Why New York's Transit System Fared So Well During Sandy
Make no mistake: New York City transportation still has a ways to go before it resumes life like Hurricane Sandy never happened. A number of transit services will be hoppled for months, particularly the A train going out toward the Rockaways. And the MTA needs a stunning $5 billion in repair funds. Still the sense one gets from a new pre- and post-storm review of city transportation [PDF], released earlier this week by NYU's Rudin Center, is that things could have been much, much worse.
The review, based largely on news reports, offers a few recommendations but has mostly high praise for both the official response to the storm and the adaptability of city residents. "While transportation stoppages would have crippled other cities, New York was able to provide alternative services," write four NYU co-authors, led by Sarah Kaufman. The takeaway is that New York's general reliance on multiple transportation modes made it more flexible during extended periods of disrupted subway service.