Are you heading "Dowtown?"

The J/Z line hopes so, because that's where it's takin' (wink) you. We spotted this sign at the Fulton Street station in the financial district. So .. at first we wondered if the direction had been re-christened ... you know .. in honor of the Dow and the direction it is geographically from Fulton .. and you know .. because that's the way it's been heading lately.

Or maybe the MTA just needs to travel around with pocket dictionaries.

This is the first year transit officials, and of course straphangers, will be able to see what if any improvements occurred. A new general manager program on the No. 7 and L trains is on the line when the results of the report cards are tallied.

General managers were appointed last year to both subway lines in hopes of addressing rider gripes on the last report cards. Last year, the 7 received a C-minus.

Pick up cards for the No. 7 line between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. today through Friday at the following stations:

--Today: Times Square/42nd Street
--Wednesday: 5th Avenue, Grand Central/42nd Street, Vernon Blvd./Jackson Avenue and Hunters Point Avenue
--Thursday: 45th Road/Courthouse Square, Queensboro Plaza, 33/Rawson Streets, 40/Lowery Streets, 46/Bliss Streets, 52 Street, Woodside/61 Street and 69 Street
--Friday: 74th Street/Broadway, 82 Street/Jackson Heights, 90 Street/Elmhurst Avenue, Junction Blvd., 103 Street/Corona Plaza, 111 Street, Willets Point/Shea Stadium and Flushing/Main Street

7 line riders also can access the report card on-line sometime soon.

Starting yesterday, the city began enforcing the bus-only lanes on 34th
Street. The city also is installing video cameras along 34th Street to
catch taxis using the red-colored lanes and will soon begin placing a soft
barrier, possibly raised dots, between the lanes and other traffic.

The city hopes by 2011 to turn 34th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue
into a pedestrian plaza, blocking non-bus traffic completely. Non-bus
traffic would be one-way west from the plaza until 11th Avenue and
one-way east until 1st Avenue.

Entries will be accepted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at a hybrid car that will be stationed in Grand Central's main concourse. The drawing will be held after 5 p.m. (You don't have to be present to win).

Metro North and Enterprise Rent-A-Car launched a joint-venture in April to help New Yorkers without cars get to the country. Since they teamed up, rentals have increased by 100 a month.

Rentals are now offered at 23 Metro North stations. Check out the MTA Web site for more information.

Police on Monday will begin cracking down on cars in bus-only lanes along 34th Street.

All vehicles—except for cars making right turns—are prohibited from the newly-painted red lanes between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. weekdays. The lanes were created between 1st and 11th avenues to improve bus speeds on 34th Street, officials said.

A news conference on the lanes is set for Monday afternoon.

NYC Transit is putting double-decker buses into service Tuesday for a 30-day test run. The buses are expected to be in use on Fifth Avenue and some express routes between the Bronx and Manhattan. The 13-foot-tall buses have seating for more than 81 passengers. Double-deckers once regularly plied Fifth Avenue. The last of them, a 1939 model, was operated by Fifth Avenue Coach and taken out of service in 1953, according to Transit.

The scaffolding’s motors burned out at about 8:30 a.m., stranding two window washers on the 30th floor of a building near 7th Avenue and 43rd Street. Authorities closed down the streets and rerouted buses as a precaution as rescuers worked for almost two hours to remove a window and get the window washers inside at 10:30 a.m., police said.

No one was injured, including the window washers who were checked out before being released. Police have not released the identities of the men.

The following bus routes are delayed and remain rerouted as authorities try to remove the faulty scaffolding:

--M10, M20-Southbound regular route, right on West 57th Street, left on 9th Avenue, left on West 42nd Street, right on 7th Avenue and then regular route.
--M27-Westbound regular route, left on 7th Avenue, right on West 42nd Street and then regular route.
--M42-Westbound regular route, left on 7th Avenue, right on West 41st Street, right on 8th Avenue and then regular route
--M104-Southbound regular route, left on West 50th Street, right on 7th Avenue to Broadway, right on West 42nd Street, left on 7th Avenue and then regular route.

