MTA Wasted $21.3M On Non-Recordable Cameras
To say the MTA is usually way behind in any sort of technological advancements would be a huge understatement. Whether it is being years behind on the latest technology or spending exuberant amounts on outdated technology, they just seem to usually get it wrong. Today’s edition of the New York Daily News takes a look at how they agency wasted $21.3M on subway cameras that do not record. Pete Donhue has more:
This is NYC Transit’s fancy new camera – it costs $23,000 and doesn’t even record.
A four-year push to hook up hundreds of cameras in 32 subway stations has become an embarrassing boondoggle, with a ballooning pricetag and nothing yet to show for it.
The 910 cameras, designed to capture images of straphangers entering and exiting turnstiles, won’t even be wired to recording devices until some time next month.
By then, the pricetag will have grown from $15 million to $21.3 million – meaning each camera will cost a staggering $23,000.
Critics say the bungle is emblematic of how the Metropolitan Transportation Authority repeatedly fouls up technology and security projects, often in dramatic and costly fashion.
And critics fear the foulups are not only a waste of money – they potentially leave the city vulnerable. Nearly nine years after the 9/11 terror attacks, only 46% of the city’s 4,100 subway system cameras are wired to working recording devices, the MTA admits.
Click here for the complete report.
In this day & age, a story like this will be over-exaggerated. Many in our society are caught up in this fake war on terror & are willing to have our civil liberties trashed in the name of faux security. What people need to understand is that the government will NEVER be able to protect you more than you could yourself. These cameras will not protect you or prevent a so called “terrorist” attack. The sooner people wake up, the better off we will be.
The more important part of this report is how the MTA continues to bleed money unnecessarily. Wasteful spending such as this is one of the things they must cut out in order to help with their current budget deficit & future budgets as a whole. These cost overruns are the real issue that need to be addressed as doing so would have a legitimate effect on riders verus the fake war on so called terrorism.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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[…] two months ago, a story came out about how the MTA wasted $21.3 million on non-recordable security cameras in a number of stations. As expected, some elected officials took the chance to jump on the MTA […]