That's at least two "no trucks" signs in White Plains.
NO TRUCKS sign on Fisher Avenue, so how about a NO BUSES sign on Barker Avenue? Wednesday, June 21, 2017
This suggests that the City of White Plains has the authority, either through the Common Council or administratively by the traffic commissioner, to ban buses on Barker Avenue, where they have become a HUGE assault on quality of life: safety, pollution, congestion, noise.
The Common Council members have had ample opportunity to assess this and take action. Willful ignorance is not acceptable public policy.
Friday, July 21, 2017
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Do all those new buses at least reduce the number of cars in White Plains?
That's the only explanation that Common Council members could reasonably offer, although it probably would only occur to individual members if pressed to address the issue, which so far has not happened.
It's also one of those knee jerk reactions that seems plausible but may not be correct. Does anyone know? Maybe the traffic commissioner? Is there any reasonable data on this?
The many new buses can be viewed starting around 4:30 PM on weekdays. Just hang out at the intersection of Church Street and Barker Avenue. One went by a few minutes ago, a double Bee-Line bus making a left turn from Church onto Barker and heading towards the Transmania bus depot at the train station. Why would such a vehicle be taking that route? Does any city official have any idea? Does any care?
Casual observations:
- the number of cars seems at least as many as a couple of years ago before the buses increased dramatically in numbers, size and variety (county, regional, private)
- the buses seem to have a very low percentage of their seats occupied by passengers.
These buses could be replaced by Uber/Lyft without the capital investment, especially for Bee-Line, the county bus system that insists on the website that it has 30 million rides per year. Provide free rides to poor people.
Since the regional planning was not convinced by Westchester County to implement light rail along Interstate 287, White Plains, which did not sufficiently influence the county on this, is now increasingly burdened with absurd bus traffic with little or no benefit to the city, especially those residents who live downtown.
It's also one of those knee jerk reactions that seems plausible but may not be correct. Does anyone know? Maybe the traffic commissioner? Is there any reasonable data on this?
The many new buses can be viewed starting around 4:30 PM on weekdays. Just hang out at the intersection of Church Street and Barker Avenue. One went by a few minutes ago, a double Bee-Line bus making a left turn from Church onto Barker and heading towards the Transmania bus depot at the train station. Why would such a vehicle be taking that route? Does any city official have any idea? Does any care?
Casual observations:
- the number of cars seems at least as many as a couple of years ago before the buses increased dramatically in numbers, size and variety (county, regional, private)
- the buses seem to have a very low percentage of their seats occupied by passengers.
These buses could be replaced by Uber/Lyft without the capital investment, especially for Bee-Line, the county bus system that insists on the website that it has 30 million rides per year. Provide free rides to poor people.
Since the regional planning was not convinced by Westchester County to implement light rail along Interstate 287, White Plains, which did not sufficiently influence the county on this, is now increasingly burdened with absurd bus traffic with little or no benefit to the city, especially those residents who live downtown.
Monday, July 10, 2017
Gas station skimmer theft in White Plains, NY at Exxon Mobile station pump one run by Chestnut Mart.
from: Ken
to: Rob Astorino, Benjamin Boykin
cc: letters@lohud.com,digital@lohud.com,tips@patch.com,Westchester Police
date: Mon, Jul 10, 2017 at 9:07 AM
subject: Tech Thoughts: Gas station skimmer theft in White Plains, NY at Exxon Mobile station pump one run by Chestnut Mart.
http://techthoughtsmatinale.blogspot.com/2017/07/gas-station-skimmer-theft-in-white.html
to: Rob Astorino
cc: letters@lohud.com,digital@lohud.com,tips@patch.com,Westchester Police
date: Mon, Jul 10, 2017 at 9:07 AM
subject: Tech Thoughts: Gas station skimmer theft in White Plains, NY at Exxon Mobile station pump one run by Chestnut Mart.
http://techthoughtsmatinale.blogspot.com/2017/07/gas-station-skimmer-theft-in-white.html
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Surface Transportation Planning: does this explain the absurd bus mess in White Plains?
