Skip to content

Senator Diaz: Sticking It to Transit Riders and Proud of It

In this scene from last night's State Senate vote on the MTA funding package, Fare Hike Four member Ruben Diaz, Sr. relishes his substantial influence over the final bill:

In this scene from last night’s State Senate vote on the MTA funding package, Fare Hike Four member Ruben Diaz, Sr. relishes his substantial influence over the final bill:

Today I’m standing here proud to say to my constituents. I promise you, constituents of the 32nd senatorial district, no toll.

That would be the asthma-plagued Bronx district where 67 percent of the households don’t own cars [PDF] and the transit-riding majority endures the most crowded, cramped conditions in the city. Thanks to the intransigence of Diaz and company on bridge tolls, it’s going to be much tougher to improve commutes for straphangers in the 32nd.

Photo of Ben Fried
Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog Empire State

Wednesday Headlines: A Special Mo’Ment Edition

July 1, 2026

Q&A: Syracuse’s Man Of The Mo’Ment

July 1, 2026

Monday Headlines: Parking Pressure Edition

June 29, 2026

The Explainer: Why The Penn Station Project Is Getting All Messed Up, Again

June 29, 2026
See all posts