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DMI to Gov Candidates: New Yorkers Need to Know Your Transit Platforms
John Petro and Dan Morris at the Drum Major Institute have a great op-ed in the Albany Times-Union today, asking the candidates for governor how they plan to deal with New York's transit funding crisis. With the largest MTA service cut in a generation barely behind us, the third fare hike in three years looming in January, a $9 billion hole in the agency's five-year capital plan, and a huge pile of debt that threatens to make future fare hikes steep and painful, the next governor needs to build support for bold funding solutions. Incremental steps won't cut it.
August 26, 2010
The Fare Hike, the Service Cuts, and the Ballot Box
This afternoon the MTA officially unveiled the fare and toll increases it's proposing to help close the agency's remaining $400 million budget gap. The dailies had already reported many of the measures on the table, and it looks like the burden is going to fall mainly on New Yorkers who use subways and buses the most. The price of a monthly unlimited Metrocard is either going up to $99 with a 90-ride cap, or it'll go up to $104 and stay truly unlimited.
July 28, 2010
End of the Lines
Today, for the first time, New Yorkers braved the morning rush using our new, diminished transit system. With more than a dozen bus lines discontinued over the weekend, dozens more running less frequently, and subway service changes forcing straphangers to cope with longer rides and more crowded platforms, no one expects an orderly transition.
June 28, 2010
Albany’s Bus Lane Cam Deal Only Covers Five Select Bus Service Routes
We reported on Friday that bus lane camera enforcement was passed as part of the so-called student MetroCard deal: If the MTA would eat the cost of student fares, Albany would allow it to keep its bus lanes free of traffic. That wasn't ever a good deal for transit riders, but as is so often the case, it gets worse in the fine print.
June 21, 2010
Student MetroCards: Albany Offers Nothing, MTA Folds, Riders Lose
"Deal Saves Student Metrocards" proclaims the New York Times. "Ride on!" blares the Post. There's just one catch: There isn't really a deal.
June 18, 2010
Eyes in the Capitol: Four Seconds of Glory for Bus Cam Bill
This clip from yesterday's Assembly Transportation Committee meeting doesn't quite live up to the hype.
June 16, 2010
City Council to Albany: NYC Wants Bus Lanes That Work
Yesterday the New York City Council voted 46-4 to keep dedicated bus lanes free of traffic using camera enforcement. The measure, known as a home rule message, is a necessary step before state legislation can authorize a bus cam program. Attention now turns to Albany, where the bill faces critical votes in both the Assembly and State Senate in the days ahead.
June 10, 2010
In Race to Succeed Schneiderman, Support for Transit, Skepticism on Tolls
One would be hard pressed to find a more broadly drawn constituency in the city than that of state Senate District 31, which spans from the Upper West Side to Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood before hopping the Harlem River into Riverdale. But in spite of vast differences in culture and income, most district residents have at least two things in common: they don't own a car, and they rely heavily on trains and buses to conduct their day-to-day lives.
June 8, 2010
Quinn and Vacca Urge City Council Support for Bus Cameras
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and transportation committee chair Jimmy Vacca gave better service for New York City bus riders a boost yesterday, speaking in favor of bus lane enforcement legislation currently making its way through Albany. The legislation is a critical component in the city's plans to expand and enhance Select Bus Service, including the route on First and Second Avenues officially announced yesterday.
June 8, 2010