By Bob Harris
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Senior Citizens Advisory Council has been working to improve Access-A-Ride service for senior citizens unable to use subways or buses. SCAC consists of 24 seniors from the five boroughs.
Many are former union members and have the know-how to get things done. One is a subway buff. The Queens representatives are Barbara Barr, Bob Harris, Inez Moscatiello and Patricia Dolan, who also represents Queens Connection.
For weeks they held meetings with MTA officials to express concerns over Acess-A-Ride problems. One must compliment the good aspects of Access-A-Ride, since it provides over 3 million rides to people with disabilities each year. Some riders, however, so fear being stranded, long circuitous rides or poor treatment that they give up the service.
Eastern Queens disabled people face the problem of trying to transfer between Access-A-Ride and ABLE, the Nassau County equivalent. Attempts by Queens legislators to create a smooth transfer method have been thwarted by the vetoing of laws by previous governors. Another problem is the MTA calling seniors in to make sure they are still eligible for the service. Some have problems getting to the hearings. An 85-year-old disabled person will not suddenly become more mobile. Considering the many things seniors face, Access-A-Ride is better than being stuck in their homes deteriorating.
Speakers at recent SCAC meetings were MTA President Eliot Sander, New York City Transit President Howard Roberts Jr. and the MTA intergovernmental and community relations vice president. They made presentations and answered questions from SCAC members.
There were questions about Access-A-Ride and improving service. These meetings were prior to the congestion pricing debate, so there was the promise that extra money would be used to improve public service.
Some facts presented were that the new hybrid buses would be 100 percent wheelchair accessible, seven independent bus lines would be merged with the MTA bus system and replace 900 buses. There has been an 11 percent ridership increase in the past year, most buses are less than four years old and move 2.5 million people a day and the fares were among the lowest in the world. If express buses pass you by because they are full, call the MTA and they will add more buses. To keep track of buses, it was said that Global Positioning Systems do not work in the city.
Planning for disasters was discussed. The MTA is planning for a Category 5 hurricane, but if this happens, there could be a 50-foot wall of water in lower Manhattan and along the Queens coast. They are experimenting with different plans to prevent water from flowing into the subway the way it did during last year's storms, when 28 of 468 stations were flooded. If there is a big storm, then people will be transported to evacuation centers in schools and stadiums. I do not know if food and water is being stockpiled.
The MTA is adding resources to the No. 7 and L trains. The No. 7 is at full capacity now. The problem is that one little slip-up at full capacity would cause problems. There was ambivalence about running one-person trains, but the technology exists now.
They are working on upgrading public address systems in stations and on trains. People asked that announcements be made when the train is sitting in the station so travel noises do not drown out the announcements. They are always giving out tickets to cars which park or stop in a bus stop because that slows up service and inconveniences riders getting on or off buses.
There was discussion of the new housing in southeast Queens built in the past few years. They will look at bus routes in southeast Queens with the possibility of adding new routes. It was felt that, in general, bus drivers should be better trained and more considerate of passengers in certain situations. If people lose something on a train or bus, call the MTA Lost and Found at 212-712-4500.
GOOD NEWS OF THE WEEK: The Laurelton re-zoning process passed its first hurdle when plans to downzone were presented to the community. People want to maintain the community's quiet, one-family residential character with zoning to prevent developers from building either large houses or two where one had stood. The Department of City Planning also tried to keep commercial strips from eroding residential blocks.
