Report: Wife Scratched Tiger Woods' Face, Chased His SUV; Update: Police Unable To Interview Couple Today
Senate Report: Bush Missed Chance To Catch Bin Laden
Bloomberg Spent $102 Million On Campaign
Two Doors Fall Off AirTrain At JFK
Dogs Rescued From Puppy Mills And Shelters Arrive In L.I.
After the MTA's Finance Committee voted yesterday to approve a package of severe fare increases (hello, $103 monthly unlimited Metrocard) and drastic service cuts (good-bye, W and Z lines; farewell, bus routes—see the PDF of NYC Transit changes here), MTA board member Allen Cappelli said, "There are 45 hours left before this disaster goes into effect." The MTA board is scheduled to vote on the fare hikes tomorrow.
However, in spite of pleas from MTA management—chairman Dale Hemmerdinger told the NY Times his message to Albany, "How about just, ‘Help'"—the State Legislature appears to be deadlocked (or playing a really ridiculous game of chicken) over how to rescue the MTA. In one corner, there's Governor Paterson and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who support a plan to raise subway/ bus fares by 8%, put tolls on East River and Harlem River Bridges and implement a payroll tax (all considered necessary to help with the MTA's debt) while Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith's proposal offers a 4% fare hike, no bridge tolls, and a smaller payroll tax (considered to be flawed, because its numbers were miscalculated and might require a 13% fare hike).
Paterson, who has unsuccessfully called upon Republican State Senators to push his and Silver's plan in the Senate, said the MTA should approve its "doomsday" budget since, essentially, Albany can't get its head out of its ass, "Delaying action, to me, would just ring too true to what's gone on in Albany too many times." See how service cuts will affect you, via a tool from the Comptroller Thompson's office. Here's a PDF of the proposed NYC Transit changes, after the jump, the proposed subway/bus fare hikes:
- Single rides would go from $2 to $2.50—a 25% hike;
- 7-day unlimited cards would be $31 (currently $25)—a 24% hike;
- 14-day unlimited cards would be $59 (currently $47)—a 25% hike;
- 30-day unlimited card would be $103 (currently $81)—a 27% hike;
- 7-day express bus cards would be $51 (currently $41)—a 24% hike;
- Pay-per-ride Metrocard bonuses are kept intact (though what the final bonuses are is still undetermined)
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Remember these State Senators by name when you go into the voting booth in 2010. If you can afford to get there.
I looked up the service cuts and all the lines that I use regularly will have "fewer trains" at nights and weekends.
Sweet so instead of 1 train an hour, it'll be 1 train every two hours!
Can you provide a link to the page that lists service cuts?
edEx, I think its the third link the article, the pdf of service changes.
Not sure if anyone knows for sure, but this seems to be the most drastic fare hike in the history of the MTA Subway system. I've lived in NY all my life and don't remember anywhere near a 25%+ hike.
And you know it's not going to go down once the economy gets better...
It's right up there in the post:
See how service cuts will affect you, via a tool from the Comptroller Thompson's office
http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/opm/mtacuts/index.shtm
Yes, I just added that PDF of the proposed cuts for NYC Transit. It's a bit scary.
Eliminating the Z would render Jay-Z's name obsolete! Plus totally f-up my commute...
I'll say it again. Everyone keeps complaining about the subway fare going up. What about all of us who ride the commuter trains, such as Metro North? My fare will go up $94, making my monthly ticket $428. Then add the $103 subway fare on top of that. Many of us will not be able to afford to come to work. What the hell are we supposed to do? I just can't believe this.
I think we're all complaining because like you, many of us will have to choose, Ramen noodles or no job? It's insane they have made the city SO dependent on the trains, etc & now making it so we can't afford it especially at a time when wages, etc are all decreasing... what ARE we supposed to do when we can't afford to get to work???
Your commute to/from the sub/exurbs is sucking tax dollars out of our city. Maybe live in the same place where you work and the city would have more money for public services.
Because I have the right to not be forced to live in a dirty, expensive city in a tiny, cramped apartment.
