Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said Friday a contingency plan involving shuttle buses, ferry services and the opening of thousands of parking spaces near major subway stations in Queens would be put into effect if a labor agreement is not reached with Long Island Railroad workers before July 20.
The plan, announced in a conference call with reporters on Friday, also includes the use of the MTA’s website, mobile application and various social media platforms to update commuters on subway and bus information as well as the flow of traffic from Long Island into New York City, officials said.
Adam Lisberg, the MTA’s chief spokesman, said agreements have been made to allow approximately 18,000 employees to telecommute to their places of business and that he expects other companies to allow telecommuting as the potential strike looms.
“When the LIRR unions went on strike in 1994, Long Islanders had very limited options. There were no park-and-ride lots, no ferries, no real-time monitoring, no telecommuting,” MTA chairman and chief executive officer Thomas Prendergast said. “Today, the MTA has a far stronger, more robust, multifaceted plan. Working with the state and elected officials from across Long Island and the City of New York, we are providing more shuttle buses, thousands of parking spots near subway stations, a ferry service, real-time traffic management and real-time parking monitoring.”
Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano said during the conference call that the plan “sends a clear message that we’ve looked at all the options that are available.”
“We’re happy to work closely and productively with the MTA and offering whatever assets we can in Nassau to help our commuters get to work,” he said.
The ferry system would take up to 1,000 commuters per trip to the East 34th Street port in Manhattan from Glen Cove up to three times during peak morning rush hour. Three trips would also be made during evening rush hour. The trip, officials said, would take approximately 40 minutes each way.
Up to 4,000 parking spaces at Citi Field in Flushing would be opened for riders to catch the 7 train, with an additional 3,000 more at Aqueduct Racetrack so commuters could take the A train. Lisberg said 8,400 spaces throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties would also be made available.
More than 100 private and public parking lots within a five-block radius of subway stations in Queens and Brooklyn would also be made available, officials said.
In addition, shuttle bus services would be provided between 4-7 a.m. and 3-7 p.m. at Long Island Railroad stations at Manhasset, Hicksville, Deer Park, Ronkonkoma, Seaford, Bellmore and Freeport, as well as at Nassau Community College, that would take commuters to subway stations in Queens, Lisberg said.
Lisberg said the shuttle buses would accommodate up to 15,000 commuters per day.
Commuters at Manhasseet, Deer Park and Ronkonkoma would be taken to Citi Field for the 7 train, while Hicksville riders would be taken to the Woodhaven Boulevard station for the M and R trains and commuters at Seaford, Freeport, Bellmore and Nassau Community College would be taken to the Howard Beach subway station to pick up the A train, he said.
Officials said the high-occupancy vehicle lane of the Long Island Expressway would be expanded to require a driver and two passengers per car, officials said. In the event of a strike, the state Department of Transportation would allocate 50 portable message signs to be placed along the side of the road to provide commuters with real-time traffic updates.
All non-emergency rush hour construction would also be halted, with highway patrol and roadway maintenance crews placed at certain locations to assist during the morning and evening commute, officials said.
Mark Epstein, chairman of the LIRR commuter council, said in a statement that the organization is pleased with the plan but is concerned about the availability of alternative transportation options for Long Islanders in Huntington, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson and Babylon.
He also said the MTA must clarify the cost of parking under the plan, as reports have said parking at Citi Field would be free of charge but the MTA’s website shows a $5 daily charge to use its lots.
“Possessing the information that was provided today will allow LIRR riders to begin to make real, actionable plans for what they will do in the event of an LIRR strike,” Epstein said. “This information is critical, as a strike could be only a work week away.”
