Report: Next Governor Must Reinvest In MTA
Regular readers of transit news sources like this already know the obvious, the MTA needs to be fixed & the biggest way to do that is by properly reinvesting in the MTA. This topic has taken center stage even more so recently due to politics dominating the local news cycle.
On the heels of the recent Governor’s debate where bashing the MTA with useless dribble was the evening’s dinner special, the Drum Major Institute has issued a report warning that riders can expect more fare hikes & service cuts if the next New York State Governor does not reinvest in the MTA. Before taking a peak at the report, here is a brief news snippet courtesy of Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News:
Millions of transit riders face even bigger fare hikes and additional service cuts if the next governor doesn’t increase funding, a report coming out Thursday warns.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority debt payments are soaring and Albany lawmakers are poaching transit funds, the report from the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy and Transportation Alternatives says.
“While MTA executives can cut costs at the margins, only a concerted plan by the next governor can redirect investment to the state’s mass transit systems and avert a fiscal disaster,” the report says. “Without new sources of revenue, riders will be faced with even more severe service cuts and fare hikes.”
The report urges the gubernatorial candidates to adopt a platform that includes returning $160 million of MTA-dedicated funds that Gov. Paterson and the state Legislature took to balance the state’s budget last year.
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s campaign didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Click here for the complete report.
Now here is a sample of their report:
Introduction and Overview: The Problem and Five Steps for Reform
The governor and state legislature are directly responsible for the MTA’s finances: they decide how much revenue flows to the authority, and only they have the power to put the MTA on sound financial footing. While MTA executives can continue to cut costs at the margins, only a concerted plan led by the next governor can redirect investment to the state’s mass transit system and avert a fiscal disaster.
A true Albany reformer willing to make tough choices would move the MTA away from costly borrowing and make smart investments that will drive renewed economic growth, boost the state’s economic competitiveness, and save taxpayers money in the long-term.
Made in Albany: The MTA Fiscal Crisis
· The MTA faces a $900 million gap in its operating budget in 2011 and a $2.1 billion deficit by 2014.
· The MTA holds a total of $31 billion in debt, which is more than twice the MTA’s annual budget.
· Debt payments cost the MTA $1.8 billion last year and are set to increase to $2.1 billion next year and $2.6 billion by 2014.
· State lawmakers will force the MTA to borrow an additional $9 billion for basic upkeep and repairs of the transit system over the next five years. This could drive up debt payments to $3.5 billion a year by 2020.
This transit platform proposes five steps the gubernatorial candidates should take if they are serious about reform in Albany and improving conditions for millions of daily commuters throughout the state. Each step listed below is backed by evidence and data showing why they are necessary.
1. Return the $160 million taken from the MTA over the last year by the state legislature and prevent state lawmakers from using dedicated transit funds for other purposes.
2. End the fiscally irresponsible reliance on debt by restoring the state’s contribution to the MTA capital program to 20 percent of the program’s cost.
3. Protect millions of straphangers from threats to repeal the mobility tax which, if repealed, would result in yearly MTA budget deficits of over one billion dollars.
4. Create sustainable sources of transit revenue, funded by everyone who benefits from transit, including riders, drivers and businesses.
5. Lead New York’s congressional delegation to secure higher levels of federal funding that would help expand public transit service access to underserved areas.
Click here to view the complete .pdf report.
I took the time to read the report & urge others to do so as well. While it contains no information that those of us who follow the MTA did not know, it makes a number of common sense points that need to be enacted. They are 100% correct in how whomever our next Governor is, they need to make sure the state reinvests in the MTA which includes a complete stop to the pilfering of funds dedicated to them.
While DMI supports congestion pricing which I do not, I do agree with their points of dedicated revenue being needed. My big concern with plans such as congestion pricing is that while supporters echo the need to lessen the burden on transit riders, where is the guarantee that an epic shift does not occur to drivers? This mindset that drivers have much more disposable income is ludicrous. Shifting the burden from one side to the other is not the way to go about things.