Even after 7:00 PM empty buses keep rolling down rediential Barker Avenue towards the train station.
https://www.transportation.gov/livability/grants-programs
Cruise down to "Surface Transportation Planning".
The Common Council members could be crooks and/or incompetent. Either way, who benefits? Apparently the private bus companies but how, if there are few passengers? Do these bus companies receive payments from the federal government to simply show up in White Plains?
At this point it's unreasonable to expect an explanation from the Common Council. They either have no idea or do not want to incriminate themselves.
https://www.transportation.gov/livability/grants-programs
Cruise down to "Surface Transportation Planning".
The Common Council members could be crooks and/or incompetent. Either way, who benefits? Apparently the private bus companies but how, if there are few passengers? Do these bus companies receive payments from the federal government to simply show up in White Plains?
At this point it's unreasonable to expect an explanation from the Common Council. They either have no idea or do not want to incriminate themselves.
Uber and Lyft suddenly legal in Westchester.
Can you hail a cab in White Plains? Beats me. That was supposed to be coming but the cabs still seem to be trapped at the train station. Has anyone seen a person hail a cab in White Plains?
Now that simple urban concept may be superceded by Uber and Lyft being allowed to operate in New York State and get this, even in Westchester County.
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/transit/2017/06/27/westchester-ride-hailing-uber/432015001/
That might even include the City of White Plains. Wow. White Plains may be dragged kicking and screaming into the current milenium. Now if it could only figure out what to do with all those revolting buses.
Now that simple urban concept may be superceded by Uber and Lyft being allowed to operate in New York State and get this, even in Westchester County.
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/transit/2017/06/27/westchester-ride-hailing-uber/432015001/
That might even include the City of White Plains. Wow. White Plains may be dragged kicking and screaming into the current milenium. Now if it could only figure out what to do with all those revolting buses.
Monday, June 26, 2017
Message sent to the Stakeholder Task Force of the WP Transit District Study about the BUSES!
Task force members: http://whiteplainsny.gov/index.aspx?NID=616
from: Ken Matinale
to: transitdistrict@whiteplainsny.gov
date: Mon, Jun 26, 2017 at 6:58 AM
subject: White Plains, NY
http://white-plains-ny.blogspot.com/
The Common Council has not provided any information about all the HUGE buses that are all over downtown. How about you?
Even yesterday, Sunday, Greyhound and Adirondack regional buses were roaring along North Broadway and then down residential Barker Avenue. Do you know that? How does that benefit White Plains residents?
How do Coach, Leros, and other private buses benefit White Plains residents?
And aren't the MANY private buses just a way for non-poor people to avoid riding the Westchester County Bee-Line buses, which rarely have even one third of their seats occupied when driving to/from the White Plains bus terminal, the Transmania?
What does your planning do about all that? Or are you simply trying to placate groups like the Battle Hill and Fisher Hill associations?
from: Ken Matinale
to: transitdistrict@whiteplainsny.gov
date: Mon, Jun 26, 2017 at 6:58 AM
subject: White Plains, NY
http://white-plains-ny.blogspot.com/
The Common Council has not provided any information about all the HUGE buses that are all over downtown. How about you?
Even yesterday, Sunday, Greyhound and Adirondack regional buses were roaring along North Broadway and then down residential Barker Avenue. Do you know that? How does that benefit White Plains residents?
How do Coach, Leros, and other private buses benefit White Plains residents?
And aren't the MANY private buses just a way for non-poor people to avoid riding the Westchester County Bee-Line buses, which rarely have even one third of their seats occupied when driving to/from the White Plains bus terminal, the Transmania?
What does your planning do about all that? Or are you simply trying to placate groups like the Battle Hill and Fisher Hill associations?
