This ain’t no Beach Boys song.
There are no good vibrations for residents of Fuller, Howard, Windsor and other Places in Windsor Terrace because one of the subway tracks below the neighborhood causes intense vibrations every four minutes or so.
It’s vibration hell for these residents. For some the sound wakes them up at night, for others it causes dishes to rattle and things to rock and roll in their homes.
Apparently a fairly easy track work fix could remedy the situation and since the 15th Street and Ft. Hamilton F train stations will be closed, locals are proposing that this gets fixed, while the tracks are empty of trains.
Makes a whole lot of sense to me. So far the MTA says no go, there are no plans to fix this problematic and vibrating track.
Locals have been complaining about this problem for a long time. Now with the sudden announcement of F station closures, it’s a real double whammy for residents who are affected by these annoying vibrations.
Seems to be they’ve got a good idea: fix those tracks while the stations are closed.
Why the F not?
Louise, thank you for calling attention to the problems with the F service.
VLm and JG: I assume you don’t live in Windsor Terrace.
Even in the best of times the F train regularly skips 15th Street and Fort Hamilton when its running behind. No other stops, just those two. So maybe a year of compromised service isn’t that much of a change. I can imagine the squeals if the F train was skipping 7th Avenue for a year.
Anyway, my main complaint was that the “service change” was announced a week prior to the scheduled beginning. There were no signs up in the station, no brochures explaining the changes. Oh….. apparently some people had seen an MTA plan issued several years earlier. Publishing a plan in 2008 (or whenever it was) is not the same as notifying the residents in the area being served. Reminds me of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, when the residents of Earth are just learning that Earth has to be destroyed for an intergalactic highway bypass:
… the Vogons turned on their PA again. It said:
“There’s no point in acting all surprised about it. All the planning charts and demolition orders have been on display in your local planning department on Alpha Centauri for fifty of your Earth years, so you’ve had plenty of time to lodge any formal complaint and it’s far too late to start making a fuss about it now.”
Have to agree with VLM, wondering about the authority for your “apparently a fairly easy track work fix could remedy the situation”.
As to the demand elsewhere for shuttle buses during the “F” train fix, I invite you to the Jay Street and other stops where those buses linger because of transit work. The additional congestion, with buses lingering everywhere including crosswalks, is troublesome on major thoroughfares, so imagine it on the tiny streets of the “F” stations which are being bypassed.
Subway travel is often about finding alternate ways to reach one’s destination, and if a child isn’t up to that challenge s/he shouldn’t be riding the train yet. Learning a new route which requires the crossover is much less of a big deal.
I have to say, Louise, your coverage of the Culver Viaduct closure has been beyond over the top. The rhetoric you’ve used — double whammy — and the less-than-thorough reporting is a real blight on what is usually a reliable blog. If you need to speak to some people who are in the know — transit experts, CB members, MTA officials — just do it before you cause yourself more embarrassment here.