State Legislature

Yesterday, City Council transportation committee chair Jimmy Vacca and leading transportation advocates sent a letter to New York state's current leadership urging them not to raid the MTA's dedicated funds to close an impending $315 million budget deficit.

Transit advocates and City Council transportation committee chair Jimmy Vacca are sounding the alarm about potential transit funding raids before the year is out. A $315 million hole has opened up in the state budget, and unless elected officials change the way they balance the state's books, straphangers could end up paying for Albany's fiscal mess -- again.

With the MTA at least $9 billion short on funding for its five-year capital plan, New Yorkers who ride buses and subways should be counting on legislators to secure a new revenue stream for transit. But after tomorrow's elections, the first transit fight in Albany may not be over new revenue at all. Repealing the payroll mobility tax, passed along strict party lines as part of the 2009 MTA funding package, is a top priority for many suburban State Senate candidates, especially Republicans.

Last week, the MTA announced it lost another $16.7 million to an Albany raid [PDF]. Because of lower-than-expected federal assistance for Medicaid, Albany instituted an across-the-board budget sweep of 1.1 percent, cutting state spending and also siphoning off theoretically separate revenue streams dedicated to specific programs and agencies, like the MTA. It's a reminder that the state's budget crisis is dragging the MTA and New York City transit riders down with it.

Outside Cooper Union yesterday evening, the sidewalks were packed with news cameras, security squads, political campaigners and activists pressing passersby with their plans for the MTA. Inside, the transit authority held the first of ten mandated public hearings on its proposed fare and toll hikes. Though attendance was sparse, the citizens who lined up to speak in all but unanimous opposition to the fare hike spared no venom for whichever target they chose, the MTA or the state government.

Primary day is tomorrow, which means one thing for livable streets advocates: You need to get out there and vote. Remember, whether it's MTA financing or complete streets, bus lane cameras or smart growth, some of the biggest decisions about how New Yorkers get around will rest with the Albany-bound pols who win tomorrow.

Five candidates vying to become Upper Manhattan's next state senator met in the 168th Street Armory last night to make their case to the car-free voters of Riverdale, Inwood, Washington Heights, West Harlem, and the Upper West Side. At a debate sponsored by Transportation Alternatives and WE ACT for Environmental Justice, important differences emerged over how best to solve the MTA's budget crisis and make streets safe for pedestrians and cyclists.

Labor Day and the Jewish high holidays make this an abbreviated week, but with the critical primary elections just seven days away, the state's political world is going full-tilt. Tonight, at least three of the four candidates running to replace Eric Schneiderman in the State Senate will meet at a debate co-sponsored by Transportation Alternatives, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, and the Upper West Side Streets Renaissance to talk about how they plan to provide for the transportation needs of the Upper West Side, West Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, and Riverdale.

It turns out that Shirley Huntley was the no-show at Wednesday night's State Senate District 10 transportation debate, letting challenger Lynn Nunes turn in a solo performance. Nunes is young -- 25 -- but he's commanding attention in this race after coming within four votes of unseating the recently deceased Thomas White in the City Council's 28th District last year, despite a near total lack of institutional backing.