PCAC Releases Latest Research Report:  A Long Day’s Journey into Work

This report discusses four distinct geographic areas: Southeast Queens; Co-Op City, Bronx; Southwest Staten Island; and, Red Hook, Brooklyn.  It examines the travel times and costs associated with choosing different travel modes to reach Manhattan during the morning peak rush hour from these neighborhoods.  This investigation is prompted by the fact that some commuters in the boroughs of New York City are saddled with the longest average commute times in the United States.  In 2004, the US Census Bureau found that Queens ranked #1 for longest county commute, followed by the Bronx and Brooklyn.  Yet, the maximum physical distance to reach midtown Manhattan from these boroughs is only 12–14 miles.  Staten Island was ranked fifth in the country.  The disconnect between physical distance and travel time is in part due to the existing transportation infrastructure not being used as efficiently as it could be.

Based on the report’s findings, PCAC recommends that MTA and the City of New York move to create a “Freedom Ticket” that allows customers to use any MTA facility — bus, subway, or rail — within a given zone.  Residents of Southeast Queens are currently faced with an inequitable fare situation: They can travel to Manhattan from a LIRR City station (Laurelton, Locust Manor, Rosedale, or St. Albans) in half the time, but at twice the cost, as compared to taking a bus to a subway in Jamaica or taking an express bus.  Throughout the boroughs, PCAC urges MTA and the City of New York look first to utilizing available rail capacity (LIRR, Metro-North and SIR) to combat congestion before introducing additional express bus service.  PCAC also requests MTA to release on-time performance data and seated load factors for express bus service by route.  To that end, MTA must provide MTA Bus the resources to monitor its express bus service. 

Concurrent with a more equitable fare structure, the report calls for the improvement of LIRR City stations through increased frequency, more commuter parking, station improvements, and shuttle services to the station from surrounding neighborhoods.  There are also recommendations for better use of adjacent vacant or underused properties at several stations.  Similar concerns are identified in the Co-Op City, Southwest Staten Island and Red Hook case studies.  Click here to download the full report  (PDF format)