Welcome back Gil- new no turn signs, bus lanes, and street re-routes

Not sure who else reads this, so I figure writing aiming for the other co-author who started this blog might be a good way to write a good post.

This summer some changes have been made, mainly through the month of august, to effect the streets and the way we're allowed to drive on them permanently.

The most important changes are the new no left turn signs. Traffic adjustments are sort of a sign of the times, they follow trends, and the current trend seems to be 24 hour regulations. If a new no turning sign is added to an intersection, there is a good chance the rule is in effect at all times, on all days. This is also true with what I'm guessing is an experiment on the new first avenue bus lane as well, nobody is legally allowed to drive in that bus lane ever. There are dotted lines at the intersections to make it clear when traffic is allowed to occupy the bus lane as a turning lane.

No left turns:

• First a new no left turn sign has been placed at 96th Street and Second Avenue. So you can no longer come off the FDR Drive to go back downtown at Second Avenue. You can still make the left at Lexington Avenue. Or jump back to 91st Street via the York Avenue road.
• More recently no left turning signs have been placed at 34th street at first avenue, and at 23rd street and first avenue. Tis' a sad, sad situation. I got caught with a customer who hailed me at 34th between 3rd and 2nd ave wanting to go to 1st ave and 44th. I told him of the sign in advance, and we both figured it'd be fastest to take the FDR north to 42nd, OOPS! can't do that, as the FDR enters below the 42nd street entrance ramp, so I turned of the meter at about 5.30 and exited at 61st street and came back down 2nd avenue. The only way around this situation is to make the left at the FDR service entrance exit, only to make the next left at 35th street, and then the right at first ave. don't take the FDR.
• With the 23rd street restriction it is best to take 22nd street to first Avenue.
• Park Avenue has also added heavier restrictions. At 23rd Street I am not sure weather it is only on the north bound side, or on both, but there is a new no left and no u-turns sign in effect at all times, replacing the old sign that was only in effect mon-fri 8am to 8pm. Likewise both 18th street and 19th street have no left turn signs now, in effect always. I don't think 20th street has a restriction.

Traffic pattern adjustment:

• The Park Avenue signs also may be a byproduct of an anticipation of heavier traffic, as they have turned 17th street at Union Square into a west bound only street. Thus, you must make the left turn at 18th street from Broadway and then the right at Park Avenue South in order to continue in the direction of Broadway south of 14th. this actually is a better light sequence. They've added small trivial turning lanes for both lefts and rights at 18th and park, again in anticipation. I hope they subtracted some parking spaces. Broadway is also still undergoing some lane repainting and thick turning lanes and bicycle lanes from 23rd down to the park. Broadway is only one lane. The message is clear, they don't want traffic using Broadway as a through street.
• Then There is Whitehall Street. Whitehall street was a street I always enjoyed taking customers down at the bottom of broadway veering left at the Meryl Lynch bull and driving down to Water Street to drop them at that corner where they could cross the street to get to the Staten Island ferry. Now though between Water Street and Pearl Street, Whitehall Street only goes west. Now there is no longer a direct route to take people to the ferry. I am still eagerly anticipating what new changes will come with the new work they are doing to the ferry terminal. I would love to see them add in a taxi stand somewhere convenient for taxi commuters. I'm not gonna hold my breath. A quick way to get a fare down to the F.D.R. drive when you have already picked up on Broadway is to still go down Whitehall Street, making the left on Bridge, and the right on Broad. If it is that super quiet time of day and you are right on the button of every changing light, you could catch all greens to the F.D.R. this is for north bound only of course. if you'r grabbing West Street, you of course know to take Broadway to its terminus and make the right on Battery Place. But if again, the time of day has no traffic at all and they aren't going past even 70th street, and have an address between 6th ave and madison, going up Greenwich, to Trinity, to Church, the 6th Ave really is quite an amazing journey of green lights. But i digress, what's next on the list of new changes?

Bus Lanes:

The M15: 1st Avenue, 2nd Avenue

• You already know about Allen Street, a two way street with a traffic lane subtracted, it's light patterns cut short, and potentially hazardous pots of plants blocking your view of buzzed kids shouting and ready for fisticuffs. First Avenue has added a hardcore bus lane on the right side. As I mentioned at the top, this is in effect at all times. You are only allowed to occupy this lane for turns, although I'd use it to pull over for drop offs, so long as there isn't a bus right behind me. A lot of cabs are using this as a bus lane in the early dawn hours, and deep in the night, trying to get customers. it is infuriating, I guess the best way to be safe is to be next to the lane and ride the line with your wheel so other cars can't get past you, but still the cops might be on your ass.
• Second Avenue has a bus lane too, but it's rules are much more forgiving, it is only in effect during the day, and sadly, there are parking spaces available on the lane at night.
• Bicycle lanes in the style of ninth and eighth Avenues have been added to both 1st and 2nd avenue, so it'll be a bit harder to pull over on the left for fares.

Busses: budget cuts:

• I've been meaning to do this: check the yellow advisory sign and copy the entire list of budget cut bus lines on the bus stop signs on all cross town bus lines. I know that the M8 bus that runs across town on 9th street, and 8th street, in the East Village, and 10th street, and Christopher Street in the West village, is no longer running on weekends. there are other bus lines also that have cut service on weekends. so far, this has had very little effect on my income.

Pull Over!!!

It's just that simple!!!

Assholes

• when dropping off
• when picking up

If there is a space to do it, then do it. show some God Damn respect!!

More on Penn Station. -getting tickets. NO, getting passengers

Seriously; when it comes to Penn Station and how a cab driver should work with it, you could write a novel on the topic.

just a few days ago I heard someone from my garage got a ticket when he dropped off on the left side of 7th Avenue. And as word spread around the line of drivers waiting to pay their fees to the garage at the end of the day, each and everyone had advice to give and/or they listened to all the tips themselves.

helpful tips were about 32nd street. Pulling over to receive fares, said one, will get you tickets. making that left turn will get you a ticket.

I myself received two tickets in my first week about 5 years ago when I picked up a fare at the designated line on 7th avenue and then cut across all lanes to make that left turn. Luckily my lawyer managed to reduce it to a one ticket penalty at 2 points off my license rather than 5 points. the police were so novice at the job that they forgot to return my hack license to me, so I had to wait several minutes before I mustered up the courage to walk over to their car and ask if they were supposed to have my license, or if I could get it back. I thought my career was over and therefore they were supposed to take it. of course that wasn't the case and they just forgot to hand it back to me.

Other advice from that same helpful driver who mentions 32nd also mentions that he never lets his passengers off at 32nd street, no matter what they say to him, no matter how much they yell, he drives to the corner of 31st street and drops them off there.

As for what my driving style is, I prefer to always drive by the taxi line and drop people off at an open spot beside the curb past the cross walk and past the intersection, never in it. I tell my passengers that I'm going to find a spot to pullover first, so that they don't leave while i'm in a moving lane. hold on to the change, or don't take their money until I pull over, i try not to have to much of a moment stopped next to the taxi line so that they aren't tempted to leave the car. If they say they are in a hurry, and they look like quick people, I say "okay but make it quick." and I act like I had no control, nor' knowledge of them leaving the car. The key to getting a ticket is double parking, don't do it. find a spot near the curb. you can also make a left turn on 33rd street and drop them off at the corner there. 33rd street is fairly empty and allows for more space if you need to open the trunk and get their bags. I also don't like to pull into a moving taxi line to drop off passengers. The line moves so quick that I would than be blocking the flow of empty taxis to the awaiting passengers. If the line is moving really good, I sometimes drop the passenger off at the far west corner, always using my hazard lights and I stop there. If there is another cab behind me I wave them around. It is most frustrating when a full cab pulls into the taxi line and with 3 cars to go to the front of the line, the cab stops and lets out the passenger, hence putting the brakes on the whole pick-up line, and letting other cabs cut in front. These cabs may also get a ticket for cutting in the line.

