Inwoodite

Espaillat Indifferent to Cut-Through Traffic

On Streetsblog today we posted comments from a reader who went to last week's Espaillat "town hall" meeting. Over 200 people were reportedly in attendance and a lot of topics were covered (more on that in a minute), but naturally I'm preoccupied with transportation. Here is Peter Brinkmann's account of Espaillat's remarks on Inwood cut-through traffic:

In response to my question about distorted traffic patterns caused by car commuters who take the Broadway bridge in order to avoid paying the toll for Henry Hudson Bridge, he launched into his usual routine about how East River bridge tolls would be a regressive tax on families; he didn't address the issue of a residential neighborhood serving as a bypass for a major artery. When asked about possibly repaving 218th Street, he seemed to be in favor, in part because 218th Street draws a lot of traffic from drivers who want to avoid Henry Hudson Bridge. In other words, he's aware of distorted traffic patterns and doesn't seem to have a problem with them.

Peter says Espaillat "dismissed the upcoming MTA fare hike as nothing more than a regular increase [not true] and didn't address the bigger problem of service cuts." If you're confused as to how a representative from a district where 80 percent of the population relies on transit could be so disconnected, here is Espaillat on the subject of planned improvements to 1 train platforms:

When talking about the upcoming renovation of the Dyckman and 207th St stations, he kept talking about the "1 and 9" trains. That might just be some NY verbal tic, like having to say "Z" after saying "J," but I suspect that he doesn't take the subway and hasn't noticed that the 9 train has gone the way of the dodo.

Is it really possible that Adriano Espaillat doesn't know that the 9 train no longer exists?

At any rate, at least two Inwood blogs did an admirable job covering this event -- newcomers Inwoodette and Jewyorican -- both of whom I'll be adding to the blog roll ASAP. I'll probably crib from their notes for future posts, but until then, read all about it.

Farrell Giving Up Dem Chair; Espaillat Interested

From The Daily Politics:

Assemblyman Herman "Denny" Farrell Jr. confirmed Sunday he will stick with his plan not to seek re-election as Manhattan Democratic chairman this fall despite the fact that he can't run for the City Council and thus isn't barred from keeping it.

"Twenty-eight years is long enough," Farrell said. "I made up my mind to step down when I was running for City Council and wouldn't be allowed to remain county leader. Now that I'm not going to leave the Assembly because of the term limits thing, which, by the way, I support, I don't have to give it up, but I decided not to keep going."

Farrell said he is supporting Assemblyman Keith Wright to succeed him as Manhattan Democratic leader. Wright, a normally outspoken Harlem Democrat, has been quietly fundraising and assembling support for his bid to replace Farrell for over a year now.

Wright might have to fight for the position, however. Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat told me over the weekend that he's "starting to look again" at the chairmanship.

In other news, Espaillat endorsed Councilman John Liu in the race for city comptroller. Liu hates the MTA too.

Espaillat Says You Prefer More Crowded, Slower, Costlier Buses and Trains to Bridge Tolls

If you're one of the approximately eight in 10 Inwoodites who rely on transit to move about the city, you might be surprised by this post from the Inwood parent e-mail list:

I spoke to Espaillat's office. They insisted that people in the area would rather have higher subway fares and reduced service than tolled bridges. They said the merchants in the area and the car services oppose the bridge tolls.

When MTA doomsday service cuts go into effect, residents of Espaillat's district will lose the Bx20 and M18 buses, will see reduced service on the M100 and M2, and will face longer wait times on the A and 1 trains. Not to mention the ~25 percent fare hike, with more increases likely.

It's not surprising that businesses, and especially car services, would complain about tolls. This is what they do. But it's very hard to believe that most people in Inwood and Washington Heights -- providing they were properly and truthfully informed -- would be willing to accept more crowded buses and trains, which will be fewer in number and cost more to board, so drivers from Westchester can continue to drive through our neighborhoods for free. But this is what Assemblyman Espaillat apparently believes.

If you'd like to tell him otherwise, he may be reached at 212-544-2278, 518-455-5807, and espaila@assembly.state.ny.us.

Why We're Screwed

Commenter SD recently asked where the outrage is over Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat's refusal to back the Ravitch rescue plan for the MTA, which includes not only new tolls on East and Harlem River bridges, but also a regional payroll tax and modest, steady fare hikes for transit riders.

