MTA Faces Backlash At First Public Hearing (West Nyack Version)
Now lets focus on the less publicized MTA hearing held at Palisades Center in West Nyack. Yesterday’s hearing in West Nyack might have had a low turnout but the outcry against the proposed fare hikes was still there. Here are a few comments from the hearing courtesy of LoHud:
Haverstraw resident Randy Phitts – “It hurts our pockets when you guys try to raise everything in so many different ways. If you’re going to hit the bridges and tunnels, you can’t hit trains and buses, too. You can’t do it all at once. It’s too much of a shock.”
Nyack resident John Elfrank-Dana – “I think we should be rewarding people for taking public transportation, not sticking them with fare hikes.”
Suffern Democrat Assemblyman Ellen Jaffee – “We would hope that you would delay this decision and allow us to focus on our budget and have the dialogue with you to attempt to resolve some of these issues.”
However the message from local politicians did not solely focus on opposing the fare hike. Rockland Legislature Chairwoman Harriet Cornell did not offer any opposition to the fare hike but she did have a strong message for the MTA in regards to what her constituents deserve:
“If Rockland commuters are going to pay more money as a result of a fare increase, the MTA should be sure that they get something back for their investment. If we are going to help the MTA, the MTA needs to help us.”
Personally I think Harriet Cornell brings up a very valid point. Rockland County residents definitely do not get good treatment from the MTA. Quite frankly service from the agency is barely even offered. Why should they have to pay more for the sub par access they receive to MTA transit options.
I do wonder if the lack of people attending the hearing represents Rockland County residents’ feelings on the lack of service available to them. I guess they didn’t see the point in showing up although that way of thinking does not help the situation
xoxo Transit Blogger
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