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Thanks, MTA...you're sort of bumming us out, but we're glad you're being honest now. You officially passed the subway & bus fares to go up next year, and now you admit that some big projects might have to put on hold in order to make sure the subway is running. MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow said yesterday that the MTA's budget made the subway system "delicate" and "if we don't support it ... it will deteriorate, and it will deteriorate very quickly." Oy. Also, other projects like the Second Avenue subway would be put on hold, if the MTA doesn't get funds for its $27.6 billion capital plan. Kalikow's press conference was squarely directed at Governor Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg and other politicos who would have the power to direct money to the agency. Finally, Kalikow is making sense. Gothamist would love for the subway to be expanded or for new subway cars to be purchased, but maintaining the tracks and signals are important pretty important. Another quote of Kalikow's that we found interesting:
Everybody in government in the early 80's had lived through the 70's and knew how really bad it was. Our problem is that there's a whole generation of New Yorkers that has now grown up and used the system that don't remember when it was horrible.What's going on here, Gothamist is finding Kalikow compelling? Must be bizarro day. But we're all for making the subways better. Now, stop the stupidity with the photo ban.
Gothamist on the Second Avenue Subway and on the Fulton Street Center.
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As an LESer who stands to benefit when the 2nd Ave Subway is finally completed in 2040, this is distressing news. But one potential upside to the subways reverting to the late-70's mess is that the proposed remake of The Warriors would be much more believable.
Still, why does Pataki hate New York City?
i still don't think the 2nd ave subway will break [new] ground in the next 10 years.
I wouldn't trust anything Peter Kalikow says. The man, and his agency, have done nothing but feed us total lies for years now. I'm sure this all just a ploy of his to deflect blame for the latest (and the next) fare hike away from him and toward Pataki and in the process squeeze more taxpayer money out of the system. You'd think with all the times he's gotten busted for lying over the past couple of years people in this town would wise up. I say we all just get cars. It's getting to be a cheaper option by the minute.
True, seems Kalikow is full of bullcaca more often than not and he might very well have a billion or two stuffed in his pocket, but he is right that Albany has been anything but supportive of the MTA.
As things stand, even if the MTA has enough funds for necessary maintenance, we already have trains past their sell-by date (the ones on W, B and J/M/Z) that are only going to get more expensive to keep up.
You can only get so many Dutch boys to finger holes before you need to spend money and build a new dyke. Anyway you look at it, money is needed and maintaining status quo isn't enough.
What needs to happen is for MTA to make their finances more transparent AND for Pataki to commit to funding improvement programs.