You have a right to make any choice you want to me, but that doesn't give you a right to whine about it.
its funny though, i work FOR the city, and live outside the city, and i have the privilege of paying city tax and not being eligible for any refund. not to mention, i receive no benefit from any of the city services i pay for.
this mta stuff is just another way to tax the middle class without imposing a tax. nyc is trying hard to eliminate the middle class, thanks bloomberg
I have a right to complain about whatever I want. Why don't you go kiss the MTA's ass literally since that's what you seem to be doing around here figuratively.
Why is it whining because we are getting hit in the pockets twice? Because I choose to live in the suburbs, I am a whiner for being frustrated with getting hit twice?
You are way out of line with such sentiment.
why is the monthly card hike the largest percentage?!?!?
seems to me those of us who use the MTA most frequently and reliably ought to get a f*#&ing break!
makes me want to move to california and buy a car :(
I think a car would be more expensive.
Yea but a bicycle wouldn't be :)
This is a disgrace! These idiots obviously don't know how to run a business. They spend too much and waste too much, and we have to make up the difference because we have no choice. IT SUCKS!
That's precisely it. The City won't bail them out because they can't guarantee that the money they (we) give them will be used wisely.
If we found out that the city gave our money to a mismanaged shithole of a company, we would riot like AIG on rice.
So that's a reason to place such a heavy burden on transit riders, who can afford it the least? Because you SUSPECT that the MTA may misuse funds? They can guarantee they will use funds properly, but you'd rather believe that the MTA "still keeps two sets of books" and "turns up huge surpluses after fare hikes," even though neither is actually true.
Believe it or not, the MTA has become much more transparent and well-run. But you'd rather live in the past and blame them instead of the politicians that you elected.
Then why isn't the city taking the damn MTA out of private operation, taking it over to a city controlled agency??? If they don't wanna help them out, then at least help out the people who are funding it and dependent on it in the first place.
The MTA is not a business, it's a public transit agency that relies heavily on state and federal funding in addition to fares. When the state refuses to fund the MTA at the level they need to maintain service for its customers, it's not the MTA's fault, it's Albany's fault.
The MTA is a business. It is a for profit pseudo entity, with shareholders to whom they're liable. Just because it relies on government funding doesn't miraculously make it a government entity.
Actually, it's a Public Benefit Corporation, meaning that it was chartered by New York State to specifically provide a service to the public. There are no shareholders, and the CEO is appointed by the governor. It cannot turn a profit, and any surplus (albeit rare) must be reinvested into the service itself.
How can a city government as important as New York's allow such drastic and irresponsible measures to keep the MTA in the black? It's called a recession, you are not a magical wizard, MTA.
Fare Hike PLUS Decrease in Service Lines and overall Frequency?
No F'n Way. NOoooOOOOo way dude.
this is lunacy. Every effort should be made to not only preserve but to ENCOURAGE use of public transportation. This should be a priority on the national agenda, its not just a NY problem. All that rhetoric about dependency on foreign oil, the environment, "main street, not wall street" is apparently just political posturing.
Sounds good though, yea?
The bonus will be a kick in the rear, probably.
Yeah. Remember the State Senators so we can vote them back in.
Honestly, this is a better deal for the city and region. It keeps the city open. We don't need to worry about the residual effects created by the increases in delivery costs and transportation caused by placing tolls on bridges. Because everything would go up. You need to be concerned with local inflation as much as nationwide inflation. I'll take the 25% increase. It's still a bargain.
I'm sick and tired of this argument about tolls. You're flat-out wrong, and so are these Senators.
"Keeping the city open." The city is already NOT open to anyone who doesn't own a car, who will now have to pay $2.50 a ride to get to another borough, while drivers get a free pass. In addition, access between boroughs is already tolled at $5 each way between Queens and the Bronx and Brooklyn and Staten Island.
"Increases in delivery costs." Can you prove there was a rise in local inflation when tolls on the Hudson River crossings went up by $2 in 2007? Then stop making this argument. If a truck can bring in two tons of fruit and has to pay an extra $8 to get to Manhattan, that's an extra TWO-TENTHS OF A CENT PER POUND.