Quite often on a busy day, but when the line is too much to work through and would most likely involve me blocking an intersection and running over pedestrians, I will move past the whole taxi line, pulling over after 32nd street as close to the curb as possible, and often one lone passenger asks if she/he can get in. I gladly take them, and off we go, a drop off and a pick-up, un-hindered by the nightmarish line. It is better if they don't even ask, but rather just hop in, because I'd like to pretend that I didn't give them permission to get in, as picking up anywhere near the taxi line could also be means for another ticket.

lately an entire line has developed in the morning on the left side of 32nd street, as most people walk across the street to get a cab to make that left down that street. There is always heavy police eventually, on both sides, on all corners there. I wouldn't risk double parking. If I see a quick enough pick-up rate at the Hotel Pennsylvania I'll wait there for 10 seconds. The doorman usually doesn't like anyone waiting anywhere near his hotel, and he talks for hours to the police in a police car marked as a taxicab. what is most effective is to wait for the lights to almost turn yellow as I go through 33rd street on the left side of the avenue, then slowly drive to the left side of 7th ave and 32nd street as the light turns red. Now there is nothing illegal being done here. I am legitimately stopped at a red light. when it turns green and sadly I didn't receive any fares I continue down 32nd street toward 6th avenue. I do not want to hinder the flow of traffic. I hate when other drivers drive slowly for their own personal gains when they are irritating the drivers behind them, so I pull over if there is a car behind me. I hope for another red light at 6th avenue and 32nd street. Chances are that people at all corners of this intersection will want a cab, as they are walking over from Penn, or coming out of the path train station there. If no fares are grabbed yet again, I repeat and make the left on 33rd only to try the left side of 7th avenue and 32nd street all over again.

Eventually the traffic gets tangled up badly at 32nd street, which means it'll be bad at 30th, and 28th, and Penn Station becomes a bad place to pick up, as people don't tip well, and too much time is waisted. I move on downtown to pick up to drive people aiming to get uptown, etc.. etc...

I'd say that Penn Station is good for pick-ups early in the morning from as early if you're lucky at 4:30 am to about 7am, and then the traffic makes it less of a good time. 8th avenue at penn station should be good till' about 8am. Again later in the day when traffic gets so tangled, at 11am, 10 am, noon, heck whenever, basically in the middle of the day, people are desperate for cabs there. I'd aim for only the 8th avenue taxi line at that later time, as there is more room for a taxi line less of a chance of illegal moves.

note- this advice of course is for the working days, monday through friday,

saturday and sunday are NOT GOOD to depend on Penn Station, and the police will be there everyday. use hotels, and middle class residential neighborhoods, people who work at hospitals work everyday. One cab driver told me a long time ago when I was new, to try going down Lexington Avenue and think about people who have to go to work on the weekend. I'm not saying to go down Lexington Avenue, most often, especially on the weekends, it doesn't make money in the early hours to go down any avenue for too long, you have to keep a lot of distance from other cabs, being at the very front or very back. try to do some studying as to which corners are the best for pick-ups, and plan your turns so that you arrive to those corners before others. Waiting in places looking as ready as you can be to pick-up is also a very good strategy, it keeps you rested, saves gas, and creates a better image of a safer driver.

And Please!!! Stop cutting over 5 lanes without a good amount of space between you and other cars. And if there is another cab lined up to pick-up a fare that you could get if you endanger an entire avenue of traffic's lives for, don't do that!!!

Later Today

TUNE INTO THE GAMES ON 1050 am:

730 AM Netherlands against Denmark

10 AM Cameroon against Japan

230 PM Paraguay against Italia

UPDATE: THAT RADIO STATION DOES NOT BROADCAST GAMES WEEKDAYS.

THERE ISN'T ENOUGH INTEREST IN SOCCER HERE?

Nothing special happening around town that I know of.

If anyone wants to bet $10 on each of these matches, I'm down.

My teams are the first mentioned in the list above.

Gimme a call.

This post was entered at the Union Square taxi relief stand on E 16th.

Thanks for the free public WIFI and parking.

The driver who knows that place...

wins the rat race.

head over to this article (highlighted in green below) for a comprehensive list of all the restaurants, bars, stores, and bakeries you should know about. if each place is researched, and you know where every place is, perhaps you could win some handsome tips? this article over at lost city is written by a professional restaurant reviewer, so they should know something about something:

Restaurants, Bars, and Bakeries @ Lost City

Prep for Tomorrow's Shift

If your passengers like the world cup, you can dazzle them by tuning into 1050 am for the following games:

7:30 A.M. Algerian vs. Slovenia

10:00 A.M. Serbia vs. Ghana

2:30 P.M. Germany vs. Australia

The Puerto Rican Day Parade (largest of them all) will be from 11 A.M. to 6 P.M. along Fifth from 86 to 44th.

I advise getting an early start on your shift if possible, in order to end your shift earlier and avoid the mess.

That's all I have for now. Good luck. See you on the streets!

AIDS WALK: Day Shift

This is the route for the AIDS Walk, Sunday. I believe the actual walk starts at 10am, but not until later will the walkers leave the park and walk up 110th Street to Riverside Drive, from there they will walk to 86th street, and then back east to Central Park.

So I'd say after 10am try not to get a destination in this box. I recall last year being stuck inside this square between 86th and 110th on the upper west side, with the only ways in and out through the park at 79th and 96th. Check the news to see when the walk ends. and ofcourse when it ends you may have a lot of people who want to take cabs home, maybe, or maybe it's not worth it, as they either live close enough to catch a subway, or they have cars parked nearby. I think they will exit from the park at columbus circle.

Avenue Addresses

Avenue addresses were designed to allow for easy calculation in finding an address.
Example: 780 1st Ave. is at 42nd ST. Process to calculate: Cancel last digit of address 780 = 78 and then divide by 2 = 39 and then add the key number +3....= 42 Street.

(courtesy of MasterCabbie.blogspot.com)

Don't Let The Blue Bugs Bite

We all know Penn Station is the #1 place to get a summons. Especially during pick-ups and drop-offs along Seventh Avenue between 34th and 31st Streets. I simply just avoid the whole area, unless a passenger is headed there, in which case I try to discharge inside the block of 33rd Street, as far from the intersections as possible, without making people walk too far to reach an entrance.

If discharging on Eighth Avenue, I beg them to let me pull over on the southern corner of 31st, not the north side. If I happen to be cruising downtown along Seventh, I go off-duty as soon as I approach 34th Street, and only come back on-duty after I've passed 31st Street. I'm legally not picking anyone up because I have personal business to attend to: not adding points to my vulnerable license.

Personally, I think all of us (cabbies) should pool our strength to let our voices be heard by the city, by boycotting Penn Station: "stop using our backs to carry your fiscal crisis." If a taxi is blocking traffic, by all means, let them have it. Otherwise, back off already, will you? Penn Station is becoming a beehive with perpetual swarms stinging our innocence. Cabbies are the yellow buzz that democratically and proactively carries economic pollen across town, not you (NYPD.)

