Bronx News Roundup, July 26

Weather: Sunny and in the mid-80s today.

Story of the Day: Are Bronx Subway Stations the Ickiest?
A new report out of the MTA found that the Bronx's many subway stations are the dirtiest  in the city, plagued by garbage, leaks and rodents. MTA board member Charles Moerdler, who lives in Riverdale, told his fellow board members that some local stations were in such bad shape they could be condemned, a sentiment echoed by Borough President Diaz who says the Bronx is tired of waiting for much-needed station renovations.

Which made us want to ask you, our dear readers: what do you think is grimiest subway station in the Boogie Down? Where would you most like to see a makeover? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Bronx Transit Alert: No. 2 and 5 Train Service Changes This Weekend

A little transit update from the MTA on the No. 2 and 5 trains this weekend, and a few other weekends this month. See the poster below for details.

No 5 Train Service This Weekend

This in from the MTA: 5 train service will be suspended this weekend from 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 22 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 25 for track work.

Riders can catch free shuttle buses between Dyre Avenue and East 180th Street, or take the 2 for service between East 180th Street and 149th Street-Grand Concourse and the 4 for service between 149th Street-Grand Concourse and Brooklyn Bridge.

Snow Commute: No Bronx Buses

(File photo courtesy of Sen. Diaz's office)

Morning, folks. The MTA website seems to be having some technical issues, most likely from all the harried commuters who are trying to visit it at once. But they've posted a winter service advisory update to let us know that bus service in the Bronx is suspended right now (bus service in the other boroughs is being restored, slowly.)

As for trains, the agency says most lines are running, but expect delays all around. You can check here for twitter updates on specific lines. 

[Editor's Note:] Just a reminder to our readers that the Bronx News Network is in the middle of our annual fundraising appeal. If you value quality local journalism, please consider donating so we can continue to bring you news and features, like our daily roundup or our borough events calendar. More details on how to contribute can be found here.

Bronx Transit Snow Updates

Hopefully you are reading this at home with a hot cup of something tasty -- and MTA and city officials are officially encouraging everyone to do so. But if you are an intrepid soul or just really need to get somewhere (like if you're wife's giving birth or something equally urgent), here's the latest on everything Bronx transit related, as of 12:03 p.m.:

--Airports: The metro area's three major airports -- JFK, LaGuardia and Newark -- remain shut down.

--Subways and Trains (go to mta.info for all the latest updates):

Metro-North's Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines have been suspended.

Delays are expected on all train lines throughout the borough and region.

B train service is suspended between Bedford Park Blvd. station and Brighton Beach (pretty much the whole line).

The D train is running its regular route through the Bronx and Manhattan, but is not running from 36th Street to Coney Island in Brooklyn.

Uptown service on the 2 train is running express from the 180th Street station to the Wakefield/241st Street station.

Downtown 1 train is bypassing Dyckman station.

5 train service has been suspended between the East 180th Street Station and the Eastchester-Dyre Avenue Station.

--Buses are experiencing major delays all over the borough and city, and many side streets remain covered in thick snow.

Again, stay home unless, of course, your wife is about to go into labor, which, hopefully, she won't until the streets clear up.

City Room is doing some fun and informative live blogging of the snow aftermath.

And send us your snow photos: bronxnewsnetwork@gmail.com.

Bronx MTA Hearing Met with Protests

Students rallied outside an MTA public hearing to protest the elimination of student MetroCards.

A flood of outraged residents and elected officials lined up to voice their concerns to MTA board members last night at a public hearing at the Paradise Theater on the Grand Concourse. The transit agency has proposed drastic service cuts and fare changes to cover it’s nearly $400 million budget shortfall.

Speakers at the hearing conveyed their anger as well as a sense of déjà vu, having made the same pleas  to stop service cuts last year, when the MTA faced a similar deficit.

Some of the most troubling changes stemmed from the proposed elimination of student MetroCards—which provide three free rides on school days—as well as reduced Access-a-Ride service for the disabled and elderly and the discontinuation of the Bx18 bus, which runs between Undercliff Avenue and the Grand Concourse.

Borough President Rueben Diaz, Jr. was the first to take the podium, telling MTA chairman Jay Walder and other board members that they were underestimating the role mass transit plays in the lives of Bronx residents, the majority of whom don’t have access to a car.

