New York Subway Rolls Again, Eases Commute Misery

The majority of New York's subway rolled back into action today—and commuters can ride it, along with commuter trains and buses, for free, thanks to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's declaration of a transportation emergency, the New York Post reports. But it's not yet smooth commuting:

• Subways weren't to open until 6am, but lurched into action at 5:30am with passengers beginning to line up at 5, the AP reports. The MTA is slowly returning to normal, with 14 of 23 lines running: "We’re going switch by switch, signal by signal, power station by power station," says its chairman.

• Drivers' commutes took hours yesterday, notes the New York Times, which offers a transport map: "I left at 8:30 this morning and got here at 11:30," says a man who drove from Queens to Manhattan yesterday.
• Today, cars will be required to carry at least three people, as "the streets just cannot handle the number of cars,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "Commuters are getting within two people of that," tweets NPR's Steve Inskeep.
• Despite the requirement, vehicle traffic was especially heavy this morning, though the Times notes that much of it had cleared by 7am.
• Want to move quickly? The Times has a suggestion: Bike.

(More New York City stories.)