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During a board meeting to present the MTA's 2008-2011 financial plan, MTA executive director Lee Sander confirmed yesterday that, yes, fare and toll hikes would be needed in the future because of looming billion-dollar deficits - even in spite of a current billion dollar surplus. And though some politicians were quick to criticize potential hikes (no pol wants fare increases on their watch), the Straphangers Campaign's Gene Russianoff told the Times, "[The MTA has] good arguments, and I think they’re worth listening to. We’ve been complaining for a decade that there’s this debt bomb that’s going to go off, so it would be very hypocritical to say it will solve itself in 2009.”
One MTA board member had a novel idea to stave off fare hikes: Norman Seabrook suggested that the MTA sell Disney the Times Square station advertising space. Seabrook said, "I would rather try to sell 42nd St.'s subway system underground to Disney for $60 million a year and have them paint it any way that they want to paint it. They spend $100 million for one minute to be on the Super Bowl on a Sunday. I think that they would spend X amount of dollars in rent for that terminal." Interesting - back in 2004, the idea of subway sponsorships was considered by the MTA (we guess that the idea is on one of the MTA's many back burners). Though Mayor Bloomberg thinks a Disney-subway-sponsorship is goofy, the Sun reports Seabrook will approach Disney about advertising in Grand Central and Penn Station before he votes on a fare hike.
And MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow, who seems to be keeping a low profile these days, said, "Nobody wants a fare increase, nobody wants a tax increase, nobody wants a rent increase, nobody wants a lot of things. But people want service cuts and dirtier trains and things like that less."
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If it keeps money in our pockets, it's worth the detestable nature of advertising. If you ask me we are subjected to it everywhere, so at this point you've either blocked it out or have refilled your anti-anxiety meds. Either way it beats having to shell out more money to go to work.
"Nobody wants a fare increase, nobody wants a tax increase, nobody wants a rent increase, nobody wants a lot of things. But people want service cuts and dirtier trains and things like that less." Says Kalikow???
How about he and his goons takes a nice big pay cut!
Greedy pigs.
That's a great idea, especially since A) there are ads all over the subway anyway, and B) most New Yorkers I know avoid Times Square like the plague anyway.
I'm in favor of the fare hike simply because of logic; someone has to pay for the substantial deficit in the near future and as the last resort, we have to bear the burden. The truth is that having to pay for the workers' health care and pension costs will gradually kill the city's financial health, and with such a powerful union, there seems little we can do about it. This issue isn't only affecting NYC, but it's affecting metropolitan cities all across the country. Until pensions are eliminated for retirement savings plans and employees pay for part of their premiums like in the private sector, these deficits are going to get larger and larger. Hence, the plan to gradually increase the fare on a regular basis. As well, we have to get a move on in terms of automating the transportation.
If we can sell the advertising space, fine, but it's really only a band aid for a much greater issue at hand. But is Disney even interested? It's all assumption at this point.
The fare increase is necessary to cover debt service. The debt was incurred because in his very first budget, Pataki cut the transit subsidy so that he could cut corporate taxes. Conveniently, either the debt was structured to start hitting hard after Pataki was gone, or the Pataki appointees sat on their hands re: the debt problem while he was in office. Either way, a Dem now comes into office and must clean up the mess left by a 'borrow and spend' Republican (sound familiar? It will play out on the national scene again shortly). The transfer of money from the workers (transit users) to the owners (corporate shareholders) should be reversed to some degree in order to help meet the debt service.
It's not like Disney can make the Times Square station any more depressing and awful than it currently is.
Yes, let's whore out our public infrastructure instead of funding it properly.
Yes, let's whore out our public infrastructure instead of funding it properly.
Forget about basic advertising in the subway.
How about an entire television campaign-- a competition among the corporate giants of the world...
Each cleaning company takes an individual subway line...
Mr. Clean gets the 6 train...
A green cleaning company takes the bus lines-- will they find that the eco-friendly cleaners clean better than the poison suppliers?
SCJohnson Wax gets the Q train.
Windex gets to do the windows of the 7 train.
Tracer-- We can't fund our infrastructure because tax money is sent elsewhere-- privatization is worth it in many ways if it means increased efficiency, cleaniless and a better overall experience.
Trump or any of our richest NY'ers could donate any time they want to put back into the crumbling infrastructure if we'd give him more ad space, and that's fine with me if I don't have to dodge a pile of urine each day on my way to work.
