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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 462-05
December 14, 2005

MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR ILLEGAL STRIKE BY TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, joined by Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Commissioner Joseph Bruno, New York Police Commissioner (NYPD) Raymond W. Kelly, Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Iris Weinshall, New York Fire Department (FDNY) Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta, Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) Chair Matthew Daus and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, outlined the strike contingency plan that will be implemented if there is an illegal work stoppage by the Transport Workers Union (TWU).  In the event of a labor action by New York City Transit unions TWU Local 100 and/or ATU Local 726, the City has outlined a plan to address a transit disruption by reducing demand on major roads and optimizing functioning public transportation. Plans call for special HOV requirements along major roads, bridges and tunnels into Manhattan, commercial vehicle restrictions, lane reversals, carpool and Park & Ride facilities, and increased service on operating public transportation.

"The City is prepared for the worst case scenario with a robust contingency plan," said Mayor Bloomberg.  "A strike would be more than just illegal and inconvenient; it will threaten public safety and severely disrupt our City and its economy.  Our contingency plan is designed to move as many people as possible using alternative means of transportation and to make sure that our streets remain passable for emergency vehicles.  We will use ferries, carpools, and park and rides to move people around while lane reversals and HOV restrictions will keep traffic moving as best as possible. A strike would be incredibly inconvenient, but if New Yorkers work together and everyone pitches in, we would get through it."

Driving Restrictions:

HIGH OCCUPANCY VEHICLE (HOV): The City will enforce HOV 4 (four or more passengers) restrictions for traffic entering Manhattan south of 96th Street from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m., Monday-Friday, and on the following roads that feed into Manhattan crossings (see Map 1 ):

Major Roads Segments
Belt Parkway 4th Avenue to Gowanus Expressway merge at 60th Street
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Gowanus Expressway to the Manhattan Bridge
Bruckner Expressway Bruckner Interchange to the Triborough Bridge
Central Park Drive West West 110th Street to Central Park South
FDR Drive/Harlem River Drive Dyckman Street to East 96th Street
Gowanus Expressway 92nd Street to Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Interchange (Bus/HOV EZ-Pass lane for buses and emergency vehicles only)
Henry Hudson Parkway Mosholu Parkway to West 72nd Street
Long Island Expressway Grand Central Parkway to Queens-Midtown Tunnel (Bus/HOV EZ-pass lane for buses and emergency vehicles only)
Prospect Expressway Church Avenue to the Gowanus Expressway


Manhattan Bridge and Tunnel Crossings
Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel Henry Hudson Bridge Queensboro/ 59th Street Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge Lincoln Tunnel Queens-Midtown Tunnel
Holland Tunnel Manhattan Bridge Williamsburg Bridge
96th Street Boundary
All vehicles traveling southbound in Manhattan will be subject to HOV 4 restrictions at 96th Street.

*Exemptions: Emergency vehicles, buses, commuter vans with passengers, paratransit, and motorcycles are exempt from HOV restrictions.

  • RESERVED STREETS: Certain streets in Manhattan will be reserved for emergency vehicles, buses, commuter vans with passengers, motorcycles and paratransit ONLY from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday-Friday. Reserved streets include (also see Map 1 ):
Streets Segments
5th Avenue East 23rd Street-East 96th Street
Madison Avenue East 23rd Street-East 96th Street
26th Street 1st Avenue-12th Avenue
29th Street 1st Avenue-12th Avenue
49th Street 1st Avenue-12th Avenue
50th Street 1st Avenue-12th Avenue
Church Street/Trinity Place South of Barclay Street
  • EMERGENCY STREETS: The following streets are reserved for emergency vehicles at all times:
Streets Segments
Maiden Lane/Cortlandt Street Water Street-Church Street
Nassau Street Wall Street-Spruce Street
Rector Street West Street-Broadway
Vesey Street Church Street-Park Row
Warren Street West Street-Broadway
  • CENTRAL PARK DRIVE: Vehicles may enter Central Park Drive 24 hours a day, Monday-Friday. Traffic may enter at W. 59th Street and W. 110th Street only. Southbound traffic entering at W. 110th Street will be subject to HOV 4 restrictions from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m., Monday-Friday.
  • LANE REVERSALS: Rush hour lane reversals will be implemented on the Manhattan, Queensboro/59th Street, and Williamsburg Bridges, and the Brooklyn-Battery, Holland, Lincoln, and Queens-Midtown Tunnels to accommodate extra traffic flow.
  • COMMERCIAL VEHICLES: No commercial vehicles, including trucks, vans and passenger cars with commercial plates, will be allowed entry into Manhattan south of 96th Street from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m., Monday through Friday.

