Jaunted - Tag: public transportation

San Francisco: When Bridges Attack: SF's Bay Bridge Closes Indefinitely

JetSetCD — 2009-10-28T08:49:17-05:00

Where you perhaps planning on driving over to Oakland from San Francisco to check out why we named Oakland as one of the Five Cities With A Bad Rap worth visiting? It's too bad you'll be cut off from the goodness for who knows how long, after steel cables snapped last night, hitting three cars on the roadway below and stopping up traffic for over two hours.

There were no injuries when the bridge cracked its metal whip, but repairs and general safety issues will keep the region's busiest bridge shut down at least through tonight. Granted, the pieces that snapped were themselves an emergency repair made over Labor Day weekend, but now we're generally worried about bridge fatigue; perhaps we should be putting pennies into boxes for "Save The Steel Bridges" instead of Ronald McDonald House?

Public transporation options, after the jump.

Dubai: Dubai's First Subway Opens, And Not Of The Cold Cut Combo Variety

JetSetCD — 2009-09-21T13:43:41-05:00

Dubai is a city of many superlatives, and as a result of their trying to build for themselves a great entertaining metropolis, the city seems constantly under construction. At least one major product was finished this month however, as the Arabian Gulf's first metro system opened on 09/09/09, transporting more than 366,968 in its first week and some 60,000 people this last Friday alone.

The metro is comprised of 11 trains and two lines, green and red, and is already seeing congestion with passengers more than eager to leave their cars at home. The five busiest stations even have attendants wearing "ask me" buttons; they are: Al Rashidya station, City Center, Union Square, Mall of Emirates and Nakheel Harbour and Tower. According to PSFK, "Dubai has been attempting to diversify its oil-dependent economy for some time... [and] has come to be seen by many as a leader in forging the Gulf’s way to more sustainable infrastructural development."

London: London's Underground Expected to Come to a Halt as Strike Begins

juliana — 2009-06-09T16:37:22-05:00

If you're in London, you won't need to "Mind the Gap." You'll need to mind the underground strike that's threatening the city tonight. Thousands of London's unionized underground workers are expected to stay away from their posts for the next 48 hours as part of a protest over pay and disciplinary issues. And the timing couldn't be worse.

About 3.5 million people use the subway system, colloquially known as 'The Tube,' every weekday, and its closure is expected to cause disruption across the capital. It's also expected to cause problems for the thousands of fans coming to north London's Wembley Stadium for England's World Cup qualifying soccer match against Andorra on Wednesday.

Backup plans have been put into place such as extra buses, taxi-sharing at major rail stations and free river shuttle services. And of course, walking and cycling are encouraged.

Related Stories:
· London faces travel chaos as subway workers strike [AP]
· Underground strike begins as talks collapse [Times Uk]

New York: NYC Bus and Subway Rides Now Cost $2.25 Each Time You Swipe

juliana — 2009-05-11T17:55:03-05:00

You better bring a little extra spending dough when you come to New York this summer. After months of speculation, the NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority has bumped up the price of a one-way bus and subway fare from $2 to $2.25. This is less than the initial proposal of $2.50 but still crappy all the same.

The new prices go into effect on June 28. And it's not just mass transportation that will be affected. There will also be a taxi surcharge increase of 50 cents.

Fortunately, one hotel is trying to take the sting out of the fare hike. The Wyndham Garden Hotel Manhattan Chelsea, a new property which just opened last fall, is offering guests who stay a minimum of two nights a complimentary one-day MetroCard and customized step-by-step (literally) subway and bus directions from HopStop.com. Although we suggest practicing your passback with your hotel roomie before you hit up the subway turnstiles, just so you aren't in our way when we're coming through.

Rates at the hotel start at $189 a night. Use the promo rate plan "SUBWAY" to book online.

Related Stories:
· Do Not Want: Possible New York Subway Fare Hike [Jaunted]

[Photo: phrenologist]

New York: Red is Your Friend with TripTrop Travel Time NYC

JetSetCD — 2009-04-30T12:59:31-05:00

Tired of trying to explain to visitors how long it will really take for them to reach LaGuardia without the aid of a taxi? Or perhaps you are a tourist yourself, vainly attempting to juggle a visit to a pizzeria in Brooklyn with an Upper East Side dinner date with old friends. No matter the circumstances, so long as you're pressed for time in New York City, new website TripTrop is your savior.

Combining the average length of time for a person to travel between locations in the Big Apple by both subway and walking, TripTrop displays this information via a fun, rainbow map where red is your friend and blue means you might as well take a helicopter.

In the map above, we've plotted travel times from Times Square, which then displays anything within 10 minutes in the happy red, which cools down in color as the travel time increases.

Sadly, this handy little web tool is only available for New York City right now, but we can totally envision the Google grids of public transportation-friendly cities like San Francisco, Chicago and London underneath its spectrum. Until other cities join in on the TripTrop fun, however, we'll just be over here a gas at how close yet how far away is Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Related Stories:
· TripTrop NYC [Official Site]
· TripTrop NYC: Visualizing Travel Time [PSFK]
· Travel Websites Coverage [Jaunted]

[Image: TripTrop]

New York: Do Not Want: Possible New York Subway Fare Hike

JetSetCD — 2009-03-24T14:16:43-05:00

For once, the New York subway air is thick with a different stench. Today, the city sits on the edge of its seat and sniffs the acrid wafts of a rumor coming true: the transit authority is voting for a fare hike. Although we won't hear the official word until later today, when they've exhausted all options for bailout plans and tired of tap dancing around budgets, the proposed 25% hike will mean some serious shelling out for commuters and tourists alike.

If there's one major benefit to such price increases in public transportation, it's that more people consider biking and walking, but as everyone knows, New York has this problem with erratic drivers and terrorizing taxis. Then there are the tourists, who thrive on the single ride cards and yet jump around the city in tune with their guidebooks. With the subway prices going from $2.00 a ride to $2.50, a family of four would do well to budget $50 for a day of sightseeing. To calculate how this will impact everyone underneath the blue skies of the five boroughs, Gothamist has arranged a neat list:

Charlotte: Say Meow To The Charlotte LYNX

kjb — 2009-02-25T11:01:11-05:00

On your next layover in Charlotte, don't be afraid to check out the city if you have the time. There’s a lot more to do than to just chill out on those rocking chairs between the terminals. Here are some tips for getting around quickly.

Late in 2007, Charlotte cut the ribbon on its new light rail system. The LYNX Blue Line connects Uptown (which non-residents would think of as downtown) with a portion of the outer 485 beltline to the south. Of course the initial response was positive, but as things moved forward the criticism began to roll in. Some even wondered if the whole project was worth it and questioned its profitability.