Cappelli, a resident of Staten Island, takes the seat on the MTA board previously held by Francis Powers, a Wall Street executive, who died June 22 at age 67. Powers, a Pataki appointee to the board, was preparing to run for Vito Fossella's congressional seat when he died.

“Allen will continue to be a strong voice not only for Staten Island, but also for the eight million people who take New York public transportation each day,” Paterson said in a statement. “I look forward to his confirmation.”

The state senate must confirm his Cappelli's appointment.

From 1998 to 2002, Cappelli served as communications director to Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer. In 2002, he was campaign manager for H. Carl McCall in his failed run for governor. In recent years, Cappelli has worked as a lawyer and lobbyist for the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, the Building Industry Association of New York City, and area real estate developers such as Cappelli Enterprises and R. Randy Lee.

The two are annoucing their efforts outside MTA’s Midtown headquarters Tuesday morning.

A report released last week by the city’s Independent Budget Office stated that city and state funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has remained flat since about 1990. The MTA, facing nearly $1 billion operating budget deficit next year is preparing to increase fares and tolls by 8 percent in July 2009. Fares also went up in March 2008. A hike next year would be the first consecutive increase since 1980 and 1981.

The Bronx artist's six panels, entitled The El, were installed at the Morrisania station last year. In late June, Americans for the Arts included The El in the 40 it selected for its prestigious Year in Review -- an overview of contemporary public art from around the country.

(Images courtesy of the MTA)
Click thumbnail for larger view.

In the ever-growing interest in making things "green," the Transit Authority is installing experimental "green" escalators. The machines go to sleep, moving at a fraction of their usual speed, in the late night hours. By slowing down the escalators save energy and suffer less wear and tear, officials said.

Green and red sensors at the top and bottom indicate whether the machine is awake. When a customers approaches a sleeping escalator it's supposed to wake up and move back to full speed. After a little while the machine falls back to sleep.

Transit is putting in 24 sleepy escalators as part of the total 169 the agency operates in the subway system. Only the ones at Herald Square have been installed.

Thomas Kenny, principal mechanical engineer for NYC Transit, said that the high tech escalator cost about $5,500 more than the average, which cost more than a million dollars.

Each escalator should save $1,800 in energy costs over a year, Transit spokesman Charles Seaton said.

- Herald Square in Manhattan (12 installed waiting to be switched on)
- Roosevelt Island on the F train (4 to come)
- Jamaica Center on the E/J/Z (6 to come)
- Jamaica-Van Wyck on the E (2 to come)

It was not immediately clear if there was anyway to stop smart-aleck kids from stepping in front of the sensors over and over to play with the motion sensitive escalators.

(Photo courtesy of NYC Transit)

As of 1 p.m.

2 trains are running on the 5 line in both directions between in the 149th Street-3rd Avenue Station in the Bronx and the Nevins Street Station in Brooklyn.

Selected Bronx-bound 2 trains were stopping at the Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn.

Selected Bronx-bound 4 trains were stopping at the Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street Station.

5 trains are running on the local track in both directions between the Chambers Street Station and the 14th Street-7th Avenue Station.

Stations being bypassed are: Christopher Street-Sheridan Square, Houston Street, Canal Street and Franklin Street.

As an alternate, transit advises riders to take A or E trains making nearby station stops or the M6 bus to the South Ferry. Shuttle buses are also being provided.

1/2 — From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 4, downtown 12 trains skip 86th and 79th Street due to station rehabilitation at 96th Street.

2/5 — From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 4, uptown 2 trains replace the 5 from Nevins Street to 149th Street-Grand Concourse. Uptown 5 trains replace the 2 from Chambers Street to 149th Street-Grand Concourse. This is due to Clark Street tunnel lighting.

3 — From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 4, there are no 3 trains between New Lots Avenue and 14th Street. In Manhattan, customers should take the uptown 5 or the downtown 2. In Brooklyn, take the 4 instead. This is due to Clark Street tunnel lighting.

4 — From 4 a.m. Saturday, August 2 to 10 p.m. Sunday, August 3, free shuttle buses replace 4 trains between Woodlawn and Bedford Park Blvd. due to switch replacement work at Woodlawn.

