AA's "Fat Flier" Got Whole Row
State Sen. Savino Gets Noticed For Impassioned Gay Marriage Speech
Teen Gets Two Years For Killing Kitten
Ashley Dupre On Tiger Woods' Babes: "At Least I Kept My Mouth Shut"
Same-Sex Marriage Blame Game Aims at Paterson, Addabbo
Since Monday, the MTA has held public hearings for the perspectives of residents in the five boroughs and outlying suburbs. To no one's surprise, people are seriously pissed off about the upcoming fare hikes. The Mayor took the time to blast the MTA, saying, "Bloated payrolls, out-of-control spending, needless redundancies. Ladies and gentlemen, this is no way to run a railroad - and no way to earn the trust of the people who ride the nation's largest bus and subway system, either." Yeah, having a transit system with a $436 million deficit now and a project $1.4 billion gap in two years is really bad. The Mayor was both cheered and booed; cheering because it's nice when the Mayor is on your side (this time), booing because many people remember that the city has cut funding to the MTA. Gothamist liked the posters with Governor Pataki's face, such as the one above (photo from Newsday), because we feel he's a huge part of the MTA's problem.
What the MTA is trying to do:
- Raise price of unlimited Metrocards - monthly cards go from $70 to $76 and weekly cards go from $21 to $24.
- Express bus fares rise to $5, from $4
- Tolls will increase - $4 tolls would be $4.50, $2 tolls to $2.25.
- Increase cost of train fares, about 5%
- Service cuts, including closing over 160 token booths
Gothamist on subway fare hikes.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
I agree with the pictured sentiment; there would be nothing scarier than running into George Pataki on the subway.
(Also that Albany needs to cough up more dough.)
not that i'm for the increase in fares or excusing the mis-management of the mta, or for the lack of support from albany, but i at least applaud the mta for not proposing raising the base fair of $2.
does anyone else think that the raising the $2 fair would be similar to raising the sales tax in the fact that the increased base would affect poor people the most? i'm sure plenty of people that are buying the monthly card are also living paycheck to paycheck, but it does seem more equitable to raise those fares than to raise the overall cost.
besides, the monthly card at the higher cost is still a savings (however minute) if you're riding the subway 10 times a week. for me, the monthly card is more about convenience than savings.
Why doesn't the MTA look outside the fare-box and look to alternative measures to raise funds? For instance, why is New York the only city I know not to require a resident sticker to park on its streets? If the City were to require a $100-a-year fee for parking on its streets, it would reflect a truer cost of cars in the City, and, if that money were put in a tranportation trust, that raised revenue could help subsidize the Port Authority/public transport system. The truth is, they can keep on raising the subway fare basically as high as maybe $5+/ride, until the point where it's more beneficial to take a taxi then to ride the subway. That being said, they should look to other revenue sources to subsidize the public transport system, and the best way to encourage public transport is to make private transport more costly, i.e., tax the parking.
How about the George W Bush-esque $400 property tax "refund" that the mayor gave back to all property owners in the city (aka: a bribe to up his popularity)? Could've been used for adding subsidies the subway. Instead it went to property owners (which for the most part are at least upper-middle class or higher people who ride taxis and not the subway).
Bloomberg is right about the MTA's chronic mismanagement, however he has to take a look in the mirror as well. Bloomberg talks tough but doesn't follow-through. What about the fact that Pataki and Bloomberg has been short-changing the MTA? This is the fault of the MTA, Pataki AND Bloomberg.
hilton, if you want less people coming into NYC than your parking tax will work wonders. people already have to deal with the tolls, random tickets and other expoenses when coming into NY... I think it's expensive enough. I think they should get rid of the token booth clerks and a lot of the administration at the MTA. The people up in the booth, a level away dont make me feel any safer. If anything there should be a cop on patrol in the stations, but the booth clerk is useless and usually extremely unhelpful in even doing their own job.
Well, I've been to Newark, San Diego, San Francisco, Tahoe, Montreal, Pitsburgh, Chicago, Portland, Miami, San Juan and I've not heard of a $100-a-year fee for parking from the people I've met.
Maybe I missed it... No, Wait! I've got it: The Registration for my Car! We Do pay a fee after all...
To S.D.: Car registration is a state tax, not a city one. And look to cities like Washington and Boston to see that parking permits can work. It would also solve other problems: residents would be more likely to find parking, as spaces wouldn't be used up by visitors; those who register their car in their summer home or in their relatives' home state wont avoid NY state registration, which is higher than many states due partly to mandatory no-fault insurance policies; and may actually discourage some from having a car in the city, thereby solving some congestion problems.
And to Loki: I understand it's expensive to come into New York City, but that's not the issue here. This is about residential parking permits, for people who live in the five boroughs. For people who want to come in for a 2-hour dinner, they can still park at a meter or a garage, maybe visitors may park in the residence-permit parking for 2 hours without a permit, or, heaven forbid, those out-of-city visitors can use public transport.
And I agree - get rid of the "token" booth operators. They're unnecessary, and the amount that the MTA must pay for their fringe benefits (health insurance, pension, etc.) is ridiculous. But good luck convincing the union of that.