“I’m glad you’re here, Mr. Chairman, but maybe one day you and I could take a walk around the Bronx,” Diaz said. “People need these buses.”

His testimony was followed by similar speeches from Council Members James Vacca and Oliver Koppell, Assembly members Jeffrey Dinowitz and Vanesssa Gibson, and representatives from the offices of several other Bronx officials.

“You’re picking on the elderly, the disabled and the students,” said Dinowitz, adding that the MTA should look inward first as it looks to make cuts. “I’m sure you’ve got a lot of people in the MTA who make more than the governor.”

A seemingly endless line of residents approached the microphone with stories of transit woes: the high school student who gets up at 5 a.m. to take two buses to get to school on time; the disabled woman who relies on Access-a-Ride to get to her doctor appointments in Brooklyn.

Sen. Jeff Klein on Proposed MTA Cuts

This week, the MTA is hosting a series of public hearings on possible service cuts and fare changes to the city's subway and bus lines. In an effort to dent it's nearly $400 million budget shortfall, the agency has proposed cutting student metrocards and making the following changes to Bronx bus lines:

Discontinue Bx14, Bx18, Bx25, X32, BxM4A, BxM7B and the Barretto Park Pool bus service. Discontinue Bx20, Bx33, Bx34, and Bx55 on weekends. Discontinue Bx34 overnight. Reduce operating hours on Bx17, Bx20, Bx32, Bx33 and Bx55. Reroute or discontinue portion of Bx5, Bx8, Bx26, Bx28, Bx30 and Bx41. Extend portion of Bx39.

The Bronx hearing will be held tomorrow night, Wednesday March 3, at the Paradise Theatre at 2043 Grand Concourse at 187th Street at 6 p.m. We'll be covering the meeting, so be sure to check back here for updates.

This morning, State Sen. Jeffrey Klein sent along this letter expressing his concern over the MTA's proposed changes and urging residents to attend tomorrow's meeting:

Dear Editor,

This week, community leaders and residents will attend a very important hearing regarding an ill-advised proposal by the MTA to eliminate the BX14 and BXM7B daily bus services, the BX34 weekend bus service and vital MTA Student Metrocards. I know how vital these services are to thousands of Bronx residents and will do everything I can to prevent these cuts from happening.

Bronx News Roundup, Nov. 17

Five people were shot yesterday, one fatally, in two separate shooting incidents. One of the injured is a 14-year-old girl, who was hit by a stray bullet in Morrisania as she walked home from school. She's in a critical condition in Lincoln Hospital.

Three subway stations on the No. 6 Line are to be fitted with countdown clocks, letting commuters know when the next train is likely to arrive.

Today's a big day for those with a stake in the future of the Kingsbridge Armory.

An ex-cop with a bad leg is singing the praises of State Senator Jeff Klein, who helped him get a tax-free disability pension.

Four Bronx teachers have been recognized for excellence in math and science teaching.

Oil has been observed in the Bronx River, following an explosion at a Con Edison substation in Westchester on Nov. 4.

A mosque on Virginia Avenue has decided to drop its bid for a sound permit. If granted, the permit would have allowed the mosque to use loud speakers when announcing "adhan," the call to prayer. Some non-Muslim neighbors had opposed the plan, saying it would cause unnecessary noise.

The city's Department of Education has released its annual list of high school grades. Citywide, more schools received A's this year, but there were more C's and D's, too.

Bronx News Roundup March 19

Spring training has started for new hires at Yankee Stadium.

The Daily News reports that ridership has increased on Bronx buses and subways, in some cases as much as 50%. A new report shows the Bronx had the largest increase in the city over the past five years.

A Bronx cop who was injured while chasing a suspect in 2003 wins $3.6 million from the city.

The former MP Pub in Morris Park, known for being a center of noise and loitering, is under new management, and has a new name, but residents are still fearful that quality of life issues will return.

Street closings on E. 135th St. are causing major headaches for local residents.

A bank robber from Webster Ave. robs six different banks in Manhattan this week before being arrested by police.

Mayor Bloomberg makes a speech at Lehman College and ends up coming to the aid of a student who faints.