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MTA May Cut Long Island Bus Funding

Posted by
on July 20th, 2010 at 10:59 pm

There is no doubting that the MTA serves the mass transit needs of millions in the tri-state region via multiple methods. The most commonly known methods include the NYC Subway, NYC Transit Buses, Long Island Rail Road, & the Metro-North Railroad for starters. However the one method that is arguably the most overlooked is Long Island Bus.

Long Island Bus has long been known as a stepchild of the MTA receiving very little coverage in the media & even less in terms of news coming from the agency itself via press releases. The only press it usually gets involves the numerous complaints of sub par service by its riders. I happen to know a lot of L.I.B. riders & have heard horror stories throughout the years.

If by some chance it is not this kind of press, it will revolve around the continued funding issues plaguing the service. This usually stems from Nassau County’s continued stance of shortchanging the MTA in terms of the money they are supposed to provide to help subsidize the service. Last I checked in on this issue, the county’s level of funding was staying the same even in the face of huge ridership growth.

Fast forward to 2010 & with the talk of funding issues, service cuts, & eventual fare hikes, it should come as no surprise that the Long Island Bus funding issue is coming to the forefront. Rob Hoell & Stephanie Barish of WPIX have more on this story which was posted this afternoon:

The doors may soon close on tens of thousands of Long Island bus riders.

The cash strapped MTA is considering putting the brakes on its funding for Nassau County buses.

“This is my only source of transportation,” an upset Eugene Johnson told PIX 11 News.

Health Care worker, Gloria Avalos, who relies on the bus to get to work each day, is also worried.

“How will I get to get to work?” she asked.

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano blasted the proposal.

“The MTA continues to blame its financial woes on everyone but itself,” he said. “Despite balancing its books just a year ago with monies from the job-killing payroll tax, the MTA’s dysfunction continues to cost Long Island families and seniors through service cuts.”

Ryan Lynch, of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, says while the MTA is an easy punching bag, the county also needs to buck up, pointing out that neighboring Suffolk and Westchester Counties don’t rely on any MTA funding from their bus service.

“It’s really time for the MTA, Nassau County and the state to find a sustainable funding mechanism that will allow bus riders to get to and from work,” he said.

For its part, the MTA issued a statement to PIX 11 News reading in part, “The County, which owns the buses and depots, is responsible for providing funding to cover the LI Bus operating deficit. The MTA has assumed more and more of this responsibility over the past decade, but we can no longer afford to assume the County’s responsibility.”

Click here for the complete report.

At this point considering the hole that they are in, it would come as no surprise to see the MTA cut funding for Long Island Bus. One has to think, if other riders have to suffer, they should as well. Unfortunately that narrow minded thinking does nothing in coming up with ways to avoid having to make such choices.

I fully expect the anti-MTA contingent to come out & rally against this funding cut with claims of how the MTA wastes money, has double books, etc…. If, actually when these comments come out, can these same individuals enlighten us all about why their elected officials get a pass on their major role in the problem?

Nassau County has been shortchanging the MTA for bus service for quite some time. Do you think Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano had any ideas or solutions to help with funding for the service that a good percentage of his constituents depend on? Of course not, all he could do is hurl angry sentiments toward the MTA as if that would do anything. Typical……

Seriously people, you need to support true pro transit officials & get them into office immediately. If you continue to ignore all the enemies in the fight, you will continue to get blindsided & defeated in one round after another in every fight.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Long Island Bus, MTA Finances
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Traffic Pilot To Affect Flushing Bus Service

Posted by
on July 19th, 2010 at 4:55 pm

Just a short time ago, MTA NYC Transit announced that 15 bus routes in the Flushing area would be affected due to a 6 month traffic pilot program by the New York City Department Of Transportation (NYCDOT). Here are the complete details courtesy of the release I received:

Flushing Bus Service Advisory: Q12, Q15, Q15A, Q17, Q17Ltd, Q19, Q20A/B, Q26, Q27, Q27Ltd, Q44, Q66, QBx1, N20 & N21 Routes Affected

New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) implemented new traffic patterns in Flushing, Queens beginning Sunday, July 18, 2010, which has affected all the bus routes listed above. This is a six-month pilot program aimed at improving traffic flow and pedestrian circulation in the area.

