Take A Spin In My Zipcar

Automobile use as “alternative transportation” . . . of course it is:

Another Manhattan luxury is making its way to the Bronx — and it’s eco-friendly.

Zipcar, the urban car share service, is bringing 12 cars to the borough that will be stationed in four parking lots. It has plans to have at least 20 more in three additional lots by summer’s end.

“We think New Yorkers everywhere need access to alternative transportation,” said Joel Johnson, general manager of the company. “Traditional services like rental car companies tend to shy away from areas underserved like the Bronx. We are open to serve the entire city.”

Zipcar already operates in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. It has 200,000 members nationwide.

Unlike rental cars, the 12 Mini Coopers and eco-friendly hybrid Toyota Priuses in the Bronx can be reserved by the hour or day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Members reserve the cars online or by phone whenever they want, and have automated access to the cars using a “Zipcard” to unlock the door and drive away.

The four lots to first have the cars are located at 1020 Grand Concourse, 3000 Third Ave., 1752 Morris Ave. and 250 E. 188th St.

You Know City Schools Are Bad When . . .

But the real question is how DOT can replace a sign without charging taxpayers:

Newcomers to the city searching for Mercer Street over the weekend may have run into some trouble at the corner of West Houston Street, where a city sign pointed the way to “Merser Street.”

Despite the popularity of the name Mercer (and of its bearers), and even though the street corner is in a heavily trafficked area — less than a block from such SoHo landmarks as the Mercer Hotel, MercBar, and this season’s new hot watering hole, subMercer — the sloppily spelled street sign lingered for all to see for four balmy spring days before being taken down yesterday afternoon.

Where the blame lies for “Merser Street” is not clear — the culprit could be the sign manufacturer, the originating work order, or someone who sought to link the proud name of Mercer with MRSA, aka Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, aka the superbug. Department of Transportation workers replaced the sign at no cost to taxpayers.

Will Somebody Tell These Guys That The “Sixth Borough” Is A Concept And Not A Real Thing?

You know, parts of Queens actually don’t look too much different than Philadelphia, and if you squint, Center City is reminiscent of Brooklyn:

Karen Giberson’s day starts at 5:30 a.m. She gets up, gets ready, and drives to 30th Street Station, where she catches the 6:52 a.m. train to Manhattan and her jobs as president of the Accessories Council, a nonprofit trade association, and an associate at Anomaly, an ad agency.

At 5:39 p.m., Giberson is on a return train for Philadelphia; by about 7:20 p.m., she’s back home in Glen Mills.

“It’s a very long day,” says Giberson, 42, who’s been making the trek for 2 1/2 years. “But I love what I do and it’s there, and I love where I live and that’s here. It’s a compromise.”

One that puts her in good company with scores of other long-distance commuters who choose to make their homes here while pursuing their careers in New York. Whether it’s because of lower real estate prices in this region or plum jobs that happen to be roughly 90 miles to the north, enough people are willing to make the trek that Amtrak estimates it pulled in $9.4 million from 220,800 rides on multi-trip tickets on the Philadelphia-New York route in 2007 — an all-time revenue high.

. . .

For most of these commuters, it is real estate that keeps them riding the rails, especially when the average purchase price for a Manhattan apartment is $1.4 million. That can make Amtrak’s monthly rail pass seem like a cheap alternative at $1,098, especially when people are willing to move deeper into the suburbs and travel farther to work so they can afford the houses they want.

“I love the New York area, but I also have kids,” said Giberson, who bought her house in 2001 for $310,000. “It wouldn’t really be an option to hike it up there and stick everybody in a little bitty apartment and move everyone from the schools and friends they love.”

According to the Census Bureau, 15.9 million commuters leave for work between midnight and 5:59 a.m., and 3 million commute more than 90 minutes a day. Is there that much of a difference between driving an hour from Medford to Philadelphia in rush-hour traffic and taking an hour-and-a-half train ride from Philadelphia to New York?

Instead of spending that time driving, a lot of long-distance workers opt for the train, a time-honored mode of transportation in the long history of the metropolis-to-metropolis commute. In this wired era, folks work as they go, via wireless Internet and cell phone.

“The commute in is actually one of the most pleasurable parts of my day,” says Giberson. “I sit in the cafe car, spread my stuff out, get on the computer, and I work from the time I sit down until we hit the tunnel.”

If you want to depend on Amtrak, godspeed . . . and hope there isn’t a freight train holding you up somewhere outside of Elizabeth.

Apply Now To Be Head Congestion Pricer

You know, you don’t need new planners or spokespeople to administer a toll, or even a sales tax:

The city is already seeking résumés for high-paying gigs with its congestion-pricing initiative — despite the fact it might never be approved.

And, according to the salaries being offered, drivers aren’t the only ones who’ll pay if the plan gets off the ground.

The Department of Transportation posted 10 positions — paying up to a combined $1.2 million — for engineers, planners and spokespersons who would work in a variety of capacities promoting and managing Mayor Bloomberg’s contentious plan to charge drivers $8 to enter Manhattan’s business districts.

“Starting the search now is necessary, so we can quickly hire the engineering and planning professionals we need to implement the many components of congestion pricing efficiently within one year of approval,” said DOT spokesman Seth Solomonow.

The gigs, advertised on the DOT’s Web site and on Craigslist, run the gamut from press officers to planners.

The position of “administrative city planner” can earn a maximum of $162,790 while an “administrative public-information specialist” can make up to $135,240.

Even low-end salaries in DOT’s want ads are in the ranges of $50,000 to $60,000.

Pick Your Battles . . .

This seems like a losing proposition, but they should know, I guess:

A group of Brooklyn judges is preparing to sue the city to preserve its parking privileges in a park next to Borough Hall, claiming that the removal of 20 or so spaces will endanger the judges’ safety because the nearest garage is two blocks away.

Oh yeah, Brooklyn judges . . . I seem to remember reading something about them.