All cabs refusing to go to Brooklyn at night
I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this?
Starting last week the Manhattan-bound lanes on the Brooklyn bridge are completely closed from 11pm to 7am every night. This means anyone trying to get back into Manhattan from Brooklyn (from PS, PH or CG area) has to use the Manhattan bridge-- causing traffic to snarl through Flatbush and creating about an hour or so wait.
http://www.wpix.com/news/local/wpix-bk-bridge-closure,0,7278132.story
Because of this, it seems like ALL (or almost all) taxis are refusing to take passengers to Brooklyn at night! This happened to a friend and me on Thursday night around 11pm. After 2 cabs refusing, a driver finally took us but was angry the whole time and explained that all cabs will start refusing. And then Saturday night around 2:30am, my boyfriend and I tried to get a cab home... 4 in a row refused us. We ended up taking the subway (which, incidentally, we had to take to Ft. Green and then walk because the D and B were BOTH down as well...)
This closing is supposed to last for the next 4 years. This seems like a huge problem. On one hand, I don't totally blame the taxi drivers... this really sucks for them. But it can't just be that taking a taxi home late at night is not an option for the next 4 years. Especially since so many subway lines now have service cuts at night.
Has this happened to anyone else?? Is there anything people can do? My boyfriend called 311 to complain. The woman seemed shocked and definitely saw this as a big problem... but she really didn't know how to help. She registered a complaint with the TLC, but I don't know what that will do. I feel like the city has to come up with a solution... let taxis go free though the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel at night or something...
Starting last week the Manhattan-bound lanes on the Brooklyn bridge are completely closed from 11pm to 7am every night. This means anyone trying to get back into Manhattan from Brooklyn (from PS, PH or CG area) has to use the Manhattan bridge-- causing traffic to snarl through Flatbush and creating about an hour or so wait.
http://www.wpix.com/news/local/wpix-bk-bridge-closure,0,7278132.story
Because of this, it seems like ALL (or almost all) taxis are refusing to take passengers to Brooklyn at night! This happened to a friend and me on Thursday night around 11pm. After 2 cabs refusing, a driver finally took us but was angry the whole time and explained that all cabs will start refusing. And then Saturday night around 2:30am, my boyfriend and I tried to get a cab home... 4 in a row refused us. We ended up taking the subway (which, incidentally, we had to take to Ft. Green and then walk because the D and B were BOTH down as well...)
This closing is supposed to last for the next 4 years. This seems like a huge problem. On one hand, I don't totally blame the taxi drivers... this really sucks for them. But it can't just be that taking a taxi home late at night is not an option for the next 4 years. Especially since so many subway lines now have service cuts at night.
Has this happened to anyone else?? Is there anything people can do? My boyfriend called 311 to complain. The woman seemed shocked and definitely saw this as a big problem... but she really didn't know how to help. She registered a complaint with the TLC, but I don't know what that will do. I feel like the city has to come up with a solution... let taxis go free though the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel at night or something...
Comments
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Back in the day, cabs used to try to do this all the time. Don't tell them where you're going until after you get in the cab. Then refuse to get out. They have to take you. And if they give you a hard time, reduce or eliminate the tip accordingly.
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Yeah, I know the drill. I'm usually relentless when a cab refusing to take me. And we actually did get in two of the cabs, and they literally REFUSED TO MOVE. It was crazy, I've never seen anything like it. One of them screamed at us to get out.
The driver on Thursday told us that they were all going to start just putting their "Off Duty" lights on, and then pulling up and asking where you were going first.
I'm sure some people will be able to get some cabs to take them home... but I'm telling you, this is going to be a big issue. That subway platform at 2am was mobbed with people who couldn't get a taxi back to Brooklyn. -
I live in the South Slope and taking the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel probably saves me money. Even before the bridge construction, the traffic to get onto the bridges was incredibly frustrating. And the Tunnel puts you off on Hamilton Avenue which doesn't have the same sort of traffic or as many lights at Flatbush or Atlantic. Maybe you should try the BBT next time and see what the price difference is.
