Why July 20th Should Matter to Everyone in Metro NY and Long Island – #LIRRmageddon!

Mark your Calendars for July 20^th - if you aren't concerned about this date and you live in Long Island and Metro NY, you should be.  This might be the day when MTA workers for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) are planning to walk off the job if contract negotiations fail. You heard it here first, I'm going to dub this “LIRRmageddon” (it sounds better when you say it aloud, trust me.) 

Some of us may recall the weeks after hurricane Sandy when the LIRR was off line, and the hours added to the average commute. When the LIRR is shut down, tens of thousands of daily riders will be on the road, further adding to already congested roads. The MTA is asking employers to ease restrictions on working from home, and suggesting people take vacation time during the strike. Regardless, we are all screwed if the strike goes through.

I personally work from NYC at least one day a week, and drive to NJ the rest of the week. Driving to the Manhattan will not be an option, as parking will be at a premium and the traffic in the Midtown Tunnel and other crossings will make the NJ Bridgegate look like the final lap of a Nascar race.

Through public announcements and leaflets handed out to riders, the MTA has outlined a contingency plan which calls for the following: (According to a Newsday article from today)

• ·         Work from home or take vacation time
• ·         Organize carpools
• ·         Ask if employers will provide transportation or reimburse for hotels, or work off-peak hours
• ·         Share housing with family and friends
• ·         Park and ride lots will be set up at key points going into Manhattan including stadiums, where commuters can take a bus or a subway into the city
• ·         Get ready to sit in a lot of traffic. (I added that one in)

Now my personal opinion from a communications professional’s standpoint: For a system that’s rife with corruption, disability fraud and nepotism, the general public has all but lost patience with the workers union, and they are having a hard time gaining public support for their cause. They were offered an 11% salary increase, but demand 17%, well over other state MTA workers. They are also fighting the pension contribution rise to 5.2%-which is surprising considering the pension and disability systems are huge black holes where public funding goes to die. These funds are passed on to the riders as fare increases, which already top $300 for a monthly ticket. As the public continues to see 401K’s collapse and fees increase, the idea of a full pension with minimal contribution is a pipe dream that many see should be reserved only for the cops and firefighters who put their lives on the line on a daily basis. Additionally, the abuse of overtime and an average salary of more than $83K yearly has the patience of many commuters running thin. The facts also show that until now, workers did not pay for healthcare coverage, which costs the average worker thousands of dollars a year. (Facts quoted from NY Post article Dated 6/8/14)

I give this strike about a 60% chance of happening, which is too high of a risk to not make the appropriate preparations now.

The workers can be seen currently engaging in an unchecked communication plan of actively engaging readers in news article comments and picketing; which, without proper messaging will only yield negative perception for them in the long run. But that doesn't matter, as the public gets no say in this matter because this is now a federal issue.

Today I bypassed the Cross Bronx traffic with this one weird trick. You’ll never believe how….

Before reading any further, yes that headline is indeed a satirical play on the current crop of Buzzfeed headlines. But seriously, today I tried something new. On approach to the Throgs Neck, the Traffic Time sign told me the Cross Bronx / 95S (CBX) was going to be over an hour. The 278/87 route on the other hand was 20 minutes. I have never attempted this way before, because looking at my map it just did not make sense. It seemed to be miles out of the way, and dip into the Bronx. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I exited right before the wall of brake lights, and hoped for the best.

And wow, that was easy. The lesson learned today is that if the CBX sucks, hop on to the Bruckner/287 West, and take that a few miles to 87N/Major Deegan. The signs won’t say GWB at first, but just keep following them, and it will drop you off much faster than taking the Triborough bridge route. I have been driving the same route  for nearly 7 years, and was pleasantly surprised to finally find a viable CBX alternative.

Sure, its a couple miles out of the way, but taking the Bruckner/278W instead of the CBX can save you a lot of time

The Pulaski Skyway Closure and What That Means for Your Commute

The Pulaski Skyway is one of the main thoroughfares into Jersey City and Manhattan. It’s a bridge that carries traffic from Route 1 and 9, and also serves a large portion of traffic exiting 95 (NJ Turnpike) on their way to and from the city. Starting this week, it’s going to be closed for two years. Expect a lot of traffic on surface streets as well as alternate routes as commuters try and make their way into the Holland Tunnel.

