in here—and as always, tailored for those who manage what matters between the curbs.
— Glenn Waldorf
Transportation Subcommittee Chair
Bell Environmental Services
📞 973-575-7800
✉️ info @ bellenv.com
✅ BOMA-NY Transportation Report – March 2024 Highlights
🚦 Congestion Pricing
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Expected launch: June 15, but lawsuits from NJ, Staten Island, and UFT are delaying upgrades and implementation.
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MTA has suspended transit project contracts in response to legal uncertainty.
🚇 Subway Crime & Safety
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Subway violence spiked after NYPD ended its 2023 surge.
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Multiple high-profile incidents, including shootings, conductor attacks, and musician assaults.
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MTA workers staged boycotts; service delays ensued.
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NYPD responded with 1,000 extra officers, cutting crime 17% in February.
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Governor Hochul deployed 750 National Guard troops + 250 law enforcement for bag checks.
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Critics (left and right) argue Guard presence is ineffective and largely performative.
♿ Accessibility Crisis
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75% of NYC subway stations lack elevators; MTA plans upgrades through 2055.
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500,000+ New Yorkers have mobility impairments; critics say this is a bigger safety issue than crime.
🚦 MTA & Transit
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LIRR partially reverses Grand Central Madison plan, rerouting some trains back to Penn Station.
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LED lighting upgrades for all subway stations targeted by 2026.
🔋 E-Bike Fires & Regulation
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NYC testing public charging stations for delivery workers.
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NJ proposes e-bike registration law.
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Battery fires continue posing safety risks.
🌊 Climate & Fleet
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Sea levels could rise 13 inches by the 2030s, per new state study.
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NYC has 180 electric school buses—but needs 4,700 more to meet its climate goals.
⛴️ NYC Ferry & Bankruptcy
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NYC Ferry operator Hornblower filed for bankruptcy.
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Despite $1.2B in debt, service expected to continue under restructured ownership.
🚸 Pedestrian Safety
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NYC ended 2023 with its safest year ever: only 101 pedestrian deaths, the lowest in 114 years.
🎉 Odds & Ends
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💰 $30K left on LIRR reunited with its owner.
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✈️ Concorde jet returns to the Intrepid Museum after restoration