Alternative Transportation:

  • To reduce congestion, residents should consider transportation alternatives, especially during rush hours. The City encourages residents to walk or bike, carpool, or use unaffected transportation providers such as taxis, livery and other for-hire vehicles, commuter vans, ferries, trains and commuter buses.

Unaffected Transportation Services:

Transportation services that are expected to operate normally during a work stoppage include:

  • MTA Long Island Railroad
  • MTA Metro-North Railroad
  • MTA Staten Island Railway
  • MTA Long Island Bus
  • PATH
  • NJ Transit (commuter rail and bus)
  • Amtrak
  • AirTrain
  • Westchester County Bee-Line Bus
  • Staten Island Ferry
  • Private ferry services

Extended Peak Service Hours on Staten Island Ferry:

  • Peak service on the Staten Island Ferry will be extended in the morning from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and in the evening from 2:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Parking lots in and around the St. George Terminal will be restricted to vehicles with four or more passengers only.
  • The City has also requested private ferry operators extend peak service to accommodate staggered work schedules and additional riders. Private ferries will operate service along the East River with stops at Hunters Point in Queens, 34th Street and Pier 11 at Wall Street in Manhattan and the Brooklyn Army Terminal, more information is available at www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/masstran/ferries/ferintro.html

Increased Capacity in Taxis and For-Hire (Livery) Vehicles:

  • To increase passenger capacity, Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC)-licensed taxis and livery vehicles will be allowed to pick up multiple passengers in a single trip. In addition, livery cars and commuter vans will be allowed to pick up passengers at bus stops where bus service is not in operation and at Park-and-Ride locations and carpool staging areas (see Map 2).
  • Taxis and livery cars will operate on a modified fare schedule based upon the zone of travel (See Map 4  for zone designations). Manhattan will have four zones (south of 23rd Street, 23rd Street to 60th Street, 60th Street to 96th Street and north of 96th Street) and each borough outside of Manhattan will be a zone. Fares will be up to $10 per person for entering a cab and traveling within a zone and $5 for traveling to an additional zone. Fare structures have also been set for commuter vans and trips to and from Manhattan to area airports. The fare structure for trips to Newark Airport and all destinations outside of New York City will remain unchanged. Information about fares is available at www.nyc.gov or by calling 311.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Access:

  • Residents and commuters are encouraged to walk or bike, especially during rush hours. Bicyclists are encouraged to review the 2005 New York City Cycling Map, available on the Department of City Planning's website: http://nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bike/bm.shtml.

The following bridges into and out of Manhattan offer designated bike and pedestrian lanes (see Map 3 ):

Broadway Bridge Manhattan Bridge Washington Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge Queensboro Bridge George Washington Bridge
- closed 12 a.m. to 5 a.m.
Henry Hudson Bridge Third Avenue Bridge Williamsburg Bridge
Macombs Dam Bridge Triborough Bridge  
Madison Avenue Bridge University Heights Bridge  

Suggested Options for Employers:

  • Allow workers to telecommute instead of traveling to the office
  • Offer bike parking to employees within your facility
  • Assign workers to alternate work locations, if available
  • Stagger shift start and end times to avoid peak rush hour periods
  • Allow for flexible work schedules (such as working weekends versus weekdays or working
    fewer, longer days)
  • Organize employee carpools

Parking Facilities for Drivers Park & Ride:

  • Several Park & Ride locations have been designated in New York City and surrounding counties where drivers can leave cars behind to board commuter bus, rail and ferry services (see Map 2  for Park & Ride locations).

Carpool Staging Areas:

  • A number of facilities have been designated carpool staging areas, offering parking and passenger pick-up locations in support of drivers sharing rides to meet the HOV requirements (see Map 2  for carpool staging locations).

What else you need to know:

  • Alternate side of the street parking rules will be suspended Citywide for the duration of the transit strike.
  • To improve traffic flow, weekday No Standing and No Parking rules will be extended on main roads throughout the five boroughs from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. No Standing will be in effect in the peak direction from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. No Parking rules will apply on these roads at other times. Designated No Standing and No Parking areas will be marked.
  • At 3:00 pm on Thursday, December 15, 2005, New York City's Joint Information Center (JIC) will be activated at the Office of Emergency Management and all media calls regarding the City's contingency plan should be directed to (718) 422-4888.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Edward Skyler / Jordan Barowitz   (212) 788-2958

Jarrod Bernstein   (Office of Emergency Management)
(718) 422-4888

Kay Sarlin   (Department of Transportation)
(212) 442-7033

Paul Browne   (Police Department)
(646) 610-6700

Francis X. Gribbon   (Fire Department)
(718) 999-2056

Alan Fromberg   (Taxi and Limousine Commission)
(212) 676-1013

Jerry Russo   (Department of Education)
(212) 374-5141




More Resources
Alternative Transportation Information Center Website
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