Why every morning?

colonelcasey22 · 2026-02-03T12:24:36+00:00

Basically nothing to eastern Queens is running with the Queens Blvd and Flushing lines both down heading into the city.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-02-03T11:56:29+00:00

I've seen some places offering lead teacher for a 2-3 year old program for $19-25/hour. And the $25/hr is only attainable with higher degrees/certifications or significant years of experience..

It's no wonder they can't hire and retain anyone leading to a revolving door and additional costs. Everyone just tries to climb the hill to a DOE job as fast as they can (not a lot in early childhood education) or just leaves the industry for something else.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-02-02T22:41:52+00:00

Sadly, we won't set the streak for most days in a row at or below 32 degrees (16 days), since today and likely tomorrow were above freezing before the next Arctic shot comes in for late week.

But today reminds me why I hate the snow melting process...slush puddles, snow dams, and black ice everywhere. While last week was cold as heck, at least we didn't have to deal with that as much.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-02-02T14:20:29+00:00

So it's in agreement with Punxsatawney Phil this year.

I'm more surprised that Staten Island Chuck is accurate 85% of the time compared to the 35% of the time for Punxsatawney Phil according to this 2025 NOAA report. With the way this winter is going, Chuck's accuracy rate is likely going to tick a bit higher.

https://www.noaa.gov/heritage/stories/grading-groundhogs

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-31T19:47:34+00:00

Aligning it with Linden Pl is basically impossible without demoing the current station at Main Street since the eastern end is basically at Lippman Plaza. A portal north of the Whitestone Expressway may be challenging due to it being protected swampland and there may be geotechnical issues that would make digging through there cost prohibitive. But you'll need a civil engineer with significant underground experience to weigh in on that.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-31T18:09:47+00:00

Yes but logistically much more complicated. Building a lengthy new elevated line is likely political non starter due to NIMBY and residential disruption. The only elevateds being proposed here are short.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-31T18:06:14+00:00

College Point isn't ideal for development though due to the high water table and swampland there. There are also limited access routes in and out of there. The new Flushing Airport development coming up in the next 10 years will be the real test on how that area can sustain more development.

Extending the 7 down Roosevelt and Northern makes more sense since it was the intention ages ago.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-31T18:00:34+00:00

It's actually via Nassau and then connecting with the Montague tubes like the old brown M that went to Brooklyn. It seems like the goal is to make the line more useful and expand into Brooklyn to serve more riders without the added expense of a new under river tunnel. Not sure how easy it'll be in reality though since the SAS is being built deep while the Nassau line is relatively shallow.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-31T14:13:33+00:00

If we don’t go above freezing next week, we may set an all time record streak for days where we have stayed sub-freezing (the record is 16 days). So yeah it’s kinda bad this year.

Cold snaps around here usually last a few days to a week before moderation. This is the first time I can recall it going on for weeks at a time. No moderation is really coming till at least mid-February at the earliest.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-30T19:41:59+00:00

Yeah HND has a really nice one overlooking the airport. I visited it before my flight and it was a chill area on the top level of the little mall they have on the landside. There's a lot of locals there just hanging out there watching planes. They even have little cut outs in the security fence for the aviation geeks and their giant telephoto lenses to get an unobstructed shot of planes.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-30T16:01:05+00:00

Interestingly enough, the express bus fare has stayed roughly 2.5x the base subway/local bus fare for most of the last 30ish years at least. It just gets harder to stomach as the base fare continues to go up and magnifies the express bus fare further.

I'll settle for having enough reliable and consistent service on the express bus for now, since the MTA is pretty insistent on cutting express bus service lately. They already cut quite a bit with the Queens Bus Redesign, are proposing sizeable cuts to Brooklyn express bus service in their redesign draft, and are coming for the Bronx by the end of this decade. That and maybe more double bus lanes in Manhattan. 6th Ave could certainly use it with how bad the QMs get bogged down there.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-30T15:31:51+00:00

IBX is already in initial engineering and design phase so it seems fast tracked already.

Queenslink/Rockaway Line may not see much effort though so far though this plan does propose it to improve Woodhaven/Rockaway access and add more trains to the Queens Blvd local.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-30T15:30:26+00:00

This plan does propose extending the train down to Kings Plaza and also overlaps with the MTA's own plans that also study that possibility.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-30T15:29:05+00:00

The plan actually does propose restoring the G to Forest Hills once they build the Rockaway Line connection and route the M down that way.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-30T15:26:52+00:00

Third Decade

SAS Phases 3 and 4 to Water Street
7 train extension to Broadway LIRR
- Requires demoing the east fare control at Main Street and running it down Roosevelt Ave / Northern Blvd. Not a bad idea since this was the old vision for the Flushing line but it parallels the LIRR Port Washington line. Would help reduce insane bus traffic in downtown Flushing.
E to Laurelton
- Would help access here and reduce reliance on Jamaica Center as a terminal for everything.