The bridge opened in 1932, and is in the final phases on a one billion dollar restoration that has been going on since 2007, and is slated to be completed in 2016. On this first weekday of closure, traffic has been light. This is most likely due to the impending Jewish Holiday, as well as the majority of schools not in session for spring break.  Expect about 2-3 weeks to get into a groove if this is your route, as commuters will get used to the new route options and detours

The most impacted areas are going to be as follows:

• i95 N around Newark airport
•   i78 will likely serve as the main bypass for many travelers; its only a few miles out of the way, and is wide enough to handle a good amount of extra traffic.
•  Another traffic choke point is going to the rt. 1/9 bypass, AKA, Lincoln Highway.
•  Outbound from Manhattan, commuters can expect heavier loads leaving to and from the Lincoln Tunnel as it hooks up with 95.
• Coming down from the north, Rt.3 and 495 will see a lot of extra volume as commuters use the Lincoln Tunnel and go downtown via Manhattan surface streets.
•  This will also cause additional delays on the West Side highway between the 50’s and downtown. Buckle up, the west side is going to be a mess for a while.
• On the bright side though, Holland Tunnel traffic inbound is likely going to be significantly lighter until the pattern works itself out.

My route picks:

·         As always, use your traffic apps and listen to AM 88/1010 Wins for the most updated traffic, as conditions change, accidents happen and traffic flow varies greatly with the times of day.

·         Don’t go near the Lincoln tunnel

·         If you are coming from the north, use the GWB, and shoot down the Westside highway for downtown Manhattan access. Expects a mess down by the 30’s. If you are really ambitious, go a little further, and hop down the FDR to head downtown.

·         You might be tempted to take the Verrazano/ Goethalls up the Gowanus (278) to make it into Manhattan. I wouldn't do that due to the Gowanus’ propensity to back up. The belt isn't much better. Use this route only for queens, SI, Brooklyn and LI travel

o   You can also take 95 to 278, and take rt. 440 N to hook back up to 78.

·         The best route for now is probably going to be i78 for most weekdays.

·         A lot of this also depends on the signage they have up and how it affects those who aren't familiar with the territory. For weekends and Fridays, the Rt.9 bypass is going to be a good alternative to the i78 traffic that most weekend travelers will likely be directed towards. 

Relationship Troubles

I know an automotive blog isn't really the place to vent, but recently, me and missus haven’t been getting along. I understand it was a long, cold and hard winter, and she tried her best to tough it out with a smile. Alas, all of the potholes, salt and bitter cold really took a toll on her this year. Admittedly, I have been a bit rough on her, but the mood swings are incredible; some days she is happy to be given a vigorous workout, and some days she groans, bitches at me, and phones it in for the day. A few times I even considered leaving her for a younger, newer model, but I have way too much invested with her to simply cut out. After all, we have been together for more than 100,00 miles.

It started in December, right before the holidays, which is typically a stressful time for couples. She wouldn't go more than 30 miles per hour without hiccupping, and sputtering as her ignition cut out and the revs dropped. In an effort to diagnose, I ripped out the ABS controller, and it brought back the acceleration, but at a cost; she took away all of my gauges, safety and slip systems. My dash lit up light a Christmas tree with every idiot light imaginable. This was mildly distracting while driving, but my attention daily was more focused on slipping and sliding my way through the worst Long Island Winter in memory. Seriously, you have no idea how hard it is to navigate a 300 BHP car with no limited slip differential, ABS, traction control or other systems through multiple icy blizzards. Because of this, I wound up intentionally avoiding her and taking the train to work in the city for much of January.

That's a lot of warning lights....

I think she started to get suspicious when I was up all night surfing the web. I’m not gonna lie, I was in some pretty deep stuff, late at night in the deepest bowel of the interwebs. I found myself viewing hardcore DIY YouTube videos on hydraulic braking systems and Nissan electrical components, I scanned some dealer technical bulletin and service guides that had been obtained by illicit means, and finally, under an anonymous name I plotted ways to manipulate her with other forum members in chatrooms. All this research led me to believe I had a faulty ABS wheel speed sensor, and all I had to do was go to the dealership to get it checked out on their diagnostic machine to figure out which one was bad.  

So I bought her to the dealership in Massapequa, which basically looks like a day spa for cars. Its white walls, glassed off, and way to clean. They made us part ways at the front to prepare her for a day of pampering, while I went in to go talk to a service adviser. I explained what was wrong, what diagnostic scan she needed. They didn't understand a word of it, and insisted she was more high maintenance than I thought. 400 dollars worth of testing later, they came back to me and told me they had found the problem. The entire rear end needed replacing, including all wheel hubs and sensors, to the tune of $3000. I said no, and left, and then found out they never reconnected my e-brake. So I went home, ripped the wheel off, put in a new ABS sensor for 20 bucks, and she worked fine. Except the disconnected e-brake is a constant reminder of the infidelity suffered at the hands of the stealership.