Every time tolls are proposed on these bridges, drivers find a new excuse to oppose them, even when reality flies in the face of every claim they make.
It is NOT a bargain. Have you ever tried traveling public transportation with children that are too big to ride for free?
It's an outrage. People who use public transportation are the solution, and we should get a break.
so my fare is going to go up 27%, and on top of that, because I live in Astoria, half of my weekday trains (the W line) are being eliminated. okay, so I knew that one was coming - knew that my wait time for my morning and evening commute would double and my train would become twice as crowded. but also, there are severe cuts to the N train as well - fewer overnight trains, fewer weekend trains, downtown stations being full on closed overnight. the r is ten minutes farther from my apartment, it is also facing overnight and weekend cuts, including entire stations being shut down overnight.
my service isn't being cut, it's being gutted.
You know I was originally okay with the idea of a fare hike because an extra $22/month (unlimited monthly) won't really break the bank for the majority of riders.
HOWEVER, it's the service cuts on top of it that really piss people off.
For those who can outlay $103 up front-sure no problem. However, there are commuters who travel from Long Island, Westchester, Connecticut to this shithole and pay rail and subway fares. They get the double whammy. A commuter tax may be cheaper-the man is gonna get that money any way possible... Fuck the MTA
Well, they can always drive. That's still going to be free.
Right everyone must move to Manhattan and sleep five to a room to afford working in the city
Wish we could eliminate the unions and take the MTA private!
This came up a lot during the MTA strike, and I really wish it would be pursued. Imagine the inefficiencies they could eliminate
This plan is absolutely ridiculous. It abuses the riding public, expecting that they will continue to use this deteriorating service because they have no choice. Prove them wrong, demand better, boycott the MTA until they figure out a better solution to their own mess. Without our fares coming in this "solution" can`t fix a thing.
They had a better solution, but the State Senate refused to take action. Stop blaming the MTA for Albany's incompetence.
Albany isn't mismanaging the MTA. The MTA is responsible for the mess they've put us and themselves in. Sure, Albany could fix it and make it better, but it's completely their responsibility.
No, it isn't. The two main reasons they're in this mess are complex, but let's put it simply: a) real estate revenue the MTA relies on has virtually vanished because of the current financial crisis, b) bonds are now coming due that the MTA was forced to take out when Pataki underfunded the MTA in the late 90s/early 00s.
Tell me, how are those the fault of the MTA?
Read about how it's their fault here:
http://www.transitblogger.com/mta-finances/mtas-global-bond-investments-backfired.php
They made crummy investments, risky investments. Yeah, I know there was a lot of that going around but they shouldn't have done it with public moneys.
Hello Trilby 16,
Thank you for linking to an entry from my blog. However I have to interject here.
If you were to take away that bond issue, it would not really change the financial situation they are in.
The problems that lead to this financial crisis severely out date that bond investment. The seeds for this deadly plant were laid back in the Pataki era. During this era, the agency was mismanaged by many of his appointees. The agency's finances were also shortchanged as well.
The leadership is mostly different but the continuing shortchanging of the MTA remains the same. Until the general riding public truly understands how the MTA works & what lead to this, they will continue to inaccurately blame the MTA.
The P.R. battle is clearly against the MTA here & one could argue always is in the eyes of the general riding public.
The usual responses to the MTA include some of these bullet points:
1. They had a surplus, where did it go?
2. They kept two sets of books & lied to the general public.
3. The MTA Board is filled with a bunch of rich people who do not ride the system & understand those who do.
etc....
This is the kind of sentiment that the MTA is up against even when proof is out there to disprove it. While this is happening, the true culprits in Albany mostly get a free pass & get rewarded with re-election. So the cycle of shortchanging the MTA repeats itself & in the end it is only their fault.
The time is now for the general riding public to get off their horse of misconceptions & let it be known they will not tolerate officials who do not understand or care to, the needs of our mass transit infrastructure.
whomever is or is not at fault, charging your customers more money for less service is a very bad idea, and it`s ultimately up to the customer to decide wether or not to continue getting gouged.