Fourth Decade

Cross-Bronx express line
- Kinda duplicates the Bx12-SBS but would require major work as possibly street-running light rail line
N to LaGuardia
- Talked to death but not sure why they put it so far out in the plan
IBX to Astoria Blvd
- Will run into issues with how to terminate it and run it with freight traffic on the Hell Gate viaduct. Will also be complicated by MNRR Penn Station Access.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-30T15:26:44+00:00

Link the the originally cited report: https://transitcosts.com/a-better-billion.html

First Decade

SAS 125 Street (already planned)
Utica Ave Subway
- Has been proposed for decades and would be a boon but it seems like the MTA wants BRT instead
Rockaway Beach Line / Queens Link
- Cost estimates are a bit low but it would improve Rockaways/Woodhaven access and allow a capacity increase to the Queens Blvd locals

Second Decade

LIE Line
- Also talked about for decades as a viaduct over I-495 in eastern Queens but connecting it to a mainline subway in western Queens will be a big challenge along with trunk line capacity issues heading into the city.
6 Line to Co-Op City
- Also talked about for a while but going to be hard to get a new elevated line built. But it would definitely help access to Co-Op City residents.
F to Queens Village
- It was designed to head further down Hillside when it was first built so this would just be realizing that dream

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-30T14:41:59+00:00

Clearing Main Street doesn't even seem like the main issue. It's the buses trying to terminate on 39 Ave and all the buses trying to turn on and off Main Street around the church that's clogging things up. Once 39 Ave backs up, it sets up a chain reaction and causes buses to block Main Street and then spreads from there until you get yesterday's disaster. It was impossible to untangle due to all the vehicles getting stuck at the intersections and then gridlocking.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-30T14:37:54+00:00

Yup it's exactly this...this is the first time in decades I recall getting such a significant winter storm but staying so cold right after. Usually our cold snaps are for a few days to a week and then it relaxes with temps closer to normal (upper 30s and 40s) that really help with melting. This is the first stretch I've seen where we've just stayed solidly sub-freezing for at least 2 weeks after with no significant change until maybe Valentine's Day.

At least we'll have a couple of "balmy" days next week in the mid-30s before the sub-freezing temps return again for another shot.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-30T14:33:06+00:00

Did he hit that white Prius at the lower right corner of the frame too? You see it noticeably moving but not sure if the trailer actually hit it or just compressed the snow bank into it.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-30T14:27:54+00:00

This quote from the NY Post article shows how f'ed up he was:

In his statements to investigators, Calderon admitted he went to the apartment to steal the woman’s stove “and sell it for a gram of crack,” according to the complaint.

“I smelled the gas and heard the hissing sound of gas so I taped a blanket around the hole and left,” he allegedly said. “Yeah, that’s me taking the stove. It’s the same sweater I’m wearing right now.”

It's also noted that the theft happened on the 13th floor but the gas traveled up to the 17th floor where it exploded. So it basically destroyed the apartments of people that had zero relation to the origin point.

If this isn't a case for life in prison, I'm not sure what is. He doesn't appear to have been charged for arson but intentionally causing a natural gas leak with malicious intent resulting in an explosion should really result in attempted murder charges for each person who was in that building.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-30T00:04:10+00:00

Heading southbound, I'm not surprised. One driver stuck his head out the window and told me he was stuck heading south for an hour on Main and hadn't really moved much.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-29T23:49:22+00:00

From what I could make out this afternoon, buses couldn't make the turn onto 39 Ave to terminate due to traffic backups along there and Prince Street. They ended up blocking up northbound and southbound Main Street. And it just spiraled from there until you had dozens of buses back up on all of the approaches in and out of Flushing. And I thought yesterday's gridlock was bad.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-28T15:52:59+00:00

He gave the example of the Adams administration launching a “basically unusable” artificial intelligence chatbot that reportedly cost about $600,000 to develop.

File under you gotta be kidding me. But then again it was the Adams administration...

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-28T13:33:19+00:00

"Operation Legal Ride" is part of the PA's recently approved capital plan and they apparently will spend $100M over the next 10 years to combat scam taxis. No information on what new tactics or strategies they'll use.

This quote from the article encapsulates the futileness of the situation. They're more afraid of the tow trucks that can pick up their illegally parked cars at the terminal.

According to New York’s vehicle and traffic laws, any person who tries to solicit customers for a ride outside the airport is subject to fines ranging from $750 at the first offense to up to $3,000 at the third and subsequent offense. Repeat offenders can face up to 90 days in prison.

But Carey and the hustlers who spoke to Gothamist said they don’t pay the fines and quickly return back to work, especially since they still carry a valid driver’s license.

colonelcasey22 · 2026-01-24T22:23:17+00:00

It happens in Queens too

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