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Quigley, I've experienced it several times already. Yes, it sucks massively. One of the first nights it happened, the cab got to the entrance of the Manhattan bridge on Canal Street and traffic was backed up *from Brooklyn*. Construction on Flatbush Ave isn't helping either.
I had the guy turn around and take me to the R train. Took 45 minutes to get home, but it would have taken as long in the cab. Usually a 10 minute ride back to Park Slope.
Nightmare. Too many different construction projects all going on at the same time, with no planning as to the impact of all of them.
And the subways aren't running either, which makes it so much worse. -
curlyjj wrote: I live in the South Slope and taking the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel probably saves me money. Even before the bridge construction, the traffic to get onto the bridges was incredibly frustrating. And the Tunnel puts you off on Hamilton Avenue which doesn't have the same sort of traffic or as many lights at Flatbush or Atlantic. Maybe you should try the BBT next time and see what the price difference is.
I think the problem is that the cab drivers have trouble getting back to Manhattan so they don't want to come here at all. Taking the tunnel back will cost them plenty of bucks.
This wouldn't suck so much if the trains weren't just a complete fail on weekends and late nights most of the time. -
swngnmonk wrote: the cab got to the entrance of the Manhattan bridge on Canal Street and traffic was backed up *from Brooklyn*.
Oh my god, that's horrible. What is the city doing? Who oversees these things? I think everyone has to agree to flood 311 with calls (or whoever) to try and get some resolution to this. -
I haven't been told no in 2 years or so....totally forgot about the bridge closure though. That really sucks -- maybe once you're in the cab tell them if they don't take you you'll call 311 and clearly you have their info right in front of you..
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Quigley wrote: Yeah, I know the drill. I'm usually relentless when a cab refusing to take me. And we actually did get in two of the cabs, and they literally REFUSED TO MOVE. It was crazy, I've never seen anything like it. One of them screamed at us to get out.
If that happens, you just have to refuse to get out. Practice this: "You may not want to go to Brooklyn, but you're not getting another fare until you do, because I'm not getting out of this cab."
The driver on Thursday told us that they were all going to start just putting their "Off Duty" lights on, and then pulling up and asking where you were going first.
I'm sure some people will be able to get some cabs to take them home... but I'm telling you, this is going to be a big issue. That subway platform at 2am was mobbed with people who couldn't get a taxi back to Brooklyn. -
Carnivore wrote: [quote=Quigley]Yeah, I know the drill. I'm usually relentless when a cab refusing to take me. And we actually did get in two of the cabs, and they literally REFUSED TO MOVE. It was crazy, I've never seen anything like it. One of them screamed at us to get out.
If that happens, you just have to refuse to get out. Practice this: "You may not want to go to Brooklyn, but you're not getting another fare until you do, because I'm not getting out of this cab."
The driver on Thursday told us that they were all going to start just putting their "Off Duty" lights on, and then pulling up and asking where you were going first.
I'm sure some people will be able to get some cabs to take them home... but I'm telling you, this is going to be a big issue. That subway platform at 2am was mobbed with people who couldn't get a taxi back to Brooklyn.
So here's the sad fact - with the construction, it's almost faster (and definitely cheaper) to take the subway. Even with the insane middle-of-the-night wait. -
swngnmonk wrote: So here's the sad fact - with the construction, it's almost faster (and definitely cheaper) to take the subway. Even with the insane middle-of-the-night wait.
I haven't tried cabbing it since the new bridge closure, but the west side to the Battery Tunnel idea above sounds like a good one. -
curlyjj wrote: I live in the South Slope and taking the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel probably saves me money. Even before the bridge construction, the traffic to get onto the bridges was incredibly frustrating. And the Tunnel puts you off on Hamilton Avenue which doesn't have the same sort of traffic or as many lights at Flatbush or Atlantic. Maybe you should try the BBT next time and see what the price difference is.