Also, they are in such dire straights because real estate sales have plummeted and reduced their take. But why is transit funding dependant on R.E. sales? I don't get the connection. Shouldn't something constant that we need every day, such as transportation, have a revenue stream that is constant and not dependant on the sales volume of something else? It may have looked like a killer idea at one time, but I think we see the flaw now....
For more good (if dense) reading, check out this column by Larry Littlefield at Room 8. He looks at a Newsday article that describes the long path (over decades) to the situation now, thanks to Cuomo and Dinkins cutting off state and city funding to the MTa and Pataki deciding to use MTA funds for non-MTA, suburban roads....
http://www.r8ny.com/blog/larry_littlefield/the_mta_and_the_past.html
Ask any New Yorker, there will never be tolls on the east river bridges to BK. Its in the history of the city, with Heights being the first outpost so to speak, the fulton ferry landing, etc. The biggest divide in NY will always be Manhattan vs Brooklyn. But ask anyone, tolls on those bridges is the mother of all issues. It will never happen.
Ask any New Yorker, there will never be tolls on the east river bridges to BK. Its in the history of the city, with Heights being the first outpost so to speak, the fulton ferry landing, etc. The biggest divide in NY will always be Manhattan vs Brooklyn. But ask anyone, tolls on those bridges is the mother of all issues. It will never happen.
Goodbye political problem solving, hello political extortion!
According to the PDF of service cuts - the subway service cuts are only saving the MTA 25.2 Million during 2010-2012 - Is New York State really saying that they cant find 25 Million dollars to save us from the awful service cuts - They can raise my fare if they don't cut my service - its honestly pathetic.
To the state senators - cut your private cars and other transport that we pay for and give that money to the MTA. I will make sure not to vote for anyone that didnt fix this problem.
You're right! A measly $25.2 million would be saved from these service cuts???? #@!#$^%$%&$#%$!!!!
And what the hell is Station Customer Assistance tours? According to the Daily News (via Google search):
The program moved approximately 600 clerks out of their booths to near turnstiles so they could help riders with MetroCard vending machines and directions.
WTF?
BTW, eliminating the SCA program would save $38.4 million over the same time frame.
They probably can't fire anyone because of the stupid unions.
sure that will help the economy, eliminate more jobs
Great! Take away the W completely, and cut back on the N. Thank you from Astoria, MTA!
Times like these that I wish NYC, LI, Westchester, and to an extent, Rockland County had the testicular fortitude to just break free from Albany's shackles via secession, since we have enough resources to essentially become as big as Illinois without upstate.
Honestly, we're nothing but upstate's whore, bringing in insane amounts of money to Albany while getting very little in return and only getting failed leadership, as well as dangerous and stupid political games of chicken and grandstanding. We don't need them for all I care, Patterson and the rest of the blind mice in the State Senate can go to the eighth ring of hell. They don't deserve our efforts to prop-up an essentially morally bankrupt institution of power, only to invent new ways to unlawfully nickel and dime taxpayers (Amazon Tax anyone?), and forsake the will of their downstate residents.
As for the MTA, they can go die in a fire, since they're just as shadowy as AIG and Madoff's Ponzi scheme combined, while they live like the crackheads that they are, high on the sacred hog. May as well crash and burn, makes it easy for us to purge the corrupt management that got us here in the first place. Sure that'll mean the complete collapse of the transit system, but at least we would be starting from scratch with much more competent and reasonably priced (and safely equipped) workers free from the union's iron talons. It'll be the more logical choice, however, MTA's a necessary evil and try explaining that to a disillusioned rider who doesn't give a sh*t about phantom wallet and service assrape.
I have a feeling there will be quite a few more drunk bikers on the road very soon.
Write your State Senator, let them know how you feel.
Get their email address here.
http://www.senate.state.ny.us/senatehomepage.nsf/senators?OpenForm
Or write MTA CEO Eliot Sander
esander@mtahq.org
we had a similar doomsday situation in chicago earlier this year (or was it last year, i can't remember) and it was awful. they were going to cut almost half the bus routes, raise train fare from $2 to $3.50 and cut rail service. there was a last minute bailout from the state.
best advice? write your senators! if the service cuts/fare hikes go through, don't reelect them next year.
