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LIRR & Metro-North Want More Money To Park

Posted by
on July 26th, 2010 at 12:18 am

If you are the one of many who park your car at certain Long Island Rail Road or Metro-North Railroad stations, be prepared to shell out more cash if the transit divisions have their way. Due to the current budget crisis, the MTA is looking at any & all ways to stick it to the consumer & drivers are no exception.

The LIRR is looking to increase rates by more than 20% while the MNRR is looking to do so by an average of 14.5%. Andrew Grossman of the Wall Street Journal has more:

Commuter railroad passengers will likely pay more to park at 32 train stations starting in December.

Metro-North Railroad is asking the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board to approve a plan to raise parking fees by an average of 14.5% at the lots and garages it owns north of New York City. Long Island Rail Road is also seeking to raise parking fees by more than 20% at garages in Mineola and Ronkonkoma.

The increases would raise a combined $840,000 in revenue for the two railroads, according to the proposal. The railroads say the increases are needed to raise revenue and cover operating costs.

The board will consider that proposal and other revenue-raising measures—including fare hikes—at meetings Monday and Wednesday. The MTA has been scrambling to fill an $800 million gap in its nearly $12 billion budget this year. The agency has already implemented drastic service cuts, laid off workers and cut administrative costs. But those moves haven’t been enough to make up for lower-than-expected receipts of dedicated tax revenues.

MTA managers have been trying to keep the net fare increase to 7.5%, but some riders—such as those using 30-day unlimited passes—would see their fares jump higher. The new fares would take effect January 1, 2011.

The MTA is as much “a victim of what’s happened as the riding public,” said Gene Russianoff, a lawyer for the Straphangers Campaign, a rider-advocacy group. “My biggest worry is that the burdens are not being spread fairly among all the beneficiaries of transit,” he said.

The group opposes the fare plan, which was part of a bailout deal struck between the MTA and the state in 2009 that called for regular increases every two years. The plan also allocated new funding for the MTA. But the Legislature has siphoned off some of that money, leading Mr. Russianoff to say that the agreement has been broken.

Click here for the complete report.

Talk about a double whammy for riders who drive to stations where it costs to park. They not only have the unfortunate task of paying an increased fare, but a charge to park the vehicle that many are happy to see they are not using to commute to their destination. I understand the agency is in a huge financial crisis but stop trying to stick it to riders at every possible turn.

I know there will be a few clueless people who will make statements such as this won’t be a big deal since most drivers who use their car as their main commuting option due so as a luxury. Well newsflash to those people, your sentiments are still clueless & out of touch with reality. Times are tough for at least 7 out of every 10 people & it is getting to a point where something will have to give.

The agency has to be very careful to not drive away customers in droves. Eventually it will just flat out be cheaper to drive instead of paying more money for less service as well as to park to access less service. I think this crossroad is getting closer & closer to being a choice that many will have to make.

I’m siding on the cars winning out so if I were the MTA, I’d seriously reconsider another way to raise revenue. How about getting the money you rightfully deserve from our elected officials. What a novel idea……………

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Groups Oppose Potential L.I. Bus Funding Cut

Posted by
on July 25th, 2010 at 11:51 pm

The news is coming out hot & heavy regarding the MTA’s potential plan to cut funding to the often neglected Long Island Bus system due to its budget crisis.

This has led to war of words mainly coming from clueless Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano who rather play the “Blame The MTA” game instead of owning up to his county’s inadequate & downright shameless funding for the service over the years.

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign even joined into the fray by worrying about the future of the service. However the borough of Staten Island did not want to be left out as Borough President Jim Molinaro opined bluntly with this statement:

“Staten Island residents are tired of paying to move these commuters.

Late Friday, a coalition of groups joined in to oppose the much maligned transit agency’s potential funding cut. Alfonso A. Castillo of Newsday has more:

A coalition of civic, transportation, business, labor, planning and environmental groups is opposing the MTA’s plan to pull its funding from Long Island Bus.

In a statement issued Friday, the coalition said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s plan to withdraw about $40 million in funding from the Nassau County-owned bus company is misguided and a “system killer.”

“The MTA’s proposed cuts will obliterate the LI Bus system as we know it,” said Kate Slevin, executive director of the nonprofit Tri-State Transportation Campaign, which supports bus service. “These cuts could very well mean that Nassau County will not have a viable bus transit system as soon as the next few years.”

Click here for the complete report.