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
NO TRUCKS sign on Fisher Avenue, so how about a NO BUSES sign on Barker Avenue?
At the Rochambeau school on Fisher Avenue there are two signs hung vertically:
NO TRUCKS
TRUCK ROUTE
-->
Trucks heading south are directed to make a right and head toward the industrial area but not continue past the school and further into the residential area.
The top sign limits trucks by weight.
So if the city can do that, why can't it direct buses away from residential Barker Avenue and onto non-residential Hamilton Avenue?
And if that doesn't do it, get creative. Maybe enforce the speed limit with a cop car or two posted with a radar gun clearly visible. Make Barker Avenue one way during hours of most use by buses, except for residents. How about a sign suggesting that they use Hamilton Avenue? Come on, come. How about a little: where's a will there's a way, instead of hey, we have no idea what to do. Our hands are tied. We give the heck up.
How about FINALLY changing the direction of all those convoluted streets in the train station area, so that the buses have a better entry/exit than Barker Avenue and Water Street? How difficult can that be? The mayor has been talking about it for almost two years. Doesn't the Traffic Department have a plan yet?
And please address the entire issue of whether White Plains benefits from all these buses going to/from the train station.
NO TRUCKS
TRUCK ROUTE
-->
Trucks heading south are directed to make a right and head toward the industrial area but not continue past the school and further into the residential area.
The top sign limits trucks by weight.
So if the city can do that, why can't it direct buses away from residential Barker Avenue and onto non-residential Hamilton Avenue?
And if that doesn't do it, get creative. Maybe enforce the speed limit with a cop car or two posted with a radar gun clearly visible. Make Barker Avenue one way during hours of most use by buses, except for residents. How about a sign suggesting that they use Hamilton Avenue? Come on, come. How about a little: where's a will there's a way, instead of hey, we have no idea what to do. Our hands are tied. We give the heck up.
How about FINALLY changing the direction of all those convoluted streets in the train station area, so that the buses have a better entry/exit than Barker Avenue and Water Street? How difficult can that be? The mayor has been talking about it for almost two years. Doesn't the Traffic Department have a plan yet?
And please address the entire issue of whether White Plains benefits from all these buses going to/from the train station.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Bus categories violating downtown, in case any city officials care.
Common Council members, spend a few minutes at about 5:30 PM at the intersection of Barker Avenue and Church Street. See for yourselves. Come on. Get around downtown occasionally.
Three general groups of buses:
1. Westchester county Bee-Line: mostly empty except during rush hour; poor people going to work for rich people.
2. Private (Leros, etc.): companies providing transportation to/from the train station for employees who won't ride the Bee-Line with poor people. Because Church Street is still one way between Hamilton Avenue and Barker Avenue, the passengers from the big office building on the corner board private buses on Church Street and the bus then proceeds to Barker, then left to the train station.
3. Regional (Adirondack, Greyhound, etc.): few passengers; why do they bother with White Plains, except for passengers to transfer to the train and continue on to New York City?
Do you really think that people, even millennials, want to live at the functional equivalent of the 8th Avenue Port Authority bus terminal?
Three general groups of buses:
1. Westchester county Bee-Line: mostly empty except during rush hour; poor people going to work for rich people.
2. Private (Leros, etc.): companies providing transportation to/from the train station for employees who won't ride the Bee-Line with poor people. Because Church Street is still one way between Hamilton Avenue and Barker Avenue, the passengers from the big office building on the corner board private buses on Church Street and the bus then proceeds to Barker, then left to the train station.
3. Regional (Adirondack, Greyhound, etc.): few passengers; why do they bother with White Plains, except for passengers to transfer to the train and continue on to New York City?
Do you really think that people, even millennials, want to live at the functional equivalent of the 8th Avenue Port Authority bus terminal?
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Buried on city website: White Plains Transit District Request for Expression of Interest.
http://www.cityofwhiteplains.com/bids.aspx?bidID=7
It does, of course, mentioned the resident groups of concern to Common Council members: "adjacent neighborhoods including Battle Hill, Fisher Hill, and Ferris Avenue".
