Time to take out the trash.

Did you know that subway cleaners remove over 90 tons of trash from the system each day? In recent years, about half of the total amount of refuse collected from platforms has been recycled. Subway cars are even put to use when they are no longer fit for service. Over the past decade more than 2,000 retired subway cars were stripped of useful parts, cleaned, and then sunk off the coasts of states along the Atlantic seaboard to form artificial reef habitats for marine life.

Cycle Track Signage/AllWaysNY

Assembly Member Michael DenDekker (D-Queens) withdrew two bills that would have required paid registration fees and license plates for all bicycle riders in New York State. Bills A5429 and A5430 were introduced on February 18th and would have required commercial cyclists to pay a $50 registration fee and obtain liability insurance and require all other cyclists to pay a $25 registration fee and obtain a DMV-issued license plate.

In withdrawing the bills, DenDekker noted “the original intent of this bill was to enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety through increased accountability. However, we will now explore future options to achieve stricter enforcement of the bicycle regulations.”

As the city’s Department of Transportation continues with its robust implementation of bike and pedestrian-friendly alterations to the streetscape, local and media-fueled backlash has grown in recent months–particularly against the placement of new bicycle lanes.

The MTA’s plan to install train arrival countdown clocks in the stations along the system’s numbered lines by mid-2011 is moving along. Late in December, it announced that it exceeded its goal of bringing the clocks to 75 stations by the end of 2010, and in fact, installed them in 100 stations.

At the Union Square station, workers have added some of the narrower versions to ceilings, though they’re not yet operational. They also just added a couple of the big boys pictured above–both outside of the turnstiles and within the station (near the L / 4,5,6 connection)–which look like they’ll display multiple lines (or ads if things start getting really bad). Let’s hope testing doesn’t take too long.

With another snow storm making its way toward the city, the MTA has announced that it will activate its highest level winter weather response plan. Although the forecast only predicts five or six inches of snow, the agency hopes to avoid a repeat of the recent snowpocalypse unpleasantness.

Tonight chains will be put on bus tires and unused subway cars will be stored underground overnight. All planned weekend track work has been canceled. The MTA will activate more workers and will have ready de-icing trains and diesel locomotives.

As a result of snow response measures, service may run local on many subway lines, and the B will stop running at 8:00 P.M. and the M will stop at 11:00 P.M.

The LIRR will be providing additional afternoon service on Friday for those heading home from work early. There will be eight additional eastbound trains from Penn Station between 2:10 PM and 3:48 PM. The extra service will include: three trains on the Babylon Branch, three on the Port Jefferson Branch, one on the Port Washington Branch and one on the Far Rockaway Branch.

See the MTA’s winter weather advisory here.

As New Yorkers and others leave work early and head south to Jersey for the Memorial Day weekend, big delays and volume have been reported on the Garden State Parkway near Woodbridge and on the New Jersey Turnpike near Exit 8 and 8A, where the turnpike merges from five lanes down to three.

With gas prices at their lowest since March, AAA has estimated that 3.8 million people from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania will travel this holiday weekend–an 8% increase over last year.

Gowanus Expressway/Flickr

The Gowanus Expressway cuts its way through Brooklyn. Some pretty impressive height for those shoes on the wire.

The Gap/Flickr

In an attempt to close the projected $800 million budget shortfall for 2010, the MTA approved some Long Island Railroad service cuts which will take affect today.  In addition to the peak-hour train cuts on several lines, daily service to the Belmont Park racetrack will be discontinued entirely, except during the Belmont Stakes on June 4th and 5th. Be sure to check the new May 17 – September 12, 2010 timetables for details on your station. Below is a listing of the affected lines from the MTA.

P.S. More service cuts will take effect in September, so stay tuned.

Babylon Branch

• The 7:40 AM train from Seaford to Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn will be canceled. To accommodate customers from this train, the 7:33 AM train from Babylon to Atlantic Terminal will depart four minutes earlier at 7:29 AM, and stops will be added at Wantagh, Bellmore, Merrick, Freeport, Baldwin and Rockville Centre.
• The 4:39 PM train from Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn to Babylon will be canceled. To accommodate customers, the 4:37 PM express train from Penn Station to Wantagh will have added stops at Jamaica, Lynbrook, Seaford, Massapequa and all stops to Babylon. Brooklyn customers can take the 4:34 PM train from Atlantic Terminal and change at Jamaica.
• The 4:57 PM train from Penn Station to Wantagh will be canceled. Customers can take the 5:03 PM train from Penn Station with added stops at Merrick, Bellmore and Wantagh.

Long Beach Branch

• The 5:40 PM train from Atlantic Terminal to Long Beach will be canceled. To accommodate customers, the 5:55 PM express train from Penn Station to Long Beach will have a Jamaica stop added. Brooklyn customers can connect with this train by taking the 5:49 PM departure from Atlantic Terminal and changing at Jamaica.

Oyster Bay Branch

• The 4:54 PM peak train from Long Island City to Oyster Bay will leave 10 minutes earlier at 4:44 PM and add a Hunterspoint Avenue stop at 4:59 PM.
• The weekend 1:35 AM train from Jamaica to Oyster Bay is canceled. Customers can take the earlier 11:45 PM train.
• The weekend 7:20 AM train from Oyster Bay to Jamaica is canceled. Customers can take a train an hour earlier at 6:20 AM or later at 8:20 AM.

Port Jefferson Branch

• The 5:11 PM train from Hunterspoint Avenue will be partially canceled. It will instead originate in Huntington at 6:15 PM. Customers can connect with this train by taking a new 4:59 PM departure from Hunterspoint Avenue, and the 5:06 PM train from Penn Station to Huntington, which will have added Jamaica and Mineola stops. The new 4:59 PM departure is available by re-scheduling the 4:54 PM peak train from Long Island City to Oyster Bay to leave 10 minutes earlier at 4:44 PM and adding a Hunterspoint Avenue stop at 4:59 PM.
• The 4:05 PM westbound train from Port Jefferson to Jamaica will now terminate in Huntington, where customers can connect with train service to western terminals.

Port Washington Branch

• The 4:43 PM train from Penn Station to Port Washington will be canceled. Customers can instead take the 4:22 PM train from Penn Station. Later options include the 4:46 PM train for those heading to Great Neck. Customers traveling to stations Manhasset, Plandome and Port Washington can take the 5:11 PM departure from Penn Station.

Belmont Racetrack

• The LIRR is no longer providing daily service to Belmont Park during racing season. Racing fans traveling to Belmont Park can take the LIRR to Queens Village Station and connect to the free shuttle bus provided by NYRA. Racing fans can also take the LIRR to Queens Village, then take the Q27 bus and transfer to the Q2 at Springfield Blvd. & Hempstead Ave. to Belmont; or take the E train to Parsons Blvd. and transfer to the Q110 bus to Belmont.
• Special LIRR train service will be provided to Belmont Park on Friday, June 4 and Saturday, June 5 – the day of the Belmont Stakes.

Well, it’s taken a bit longer than planned, but AllWaysNY is back!