I mentioned earlier that I absolutely do not engage in business on this stretch of Seventh and Eighth. I go off-duty and drive straight through without glancing at the sides. But last week I was whistled upon by the doorman at Hotel Penn and practically reeled in by road block. Being the plucky optimist that I am, I let down my guard and let two women in suits climb in. Destination: Javits Convention Center, a $5 westbound headache.

I carefully shifted across, lane by lane, using my right turn signal. I then sat behind two cars waiting to turn unto 31st Street. One made it through the heavily used crosswalk as the light turned red. Another light cycle went by and the next car made it over. At the third light cycle I was up to bat. I inched forward, ever so patiently, yet persistently. If you don't demonstrate a desire to turn, pedestrians will continue to cross, even after the light has turned red. As I made it over at the end of that cycle, a cop who had just finished ticketing cabs along 31st Street motioned me over to the curb: FAILURE TO YIELD TO PEDESTRIANS.

Here's an email excerpt from my passengers who witnessed it:

"Gil- we were in your taxi when you were pulled over by the cop on May
3rd at 8:30 am. We never felt unsafe while you were driving. Hopefully
this testimony will help you because we understand it was rush hour
and we would have waited forever for pedestrians to cross the sidewalk.
We had somewhere to go and you respected that. Good luck."
-Stephanie

Additional help for 5boro bike tips

Gridlock Sam's Facebook page

on this page and I assume on his twtter page as well, he places notes on what times for specific closures of major thoroughfares- bridges - tunnels - highways - avenues - etcetera

and also ads in the tip that the Queens midtown tunnel is predicted to have extra congestion due to the other closures.

5 boro bike tour this sunday

For Saturday I recommend the usual summer thing for weekend day shifters, check the DOT website, and stay tuned intermittently to the traffic stations.

But for Sunday, this is a big one, one of the major weekend days of the year to look out for. When the bike tour starts in the morning, 6th Avenue is closed and you can't cross it until all the bikes have passed it. For those few hours 6th Avenue becomes like a wall for traffic and the only way to go from East to West is to either go around the FDR to WS HWY under Battery Park or to cross in the Central Park Transverses. Soon enough though, the bikers move on and they are out of our hair when they ride through Central Park. The FDR and Harlem River Drive Combo gets closed though, there should be warnings posted on the digital displays on the Manhattan Bridge Upper Roadway, and also on the FDR Drive a few days in advance with times posted. If you're in Brooklyn along the northern edge by the East river, or Astoria and LIC Queens you can really get into a mess, stuck in several walls where it feels like they are pushing you through circles. There is more info most likely at the DOT traffic advisory website-The DOT weekend Page There is a specific page on all the street closures, however I don't see where they post the specific times- Specific Streets Page Here!

If we're lucky, the radio will tell us the time that the bike tour starts, Trinity Place and 6th Avenue will probably get closed even an hour in advance. If we're really lucky the radio will tell us where the bikers are, and which streets are getting closed and which ones are opening, however the radio is usually an hour behind in their reports. If you're driving in the early morning at about 5 to 6 am in downtown you will see groups of bikers and cars with bikes getting larger and larger. I have to say there is something very special about coasting slowly down an avenue with no other motor vehicles, being surrounded by bicyclists, it's really fantastic and surreal. If I remember correctly, the Trinity Pl and 6th Avenue wall to traffic unleashes the bikes at about 6am. Best bet would probably be to hang out uptown and rely on Central Park if you have to cross 6th Avenue.

Additionally there are plenty of special street closing events on Saturday and Sunday as well. You should check the DOT Page especially if you're a day driver. Also here is the link to a large map of the bike route - The Map

ATM MACHINE ON WHEELS

Over two weeks ago a fellow driver at my garage picked up his final fare of the shift at the Port Authority. They asked to be driven to Crown Heights. It was a silent ride. At the destination the passenger pulled out a gun and asked the driver for cash. Mind you this was around 4:00 on a weekday afternoon. Broad daylight in the Chassidic part of town. He only lost some change and was thankful for his life, as he stood there in line at the garage, telling us fellow drivers the story. There isn't much we can do as cabdrivers to avoid such a situation. Just try to stay safe.

Increasingly Common Congestion

Beware of the Park Avenue Viaduct southbound (downtown) on weekdays. Back before August 2008 this elevated ramp alongside Grand Central Terminal and its corresponding Murray Hill tunnel bypassed the busy crosstown thoroughfares of 34th and 42nd. That is still the case, but only for northbound traffic. Downtown-bound traffic has in fact worsened to the point it makes no sense to be on the viaduct. Take Lexington or 5th around instead. What put a halt to two-way traffic in the tunnel back in 2008 was the need to protect pedestrian safety on 33rd Street.

More Sunday stuff-- via Gridlock Sam

Gridlock Sam can be found on Facebook, and Twitter, and also via the NY Daily News.

They include these block parties not mentioned in my previous post, but they might also give an easier to understand explanation of the March of dimes walk, and where it will be. Remember since it is a walk, different parts might open and close at different times, i presume while the upper west side, and also the upper east at lexington and west will suck early on, they may open up earlier too.

Gridlock Sam Schwartz Sunday Block parties: E 11St, 2nd Ave to 3rd Ave 10A - 6P E 75St, Lexington Ave to Park Ave 11A - 3P W 120St Bway to Amsterdam Noon - 7P

Gridlock Sam Schwartz Sunday, March of Dimes March 62st at Lincoln Center 9am to 2pm Route takes 65st through Central Park to Lexington, Lex to 23rd St.

fyi- the DOT site says they will then walk up 23rd to the park at Madison avenue, so that whole spot might be very bad.

Gridlock Sam Schwartz Tomorrow, Duke Ellington Blvd. Neighborhood Assoc.Street Festival 11 AM - 6 PM drivers avoid Broadway, between W 104th St and W 108th St

Summer is here, and with that comes street closures

Scroll Down far below for the most important street closures of Sunday! I'm talking about the March of Dimes walk from Columbus and 65th to Madison Avenue and 23rd, via Lexington Avenue!! Times and specifics are listed below, scroll down to the bullet point marked VERY IMPORTANT!

Today: Saturday, there were some big ones, 3rd avenue was closed from 23rd to 34th for a street fair, so was 8th avenue from 14th to 23rd. Then there was the Sikh Parade on Madison Avenue up to the 40's maybe, but that was very short. It all brings up the fact that it's time to do this again, it's time to make note of what streets on Saturdays and Sundays will be closed, in advance. All information is likely to be wrong, but more likely to be right. Your best bet is to look up the information as I have presented below it can be found at http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/wkndtraf.shtml, and when traffic is light, you should explore each street when empty to see what things will be like when things get heavy. Check the news radio stations at their traffic update intervals to see if they give you any more info. AM 1130 is supposed to update on the 5's (ie 11:35) AM 880 is supposed to update on the 8's (ie 9:28) however both these stations sometimes get sidetracked with either their guests, or baseball, and the best station of course is AM 1010, updating on the 10's, really the 11's (9:30/9:31)

Oh and at 66th street this day they had it closed for a crane between Park Avenue and Madison!!

Anyway here are the noteworthy streets for tomorrow, copied from the DOT website:

East 16th Street between Union Square East and Irving Place: This street will be closed Saturday and/or Sunday from 8am to 6pm to facilitate crane operation.

West 17th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue: This street will be closed Saturday and/or Sunday from 8am to 6pm to facilitate crane operation.