If you are already on the west side or downtown the BBT does save money. Even with the toll the reduced distance and time comes out cheaper for south slope/windsor terrace/kensington destinations.Quigley wrote: Starting last week the Manhattan-bound lanes on the Brooklyn bridge are completely closed from 11pm to 7am every night. This means anyone trying to get back into Manhattan from Brooklyn (from PS, PH or CG area) has to use the Manhattan bridge-- causing traffic to snarl through Flatbush and creating about an hour or so wait.
The Manhattan Bridge has lanes reversed when the Brooklyn Bridge is closed. In total there are the same number of Manhattan-bound lanes. Since the Brooklyn and Manhattan entrances are so close in Brooklyn that there should not be the traffic Armageddon that is being predicted. Maybe it will take a week or two for drivers to get used to it. -
vidro3 wrote:
Yes, but the issue is not with getting out to brooklyn. The issue is with the cab's ability to get BACK to Manhattan. And they're not going to want to swallow the fare to take the tunnel back.
If you are already on the west side or downtown the BBT does save money. Even with the toll the reduced distance and time comes out cheaper for south slope/windsor terrace/kensington destinations.
As far as the traffic going back--I don't what the traffic should be, but it was traffic Armageddon. You could see it. It was apparently a 2 hour wait to get back to Manhattan. -
vidro3 wrote:
The Manhattan Bridge has lanes reversed when the Brooklyn Bridge is closed. In total there are the same number of Manhattan-bound lanes. Since the Brooklyn and Manhattan entrances are so close in Brooklyn that there should not be the traffic Armageddon that is being predicted. Maybe it will take a week or two for drivers to get used to it.
[quote=Quigley]Starting last week the Manhattan-bound lanes on the Brooklyn bridge are completely closed from 11pm to 7am every night. This means anyone trying to get back into Manhattan from Brooklyn (from PS, PH or CG area) has to use the Manhattan bridge-- causing traffic to snarl through Flatbush and creating about an hour or so wait.
That's good to know. We took a cab around 2am on Saturday night/Sunday morning and there was no problem . -
xlizellx wrote: [quote=vidro3]
The Manhattan Bridge has lanes reversed when the Brooklyn Bridge is closed. In total there are the same number of Manhattan-bound lanes. Since the Brooklyn and Manhattan entrances are so close in Brooklyn that there should not be the traffic Armageddon that is being predicted. Maybe it will take a week or two for drivers to get used to it.
[quote=Quigley]Starting last week the Manhattan-bound lanes on the Brooklyn bridge are completely closed from 11pm to 7am every night. This means anyone trying to get back into Manhattan from Brooklyn (from PS, PH or CG area) has to use the Manhattan bridge-- causing traffic to snarl through Flatbush and creating about an hour or so wait.
That's good to know. We took a cab around 2am on Saturday night/Sunday morning and there was no problem .
Sometimes at that time, I've had cab drivers looking for a Brooklyn fare because it was the end of their shift and the driver's final destination was in Brooklyn. Could have been this. I'm hoping that it's not really going to be a big problem. Maybe cab drivers are just looking for reasons to stay in Manhattan
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One other trick from someone who dealt with this in the 80s and early 90s: hail a cab heading UPTOWN. Then tell them your destination once you're inside. They'll never see it coming. ;P
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Carnivore wrote: One other trick from someone who dealt with this in the 80s and early 90s: hail a cab heading UPTOWN. Then tell them your destination once you're inside. They'll never see it coming. ;P
Hahaha. That's tricky and I LIKE IT! -
NYC DOT wrote: In addition, There will be a maximum of 24 full weekend, Manhattan-bound roadway closures, beginning at 12:01 am Saturday through to 5:00 am Monday, for 53 hours.