Will our next Governor stand up to Albany & reinvest in the much maligned transit agency? Unfortunately my gut tells me they won’t & that feeling increased after the recent debate where bashing the MTA was the hip thing to do. Was it more baseless bashing to appeal to voters or was it their real sentiment shining through?
In the end, we as voters need to kick out all officials who are not willing to reinvest in the MTA. There has to be an end to the game of pouching money from the MTA & turning right around to complain about their money management & how they are unfair to constituents by cutting service & raising fares. The wool has been pulled over the eyes of too many & it is time for everyone to wake up. If the voters don’t, they will continue to pay more for less.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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MTA Addes Buses To M15 Select Bus Service
Unfortunately during the downtime, I missed writing about a number of stories. One of those stories was about the debut of the Select Bus Service (SBS) on 2nd Ave via the M15 route. I read the New York Daily News report shortly after the debut which shouted to the rooftops about how the service was a disaster.
I spoke to a couple of friends who rode the service on its debut day. While each one of them expected the trip to be faster, it came as no surprise to them that it was not. A couple of days later, we all had a laugh at the disaster proclamation report in the paper. The overall agreement was that it was way too early to label the service in any direction.
MTA New York City Transit is wasting no time in addressing some of the concerns as they have announced the addition of more buses to the service. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News had more in this report from yesterday:
NYC Transit has put extra buses on its new East Side express bus route that got off to a bumpy – and slower-than-expected – start, the Daily News has learned.
Three additional buses are being deployed every day to fill gaps in service caused by traffic and other problems along the M15 Select route, officials said.
That brings the M15 Select fleet on First and Second Aves. to about 40 buses, NYC Transit spokesman Charles Seaton said.
In another tweak, riders who grow tired of waiting for the express bus can now jump on local buses that arrive first, officials said.
“It’s common sense,” Straphangers Campaign’s Gene Russianoff said of the move. “Riders should be able to take whatever bus comes first if they want to get on the move.”
Click here for the complete report.
It is good to see that the MTA has taking a proactive approach to the service. However adding more buses is not the sole solution to improving service on this route or any of the other ones for that matter. They need to come up with a superior fare payment system & most importantly have 100% enforcement of the bus lanes. If the enforcement does not take place in the way needed, all of the other improvements will mean little.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Service Diversions 10-18-10
I have just updated the “Service Diversions” page by removing all of the work that just wrapped up by 5 AM this morning. The latest information for the upcoming week & beyond in some cases is at the forefront.
Throughout the week, I will make minor updates on the page itself (no entries about it) by removing work already completed. The next complete update will be by late Thursday night or Friday morning (unless the diversions are not sent out until after).
As always, I suggest you print out a copy of the diversions to have with you while riding. You may also use any phone or electronic device to access the mobile friendly version of Transit Blogger. Have a safe week!
xoxo Transit Blogger
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N.B. Dyckman St. Platform Closed For 10 Months
Back in mid July, the MTA announced a $47M renovation project that would affect service on the 
in Upper Manhattan & the Bronx until 2012. The center of the project involved a major renovation of the Dyckman Street station.
A month ago today, work on the project started. This past Friday, MTA NYC Transit announced the closure of the northbound platform at Dyckman St for 10 months. Here is more information courtesy of the press release I received:
MTA New York City Transit announces the closure of the No. 1 northbound platform beginning Monday, October 18 and continuing through August 2011 for the first phase of the Dyckman Street station rehabilitation. Uptown No. 1 trains will bypass Dyckman Street. Customers headed for Dyckman Street may ride to 207th Street and use their MetroCard on the downtown side to ride back to Dyckman Street. A second fare will not be deducted.
The general scope of work includes repairing the stairs from the sidewalk into the station, restoring the concrete station wall along Hillside Avenue, replacement of the stairs connecting the control area to the platforms, repairing and painting the ceiling, and repairing damaged tiles.