Side note- the two above streets were not closed today, so they will very likely be closed on Sunday!

East 18th Street between Broadway and Park Avenue South: This street will be closed Saturday and/or Sunday from 8am to 6pm to facilitate crane operation.

West 26th Street between 8th Avenue and 7th Avenue: This street will be closed Saturday and/or Sunday from 8am to 6pm to facilitate crane operation.

West 39th Street between 9th Avenue and 8th Avenue: This street will be closed Saturday and/or Sunday from 8am to 6pm to facilitate crane operation.

West 41st Street between 7th Avenue and 8th Avenue: This street will be closed Saturday and/or Sunday from 12:01am to 8am to facilitate crane operation.

West 44th Street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue: This street will be closed Saturday and/or Sunday from 8am to 7pm to facilitate crane operation.

East 87th Street between 5thAvenue and Madison Avenue: This street will be closed Saturday and/or Sunday from 8am to 4pm to facilitate crane operation.

West 97th Street between West End Avenue and Broadway: This street will be closed Sunday from 7am to 7pm to facilitate crane operation.

East 105th Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue: This street will be closed Saturday and/or Sunday from 6am to 8pm to facilitate crane operation.

East 119th Street between 3rd Avenue and Lexington Avenue: This street will be closed Saturday and/or Sunday from 6am to 9pm to facilitate crane assembly operation.

West 121st Street between St. Nicholas Avenue and 7th Avenue: This street will be closed Saturday and/or Sunday from 8am to 4pm to facilitate crane operation.

Thompson Street between West 3rd Street and Washington Square South: This street will be closed Saturday and/or Sunday from 8am to 6pm to facilitate crane operation.

Wooster Street between Grand Street and Broome Street: This street will be closed Saturday and/or Sunday from 8am to 6pm to facilitate crane operation.

Ann Street between Nassau Street and Park Row: This street will be closed Saturday from 8am to 6pm and Sunday from 9am to 6pm to facilitate NYCDDC roadway work.

Intersection of Ann Street and Nassau Street: This street will be closed Saturday from 8am to 6pm and Sunday from 9am to 6pm to facilitate NYCDDC roadway work.

Side note- Ann Street was not closed today, so it may also not be closed tomorrow, however the chances that we'll need such a street east of Broadway/Park Row is not likely.

Trinity Place between Edgar Street and Rector Street: This street will be closed Sunday from 7am to 1pm to facilitate crane operation.

• VERY IMPORTANT! -> major streets closed=

----

Formation: Columbus Avenue between 62nd Street and 65th Street
Route: 65th Street from Columbus Avenue to Lexington Avenue; Lexington Avenue to 23rd Street; 23rd Street to Madison Avenue
End: Madison Square Park
The above streets will be closed Sunday from 9am to 3pm for the March of Dimes as permitted by the Mayor's Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO).
----

And also here! ->

East Side of Broadway between West 96th Street and West 110th Street: The east side street will be closed Sunday from 11am to 6pm for the Veritas Inc/Duke Ellington Neighborhood Association./24th Precinct Community Council Fair as permitted by the Mayor's Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO).
----
If you're in The Bronx, this is noteworthy:

Hutchinson River Parkway northbound between Bruckner Expressway Interchange and New England Thruway: The northbound roadway will be closed Sunday from 6:15am to 11am for the Bronx Biathlon Event.

This is most likely a mistake, as it probably was on Saturday and not Sunday, but you can't be too careful! drive around here to scout it out and see if it's closed on Sunday->

Third Avenue between East 23rd Street and East 34th Street: This street will be closed Sunday from 11am to 6pm for the Third Avenue Merchants Spring Expo as permitted by the Mayors Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO).
----

From Hack To Hack: A Request

Please (begging you) do not hang air fresheners up in the taxicab. The stench of chemicals that pervade one's entire shift aren't worth its supposed rewards. These dangling little trees might cause cancer or infertility. We must figure out other ways to keep our taxis from smelling bad. If you insist on hanging one of these from your rear view mirror, at least take it with you at the end of your shift. For a driver that is sensitive to unnatural scents, finding one of these pervading the interior atmosphere upon commencing a shift is almost worse than hearing rattling in the suspension, or discovering hesitation in the transmission. And no, they do not have the fragrance of trees.

Wishful Yearning: Citizens' Band!

OH HOW I WISH THERE WERE STILL CB RADIOS IN OUR TAXICABS.
We are the only city that is strictly street hail and no dispatch.
My main source of desire for this feature of the past is because....

IF WE WERE A TIGHTLY KNIT NETWORK OF HACKS, CONNECTED ALWAYS BY CB RADIO....
we'd be able to keep each other out of traffic jams, street closures, slow-moving airport holding lots, dangerous situations, etc..

We'd be able to summon each other toward stretches of plentiful street hails.
We'd be able to provide each other with directions and answers to passengers' questions. Those of us in the immediate vicinity would be able to come to each others' rescue in the event of an assault or robbery, or to assist in the event of a flat tire or dead battery.

Around the time everyone switches from one shift (driver) to another, we could relay, negotiate, and match up fare destinations with garage locations.

But this thought is quite a long shot, considering we can't even touch a cell anymore. However, the difference is that these transactions would be brief, concise, and very utilitarian. A far cry from the constant jibba jabba of truckers on the highway, or of the way cabbies have been known to utilize their cell. There could be different stations for different neighborhoods, languages, and purposes. The possibilities are endless.

There is in fact still a small handful of owner-operators in NYC that equip their taxicabs with a CB radio. They mostly just communicate with each other, when in proximity, especially when deciding whether to wait at an airport taxi pound or not. These old-school hacks are all 30+ year veterans of the yellow force.

Flea to Shining Flea

It's becoming that time of the year when people like to frequent flea markets, and even go flea market-hopping all around town on the weekends. Are you familiar with all the different ones throughout the boroughs? This past weekend I picked up a fare on Bedford in Williamsburg (a vintage-laden district). They were visiting from Ohio and their requested destination was simply "the Fort Greene Flea Market." I imagine most cabdrivers would not be able to take off without directions. I knew it's on Lafayette, nearby Washington Avenue. Therefore, I first took two immediate lefts to get on Wythe, and followed that unto Kent and then Park, under the BQE. A left on Vanderbilt. Four blocks through beautiful brownstone canyons. Voila! There it is on the right.

And here are a few other prominent flea markets in NYC.....
Williamsburg
Hell's Kitchen
TIME OUT NY BEST FLEAS
NYC FLEA MARKET LISTING
NEW YORK FLEA MARKETS
GREEN FLEA MARKETS

no turning regulations- updates with ticket traps

Gil called me the other day incase I was working to let me know of the police on 5th avenue just south of 42nd street. I'm about to get ready for a Saturday shift, but while I have a few minutes, I might as well input a few places such as this corner where police may be waiting for cars who dis-obey the no turning rules.

-No turns from 42nd Street to 5th Avenue

-No right turns on 42nd Street west bound onto 8th Avenue

-No turns from 34th Street to 7th Avenue

-No turns from Grand Street to Bowery

Some of these intersections have more rules than just the above mentioned, and some of these intersections have the restrictions in effect only during day hours, while others are restricted at all times.

I can tell you this though- these rules are in effect everyday of the week including Sunday, and practically everyday at every hour that the rules are in effect there is a police car waiting to give you a ticket.

