Is it possible that the LIRR strike hysteria is excessive?

[checkmatechamp13]

Originally Posted by queensgrl

When the MTA went on strike some years ago, the LIRR was so overloaded that the line to get inside Penn Station came up onto the street and was setup in endless rows like airport check in. It was horrible.

I hope the union will settle and there'll be no strike because all of the LI people will be on roads throughout Queens and on the Flushing and Queens Blvd subway lines 7/E/F/M/R.

I would probably catch a bus to Jamaica and take the J/Z into Lower Manhattan to avoid the madness.

WILL THERE BE BUSES FROM LI into JAMAICA?

Check this out: Preliminary Strike Contingency Plan | The Long Island Rail Road Today

The preliminary plan involves buses from Ronkonkoma, Deer Park, Hicksville, Seaford, Bellmore, Freeport, and Nassau Community College. NY1 says they're going to select subway stations in Queens, probably the ones in Jamaica.

Also, park-and-rides should be set up at the following locations:
* Sunken Meadow State Park
* Hecksher State Park
* Belmont Lake State Park
* Bethpage Sate Park
* Hempstead Lake State Park
* Valley Stream State Park
* Farmingdale State College

Keep in mind that this is just a preliminary plan. It is not set in stone, but there will be some type of shuttle service.

Keep in mind that even without shuttle buses, there's still the regular NICE buses connecting to the subway. (If you really wanted to, you could commute from parts of Suffolk where the buses run early enough).

In any case, I want to contribute and make sure everybody knows what their options will be:

Carpool: From the locations listed above.

LIRR shuttle buses: Preliminary plan to have them run from the above-named stations, but keep looking for updates for the final plan.

Park-and-ride at the Aqueduct Racetrack or Mets-Willets Point subway stations and take the A or 7 into Manhattan.

NICE buses to the subway:
* System map available here. Check off the routes you want to see.
* Schedules available here. There will probably be extreme delays, but at least it'll give you a general idea of how frequently the buses are supposed to run.
* Buses connecting to the stations are as follows:
N1 from Valley Stream to Jamaica via Hempstead Turnpike
N4/N4X run along Merrick Road from Jamaica to Freeport
N6/N6X run from Jamaica to Hempstead via Hempstead Turnpike
N20/N21 run along Northern Blvd, connecting to the (7) train
N22/N22A/N22X run in the general area of the Main Line from Jamaica to Hicksville
N31/N32 run from Hempstead to Far Rockaway via the Five Towns area.
N33 from Long Beach to Far Rockaway

NYC routes: Q5/Q85 Local (NOT Limited) from Green Acres Mall to Jamaica.

You can also walk over the border and virtually every main street will have a bus to Jamaica or Flushing.

TIP: For the Jamaica routes, get off at 169th Street, because at 179th Street buses will be too full to stop.

Hampton Jitney: Mostly from the East End (obviously), but they do have a stop in Islip. Their information is available here: Hampton Jitney

A list of stops is available here: Hampton Jitney

7Bus: Leaves from Riverhead, Ronkonkoma, Melville, and Stony Brook. Schedule is available here.

GoBusLI: Leaves from Glen Cove & Roslyn/Manhasset. Three trips a day to both Downtown & Midtown Manhattan. Information is available here

For any intra-LI commuters that may be on here (for instance, if you live in eastern LI and commute to Mineola), there's other options as well. For instance, Coach USA runs some trips from Lake Ronkonkoma to Hempstead. DM me (or post it on here), and I can help you with the specifics if necessary. (I'm not always on here, so DMing might be the quickest way, since I'll get an email notification).

I hope I covered all the options. Keep in mind that there's also buses traveling within Long Island that could bring you to something that'll get you to Manhattan (for instance, if you're in Babylon, you can take the N72 to Hempstead and catch the N6/N6X, or take the N19 to Seaford or Bellmore and take the shuttle bus to Queens).

[BlakeJones]

Originally Posted by ScreechyFlange

I don't think it's excessive, the MTA needs to stop lying and give their members what they're asking for.

These lazy union slobs are already making over $90K/year average to push a button every 5 minutes. They should be fired on the spot after 5 minutes of not showing up for work. These union "workers" have no clue about the real world, all they know is extortion and not lifting a finger beyond their contracts

[Nudetypist]

They should only get a raise 1% above inflation. These unions are the reason behind inflation and why things are so expensive nowadays. I hope the MTA stands firm and not give in to their demands. Too much corruption from the unions nowadays.

[SeventhFloor]

LI sucks in general - it's all their fault, residents and LIRR. I don't see Metro-North going through this crap. LI's just a bunch of blue-collar workers who are making bank with overtime and think they made it but then they got a 14K property bill and want to cry. That's why they're complaining. Westchester is where the real bread is at.