With an influx of residents in Astoria, there are more people commuting using the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) public transportation. As a result, Governor Cuomo and the MTA have proposed for train station rehabilitation to be included in its 2015-2019 MTA Capital Plan which has a projected cost of $32.57 billion dollars [1]. This is exemplified with the 30th Ave — Grand Ave and 36th Ave — Washington Ave station on the N and W line in Astoria, Queens, NY. The station is currently being closed for a period of 8 months in order for the construction to be completed as quickly as possible. This is most likely caused because the MTA wants to cater to the newer group of residents that have moved in the neighborhood and possibly gain more business.
36th Ave – Washington Ave construction site
While visiting Astoria, our group noticed that most of the residents were young individuals. We concluded that these individuals in their twenties have moved in because of the relatively cheaper rent prices than other neighborhoods such as those in Manhattan. In addition, these younger individuals were most likely attracted to Astoria especially because its close proximity to Manhattan. Our group believes that these changes to the stations have been implemented in hopes for more customer investment. Part of the MTA Capital Plan is the $4 billion Enhanced Station Initiative which includes the allocation of funds towards better and newer technology [1]. This includes the installation of new and improved lighting, subway time clocks, charging USB stations, granite floors, and much more technological additions to improve MTA service for its customers [1]. Compared to how the subway station looked prior to renovations, the newer designs and installations will ameliorate subway conditions and living standards in Astoria. The MTA’s goal is to have cleaner and more modernized stations in which there is better customer communication and way finding [1].
According to Google Maps, the drive from the area of Astoria, in which we decided to conduct fieldwork research, to Baruch College takes approximately 20 minutes by car. This is relatively quicker than driving from the suburbs in New Jersey, which is another area in which younger individuals move to because of its cheaper rent prices, but close proximity to Manhattan. During both of my visits to Astoria, while walking around the residential areas of Astoria, I noticed a lot of parked cars on the streets. The MTA train station renovations aim to motivate the new residents to take the public transportation instead of driving to work or other places.
This poster of the reimagined 36th Ave station promises MTA customers that they are working towards a better station. The look of the train station is very modernized.
CitiBike stations are definitely indicators of gentrification. These bike stations would not be seen in neighborhoods in which its residents are considered to be of the lower class. The expansion of CitiBikes in Astoria could be attributed by the socio-economic changes happening. The demographics of the neighborhood has changed to include more middle to upper class residents who would be able to afford the CitiBike membership, which is $169 per year for unlimited 45 minute rides, instead of taking the public transportation or investing in their own bikes [2]. In order to use a CitiBike, users must either download the necessary app on their smartphone or use their debit or credit card to purchase a traveler pass [2]. Many lower class individuals do not have debit cards or are unable to open credit cards. In addition, some individuals might not even have Android or iPhone smartphones to be able to download the CitiBike app to use it. Furthermore, there is a penalty fine of $1,000 if the CitiBike is lost or stolen when a customer is renting it, which would be too risky for some individuals to rent it [2].
empty CitiBike station on 36th Ave
As shown in the photograph, in the section of Astoria that our group decided to visit, we noticed that the CitiBikes were a popular feature of the neighborhood. The parking spots were empty and we even spotted a few bikers using the CitiBikes during our visit. The addition of these bike stations in Astoria also show how there are more higher income individuals moving in and displacing lower income individuals because not everyone could afford the bike rental alternative. This shows the shift in household income demographics as more CitiBike stations are planned to be installed in other parts of Astoria because of the popular demand.
Besides these modes of transportation, our group also saw several Uber cars and even a yellow taxi. Initially, our group was surprised to find Uber cars in Astoria because during our visits, we noticed that traffic was not dense by the residential area or along the main commercial strip under the train station line. A possible cause for this is the times that our group decided to visit Astoria. Both of the visits were conducted from the morning to afternoon on a weekday. Most people are probably at school or at work. The street activity is most likely going to be more active at night time and on the weekends. We also noticed a parked yellow taxi cab however, we did not see any “boro taxis”. Similar to Uber drivers, cab drivers would not receive as much business in Astoria as they would in neighborhoods in Manhattan where the demand would be higher.
Yellow taxi cab parked in the streets of Astoria
It was unfortunate that our group’s times of visit were not during “rush hours”. To try and combat this convenience bias in our research, a resident currently living in Astoria. Joanne was delighted to give her insight on the changing dynamics of the neighborhood because she has been living there for over 30 years. When asking her about the yellow taxi cabs, she stated “There have always been yellow cabs in the past because Astoria is on the way to and from LGA. Many of the taxi depots are located in or near Astoria so many times between shifts it’s quite easy to flag one down.” Upon doing further research, I found that there were many taxi depots located in Long Island City, the neighborhood adjacent to Astoria. This could explain the reason for the lack of taxi cabs during our group’s visits to Astoria; we did not go at a busy time. She then mentioned how the green boro cabs have almost displaced yellow taxi cabs once they were implemented. “Green taxis are everywhere in Astoria. It’s very easy to flag one down.”
The areas in green are where boro taxis are permitted to pick up and drop off passengers.
Map generated by the Taxi & Limousine Commission
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