Then came the bitter January cold, which made her plastic bits brittle, and she was feeling kind of fragile. We lost the lower engine cover to  a pothole,  and her entire inner fender well was literally shattered by a chunk of ice. 16 bucks on rockauto.com and a few zip ties later, she was good as new. The cold did although kill the battery in one of my TPMS sensors, and now it just blinks at me. Blink. Blink. Blink. A constant nagging reminder that I need to buy new shoes soon, or I’ll continue to hear about it.

For a little while there, we were doing good. She was looking good and feeling good, and she knew it. A renewed spring was in her step, and I was once again feeling good about our relationship. Then she started nagging me again. At this point, my dad, my brother and my friends all told me I should leave her, but I didn't want to listen to them, I was committed to making it work. 

The shrill crying rattle came from the rear, and I didn't know why - did I forget her oil change? Not give her premium fuel? I deduced it was the anti-rattle pin, which was actually, ironically, rattling. The only way to stop it was to quickly pull the parking brake while driving. Fast. My first attempt to fix this was not successful, as I lacked the tools to take off the rotors. Then my son and I went to Autozone to purchase a breaker bar, which is not as fun as it sounds.

Saturday night, 10 pm, I settled down for a couples therapy session. She bought her bad attitude, and lots of blame. I bought a 4-pack of Guinness and my Dewalt cordless impact driver.

It was a long night, but after a while, I think we finally found the root of our problem. I have the rotor off, and I found this: Suffice to say I now know what was causing the rattle.

Think we found the problem... Hint-  pins are supposed to be straight

 I put her back together, and apologized profusely for hurting her feelings and the ordeal she had to go through. A week has since passed, and I think we are fine. For now, that is, until she finds out about the fling I have been having on the side with a cute little German number.

CES Shows Us the Automotive Future

For the past ten years, I take time off at CES to trek to the North Hall to see the automotive display. It's a myriad of tech, from audio to navigation, radar detectors to rear-view cameras.

But the real star of the show is the tech that will makes its way into new cars, and Audi and Toyota gave us a glimpse into this future.

Audi bought the new Quattro concept out to play- For those new to the icon, the Quattro was the original 4WD sports car, and dominated the track and the dirt decades ago. 

Audi was first to start the LED-intensive headlight craze, and has since been the trendsetter for design in lighting. If you see illumination technology in an Audi, it will likely make its way into every bargain basement Kia years from now. The Quattro concept they are showing uses new laser headlights for high beams. According to Audi, the new headlights have twice the distance and are three times brighter.

For conventional sheetmetal, nothing outsells Toyota. That's why when you see overall design cues from the Camry and Corolla, you can expect the world to start embracing it. They have the marketing and distribution prowess to influence all the continents, and at CES this year, Toyota showed a few interesting concepts including a fuel-cell vehicle (FCV) with design elements of the new Corolla.Additionally,front lighting was behind honeycomb-like diffusers. Toyota also showed off an "i-road" concept of smaller personal transport, which we can expect to start to see in urban environments in the future.

...and there was also a Dalek.

The Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) is important for its alternative fuel source, but also shows us the design cues for the future of cars the world over.

Toyota iRoad shows us the future of urban transport

Massive Audio has a marketing win with their Dalek

Coming soon to a Kia Sorrento near you: Audi's laser headlamps on the new Quattro concept show illuminate the future of lighting technology, as Audi continually blazes the trail for headlamp tech that gets copied from all automakers

GM Drops New Tahoe

I love me some Tahoe.
The manager of the local Enterprise rent a car and I are on first name basis, because I'm that guy who calls them up a few times a year and says "I need a Tahoe for a week."
Then, I hear a sigh on the line, as they start to say their corporate approved, (this call may be monitored) dialogue of  "Well sir, we cant guarantee a specific type of car..."