This will be a hotly contested battle throughout. At this rate who knows exactly what will happen to the service. If I had to venture a guess, things are looking bleak for L.I. Bus riders unless some typical gamesmanship occurs & the county finds more money for it before time elapses. Of course they will look like heroes when in reality, they would finally be doing what should have been done since day 1!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 07-24-10

Posted by
on July 24th, 2010 at 12:19 am

I just updated the “Service Diversions” page by removing all of the scheduled work that wrapped up by 11:59 PM last night. The weekend diversions which I posted on Thursday have now moved to the top followed by the subsequent work during the week.

I suggest printing out a copy of the diversions to carry with you or use your mobile device to access the mobile version of Transit Blogger. The next update will be sometime after 5:01 AM Monday when all of the weekend diversions will officially be wrapped up. As always, stay safe & cool during your travels.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Knell Family To Sue NYC For $50 Million

Posted by
on July 23rd, 2010 at 12:23 am

This unfortunate saga began on April 26, 2010 when at approximately 4:30 AM, 45 year old Track Supervisor James Knell died after he came into contact with the electrified third rail at the Beach 90th Street A Train & S Train Station in Queens.

A couple of days later, a report in the New York Daily News claims the death could have been avoided had proper safety regulations been followed. Almost 2 months later, an internal report revealed that Mr. Knell was moving a container of spikes weighing at least 90 pounds when he fell.

According to the New York Daily News, the family is set to file a $50 million wrongful death suit against the city. John Marzulli has more in this brief report:

The widow of a track worker electrocuted on a third rail in Queens is set to file a $50 million wrongful death suit against the city, the Daily News has learned.

Jackie Knell will file a notice to sue today, charging there were numerous violations at the work site April 26, when her husband slipped and fell.

Lawyer Sanford Rubenstein said the “third-rail protecting boards were removed and there was no signage or lights alerting employees of the exposed third rail.”

The News reported last month that a preliminary investigation of the tragedy raised a number of safety concerns, including that Knell was lugging 90 pounds of spikes when he apparently lost his balance.

A spokeswoman for NYC Transit declined to comment.

This case should prove interesting as it would probably reveal the exact safety regulations in place along with which were not followed prior to his death. Hopefully in the end, another incident like this will never occur again.

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PPV Main Event: Staten Island vs Nassau County

Posted by
on July 22nd, 2010 at 11:16 pm

Two days ago, I wrote about the MTA’s plans to potentially cut its share of funding for Long Island Bus due to its budget crisis. The oft-neglected service has been routinely shafted in terms of funding by the very county it mainly serves.

Current Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano who ran on a platform of understanding the needs of proper transit funding & had made this statement:

mass transit has to be an integral part of the County’s plans… the [LI Bus] subsidy is small compared to the number of people who rely on public transit to get to work, make a living, support their families, and put that money back into the local economy.

has done a complete 180 on his position. Instead of coming up with solutions to help properly fund the service, he has resorted to the time tested game of “Let’s Blame The MTA” & see how much of it sticks. This has led to the MTA to call the county out for their lack of proper funding. Earlier today, the MTA got an ally on this sentiment from the borough of Staten Island. NBC New York has more:

Transit funding makes strange bedfellows.

And today in an unusual pairing, the MTA joined Staten Island in attacking Nassau County.

Let’s backtrack: this summer the Transportation Authority slashed 11 bus routes on Long Island to help close an $800 million budget gap. Now, Staten Island’s Borough President said Nassau County taxpayers should fork over more money — or be prepared to lose more service.

“Staten Island residents are tired of paying to move these commuters.” said borough president Jim Molinaro.

“Nassau County pays just $9 million each year for their bus service while the MTA provides a whopping $40 million.” Molinaro added.

“And where does that money come from? It comes from the $11 toll on the Verrazano Bridge. Staten Island is one of the highest -tolled communities in the Country,and it’s mainly because the MTA uses our toll money to support transportation services in other areas. It is outrageous that our residents, who are City taxpayers, have money taken out of their pocket to pay for Long Island commuters.”

And guess who agrees? The MTA. As spokesman Jeremy Soffin put it, “We can no longer afford to assume Nassau County’s responsibility for funding its bus system.”

Not surprisingly, Nassau County disagrees.

Click here for the complete report.

Staten Island Borough President Jim Molinaro has a point in that Nassau County should have to pay more for its service. The amount of money that have contributed to help subsidize the service is well below what it should be considering the benefits it provides to their residents. It comes as no surprise that leaders in Nassau County disagree. They have always had an issue with reality as the fantasy world they live in works better for them.

What Nassau County voters & riders should do is demand action by the county or send them packing come reelection. Sometimes elected officials need a reminder that they were voted in to serve the people, not their family, friends, associates, & themselves.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Long Island Bus, Nassau County, Staten Island