In mid-March, Phil Plotch published a new book called The Last Subway: The Long Wait for the Next Train in New York City. The former transit planner-turned-political science professor has penned the definitive book on the history of the Second Ave. Subway and its trials and travails. He joins me on to discuss the tortured saga behind the new subway…

Over the past week, subway ridership has dropped by 60%, and the MTA is suddenly staring into the abyss of a multi-billion-dollar hole in a budget as the COVID-19 public health crisis has put New York City on near-lockdown. As trains and buses keep running to ensure healthcare providers can reach their patients and the city girds for a prolonged qu…

Oleh Second Ave. Sagas

Oleh Second Ave. Sagas

Buses are in the spotlight this week as Steven Higashide, TransitCenter's direct of research, joins me to talk about the 14th St. Busway, New York City's bus redesign efforts, and the lessons from his new book Better Buses, Better Cities: How to Plan, Run, and Win the Fight for Effective Transit.Oleh Second Ave. Sagas

Sarah Feinberg, the former head of the Federal Railroad Administration and current MTA Board member, joins me to discuss her experiences in Washington and her views on what's going right and what's going wrong with the MTA. With the $51 billion capital plan and MTA reorganization on tap, we discuss if the MTA is finally on the right track.…

Doug Gordon, the man behind @BrooklynSpoke and co-host of The War on Cars podcast, joins me to discuss how transit advocates, pedestrian safety activists and cycling proponents are all fighting the same fight against the primacy of cars in New York City transportation planning. In an age of climate change and facilitated by conversations on the Int…

OMNY arrives with a bang, as the MTA has rolled out its open-loop tap-and-go fare payment technology that will replace the MetroCard. But what exactly does this fare payment system of the future do? And when will New Yorkers get their unlimited OMNY passes? Al Putre, the executive director of the MTA's New Fare Payment Program, joins me to talk all…

Rachael Fauss, Senior Research Analyst at Reinvent Albany, discusses "Open MTA," the good governance group's call for MTA reform and accountability. Fauss discusses the report, which details how Andrew Cuomo and the state government could overhaul the way the MTA is governed and improve the reliability of transit service. New York doesn't have to r…

Aaron Gordon, author of the "Signal Problems" transit newsletter, stops by to discuss the ins and outs and ups and downs of covering the MTA as he prepares to retire the gig. We talk rumors about a rift between Andy Byford and Andy Cuomo, the challenges of covering non-transparent government agencies and whether the subways are indeed getting bette…

John Raskin, head of the Riders Alliance, discusses congestion pricing and the role his grassroots transit advocacy played in winning the 11-year fight for a traffic fee that will fund transit in New York City.Oleh Benjamin Kabak

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson sits down as the first guest on my new podcast. We're talking about his "Let's Go" transit plan.Oleh Benjamin Kabak

Mike West plays the Star Spangled Banner on pit lane the day before the start of the 24 hour Le Mans race 2008.Oleh badboyvettes.com

A video you won't find on our site - taken during the same outing as "Dusk Lap," Johnny O'Connell continues his qualifying laps into the night.Oleh badboyvettes.com

On board the hood of the C6R, Johnny O'Connell takes the car out during qualifying around Circuit de la Sarthe for the 2008 24 Hour Le Mans race.Oleh badboyvettes.com

Johnny O agrees to wear a camera mounted to his helmet during qualifying laps at Le Mans in the C6R Corvette. The idea was to have him narrate the laps as you see what he sees but the engine noise, sensitivity of our mic, low sun, and high exposure to view the instruments didn't mix. Still pretty cool though...…

The crew preps the cars for the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix at Long Beach to a beat all their own.Oleh badboyvettes.com

A time lapse video we took at Sebring after practice on Friday. 80 minutes of car prep condensed down to 1.Oleh badboyvettes.com

Video from the morning warmup at Sebring 2008, Johnny O'Connell in the #3 Corvette C6R taken from the rear of the right rocker panel.Oleh badboyvettes.com

Video of Johnny O'Connel preparing and getting into the ZR1 before the hot laps at Laguna. Also video of the car after the lap being covered back up - including video of the supercharged engine.Oleh badboyvettes.com

A compilation of the BBV C6Rs at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and pictures from our BadBoy Party at The Mucky Duck in Monterey CA.Oleh badboyvettes.com

We zip-tied our trusty Canon camera to the back of the #4 C6R for qualifying at Road America.Oleh badboyvettes.com

A practice session at Lime Rock Park with Johnny O'Connell behind the wheel of the C6-R.Oleh badboyvettes.com

A tour of the Pratt & Miller Engineering and Design facility.Oleh badboyvettes.com

A lap of Le Mans, France taken from the hood of the C6R.Oleh badboyvettes.com

The Long Beach scene: so-cal vibe, music, pretty girls, and oh yeah - big time ALMS racing!Oleh badboyvettes.com

In the opening minutes of the race at Laguna Seca, the number 4 Corvette C6-R was damaged due to unintentional contact. Within a couple of laps the pit crew was ready to repair the rear quarterpanel of the vette and did so in only about 60 seconds. The repair held for the duration of the 4 hour race and allowed Olivier Beretta to win the 2006 ALMS …

With the last race of the season approaching, Corvette needs a first place finish at Laguna Seca to hold off the Aston Martin Racing team.Oleh badboyvettes.com

The origins of Corvette Racing and badboyvettes. - now works on video ipodsOleh badboyvettes.com

Video and pictures from Lime Rock, CT 2006.Oleh badboyvettes.com

Video and pictures from the 24 hour LeMans race in France, 2006.Oleh badboyvettes.com