I  cut him off to say "Frank, you say this every time. Just give me the damn Tahoe for a week and I'll give you a ton of money."
So they give me a Tahoe. Works every time.
GM refreshed the Tahoe and its siblings yesterday in NYC. New features that utilitarians care about include:

• Fold-flat second- and third-row seats that enhance cargo convenience – including an available power-folding feature

• Approximately two inches greater legroom for second-row passengers, along with easier entry/exit

• Available eight-inch color touch screen radio with next-generation MyLink connectivity

• Up to six USB ports and six power outlets – including a 110-volt three-prong outlet –  to support electronic devices of all kinds (up to 12 charging locations)

• Conversation mirror in the overhead console that provides a panoramic view of the rear seats

I'll frequently rent one for a few days or a week to do various corporate events, photo shoots, off-roading etc. The truck is a constant workhorse, with great manners on-road and off, and enough storage capacity for my many Pelican cases and all my crew. I'll drive them through the Sierra's, Mid Town traffic and everywhere in between.

The press release also states that the engine doesnt change that much, getting the EcoTec3 powertrain, a 5.3L V-8 with a different name that has direct injection, cylinder deactivation, continuously variable valve timing and an advanced combustion system, designed to make the most of power, torque and efficiency across a broad range of operating conditions.

click here for press release.

http://media.chevrolet.com/content/media/us/en/chevrolet/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2013/Sep/0912-tahoe-suburban-2015.html

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DETROIT – Chevrolet and GMC today revealed all-new versions of their segment-leading full-size SUVs – the Tahoe and Suburban and Yukon and Yukon XL. Thanks to a new family of advanced EcoTec3 engines, the four new SUVS are expected to deliver the segment’s best V-8 fuel economy.

The 2015 Tahoe and Suburban, revealed in New York, are designed to be more functional and refined while offering more safety features and a greater range of advanced technologies for today’s connected customers.

The all-new 2015 Yukon, Yukon XL and flagship Yukon Denali, models, shown in Los Angeles, will deliver greater capability and refinement, with more power, new fold-flat rear seats and a quieter interior.

Chevrolet and GMC together are responsible for three of every four vehicles sold. The sales and revenue generated would be equal to a Fortune 400 company. With a 74 percent market share through August this year, General Motors' dominance in the segment is clear. So far in 2013, Chevrolet and GMC have sold 125,000 Chevrolet Tahoes and Suburbans and GMC Yukons and Yukon XLs.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.5 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

# # #

About GMC

Remember That Day I Was Mistakenly Targeted for a Criminal RICO investigation? Fun Times Indeed…

An interesting thing happened to me yesterday. Its early in the morning, about 6:45 am, and I’m stuck in gridlock on the Northern State Parkway. It’s the week after Labor Day, and traffic has returned with a vengeance.  In my rearview I see an unmarked Crown Vic, and I think nothing of it. Obviously, 4 mph is well below the posted speed limit, so I go on about my business.

Traffic started moving again, by the time I made it the Queens line, there is a marked NYPD unit about three cars back. I’m taking it easy, so I pay no attention to that car. I merge with grace onto the Clearview, (because the Cross Island is for suckers) and accelerate into the flow of traffic. Then there is another unmarked behind me, a blue Crown Vic.

At this point I’m thinking to myself, “wow, big police presence on the road today, they must be going after people texting or something.”

A few miles pass, and then a Marked NYPD Charger is on my ass. I mean to the point of giving me a V8 enema, this guy is not backing off. But I’m doing the speed limit, so I’m more confused. Obviously, this guy wants me to see him, and I see him in my rearview, on his radio, running my tags.

We make it to the Throgs Neck bridge, and he suddenly jumps two lanes and takes the ramp on the right to Willets Point Blvd. when he backs off, I see another unmarked unit behind him. This one is a blue Crown Vic, and he is staying about 3-4 cars back to my right.

Now I’m starting to sweat. I got a couple of points from a previous run-in, and I do not need any more. Again, I’m not doing anything wrong, so I am very confused, but the mere anticipation of getting pulled over makes me anxious.

I am now going over the Throgs Neck. I make a bee-line for the left lane to avoid the CIP marge, and the blue Crown Vic does the same two cars back. This pattern continues all the way to the tolls. I pick a lane, and go through the EZ Pass lane, ready to merge onto the Cross Bronx.

BAM! Out of nowhere, a marked Impala NYPD unit is on my ass with lights flashing. Seriously, I had no idea where this guy could have possibly been. “He can’t really be pulling me over, can he?”  I slide right a lane. He follows. Shit. I manage to pull over, on the left side of the road closer to the 95 North split.