6 — From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, August 2, Pelham Bay Park-bound 6 trains run express from Parkchester to Pelham Bay Park due to painting of the elevated structure.

A/C/F — From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 2, to 5 a.m. Monday, August 4, there is no C train service. Customers should take the A in Manhattan and the F in Brooklyn. Manhattan-bound A trains run on the F line from Jay Street to West 4th Street and the local on the 8th Avenue line from West 4th to 168th Sts. Brooklyn-bound A trains skip 163rd, 155th, and 135th Sts. and run local from 125th Street to Canal Street. This is due to several jobs including track repairs along the 8th Avenue line, station rehabilitation and underground connector at Jay Street and communications installation.

D — From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 2, to 5 a.m. Monday, August 4, Bronx-bound D trains skip 182nd-183rd Sts. due to track and roadbed cleaning between Tremont Avenue and Bedford Park Blvd.

F/C/G — From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 2, to 5 a.m. Monday, August 4, F trains replace the C in Brooklyn to Euclid Avenue. G trains replace the F between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. and Coney Island due to station rehabilitation and underground connector at Jay Street.

G — From 8:30 a.m. Friday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 4, there are no G trains between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and Court Square due to station rehabilitation and underground connector at Jay Street. Customers should take the E or R instead.

J — From 1 a.m. Saturday, August 2, to 5 a.m. Monday, August 4, J trains run in two sections:
•Between Jamaica Center and Delancey-Essex Streets and
•Between Delancey-Essex Streets and Chambers Street
This is due to station rehabilitation at Chambers Street.

M — From 4 a.m. Saturday, August 2, to 10 p.m. Sunday, August 3, free shuttle buses replace M trains between Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue and Myrtle Avenue-Broadway due to track panel work near Central Avenue.

N/D — From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 2, to 5 a.m. Monday, August 4, Manhattan-bound N trains run on the D line from Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue to 36th Street due to track panel installation.

N/R — From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, august 4, Brooklyn-bound NR trains are rerouted over the Manhattan Bridge from Canal Street to DeKalb Avenue due to tunnel rehab work between Whitehall and Canal Streets.

Q — From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 4, Q trains run in two sections due to track roadbed work:
• Between 57th and Pacific* Streets and
• Between Atlantic* and Stillwell Avenues
*Customers must walk through the passageway between Pacific Street and Atlantic Avenue. This is due to rail maintenance and repair between Atlantic Avenue and Prospect Park.

During the event, organized by State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) and the NYC Breastfeeding Promotion Leadership Committee, the self-described "subway caravan" will also be sharing information with straphangers about Senate Bill S1674-D, first introduced in 2006, known as The Breastfeeding Bill of Rights.

The group holds the event in the subway to mark an incident several years ago in which a breastfeeding mother was issued a desk appearance ticket.

L riders largely agree that their train is best when it comes to cleanliness and coming on-time, but in the same breath they add that there’s always room for improvement.

“It’s pretty convenient, and it always seems to be on-time,” said L veteran Mark Villanueva, 21, of Park Slope, giving extra praise to the message boards and announcements on the line. “You look up [at the board] and they say how long it’s going to take.”

While many riders agreed with a Straphangers Campaign survey that said the L’s trains rank better than other subway lines, some said the line isn’t perfect.

“I purposefully time my way in and out of the city so I don’t have to deal with it in rush hour—so I don’t have to wait for three or four trains,” said Mickie Quinn, 36, of Greenpoint. “It’s so packed and some trains will skip your stop, and you’ll have to wait for the next one and the platform gets more crowded.”

And some riders like Carlos Sanchez, 19, of Bushwick, living 13 stops outside of Manhattan means a crawling trek into the city no matter how on-time trains are.

“The only bad thing about it is it’s pretty slow,” he said. “It stops at every stop. It’s not like an Express train.”

Yet some riders will take the G, which scored worst in the survey for cleanliness and breakdowns, over the L any day.

“Many times there are delays and there are a lot of people fainting on the train..it’s so crowded,” said Justine Najea, 27, of Maspeth. “I was late for my work a few times because I had to wait 20, 15 minutes.”