Here's one answer, courtesy the Inwood parent list:

Tolling the Broadway Bridge is a terrible idea. However, that does not mean cutting bus service is a fantastic idea. Neither should happen. Just to get it out there, the traffic over the Broadway Bridge is already awful. Can you imagine if there were tollbooths? And the other side of the Broadway Bridge is New York County. It just can't be done. That doesn't mean that other bridges can't be tolled, just not that one. The solution isn't cutting service to the same friggin nabe!

Can we imagine toll booths on the Broadway Bridge? Actually, no, we can't -- because there wouldn't be toll booths. Repeat: NO TOLL BOOTHS. Tolls would be collected electronically via E-Z Pass and license plate reading technology. This was announced, literally, on day one.

It's elemental misunderstandings like this -- and when the uninformed choose to rant rather than educate themselves -- that have allowed Espaillat and his toll-opposing faux-populist colleagues in Albany to get away with looking out for drivers exclusively while ignoring the plight of the vast majority of New York City residents, who depend on a healthy transit system to conduct their daily lives.

It's been said before, but roughly 80 percent of Upper Manhattanites already pay to cross the Broadway Bridge, $2 each way. It's called a transit fare, and it's been "dividing the neighborhood" for quite a while now. Of course, when our own electeds fail to understand this -- or just plain don't give a damn -- we can hardly expect more from their constituents.

We were asked to post Espaillat's contact info on the front page. Here it is: 212-544-2278, 518-455-5807 (Albany), espaila@assembly.state.ny.us.

By the way, if anyone out there knows of a way to fully fund the MTA while avoiding measures such as bridge tolls, Albany could use your help.

Victory for Espaillat & Co.: Upper Manhattan Transit Riders to Pay More for Less [Updated]

From City Room:

The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted on Wednesday morning to enact a series of fare hikes and service cutbacks needed to keep the transit system from going broke.

The vote was broken largely into three parts: fare hikes, toll increases and service cutbacks. After hearing from the public and the board members, the board approved each by a vote of 12 to 1.

“This is your last chance or forever hold your peace,” H. Dale Hemmerdinger, the chairman of the board, said before the final vote.

The lone dissenting member in each vote was Norman I. Seabrook, president of the 9,500-member New York City Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association.

Board members called the combination of fare increases and slashing bus, subway and commuter rail cuts a disaster but said they could no longer wait for lawmakers in Albany to rescue them.

The fare hikes on the subway and buses, including an increase in the base subway and bus fare to $2.50, from $2, will take effect on May 31.

Say so long to the Bx20, and hello to more crowded buses and trains, which will travel through Inwood less frequently and will cost more to ride. Be sure to wave at Assembly Member Espaillat when he drives by as you wait. Maybe if you're really lucky you'll see Denny Farrell cruising with the top down.

UPDATE: To anyone who's still blaming the MTA, read this.

What We Lose on Doomsday

Barring a last-minute breakthrough in negotiations among Albany lawmakers, the MTA on Wednesday will vote to increase fares and cut transit service. The Regional Plan Association has come up with a nifty tool that lets bus and subway riders see just how badly they'll be hit, ZIP code by ZIP code.

Here's what we can expect in the 10034:

• 1 train - More crowding during mid-day and evening hours, 2 min longer wait time
• A train - Weekend wait times up from 8 to 10 min
• Bx20 - Route cut
• BxM1 - Possible increase in wait times, cut stops, re-route
• M100 - First two hours of Saturday service cut

But it's worse than that. Service in other areas will, of course, be reduced, so any bus or train you transfer to could also be affected. And this doesn't touch on the personnel cuts, like removal of station agents. Plus you'll be paying 23 percent more for the privilege of riding the new MTA: a $2.50 base fare and $103 for the monthly unlimited MetroCard.

Meanwhile, drivers will continue to travel into and through Inwood for free.

Thank you, Adriano Espaillat, Robert Jackson, and all other Upper Manhattan pols who either opposed bridge tolls or stood by and watched the thoroughly vetted and admirably equitable Ravitch plan die (that means you, Denny Farrell).

Also, a hat tip to CB12 member and Democratic District Leader Mark Levine, the only local leader we know of who has demonstrated a true understanding of the now all-but-imminent MTA doomsday scenario.

No Taking the Bus for Denny

This is what we mean when we talk about legislators having a "windshield perspective." In a story about the unfettered use of state-owned vehicles by Albany politicians, NY Politics reports:

All state Assembly members with cars reported personal use to the comptroller except [Upper] Manhattan Democrat Herman “Denny” Farrell.