I get out my license and registration, and wait. A jolly old NYPD patrolmen resembling Santa Claus with a Glock approaches up to the car. His 9mm is holstered, but his hand is on it, which I assume is typical protocol. My hands are where he can see them, and the exchange is respectful and polite. He asked me for my license and registration and insurance. This is odd. In all my years of getting pulled over in NY, I have never once been asked for Insurance information. He asks me “is this your car?”

“yes, it is” I reply, cool as a cucumber as a slide off my sunglasses in my best David Carusoe. Not my best moment. 

“Are you sure it’s your car?” he asks again, and I nod. At this time, I did not realize the odd phrasing of this question, or why he was asking. So I ask, “What seems to be the problem officer?” I had to yell a little bit, because now there was a helicopter over us. Probably nothing right?

Digressing for a moment, we all ask this when stopped. You could be riding dirty at 80 MPH through a school zone with a pina colada in one hand, yet still ask the question. You always know why you are getting pulled over, but in this instance I was genuinely perplexed.

 “Your windows are tinted” he proclaims. “State law says there needs to be 70% light transmission.  Do you think this window lets that much light in?” I don’t know why it took me a moment to answer. I guess I got distracted when glint of light caught my eye, which vaguely resembled a sniper on the overpass about 300 yards away.

“I don’t know.” But yeah, I actually knew.  I purposely put on 20% tint the whole way around, because having a sleeper with no tint is about as cool as Saved by the Bell: The College Years.

He said this is 17%, and proceeded to go back to his car. He was in there a long time. Despite his being nice, and the multiple stickers on windshield from various law-enforcement buddies, I  still got an equipment ticket. My last car had 10% tint and I drove it for 5 years. This car has 20%, and I have been driving it about 5 years. I have never been pulled over for a tint violation.  

The ordeal is over. We exchange pleasantries, and now I have to merge hard across six lanes of morning rush hour traffic onto the Cross Bronx. I settle into the middle lane and begin to ponder what just happened.

 First of all, three units do not tail you for an equipment violation. Therefore, I am now under the assumption that a car similar to mine had been used in a crime, and they were checking me out. They needed to pull me over. That’s fine, making the streets safer, etc. now I am also realizing perhaps a murdered-out Maxima might be starting to be a little ghetto. I’ll address that another time.

Cruising along, rocking out to come classic A7x on the radio, and WTF THERE IS ANOTHER GOD DAMN UNMARKED UNIT BEHIND ME.

Remember that scene in that 90’s mafia movie, I think it was Good Fellas, where the guy looks outside his windows and he spots helicopters. Then the chopper is following him all day, and he is paranoid. And eventually it comes to pass that he was right and they totally were watching him? Well this is exactly how I’m feeling right now.

Now here’s where things get really weird. The NYPD unit pulls off about 1/8 mile from the GWB, and is immediately replaced; I kid you not, with an grey unmarked Crown Victoria interceptor unit with Jersey Tags. This is significant because this now means whatever these guys are trailing me for goes beyond state lines. I don’t know if was a sheriff, Fed, or Jersey trooper, but odd none the less.

I make it work without incident. Sure, some odd things happen to me during the day; my webcam liked to turn on by itself, “The CIA” asked me to friend them on Facebook, and there was some dude bird watching all day outside my office window. So nothing out of the ordinary.

I start on my way home. I was a little late, because some new I.T. guy at my company wanted to look at my computer and phone. Nothing weird about that.  I’m on the NJ turnpike heading toward the GWB, and out of the corner of my eye, I spot one of the new Ford Taurus unmarked units. These guys are stealthy. The only way to really tell they are cops is by looking in the grill to spot the tell-tale light array. I go Lower Level. He follows. I go CBX. He follows. He pulls ahead of me and takes the Throgs Neck. I take the Clearview. He shadows me. Northern state. Right behind me. Wantagh. This is getting creepy.

So now I’m sure that something is going down, so I call my buddy in the NYPD and ask him what’s up. He runs my license, runs my plate, and my information to look for possible APB’s.  It take a while, but he tells me it all comes back fine, and that I’m just being paranoid. That’s a relief. But then I also realize maybe he actually can’t tell me what’s going on.

It still troubles me though that the unmarked Taurus got off at my exit, and peeled off right before my street. I swung around that big, unassuming van parked on my curb, and pulled into my driveway, happy to be home. 

So that’s my story. Hopefully this is where it ends. However, for the CIA, FBI, RICO investigators readings this (and I know you are….) Can you please do me a real favor and see who isn’t cleaning up after their dog on my lawn? Much appreciated, XoXo.