The Bowery south of Grand Street is particularly tricky as they use one unmarked car that sits at the bus stop. This is just a sample of no turning spots where you may get ticketed. Patrolling cars may give you a ticket for a whole bunch of intersections where you can't make a left from Delancey Street near the bridge, or during weekdays in midtown, there may be a police van parked at a corner waiting to give tickets to cars that turn from crosstown streets in the middle of the day on certain streets with such restrictions.

To avoid 34th street and 42nd street turning regulations, I avoid driving empty on 34th street and 42nd street after 7 am , so I don't have to deal with picking up someone who needs a turn where a turn can't be made. If worse comes to worse, just tell them that it'd be better to take a cab from the other street that you can't turn on, and don't charge them for sitting in your cab. Plus Gil warned of a Port Authority cop by the bus terminal at 42nd watching for cars that don't stop at the red light in the middle of the block. I would still take 34th or 42nd if I have a ride that needs to go all the way across town, but otherwise the turns are few and far between.

Working at night, I assume has less of these ticket traps, but on the other hand there is no traffic, and police might watch more closely for going through reds and changing multiple lanes at once.

Another way to get easily stuck with a ticket is when you decide to wait somewhere double parked, out of nowhere a cop car comes from behind at night, they even might pull in front and block an entire line of taxis and give tickets. During the daytime a traffic cop could walk up to your car and zap your window registration with their ticket printer. I've seen cop cars give tickets for double parked waiting taxis at 7th Avenue and 17th Street in front of Cafeteria restaurant, at 7th Avenue and Vandam at the club over there, pulling in front of everyone. I almost got a ticket there for waiting at the hydrant on the north side of Vandam, the police thought about pulling in front of my car, waiting for me to go and then playing the gas pedal game with me until they figured they could pull in front of the whole taxi line and give them all tickets. And when I pulled out to go around the taxi line, they almost didn't let me go, their car was blocking two lanes, and I couldn't get past because of the bollards dividing seventh avenue for the holland tunnel, I told them nicely that I was waiting far from the taxi line and wasn't blocking traffic. the cop told me I can't park there, I told him I wasn't parked, so he told his partner to move the car and let me get by. Watch them, they come from no where, and they look for cabs who pull over for longer then a minute or two, and they race over and get them from a few blocks away.

The TLC will also sometimes pull up to a hotel line in an undercover car, perhaps a white Toyota Prius, or a blue Ford Escape, and they'll watch the line for double parkers, and phone users. They also drive around and look too. And of course there are the tlc agents and police in the unmarked Crown Victoria who watch for sudden lane changes or phone use.

How A Cabbie Would Catch a Cab

When you need to hail a cab, please first lookout for on-duty taxis that are standing still, next to the sidewalk. These are often cabbies (such as myself) who are patiently waiting for their next fare in a manner that reduces gasoline waste and traffic congestion. As long as the off-duty lights are not lit , their temporary idle does not mean they are taking a break, nor are they less competent than the taxis that are cruising by.

Another important step to take when hailing a cab is to find the best spot for a cab to pull over. If possible, stand on a stretch of sidewalk that does not contain parked cars. Bus stops are OK, as long as you can make it quick. Fire hydrants, no standing, and no parking zones are great spots. No stopping zones are not. If you feel compelled to step into a lane of traffic in order to hail a cab, please step back unto the sidewalk as a cab pulls over, in order to allow/lure it to pull in as far from the flow of traffic as possible.

Never get into a cab that dangerously crosses multiple lanes to stop for you, unless they did so carefully (with consideration for other drivers). Never get into a cab that stops at such an angle that it takes up multiple lanes of traffic to let you in. This should serve as a red flag for poor service.

Only hail a cab from the street corner if you need it to make an immediate turn as it picks you up. Even then, you should make your intentions clear through hand gestures and allow/demand the driver to (complete that turn and) stop neatly (flush against a sidewalk) before you get in.

Follow these same procedures when requesting the driver to drop you off at your destination. Why do these things matter? Because not only are they safety precautions, but they alleviate congestion. If you don't like sitting in traffic during a cab ride, please don't help create it.

Between 330 and 5 PM every single day, there are special ways to catch a cab, and you must be in tune with them if you want to stand a chance. During this time we are switching from day to night shift. Most of us have our off-duty lights on and are headed back to our bases (garages). Most of them are located just over the 59th Street bridge in Queens, or just over the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn. As we make our way toward these garages, our doors are locked and your only hope of jumping in is if your destination is on our way there.

If you wish to travel uptown, you MUST plant yourself on First, Third, Madison, Sixth, Eighth, or Tenth Avenue. If you wish to go downtown, you must hail on Second, Lexington, Fifth, Seventh, or Ninth. Same thing goes for crosstown trips. If a cab slows down and rolls down the window, please audibly (loud) and concisely call out your destination. You can attempt this at a red light as well. If the cab continues on without you, do not take it personal.

We absolutely cannot be late to our garages, or else we pay a hefty fine and piss off the night driver (by ruining the lucrativeness of their shift). This is the only part of our shift that we are allowed to inquire about your destination, therefore it is not considered “refusal”, as many people mistakenly assume. They scream at us, threaten us, and throw kicks and punches at our cabs. The more people do this, the less we'll be inclined to bother slowing down and/or rolling down our windows at the end of our shift. Imagine if non of us negotiated with the public at this critical (rush hour) time. Everyone would be shit out of luck for a cab. I've even offered to take folks for free, as long as it's on my way home. So why should angry mobs accuse me of refusing them service? Spoiled brats!

Lookout!

633 Eleventh Avenue between 46 and 47th is a new hotspot for fares! Be sure to pull over for at least a minute in front of this building, before giving up and continuing to burn uncompensated gas.

Ouch!

I left my cab (not the one shown) at the taxi stand on Water Street, between John and the South St. Seaport, while I did my income tax for free on Fulton St. around 13:00 this afternoon. I parked at the very back end of the stand, with my rear end right up against the sign that says "no standing". When I came out 45 minutes later there was no ticket on my windshield, but another cabdriver, who'd left his cab just inches inside the "no standing" zone, did receive a $115 ticket. He was Haitian and appeared not to understand the rules as perfectly as he needed to. He thought he was in a taxi stand. He owned no camera, so I took pictures on his behalf, so he could contest the fine. Please don't let this happen to you. Pay close attention to signs.

Anonymous Opinion on Restrooms

From my dayshift perspective, the top 4 cleanest and most accessible bathrooms:

1. Time Warner Mall (Columbus Circle), 2nd floor south of the main escalator bank (mall hours)
2. The NJ ferry Terminal at the West Side Highway and 39th. (ferry operation hours)
3. The Apple Store at Grand Army Plaza, down the hall to the left of the genius bar. (24 hours)
4. The Waldorf Astoria Hotel, up the stairs and past the lobby to the left of the columns. (most likely 24 hour access)

Bathroom Map: link to a google map where many people have come together to note where public bathrooms are.

