Chapter 27: Glossary
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Chapter 27: Glossary A Division service One of the two types of train service in the NYCT subway system. A Division has its origin in the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) company. These vehicles are 51 feet long and 10 feet wide. Most of the A Division lines operate with 10-car trains, except the Flushing (7) line, which regularly operates 11-car trains, and the No. 3 line on the Seventh Avenue line, which operates 9-car trains. All of the A Division lines are labeled with numbers. A Division tunnels were built to smaller specifications than those for B Division and, in general, the lines were built so that their rights-of-way conformed to city streets. A-weighting The system of modifying measured sound pressure levels to simulate the actual response of the human ear to different sound frequencies. AADT Average annual daily traffic, or the total volume passing a point or segment of a roadway, in both directions, for one year, divided by the number of days in the year. Accessibility A measure of the ability or ease of all people to travel among various origins and destinations. ADT Average daily traffic, the amount of traffic using a roadway segment over a typical weekday. AFC Automated fare collection. Air pollution The presence of unwanted material in the air in sufficient amount and under such circumstances as to interfere signifi- cantly with human comfort, health, or welfare, or with full use and enjoyment of property. National and state ambient air quality standards identify pollutant concentrations not to be exceeded over a specified time. Alignment A route of a railroad, highway, or fixed guideway transit. Alternate side parking To permit street cleaning, motorists in posted areas are re- regulations quired to move their car to the “alternate” side of the street on specified days of the week (e.g., Monday and Thursday) and for specified periods of time on those days (e.g., 8-11 AM). 27-1 Manhattan East Side Transit Alternatives MIS/DEIS AM peak period Peak morning travel period (usually from 7 AM to 10 AM). Ambient air quality A physical and chemical measure of the concentration of various pollutants in the outside air, usually determined over a specified time period (e.g., 1 hour, 8 hours). Area of Potential Effect Area of potential effect. As defined by 36 CFR Part 800 (APE) (which contains regulations of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation), these are the geographic area or areas within which an undertaking may cause changes in the character of use of historic properties, if any such properties exist. Arterial Signalized streets that serve primarily through traffic and pro- vide access to abutting properties as a secondary function. Articulated bus A bus with more than one segment. B Division service One of the two types of train service in the NYCT subway system. B Division has its origin in two separate systems, the BMT and the IND, which were built to similar specifications and use similar rolling stock. B Division lines are labeled with letters instead of numbers. B Division vehicles are longer than A Division vehicles (60 or 75 feet in length, as opposed to 51 feet), and are wider (9 feet 9 inches, as opposed to 8 feet 9.5 inches) and heavier than A Division trains. B&T Bridge and Tunnels, a division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Base year The first year of a planning or forecast period and the year for which existing conditions are assessed. The base year of the planning period for the Manhattan East Side Transit Al- ternatives study is 1995. BID Business Improvement District. BMT Brooklyn Manhattan Transit, one of the two privately operated subway companies that operated in New York City in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Brooklyn- Manhattan Transit Corporation, formerly the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, or BRT, merged with the IRT and IND in 1940 to form one unified system. The BMT routes (now B Division, I) include the J, L, M, N, and Z lines, the Franklin Avenue Shuttle, and portions of the B, D, F, Q, and R lines. BPC Battery Park City. 27-2 Chapter 27: Glossary Broadway Line The N and R subway routes that enter Manhattan from Queens at the Lexington Avenue/59th Street station and provide service to the Fifth Avenue/59th Street station in East Midtown. These trains then enter West Midtown, traveling along Broadway. South of the 23rd Street/Broadway station, service on the Broadway line parallels the Lexington Avenue line as it continues through the Lower East Side and Lower Manhattan. Build Alternative 1 One of the options analyzed in this MIS/DEIS. Build Alter- native 1 includes a new subway line on the East Side of Manhattan, extending from 125th Street to 63rd Street predominantly under Second Avenue and then continuing southward to Lower Manhattan primarily on the currently unused N and R line express tracks. Build Alternative 2 One of the options analyzed in this MIS/DEIS. Build Alternative 2 includes the new subway proposed in Build Alternative 1 (see above) and a new light rail system on the Lower East Side, extending between 14th Street and Lower Manhattan. Build year The year for which traffic and population projections have been made and transportation needs analyzed; 2020 is the Build year for this project. Bus lane A traffic lane for primary or exclusive use by commuter buses. Bus bunching The situation that occurs when later buses catch up to de- layed buses, so that they all arrive in a bunch at the next bus stop. CAAA Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (see below). Canal Street Flip As part of Build Alternative 1, the N and R subway tracks at the Canal Street station would have to be modified to allow express trains onto the local tracks and local trains onto the express tracks. By making this switch (called the “Canal Street flip”), the Second Avenue subway trains would connect directly to Lower Manhattan, with no transfer required. 27-3 Manhattan East Side Transit Alternatives MIS/DEIS Capacity The physical ability of a transportation system, or any of its elements, to carry travelers from one point to another. For streets, capacity refers to the maximum number of vehicles that can pass through their intersections with other streets. Capacities are typically calculated on an hourly basis and ex- pressed in passenger car equivalents per hour (pcph). For subways, capacity is expressed as trains per hour (tph). Capital costs The cost of designing, constructing, purchasing equipment (e.g., vehicles), and implementing a transit system. Catenary power system An electric power system and overhead contact wire that is supported from one or more longitudinal wires or cables used to provide a power source for vehicles via a pantograph (con- tact mechanism) on the roof of the vehicle. CBD Central business district (see below). CBTC Communication based train control system (see below). Central Business District The primary downtown area of a city, or an area of concen- (CBD) trated retail activity. Also characterized by high land valuation and traffic flow. Manhattan has two CBDs: Midtown and Lower Manhattan. CEQR City Environmental Quality Review, the local New York City law set forth by Executive Order No. 91 of 1977, governing environmental review for actions undertaken by New York City agencies. CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980. CFR Code of Federal Regulations. Clean Air Act Amend- A federal law enacted in 1990 that places new federal con- ments (CAAA) of trols on all sources of air pollution, including mobile sources 1990 (automobiles). The CAAA includes an implementation stra- tegy and establishes air quality improvement requirements. CMAQ Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality, a program set forth in the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and continued in the 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) that provides funding for projects that help meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act. CMS Congestion Management System. CO Carbon monoxide. 27-4 Chapter 27: Glossary Communication based A system of subway line signals that uses computers and an train controls (CBTC) independent communication network to determine safe train separation and permissible speeds of following trains. Cordon An imaginary line drawn around an area, usually used to de- fine an area being studied or an area through which traffic volumes are being counted or surveyed. In the MESA study, this is the same as the “screenline.” CPC New York City’s City Planning Commission. Cross over An arrangement of track switches that enable a train to cross from one track to another. CTPP Census-Transportation Planning Package. CTTS Comprehensive Telephone Travel Survey. Cut and cover A tunnel construction technique in which a tunnel is dug ver- tically from the street level downward, and a roof is then constructed above the site. dB Decibel, a unit of sound level. dBA A-weighted decibel. A sound pressure level that incorporates the human ear’s sensitivity to pitch. DCP New York City Department of City Planning. De minimis criteria The minimum incremental increase in 8-hour average carbon monoxide levels that constitutes a significant adverse air quality impact as defined by New York City. Deadhead train A train movement that does not carry passengers. DEC New York City Department of Environmental Conservation. Decibel The unit for measuring noise, which is 10 times the logarithm of the ratio of the sound pressure squared to a standard re- ference pressure squared. Deep bore tunneling Any tunnel construction technique in which the tunnel is excavated far below the ground surface, without excavation of the ground surface above.