Straphangers Campaign names best, worst transit moments of 2014

Record ridership, Fulton Center (finally) opening and the restored R train tunnel between Manhattan and Brooklyn are three of the Straphangers Campaign top transit moments of 2014.

The advocacy group released a list of the best and worst moments for New York City subways and buses in 2014 on Monday.

“2014 has been the best of times and the worst of times for transit in New York,” said Gene Russianoff, Straphangers Campaign staff attorney.

Straphangers Campaign said the highest rider numbers in 30 years, and faster bus routes, topped the year’s transit developments.

The worst moments of the year were money-related, according to the organization, and at the top of the list was the MTA’s $15 billion funding gap for capital projects.

Other low points from the year include a Bronx man being pushed to death in front of a D train in November, the F train derailment in May that injured 19 passengers in Queens and a November incident when a giant drill almost fell into an occupied F train.

Straphangers Campaign said the garbage and sexual harassment continue to be problems for riders. The group said the MTA’s pilot project that removes garbage cans and asks riders to carry out their trash was a misstep, but said the agency is making progress with PSAs that encourage riders to speak up and intervene in sexual harassment incidents.

Earlier this month, the group named the M15 local, which travels from the Financial Ditrict up First Avenue to East Harlem, as the city’s least reliable bus line.

A complete list of the year’s transit highs and lows is available here.