Hey, how about people living on Barker Avenue, North Broadway, Lake Street, Martine Avenue, ...?
It does, of course, mentioned the resident groups of concern to Common Council members: "adjacent neighborhoods including Battle Hill, Fisher Hill, and Ferris Avenue".
Hey, how about people living on Barker Avenue, North Broadway, Lake Street, Martine Avenue, ...?
White Plains Common Council ignores downtown residents.
7:30 AM on a sleepy, foggy Sunday morning and monster buses, first Greyhound then county, are already roaring down Barker Avenue heading toward the train station. They never use non-residential Hamilton Avenue. Never.
Traffic commissioner Tom Soyk will assure you that he is powerless to do anything about this. Maybe make a meaningless, ineffectual phone call to someone at a bus company, then continue with 100% unimaginative administrative duties.
Many posts about this mess have appeared on this blog, all ignored by White Plains Common Council members, even when a link to a post has been sent to each. The same will be done with this post, both the sending and the ignoring.
Are White Plains Common Council members really that oblivious, disinterested, incompetent? If they actually wanted to see the bus mess, simply go to the intersection of Barker and Church at 5:30 PM any weekday. After ten minutes, the nature of it will become apparent.
As written previously, White Plains residents living in downtown apartments are a bizarre oddity to White Plains Common Council members, all of whom live in houses nowhere near downtown, an area that exists only for their amusement. Given all that, White Plains Common Council members are as involved and interested as one might expect: not very. How do they get away with this benign neglect?
1. At large voting. White Plains Common Council members are elected city wide, not by geographic area. They pretend to represent all residents but only care about their immediate neighbors and the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA). The CNA seems like a company organized union, one that makes it easier for the company to control the workers. The CNA never holds any meetings in downtown White Plains. Never.
2. Those of us who live in downtown White Plains apartments are dumb and lazy. It's embarrassing to admit this but it's obviously true. We have enough people to easily overcome reason number one but don't do anything. It's pretty sad.
So the buses roll into downtown. Has any city official explained how this benefits White Plains generally and downtown residents, who get the brunt of the traffic, danger, noise, pollution, congestion, specifically? The buses also park wherever they please and never get a ticket for that or for speeding. Never.
Traffic commissioner Tom Soyk will assure you that he is powerless to do anything about this. Maybe make a meaningless, ineffectual phone call to someone at a bus company, then continue with 100% unimaginative administrative duties.
Many posts about this mess have appeared on this blog, all ignored by White Plains Common Council members, even when a link to a post has been sent to each. The same will be done with this post, both the sending and the ignoring.
Are White Plains Common Council members really that oblivious, disinterested, incompetent? If they actually wanted to see the bus mess, simply go to the intersection of Barker and Church at 5:30 PM any weekday. After ten minutes, the nature of it will become apparent.
As written previously, White Plains residents living in downtown apartments are a bizarre oddity to White Plains Common Council members, all of whom live in houses nowhere near downtown, an area that exists only for their amusement. Given all that, White Plains Common Council members are as involved and interested as one might expect: not very. How do they get away with this benign neglect?
1. At large voting. White Plains Common Council members are elected city wide, not by geographic area. They pretend to represent all residents but only care about their immediate neighbors and the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA). The CNA seems like a company organized union, one that makes it easier for the company to control the workers. The CNA never holds any meetings in downtown White Plains. Never.
2. Those of us who live in downtown White Plains apartments are dumb and lazy. It's embarrassing to admit this but it's obviously true. We have enough people to easily overcome reason number one but don't do anything. It's pretty sad.
So the buses roll into downtown. Has any city official explained how this benefits White Plains generally and downtown residents, who get the brunt of the traffic, danger, noise, pollution, congestion, specifically? The buses also park wherever they please and never get a ticket for that or for speeding. Never.
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