Well thank god it is spring and I dont have to step in a subway train for the next 7-8 months. Bikes are the answer. And it is good exercise. I know a lot of people are afraid and think they live too far away from their jobs to bike, but once you try it you'll love it. There are so many more good bikes lanes in the city now, and the more cyclists there are the better the cycling gets. SO c'mon folks- buck the system. Off the train and on your bikes. ITs freeeeeee.
I would love to but I ain't riding Queens Boulevard every day on a bike.
I've been riding to work year-round for 11 years. Yep, the 6-mile ride I currently have is certainly looking better and better.
Bikes cost money, IIRC. :P
In all seriousness though, biking is a great idea.
Too bad NYC has some of the worst drivers around... =\
I respect anyone who bikes rather than take the subway or bus...but it's not for everyone and I think that needs to be acknowledged. Whether you're too far to bike, or too scared of crazy drivers (like me), it's not always laziness that keeps us off two wheels.
For anyone who is interested, I copied n pasted this from an email list I'm on from Campaign for New York's Future:
Tomorrow, lawmakers will decide the fate of the MTA.
Tell your senator to prevent 23% fare hikes and drastic service cuts by supporting the Ravitch/Silver plans.
DEADLINE WEDNESDAY
Call your state senator today!
Senator Golden
(518) 455-2730
# Tell the staffer who answers:
* I represent the majority of your constituents who will be severely impacted by the MTA's 23% fare hike and drastic bus and subway service cuts;
* New Yorkers demand a plan – like the Ravitch/Silver plans – that includes funding from ALL sectors, including businesses, drivers, and transit riders;
* We must not only prevent doomsday fare hikes and service cuts but also cover the costs of maintaining and improving the transit system.
But we are all "sharing the pain". Right Guv?
oh, ho ho. this is all fun and games until people driven crazy by increase in costs and decreases in income will fucking snap on a crowded platform or train and inflict horrors on other riders. of course, the assholes in albany and the MTA bozos won't be hurt bc they'll be sitting in their cozy offices.
but mark my words, someone is going to go OK City on a train, with a bomb, chainsaw, or machete. that is, if the terrorists don't take advantage of over-crowding to knock out thousands in a not-so-sneaky attack first.
You're an idiot. But I do like your avatar.
I wouldn't mind the increase if it were only temporary say for the year or however long it takes to get through this crisis, but with fare hikes they are never temporary so even with a huge surplus in some future year the new fares will remain and the fat MTA bosses with get fat bonuses. Hell hey will probably get their bonuses this year with the new hikes going in. I seriously agree with blkiznewprez, some seriously crazy shit going on now in the city with all these job losses and now cost of living increases everywhere you turn. No money for living = desperation = greater chance for off the deep end ballastic craziness.
I save $4/day by biking around town these days... good exercise too.
Did you guys read the PDF with all train and bus cuts? This is a DISASTER!!!!
Why isn't the bailout big bucks going to MTA that benefits millions of people daily? Please, I need an answer!!!
You cyclists better watch out, because I'm sure you guys are next on the toll/tax list.
Interesting idea... I wonder how they'd do the tax, though? I live in Manhattan so at least I could avoid a toll :-/
Oh and Jon Claw: yes, bikes do cost money, but until very recently I was riding a used bike I bought for $70 -- and my annual repair costs were less than $50. All I'm saying is that the costs can be very low if one has a sturdy bike.
http://gothamist.com/2008/04/09/coffeeteaor_the.php
Does anyone know how much of the MTA budget goes towards things like pensions and benefits for employees?
The day the increase goes into effect we are organizing a jump the turnstile day in protest.
The way the city and MTA hides their money is no better than Madoff.
With the amount of people out of work, we do not need a raise and worse yet lack of service.
the lack of trains has already started.
JUMP THE TURNSTILE ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE FARE INCREASE IN PROTEST.