I'm guessing this is where the MTA got their idea: outside, Inside
A subway line in Hong Kong.(connecting the Disney park with other metro lines(
Why not just try to sell Disney the whole mess (rolling stock, tracks, property, everything). It will be spotless and efficient, the employees would have to smile. Also, they would not be allowed facial hair and could be dismissed for being observed in their off-hours doing anything that would besmirch the Mouse's image (moral turpitude). They would keep the sleepy junkies/tweaky meth-heads awake/busy trying to decipher the "hidden messages" in the decorations. All the preachers and pesterers would be put into whimsical character costumes. The bootleg DVD hawkers and candy kids would be uniformed, selling mouse-eared beanies and invisible-dog novelty leashes. They could charge $1000.00 per year for a Worldpass (If you buy the monthly unlimited card now you're paying $912.) Do you think Disney will go for it?
I forgot to add that Disney is a publicly traded company, subject to shareholder oversight. No more shifty MTA accounting.
#2 is right, Lee Sander should take a pay cut. he makes more than enough $.
#11 lol
AmazingJason=president bush (raise the fare burden on the poor, eliminate pensions 2 fund his stocks & eliminate american jobs)
That's funny, zodak, being that I don't own any stocks and I'm not rich by any stretch of the imagination. I'm just speaking common sense. I mean, haven't certain companies and industries been crippled by the burden of having to pay for health care and pensions in retirement? And elderly retirees' lives ruined because they were promised these benefits, but the companies would go bankrupt if they continued to provide them? Wouldn't it make sense to perhaps stop providing these benefits to new employees and changing the structure of the benefits for current employees because the city cannot afford the future payout? The workers can still get paid handsomely as they currently are, but they can start practicing personal responsibility for their futures, which is what practically everyone else is or should be doing.
I'm surprised people are that upset/annoyed about advertising. It's already everywhere from beginning to end of every subway ride you're on. They're on the entrance/exit, the walls, the cars...
I mean if you're worried about being inundated with ads on the subway...you already lost that battle.
Seriously, what's the problem with advertising? Only a small handful of the stations are anything close to aesthetically pleasing and/or real landmarks. In fact, aesthetics are one of the low points for the NYC subway as compared to other similar systems. If whoring out stations would bring in revenue, keep fares down, and increase maintenance/services, what's the negative? Well, other than skepticism that the MTA would actually use the windfall well . . .
i like how u blame the workers because companies r more concerned with funding exorbitant executive pay rather than effectively managing their pension plans. i also like how u didn't mention lee taking a pay cut but u did mention having the luckie duckies (oops i meant workers) pay 4 their own health insurance. do u really expect anyone 2 believe that u pay 4 your own health insurance? we all know how expensive it is. & we all call bs.
don't blame corporate bankruptcies on funding pension plans, it's due 2 corporate mismanagement. that is y u (oops, i meant bush) passed this act in 2004. but don't believe the media-spin, it just allowed companies 2 screw over the workers. but that's what u wanted (oops, i meant bush). if anyone believes that a 401(k) will save them then they obviously aren't familiar with the law. but hey, nothing could go wrong with a personal retirement accounts (oops i meant a 401(k)). learn a little about dc plans before u go try getting rid of people's retirement plans. here is yet another link u won't use. maybe next time i'll link 2 fox news 4 u.
Zodak: Although I'm sympathetic to what you're saying, using leet abbreviations in text makes you look foolish.
===
Also, why does everyone seemingly gloss over the incredible amount of money it takes just to buy energy to fuel the system when talking about the MTA? Do you realize how much power they have to buy to run facilities, not to even mention the rolling stock? What about maintenance at the yards? What about insurance?
Its like these costs magically disappear when these types of conversations come up.
-Ph
#18: meh.
4 questions in a row about the obvious with no suggestions or ideas? that's foolish. click on a link & get a clue.
Apparently the only "serious" solution for Mayor Billionaire is stiffing you and me with another fare increase.
www.forgotten-ny.com
I have no problem with selling exclusive ad rights to a station. Just don't go renaming stations.
I would be for having a parking tax for those who park in garages. It would go exclusively to fund mass transit and discourage people to drive in.
#13, Lee Sander makes $340,000 a year to run an agency of 65,000 employees and daily ridership approaching 9 million people. I think his salary is justified for his position.
Please Spare me the bullshit of Advertising ! If it were that simple, The MTA would have annual surpluses and they would still brainstorm ways to validate Fare hikes ! All the advertising dollars the MTA receives from companies to post there products every year and there's no change in the level of service, OR conditions of the stations they claim to be "Rehabilitating" !->{See Continuance of "Advertising" Monologue}
Ummm. There was way more to the last comment than you knuckle heads posted ! *Snips, "Damn Gothamist Gestapo" !!!! Posted by; "still Not Amused"