That's a half year of full weekend closures. That's gonna be a mess. -
it's 24 closures over 4 years.
i think -
http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/passenger/faq_pass.shtml#21
• Refusal Law
From Driver Rule 2-50:
It is against the law to refuse a person based on race, disability, or a destination in New York City. A taxicab driver is required to drive a passenger to any destination in the five boroughs. You can make a refusal complaint by calling 3-1-1.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/downloads/pdf/drivrules.pdf -
Slappy-
I think we are interested in pursuing more direct ways than 311.
By calling 311, rider A has the potential of helping some future rider (rider
not be refused by the driver who just refused them.
Speaking on behalf of myself, I really don't care about rider B.
Like the posters above, I don't get out of the cab and let them know that I have all the time in the world to wait for him to move. Making the point by pulling out a magazine from ones bookbag does wonders. ... -
Also, most phones can take pictures/video. Once in the back seat, take a pic of his identification and ask him to smile pretty for the camera (whether recording or merely bluffing), and ask if he still wants to kick you out because he doesn't feel like going to Brooklyn.
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I wonder what the penalty is for a refusal.
A cabbie might decide the cost of sitting in traffic without a fare for 2 hours is worth the risk of maybe getting a $50 ticket sometime in the future. -
vidro3 wrote:
Correct.
A cabbie might decide the cost of sitting in traffic without a fare for 2 hours is worth the risk of maybe getting a $50 ticket sometime in the future.
...but a cabbie is unlikely to decide that dealing with a bored, rabble raising Whynot (or AnthonyCM or Carnivore) outweighs the inconvenience of returning via the tunnel or a different bridge.
You have to make the cabbie believe that the future is of no relevance. ....only the present is relevant. -
"whynot_31" wrote: Slappy-
ahhh. just posting the relevant rule for reference.
I think we are interested in pursuing more direct ways than 311.
By calling 311, rider A has the potential of helping some future rider (rider not be refused by the driver who just refused them.
Speaking on behalf of myself, I really don't care about rider B.
Like the posters above, I don't get out of the cab and let them know that I have all the time in the world to wait for him to move. Making the point by pulling out a magazine from ones bookbag does wonders. ...
i generally don't tell the cabbie my destination until the door is closed. i have only had one attempt to refuse to take me to brooklyn. i reached for my phone and told him that i was calling it in and he started moving. believe it or not he also tried to trick me into believing his credit card reader was not working when we got to my destination. insane. i did report him for that.
the only times i have ever reported a cabbie were for either refusing to take my credit card or lying about the machine being broken. these were in the early days of the credit card readers. i have had no issues for a looooong time. -
me either.
.....but the more people give in, the more cabbies will try to pull this stuff.
In that respect, they are just like everyother person in the entire world: If no one holds you accountable, you act as you wish.
---plus, when there are more pushovers, the non-pushovers have to work harder, and more often to get folks to do their jobs.
Remember ....tip for good service! -
Yikes, sounds like the train would be faster, even if cabs were willing to into our berg. In any case, I think we're all having a rather New York response to this challenge; cabs are ultimately a convinience, and our subway is still the most extensive system in the United States. Relax: with a little planning, we will all get home safe on the weekend.d
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Once you need to get a cab down Flatbush Ave., you are far better off taking the subway. Not only does the stop & go down Flatbush cost money, but it takes a long time.
I applaud all of you who get in cabs and stay there. TLC needs to come out with a smart-phone app for immediate reporting of these types of drivers. My experience is that the drivers do the off-duty light thing until they find out that you're going back to Manhattan. If you're going within Brooklyn, it's much easier to get an illegal black-car pickup.
I know it's a tough job and the drivers want to make more money, but give us a break. When the drivers know where they're going, they're expensive and they drive like crap. -
Just whip out your cell phone and announce your plan to call 3-1-1- from the back of the cab. The medallion number is right there for you to see.
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This thread is linked to on the "Extra, Extra" roundup on Gawker.
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Ride a bike.
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