Three Or Four Weeks Late And An Inch Short

Mistakes happen, you just hope it doesn’t matter:

A staggeringly basic blunder is delaying the grand opening of the MTA’s first new subway station in 20 years, the Daily News has learned.

The platform at the $530 million South Ferry station is a wee bit too far from the train tracks, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Recent inspections found gaps between the platform and No. 1 train cars up to 1 inch wider than federal rules allow, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority confirmed.

Riders will have to wait another three to four weeks before they can use the station while workers make some $200,000 in fixes, the MTA said yesterday.

Location Scout: South Ferry Station.

Mission Accomplished

Maybe you wondered why the MTA would actually bother with like six separate public hearings about fare hikes and service cuts — how different could each hearing be? But the genius part of it is that this way they’ve gotten at least six different “hits” in the media about how indispensible the M8 or the B75 is. Who would want to cut transit subsidies now? Screw the zoos . . . and the school band:

For the past nine years, Carroll Gardens senior citizen Vida Ebrahim has relied on the B75 bus to get her to church, the supermarket and the occasional trip to the movies.

This spring, the MTA may eliminate Ebrahim’s route along with five others in Brooklyn to cut costs, a move that would leave commuters scrambling.

“They’ll cut my life,” said Ebrahim, 78, who collected 100 signatures to keep the B75 running. “The train is completely out of my reach. I can’t go up and down the steps. I get out breath and my knees and hips hurt.

“I’m hoping that they don’t harden their heart and take away the bus, because I’d be lost without the bus.”

The MTA is holding a public hearing Wednesday night at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Brooklyn from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., where riders are expected to sound off to transit officials about the proposed cuts.

Location, Location, Location!

And Mildew, Roaches and Bed Bugs!:

The Hotel Carter was named the dirtiest hotel in America Tuesday by TripAdvisor.com, marking the third time in four years that the W. 43rd St. dump has topped the list.

. . .

The hotel, used as a homeless shelter in the 1980s, gained infamy two years ago when a cleaning lady found a woman’s corpse stuffed under a bed.

A 17th-floor room rented by the Daily News was thankfully corpse-free. And while it was small and sparsely appointed, it wasn’t dirty. The bathroom was nearly spotless and the bed linens unstained.

The room’s most serious flaw was a lone picture frame, covered in a substance one can only hope was mildew. In the hallway outside, a garbage bag filled with used tissues, lay open on the dark-green carpet.

The hotel’s wretched reputation wasn’t news to one worker.

“Just Google ‘Carter and bed bugs.’ You’ll read all about it,” she said. “Roaches, bugs — you’ll find everything inside here.”

Hotel manager Erwin Lumanglas brushed aside its reputation.

“We are not bothered at all,” Lumanglas said. “Even when they tell us we’re the dirtiest hotel in the world, people are still interested in coming because of the price and the location.”

Location Scout: Hotel Carter.

So Not Only Will We Get An Absurdly Expensive Campaign But A Dirty (Sorry, “Aggressive”) One As Well

Despite spreading around all that cash (“Mr. Bloomberg, the self-made billionaire founder of the Bloomberg financial information firm, donated $235 million in 2008, making him the leading individual living donor in the United States, according to a list released online on Monday by The Chronicle of Philanthropy”), the Mayor is kind of not in command of the mayoral election yet:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is starting off this election year in the lead, but it’s not as wide of a margin as one might expect for the popular incumbent.

According to an exclusive NY1 poll, Bloomberg beats City Comptroller Bill Thompson by 13 points in a hypothetical matchup, but only wins reelection against Congressman Anthony Weiner by seven points.

It’s a sign the mayor will have to wage an aggressive campaign.

“He does have his work cut out for him because he is not at the comfortable 50 percent,” said NY1 pollster Mickey Blum.

Sweet!

“Even if you’re working, you can still qualify for unemployment benefits. It may sound strange but it’s pefectly legal.”:

You’re considered underemployed and can “double dip” in unemployment benefits when:

• You work no more than three days a week
• Make less than $405 per week
• Are actively seeking full-time work