FREE INCOME TAX PREP IN MANHATTAN

This info brought to you by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance

Union of NYC Taxi Drivers! Member of NYC Central Labor Council

250 Fifth Avenue, Suite 310 New York, New York 10001

Phone: 212-627-5248 Fax: 646-638-4446 E-mail: nytwa1@aol.com /www.nytwa.org

THE FOLLOWING ARE A FEW LOCATIONS THAT HELP YOU FILE YOUR INCOME TAX FOR FREE. YOU HAVE UNTIL APRIL 15. HOW CLOSELY IS BIG BROTHER WATCHING US VIA GPS TRACKING? I GUESS ONLY TIME WILL TELL, SO BE CAREFUL WITH CLAIMING. IF YOU WANT TO FIND A PLACE CLOSER TO WHERE YOU LIVE (OUTER BOROUGHS) THEN GO TO THIS WEBSITE AND PUT IN YOUR ZIP CODE. IF YOU NEED ANYTHING ANSWERED BY PHONE TRY 1 888 227 7669. OTHERWISE HERE ARE SOME LOCATIONS IN MANHATTAN:

58th Street Library, 127 East 58th Street

Directions: 4,5 and 6 trains to Lexington Avenue-59^th Street Telephone:(212) 759-7358 Dates: February 2, 2010 - April 15, 2010 Site Hours: Tuesday: 1PM - 4PM; Saturday: NOON - 3:00PM Income Limits: No income restrictions; sponsored by AARP Assistance available: This site prepares current-year tax returns and does electronic filing of returns only.

Baruch College, 151 East 25th Street (between Lexington and Third), Library Building, 1st Floor

Directions: 6 train to 28th Street
Dates: February 4, 2010 - April 15, 2010; Closed on February 12
Site Hours: Tuesday - Thursday: 12PM - 8PM; Friday: 12PM – 7PM; Saturday: 10AM – 4PM
Languages: Spanish available on Saturdays
Income Limits: To qualify, clients must earn less than $75,000 regardless of filing status.

BEWARE OF BARUCH COLLEGE. I WENT THERE TODAY AND ONLY STUDENTS WERE VOLUNTEERING WHO WERE TRAINED ONLY FOR EZ FORMS ($10,000 income or less).

Hunter College, 695 Park Avenue (corner of Lexington Avenue)

Directions: 6 train to 68th Street
Telephone: (212) 772-4219
Dates: February 8, 2010 - April 14, 2010
Site Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 6PM-9PM; Saturday: 11AM-2PM
Languages: Monday: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Russian, Serbian, Tagalog; Tuesday: Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog; Thursday: Bengali, Chinese-Cantonese, Korean, Lithuanian, Russian, Tagalog; Saturday: Chinese-Cantonese, German, Korean, Tagalog
Income Limits: To qualify, clients with children must earn less than $50,000 and clients without children must earn less than $18,000.

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, 331 East 70th Street (by appointment)

Directions: 6 train to 68th Street
Telephone: (212) 744-5022 x1374
Dates: February 5, 2010 - April 15, 2010
Site Hours: Friday: 12:30PM - 3:30PM
Income Limits: No income restrictions; sponsored by AARP
Assistance available: This site prepares current-year tax returns and does electronic filing of returns only.

Stein Senior Center, 340 East 24th Street

Directions: 6 train to 23rd Street
Telephone: (212) 585-6292
Dates: February 4, 2010 - April 15, 2010
Site Hours: Thursday: 9:30AM – 3PM
Income Limits: No income restrictions; sponsored by AARP.
Assistance available: This site prepares current-year tax returns and does electronic filing of returns only.

THE PLACE I DID MY INCOME TAX AT WAS VERY HELPFUL AND EFFECTIVE. IT'S ANOTHER ONE OF THESE FREE AARP SITES, BUT IS NOT ON THE LIST ABOVE. IT'S AT 95 FULTON STREET IN THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT. IT'S INSIDE A SENIOR CENTER AND IS ONLY AVAILABLE ON THURSDAYS FROM 10:00 AM UNTIL 1:30 PM. NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY.

METER TIP: If your passenger does not want a receipt, hold the paper down as it prints out. This saves you (or the next driver) from having to replace a spent roll. It also reduces the amount of litter you must dispose of when you clean out your cab at the end of your shift. It cuts down on the cutting down of trees, as you will be saving paper.

Obviously, if your fare uses a credit card (over $25) you need to print out a copy for them to sign. Even more paper is wasted by the gap the meter creates between each receipt. At least hold it down after the information has printed. I do not know of any other cabbie who does this. Everyone just lets the roll empty out through the course of the shift. It saddens me that we do not appreciate the miracle of carbon dioxide being transformed back into oxygen.

RED LIGHT CAMERA SIGHTINGS: At the 108^th Street exit off the LIE in Queens, as you approach the intersection. Eight Avenue approaching 57^th Street, just before Columbus Circle.

WEDNESDAY (4/7) 1:00 PM AT CITY HALL CHAMBERS. PLEASE PARK YOUR CAB AND ATTEND THE NEW TLC CHAIRMAN'S FIRST PUBLIC FORUM, IN WHICH HE WILL ADDRESS THE UNFAIR CRIMINALIZATION OF CABBIES. WE MUST SHOW THIS CITY THAT WE CARE ABOUT OUR REPUTATION!

CRIME RATE IS GOING UP IN NYC: Be very careful nowadays. I hear of subway muggings almost daily. People dozing off on the train and all of sudden someone punches them in the face and takes off with loot. The teenage boy in Prospect Park who was stabbed to death by a half dozen young men, for no apparent reason!

Barely reported in the media was last week's assault on a yellow cabdriver. He had two women passengers and one of them urinated on the floorboard. When he stopped and walked over to the back, they slit his throat with a knife. Sixteen stitches later he survived, thankfully. Don't confront your fare. Hide your cash. Be ready for anything. If Bloomberg or Daus drove a cab, you best bet they'd carry a crowbar!

Roosevelt Island Tram is under repair

I think I heard it will be under repair for 6 months. Now from Manhattan people can take the F train, but the chances may increase for people to want a taxi to Roosevelt Island, so heads up on that one. The tram closure will start this Monday, March 1st, some people may be unaware tonight and may need a cab right at the station at 1st Avenue between 60th Street and 59th Street, just an idea. Some people may know about it but say if they're on the upper west side, by Lincoln Center, Central Park, up there or further north, it may just be easier for them to take a cab there, than try to connect through multiple transfers with the F line.

ENTER 2010

Can anyone explain to me why the left turn unto Ninth Avenue (off 23rd Street) became restricted (at all times) in the past year? My understanding is that this sort of rule makes sense at intersections with exceptionally high volumes of pedestrian traffic, which make it harder to complete a turn, therefore creating a back up of turning vehicles, which in turn create vehicular congestion in general, along the road from which those vehicles are attempting their turn. My argument is that the Chelsea intersection in question does not render such a rule.

Further east, where turns are illegal throughout most of the day at Seventh and Fifth, I support the rule 100%. I also believe that since such traffic law idiosyncrasies require in depth knowledge of alternate routes, the only vehicles that ought to have any business traversing Manhattan are buses, trucks, taxicabs, delivery vans and bicycles. Private joy rides and clueless out-of-town plates would be banned from entering under a Quayobuleqistani mayoral term.

Sitting Duck

I heard from one driver, who has both seen it happen to a driver in front of him, and also has heard from another driver who had it happen to him:

Avoid putting your money in the door pocket. People are going around walking up to taxis from all sides and reaching in through an open window or opening driver doors if they're unlocked, then grabbing moneys.

So avoid making your money too plainly visible especially to the people outside your cab. And it may also be helpful to not roll your windows open enough to let arms reach in when you're at a red light. Lock your driver door, and your other front door. Also give yourself some space before the crosswalk when you stop at a light, so that you have some rolling room if you see somebody walking close to your cab. If they nervously run up to you, while trying not to get your attention, then you might want to wiggle around with the reverse and the drive, or something to freak them out.

I dunno, personally I try not to get to nervous about these kind of things, but be on alert as these criminals are out there.