Farrell’s office said the lawmaker never drives his state car for personal use, preferring to tool around in his own convertibles.

Good for Farrell, right? Wrong.

Remember his outspoken (and uninformed) opposition to congestion pricing? It's lawmakers like Farrell in his convertibles, and Adriano Espaillat in his questionably-parked SUV, who view the city from the comfort and safety of their personal cocoons -- whether the top is up or down -- thereby ensuring that they identify most with other drivers, even as their lowly transit-riding constituents continue to pay more for less service, be it now or later.

Espaillat Abandons Area Transit Riders [Updated]

Last March, Assembly Member Adriano Espaillat stood with Mayor Bloomberg in Fordham Plaza, celebrating the announcement of the city's inaugural Select Bus Service line, between Inwood and Co-op City in the Bronx. In the thick of the battle over congestion pricing, its fate to be determined within days, Espaillat was one of few state pols to vocally support the mayor's proposal. Flanked by Bloomberg, MTA chief Elliot Sander, DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and other pricing advocates, the Northern Manhattan rep did not mince words.

"This [congestion pricing] is not a bogey monster," Espaillat said. "This is a rational, practical solution to a very serious problem."

Nearly a year later, Espaillat stands with outer-borough politicians in opposing East and Harlem River bridge tolls. Espaillat, one of 20 state lawmakers to sign an anti-toll letter delivered to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver this week, says he favors a proposal by comptroller and mayoral candidate William Thompson to increase vehicle registration fees -- a plan that has no traction in Albany and would do nothing to cut congestion in Inwood and Washington Heights.

Though just 20 percent of households in Espaillat's district own vehicles, we are burdened with heavy auto traffic -- a "very serious problem," as Espaillat used to say -- much of it on its way to and from free bridges. Yet rather than getting behind a viable, long-overdue plan that would both reduce cut-through driving and spare the majority of his constituents from crushing transit fare hikes and massive service cuts, Espaillat has joined the crowd that wants to keep the floodgates open to Westchester County.

More traffic, more asthma, and a transit system in collapse. What's rational and practical about that?

UPDATE: Espaillat will be holding an anti-toll rally on Friday, March 6, at 181 and Amsterdam. If you're a transit rider, the press release alone should be enough to make your blood boil. While there is much hand-wringing over the proposed $2 tolls' supposed dreadful impact on Northern Manhattan, there is no word on how a 23 percent fare hike would affect the majority of residents of Inwood and Washington Heights -- who, after all, depend on subways and buses to get across the "free" bridges -- should Espaillat get what he wants.

We were especially struck by this passage: "The tolling of the Broadway Bridge that spans the Harlem River and connects Inwood to Marble Hill is of particular concern since both communities are part of Manhattan. People in the same borough should not have to pay to cross a few feet of water."

People in the same borough should not have to pay to cross a few feet of water. Be sure to tell that to the driver the next time you get on the Bx7 or Bx20 -- or to the MTA cop after you jump the turnstile to get on the 1.

Or must one be driving a car to be considered "people"?

CB 12 Meets Tonight, 34 PCT Tomorrow (?); Espaillat Town Hall Thursday

Community Board 12 meets tonight at 7:00 at Russ Barrie Pavilion, 1150 St. Nicholas Avenue between 168th & 167th Streets. We called to be sure of the location, since the CB 12 web site still has the September calendar up. Which means the current agenda isn't there either.

After some confusing e-mails from the CB last week, consensus is that the 34th Precinct Community Council Meeting is Wednesday night at 7:30. The council usually meets at the station house at 4295 Broadway, though one of the aforementioned e-mails pointed to a different location. You may want to call ahead: 212-927-0287.

Also this week, also in Washington Heights: a town hall meeting hosted by Assembly Member Adriano Espaillat, Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in the cafeteria of P.S. 128. Enter on St. Nicholas Ave. between W. 168 and 169.

Espaillat Survives Martinez Challenge [Updated]

It was looking close for a while, and the result was by no means a landslide, but Adriano Espaillat retained his seat in the Assembly with (unofficially) almost 54 percent of the vote.

Here's the New York Times with scenes from campaign HQ yesterday afternoon.

UPDATE 9/10: The Sun reports that Martinez had 554 illegally posted campaign signs pulled down by the city, the second highest number of any candidate in yesterday's primaries. Each violation carries a $75 fine.

Graphic: NY1