🎃 Bed Bugs, Botched Plans & Barnacle Crackdowns: Welcome to Edition #18 of the BOMA-NY Transportation Report 🗞️

October 2024 | BOMA-NY Codes & Regs Committee

If this report had a Halloween costume, it would be dressed as “Transit Infrastructure Crisis,” carrying a tote bag filled with lithium-ion battery recalls, congestion pricing lawsuits, robotaxis gone rogue, and hot takes on parking reform. Oh — and it might also be handing out pierogis in a UPS-themed bucket.

From derailments under Park Avenue to subway shootings over fare evasion, the mood is spooky on and under the streets of New York. But don’t worry — this edition brings the humor too, with Grimace sightings on the 7 train, chicken-costumed speed traps, and a Cleveland Pierogi Cat that competes with Punxsutawney Phil.

In this issue:

🚧 $68 billion capital plan approved, even as congestion pricing cash vanishes
🚓 Fare evasion stop leads to subway shooting and $80M lawsuit
🛠️ Park Avenue train shed crumbling beneath Midtown
🚇 Staten Island gets new trains (finally)
🔥 Electric cars explode after saltwater hurricane surge
🎃 “Trick or Streets” closes NYC roads for Halloween fun
🐞 First-class flight bed bug attack goes viral
🧀 Best UPS Halloween costume? A baby dressed as a pierogi
🛫 JFK tops U.S. airports for global connectivity
🦇 “Thriller” Zombies return for the 20th anniversary of the NYC Halloween parade

📍It’s spooky season in the five boroughs—and in the pages of the MTA’s budget.

— Glenn Waldorf
Transportation Subcommittee Chair
Bell Environmental Services
📞 973-575-7800
✉️ info@bellenv.com

✅ October 2024 Transportation Report Summary Bullets

🚆 Transit Budgets & Rail Infrastructure

  • MTA unveils $68 billion capital plan — 24% more than last cycle.

  • But $33B in funding still unaccounted for as congestion pricing remains frozen.

  • Plan includes:

    • $11B for 1,500 new subway cars

    • $8B to overhaul stations

    • $4B to upgrade power

    • $2B to repair train yards

    • Zero dollars for Second Avenue Subway extension

  • MTA calls for $1.7B rehab of Midtown train shed under Park Avenue — vital to Metro-North and surrounding buildings.

🚨 Crime & Safety

  • Fare evasion stop leads to police shooting, 2 bystanders injured.

  • $80M claim filed against NYC.

  • Subway derailment near Penn Station causes delays — summer chaos continues.

🚇 Stations & Railcar Upgrades

  • Ground breaks on new Grand Central Madison entrance, expected to generate $1B in real estate revenue.

  • Staten Island Railway gets first new train cars in 50 years (R211s).

🚍 Expansion & Redevelopment

  • Amtrak, MTA & NJ Transit propose $17B Penn Station expansion, could require taking over nearby blocks.

  • Biden admin funds new Amtrak line: Scranton → NYC, via “Dunder Mifflin” territory.

✈️ Airports & Aviation Drama

  • Bed bugs crawl up leg of first-class passenger from NYC to Detroit — viral nightmare.

  • JFK now #1 globally for international flight connections. Newark remains last in U.S. satisfaction survey.

  • Delta and Frontier suffer separate emergency landings due to cabin smoke and engine fire.

🔋 EVs, Recalls & Fires

  • Electric cars explode after saltwater exposure post-Hurricane Helene.

  • Volkswagen SUVs recalled for random door openings while driving.

  • Ted Cruz blocks e-bike battery safety bill over reelection optics.

🛑 Congestion Pricing & Legal Limbo

  • NY judge allows lawsuits against Governor Hochul for halting the program to proceed.

  • State AG won’t defend her decision, citing shaky legal ground.

🛳️ Ports, Parking & Enforcement

  • Longshoremen strike ends after 3 days; 62% raise over 6 years; new deadline Jan 15.

  • NYPD deploys “barnacle” windshield clamps for scofflaws — replaces the boot.

  • Chicken-costumed cops used in SF to catch speeders. (No, not in NYC. Yet.)

🧛 Halloween & Trick-or-Streets

  • 100+ car-free events sponsored by NYC DOT.

  • Village Parade returns, complete with Thriller zombies and Childless Cat Ladies brigade.

🚲 Citi Bikes, Bridges & Future Tech

  • Citi Bike “hustlers” earn $6,000/month redistributing bikes.

  • Tesla Robotaxi promise still not delivered—new EV recall announced.

  • DOJ seeks $100M from companies that caused Baltimore bridge collapse.

🌆 Port Authority & JFK

  • Midtown Bus Terminal rebuild begins: “10 years of hell,” $10B cost.

  • JFK’s Terminal One to get 13,000 solar panels, biggest airport solar project in U.S.

  • Newark AirTrain to be rebuilt for $2B.

🧑‍💻 Open Data & Design

  • MTA announces Open Data Challenge with vintage memorabilia as the prize.

  • New federal rules could force SUVs and pickups to shrink, saving pedestrian lives.

🥟 And Finally: UPS & Pierogis

  • Cutest Halloween costume ever: A UPS toddler carrying pierogis in a plastic pumpkin.

  • Cleveland now has an official Pierogi Week and a Pierogi Cat for seasonal forecasts.

Read The Full Report Here! BOMA NY Codes & Regs Committee Transportation Report October 2024