Can't Run. Can't Hide.

On Taxicab Almanac's latest post I mentioned two specific spots, complete with photographs, in which we should be careful (24/7) not to get pulled over. Scroll towards the end of the entry. These include the stop sign on Greenwich at Gansevoort and the Left Turn off 42nd unto Third. Keep it as snug as possible. The more you resemble a tractor trailer, the more at risk you are.

What if there's a street hail on the right side? Unfortunately the city of New York would rather you pull over on the left, get out of your vehicle, and shout "taxi available" at the top of your lungs across the avenue. If it's rush hour and all the cabs are occupied and/or off duty, the prospective passenger will indeed come running across when traffic has become less voluminous. Makes no sense, I know. But we must protect our licenses no matter what. Rest assure they're out to slap yours right out of your hand, for good if they can help it.

SIDE NOTE FOR YONKERS:
I was up there the other night, dropping off a passenger I had picked up in Manhattan. I was travelling south along So. Broadway when I came to red light at Morris Street. The three cars in front of me all had their left turn signals on. The street was poorly lit and when the light turned green I proceeded to pass these hovering vehicles on the right, as is the absolute norm in NYC. All of a sudden, one of those cars lit up in bright colors and a siren.

The 3rd precinct of the Yonkers Police Department was on my ass for breaking a state law: "passing on the right" (as if it were a highway). Both officers walked over. One approached my passenger to ask if I had picked her up in Westchester County. The other wrote me a ticket, but advised me to plead "not guilty" and he would work something out with the judge (not show up?). So I'm not worried about this incident. However, my tip for NYC cabdrivers: WHEN OUTSIDE OF THE 5 BOROS, DO NOT ASSUME THAT THE RIGHT LANE IS A FREE TRAVEL LANE. MY COP CLAIMED IT WAS A PARKING LANE. THE STREET WAS SO DARK HE COULD HAVE SPIT IN MY FACE AND TOLD ME IT WAS RAINING.

Tree Lighting!

Avoid congestion at Rockefeller Center, or at least be aware of the congestion.

from 7pm to 9pm the tree lighting ceremony will take place at Rockefeller Center. avoid 5th Ave in the 50's. I wouldn't be surprised if 6th Avenue also has congestion.

all buses in the area are also being rerouted which may cause additional congestion, so perhaps it may be better to avoid the whole thing?

Perhaps you will get more passengers hailing in Times Square if that isn't too congested? If that's bad get out and go west, 51st Street tends to run well west from 7th Avenue.

Special Outbound Midtown Tunnel Entrance Today Plus 7th Avenue headache @24th Street

The tunnel entrance outbound is being re-routed until 5:30AM Monday (NO TRUCKS)

7th Avenue crane operations at 24th Street are in effect until noon

These closures have been actually witnessed by both me and Gil. I apologize for the long list of closures posted yesterday that were completely erroneous for Saturday.

THE MIDTOWN TUNNEL ENTRANCE TODAY is located at 34th Street between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue. You can also enter from 35th street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.

The detour signs challenge our logic and are very hard to understand. There will be heavy traffic congestion at 2nd Avenue almost certainly, but also traffic will build probably at 34th street, 36th street and a bulge of traffic nesting on the right side of 3rd Avenue may soon appear.

DO NOT TAKE 36TH STREET TO THE TUNNEL! Take only 34th Street!

As traffic builds, think of other routes, all other bridges, the 59th street bridge may have heavier back-up as spill over from the tunnel occurs.

Also 7th Avenue between 24th and 23rd Street is having a crane operation bringing the lanes down to two.

As usual try to avoid crosstown in the 30's. Drivers will be confused and angry. The Midtown tunnel is also limited to one lane in each direction.

This Weekend

From Gridlock Sam:

Two Manhattan-bound lanes on the lower level of the Henry Hudson Bridge will be closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.

1 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sat. and Sun. Holland closed NYC bound, Lincoln only 1 lane NYC bound


And From the DOT Website. There are more streets closed noted at their website, but these appear to be the most important:

On Saturday and/or Sunday from midnight to noon: 7th Avenue will reduce to two lanes between 24th and 23rd streets for crane operation. During lifting only one lane of traffic will pass through.

From Saturday at 10pm to 10am on Sunday: Park Avenue Southbound between 47th Street and 46th Street will be closed southbound for crane operation.

On Saturday and/or Sunday from 8am to 4pm: Greene Street between Canal Street and Grand Street will be closed to facilitate crane operation.

On Saturday and/or Sunday from 6am to 6pm: 36th Street between 9th Avenue and 8th Avenue will be closed to facilitate crane operation.

From Saturday at 6am to Sunday at 9pm: 51st Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue will be closed to facilitate crane removal operation.

On Saturday from 8am to 4pm: 53rd Street between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue will be closed to facilitate crane removal operation.

And on Saturday and/or Sunday from 8am to 4pm: 53rd Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue will be closed to facilitate crane operation.

On Sunday early morning from midnight to 8am: 59th Street between Madison Avenue and Park Avenue will be closed Sunday to facilitate crane operation.

Also from 1am Sunday to 5:30am Monday, The Queens Midtown Tunnel will be only one lane in each direction.

Madison Square Garden

BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY: stop ONLY if you're right up against a curb when picking up or dropping off in the vicinity of MSG. That goes for both sides of 7 Av. between 34th and 31st. The cops there resemble Venus Flytraps. They blend in with the pedestrians on the sidewalk and then step right out unto the street with their hairy tentacles. Be especially careful not to copy what so many cabbies do and double park alongside the permanent cones of the taxi stand in front of the underground entrance to Penn Station.

HERE ARE WAYS TO DROP OFF PASSENGERS WITHOUT RISKING A TICKET:
From 7 Av: Drive all the way past the taxi stand on the right and then pull neatly into an available part of the curb before reaching 31st. There is always room there. And folks will often jump in your cab as soon as your door opens to let one out. To my knowledge this turn over is 100% legal.

From 6 Av: Turn left at the 33rd Street bay. Go straight past 7 Av and stop on the left hand side, just past the corner, but be ready to move if an extra-large bus is turning off 7 Av. This spot is best for riders of LIRR. And if your fare is trying to catch an Amtrak, just continue straight down until just before 8 Av and pull over on the left. Let them know the entrance on that corner is ideal for them. Again, you'll often get new fares on the spot. Just don't linger for one, because you're technically too close to an established taxi stand and if the authorities don't see that you just discarded a fare, they might write you up for some sort of illegal solicitation.

From 8 Av: Do not copy other taxis by adding to the massive dog pile at the northeast corner of 31st. Simply pull to the curb before crossing that intersection. Especially if you ease into an empty space just as the light turns red. That southeast corner is always free.

From 31st St: Easy! Just find enough space to pull over without double parking. I believe the entrance right in the middle of the block is ideal for users of NJ Transit. For Amtrak just pull forward until right before 8 Av. Just don't get in the way of the buses. For LIRR it's best closer to 7 Av. But the covered walkway midblock is quite a central entrance that serves all commuters well. The nice part about dropping off crosstown, whether it's 31st or 33rd, is that you can zoom forward and head downtown again without getting stuck while vacant.