At train level, we will demolish and rebuild the north and southbound platforms, demolish and reconstruct the platform structure and canopy, install new platform windscreens and repair the guardrails. We will also take this opportunity to replace the track along the entire station length. During second phase of the project, the southbound platform will be out of service between September 2011 and July 2012.
Opened in 1906, the Dyckman Street Station is of a design unique in the system and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The outdoor station, situated just north of the Fort Washington Tunnel portal, has two side platforms above a masonry head house.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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NYC Transit Introduces Web Based Bus Locator
Let’s face it, at one time or another, we have all stared down a subway tunnel or street looking to see when the next train or bus would arrive. We all thought that if we stared hard enough, we could magically make it come faster or appear out of nowhere.
Subway riders in some stations no longer have to partake in this long standing tradition due to PA/CIS real time information boards aka Subway Countdown Boards. An even smaller amount of bus riders have taken advantage of information due to electronic signs.
The availability of such information has taken a new step in the form of th 34th Street Crosstown BusPilot. The pilot program will provide real time location information for the M16 & M34 through an online web panel which is accessible from any internet ready mobile device. Here is more information courtesy of the press release sent to me on Thursday:
For the first time, MTA NYC Transit bus riders can track the exact location of buses, thanks to the new MTA BusTime pilot that launched today on the M16 and M34 routes in Midtown Manhattan. Aimed at giving riders a quick and easy means of determining approximately when the next bus will arrive at a specific stop, the new service provides estimated bus stop arrival times and map locations for crosstown buses running along the 34th Street corridor. The information, already available on electronic signs at bus stops, can now be accessed online, via Smartphone, PDA, or mobile phone.
Using the latest technology, the service is facilitated through the use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) devices that report bus location data (and more). The system can then, in real time, show bus customers where buses are on a map or in tabular view. Using this information, customers will know when a bus is estimated to arrive at a particular stop, even if they are still at the office, shopping, or dining.
“Why rush to the bus stop when you can finish your cup of coffee or stop and grab a newspaper? Now we’re providing our customers with the information they need to make informed decisions about their travel before they get to the bus stop,” said NYC Transit President Thomas Prendergast. “Along with the new train arrival screens that are being activated in subways stations around the City, MTA BusTime is another example of how we are developing new ways to give customers information they can use.”
BusTime, developed by transit technology firm Clever Devices, also delivers real-time bus arrival information through on-demand or subscription-based e-mail and text-message alerts. This function features notices of service interruptions, emergencies, and other important events. All of the details on how to use MTA BusTime are available online at http://mta.info/bustime.
Computer:
To use MTA BusTime online, simply choose Estimated Arrival Times or Bus Location Map on the BusTime web page to obtain bus arrival information on your computer.
Mobile Phone:
Using your mobile phone (Track by Text) you can text ‘mtabus’ and the bus stop ID code to 41411 and get bus arrival information. Each bus stop along the route is assigned a specific text code. Bus stop text codes are located online (M16, M34) and at bus stops. (Important note: Standard carrier charges for text messaging may apply. Users should check with their mobile carrier first.)
E-mail Alerts:
You can subscribe to receive e-mail alerts and bus arrival notifications. You will receive an e-mail from: bustime (at) mta.info.com. Users should add it to their contacts so messages won’t go into their spam folder.
Click here to access the BusTime portal.
My initial thought is that this is a huge plus for the many riders who use the 34th Street corridor. Although similar technology has been in use by other transportation systems for years, it is nice to see it finally make its way to the MTA albeit via a pilot program with no guarantees of system wide implementation.
If I had it my way though, I think the money should be invested in real time signs at all bus stops as it is likely to help more versus a web based platform. While smartphones are owned by a lot of people, I am willing to bet that a significant percentage of bus riders do not own one. Let’s be honest, trying to access this panel from a non-smartphone will probably take awhile.
However in the end, it is better to have this versus nothing at all. Hopefully the pilot will be a huge success & lead to system wide implementation so all bus riders can benefit from such vital information. Here is to hoping!
xoxo Transit Blogger
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