From 34th: It's OK to pick up/ drop off from the bus lanes. Just make it snappy. And remember not to make illegal turns unto 7 Av or from 7 Av unto 34th. The main LIRR entrance is on that southwest corner. If you must head downtown from that section of 34th, you have to either go to 9 Av or 5 Av. If you must head uptown, you have to either turn at 8 Av or turn right at Park, another immediate right unto 33rd, and one last right unto Madison. Be very careful attempting U turns. I only do them if I can guarantee not to get in anyone's way and there must be no blue meanies on wheels visible from any mirror or window in the cab.

Sidenotes: It's common to get hailed from the bus stop area on the right side of 7 Av between 34 and 33rd. You must be very careful when stopping here. Be sure to clear the crosswalks, while remaining as far from the actual bus stop sign as possible. Absolutely no double parking here. If you do anything that clogs up any segment of traffic, the Venus Flytraps will no doubt capture you in the blink of an eye.

Also, be careful in front of the hotels on the left side of 7 Av. You can coast by nonchalantly with fingers crossed to hear the doorman's whistle blow, but otherwise do not stop unless you can pull all the way to the curb and you have a good reason for it (an immediate drop off/pick up).

Cops have been known to give multiple tickets on one stop in these areas. Don't ruin your day. If you can't play by the strict and ambiguous rules, just avoid Penn all together. It's not a necessary ingredient for a lucrative shift.

WONDERING WHERE THAT PATROL CAR IN THE PICTURE ABOVE IS HIDING?
Where else than the good old southeast corner of Central Park West and the 65th St. Traverse. He's got nothing but a red reading light on inside, giving him a somewhat demonic look. He's waiting for you to come straight out of Central Park using the turning lanes, but failing to turn.

LAST LITTLE TIP OF THE DAY BUT NOT LEAST:
Recently, I was dropping of a passenger on Lexington and 42nd. As always, I asked him if he preferred the right or left side of the Avenue. His response was that the last taxi he took to that same destination received a ticket on behalf of the ubiquitous meter maids who happened to be enforcing the signs all along the right side of Lexington in the low 40s and high 30s that say....

TAXI OPERATIONS ALLOWED ONLY ON THE LEFT FROM 7 to 1 WEEKDAYS. THIS IS NO JOKE. DO NOT PICK UP OR DROP OFF ALONGSIDE GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL. DO NOT COPY ALL THE OTHER CABS AND FORM A LINE AS IF IT WERE A TAXI STAND. IT'S NOT!

Gridlock Sam is now on Twitter

For any cabbies who have twitter on their phones, this'll probably be of some assistance:

http://twitter.com/gridlocksam

foreshadowing the future

Well Bloomberg has just won the race for mayor. He won by 50,000 votes. There are 40,000 cabbies in New York City, and many more FHV drivers. Imagine if we all voted, we wouldn't be persecuted by the mayor anymore. Water under the bridge now as we have 4 more years of rule by the richest man in New York.

This Weekend:
The Holland Tunnel will be open all weekend, no construction.

And in the future:
The Verifone GPS units have a new feature for group rides. This seems ultra scary to me, the technology is now in place for an entirely new way of taxi driving which hasn't even been approved yet. I do not want to have to be a mediator between strangers every time I pick up. And with one cab picking up a bunch of people, won't it be a case of more fares for less cabs, making some cabbies profits soar and others completely fruitless. And what will the policy be when a group of 4 people who know each other requests multiple stops, how does one tell strangers apart from friends? This feature shouldn't be used yet, as it isn't approved, but just the fact that it is there, is threatening enough.

The Present:
And that damn 50 cent extra on every NYC fare, has already maybe cost me a few extra bucks, in all fairness it won't really be much of a problem, but it's just one more number you have to deduct from your total at the end of the day. Is it just me or is the GPS getting more glitchy lately, the approval of credit cards is slower than usual, and more often it doesn't go through. The way to handle this is to:

1. Park the car,
2. shut off the engine,
3. open the hood
4. hit a silver reset button on the battery, and/or disconnect a fuse that is right above the battery
5. then after 5 minutes, put the fuse back in
6. Start the car up again
7. and wait for the system to reboot
8. log in to the system, hopefully everything will work.

Yes that will waste a good chunk of your time, and won't necessarily work, as sometimes it is a company wide glitch and all the taxi meters won't be working correctly at a specific time. Still the meters will accept the credit cards although they will be pending approval. If they get denied several hours later, you can complain to your garage, or your taxi meter shop, or to the company I suppose, and you should get your money from the transaction, as it's not your fault that the meter wasn't working correctly.

The one positive addition:

The one beneficial new feature on the Verifone, is a button to void the last transaction. Before the MTA surcharge, there was a button to void the last credit card transaction in the event that someone paid for the ride via credit card, and then changed their mind and wanted to pay in cash. Now that we have to pay 50 cents for every ride, if a person hops into a cab, and then decides to hop out, we can click the new void last ride button, and not have to pay an extra 50 cents for a ride that never took place. It used to be that when a fare would pay me less than the actual fare, I had to hit the payment refusal button, because I didn't want the IRS to miscalculate my earnings at the end of the year, but if you hit the payment refusal button it automatically assumes that you went to hunt down your fare beating customer and it signs you off the system. I'd then have to quickly sign back in to the GPS before my next customer to avoid having the meter lock.

this weekend!

didn't research anything yet, but you all should know it's halloween tomorrow, that means a big night saturday, maybe some pre-parties the night before too?

BUT also the New York City Marathon is on Sunday closing off a bunch of streets for long times like 1st avenue and many more throughout the city.

Oh P.S. I've heard November first is the first day where we will have an extra 50 cents surcharge for every single ride, which will then be calculated as a total at the end of the day/week what have you, and you will then have to pay the total from the new surcharge back to the MTA via your garage/broker etceteras. bleh.

WATCH YOUR TURNS (or lack thereof)

1. New No Left unto 58th off of Broadway.
DETOURS INCLUDE:
a.) Right on 57/Right on 8/Right on 58.
b.) Follow Columbus Circle around
to Central Park South (59th).
Then Right at 7 Av/Left on 58.

2. Cop trap on Broadway and 14th, still active during morning rush hours. Vehicles traveling downtown on the Left Turn Only lane will be ticketed.

3. New cop trap on westernmost Houston (before ending at West Side Highway). Left lane is coned off the entire block, to accommodate parked NYPD vans, while 2 (or more) officers on foot motion violators to the left. They seem to be enforcing wide turns off of Washington, as well as cellular use if caught (especially Yellow Cabs).

SIDE NOTE (reminder): on that last block of Houston (normally) the left lane is for Left Turns Only, while the middle lane is to go straight ahead into Pier 40 (and right turns as well), and the right lane is for right turns only. The dotted segment of these 3 lanes (for legal lane shifts) is only available the 1st half of the block. The 2nd half are solid white lines. So don't procrastinate. But then again, don't turn wide either, to align yourself early with the lane you need. Both ends of this spectrum are 'illegal'.

Between you and me, in a city this congested, a tactic like this, in that location, for bringing in revenue, is indeed a cheap shot. Motorists are forced to be so anal about the law, to avoid tickets, that it could easily unfold into a neighborhood-wide traffic jam.

Perhaps it's simply part of Bloomberg's plan to dissuade motorists from driving on Manhattan's streets, which is fine by me, but please give us hacks a break. We fit nicely into Plan GreeNYC! No? But the cops don't care and apparently neither does the mayor. Ironically enough, he just became the first mayoral candidate to win the endorsement of all 5 area police unions. Unfortunately, taxis are not excluded from transportation initiative #12, while in all other major cities of the world, taxis are cut slack in bus lanes, etc. etc.