A major component of this pilot program is preventing all vehicles, including buses, from turning from Main Street onto Roosevelt Avenue at all times. As a result, we have had to make revisions to the bus routes and/or relocate some bus stops and terminals. We will continue to work with NYCDOT in this regard to ensure that our customers are aware of all changes and that bus service is provided on a timely basis.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Buses, Queens, Service Diversions
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Port Jefferson Service To Be Affected For 5 Days

Posted by
on July 19th, 2010 at 2:42 pm

For any of my readers who depend on the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Jefferson line, please be advised that midday service will be affected for 5 days next month due a grade crossing renewal project. Here are the complete details courtesy of the press release sent to me by the LIRR:

A grade crossing renewal project in St. James will affect some midday train service on the MTA Long Island Rail Road’s Port Jefferson Branch from Monday, August 2 through Friday, August 6. During the work four eastbound and four westbound midday trains will depart and terminate from the Smithtown Station instead of the Port Jefferson Station. The affected trains are as follows:

Eastbound:

Customers traveling to stations east of Smithtown on the 7:49 AM, 9:15 AM, 10:31 AM and 12:15 PM trains from Penn Station will transfer to buses at Smithtown for stations St. James, Stony Brook and Port Jefferson. Customers should expect up to 31 minutes additional travel time.

—

Westbound:

Customers on the 10:10 AM, 11:37 AM, 1:10 PM and 2:37 PM trains from Port Jefferson will instead board buses at stations Port Jefferson, Stony Brook and St. James and transfer to trains at Smithtown to continue their trips. Customers should note that the westbound buses at Port Jefferson, Stony Brook and St. James stations will depart up to 32 minutes earlier than scheduled train times in order to meet trains at Smithtown Station.

____

The renovation work at the Mill Pond Road, St. James grade crossing will include replacement of the rubber pads with longer lasting concrete, a smoother surface for trains and motor vehicles.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Construction, LIRR, Service Diversions, Suffolk County
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MetroCard Cap Would Hurt Messengers

Posted by
on July 19th, 2010 at 12:21 am

One of the biggest bombshells to come from recent leaks about the upcoming fare hike was the MTA’s plans to put a cap on “unlimited” weekly & monthly MetroCards. I for one opined how ridiculous such a proposal was & how it would hurt a lot more riders (including myself) compared to what the MTA thinks based on their data.

When I first read about the potential cap, one of the first type of riders I thought would be severely affected would be messengers. I know a number of messengers personally & have seen firsthand how many trips they get out of their unlimited cards. The cards look like they have been through hell, fire, & brimstone after being swiped so many times.

This morning’s Wall Street Journal will take a look at this angle of the fare hike courtesy of a report by Andrew Grossman:

Most bus and subway riders face fare increases of between 4% and 11% in January. A to Z Couriers NYC Inc. will pay 400% more to cover its subway rides.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is considering ending the $89 unlimited 30-day MetroCard that enables the company’s messengers to spend all day riding Manhattan subways delivering packages. The MTA would instead sell a pass good for 90 rides over 30 days, according to people familiar with the matter. The messengers—some of whom take 20 subway trips a day—would go through one such pass a week, according to company owner Adam Dally.

The cap is meant to help keep the cost of a 30-day pass from rising higher than $99—the level under consideration by the MTA—in January. Seven percent of current 30-day pass users would be affected by the cap, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Many courier services took to the subways when the MTA introduced the unlimited MetroCard in 1998. The pass was part of a plan pushed by then-Gov. George Pataki to boost ridership. It worked. The unlimited cards have also brought deep discounts for their users, whom officials say tend to be among the MTA’s more affluent riders. Currently, the average 30-day pass user pays $1.29 per ride—though that’s likely brought down by extreme users such as messengers.

Click here for the complete report.

Let me ignore the messenger aspect of the story & hone in on the thought that unlimited card users tend to be among the MTA’s “more affluent riders”. This has to be the dumbest logic I have ever heard. So because a high percentage of people choose to purchase unlimited cards due to it making more financial sense, that makes us more affluent? Tell that to the high percentage of riders who have to budget for the card as a necessity instead of a luxury.

To assume that such riders are more affluent & more in line to pay more for less is not only fair but downright insulting. If this kind of “data” & “logic” are what is used to make decisions, no wonder we as riders get the short end of the stick often.

Should I be surprised at such idiotic logic? I mean we have a percentage of people who think those who live in NYC & drive to work instead of using mass transit are well off & should pay higher costs because they are so rich & can afford to do so. Good one…..

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Fare Hike
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New 6 Figure MTA Worker Has Skeptics

Posted by
on July 18th, 2010 at 11:59 pm

12 days ago, I wrote an entry about the MTA continuing its cost cutting measures in the blue-collar workforce as they laid off 120 more workers. In that same story in the New York Daily News, it was announced that the MTA hired a new state commissioner to fill a newly created managing director post that comes with a 6 figure salary, $217,000 to be exact.

The new post was awarded to 54 year old Diana Jones Ritter, who served as a state commissioner in the Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities agency. The main task of her new job is to oversee consolidation & cost cutting measures within the MTA’s administrative area. As could be expected, I & others questioned this new position & salary considering the pace the MTA is currently eliminating blue-collar jobs.

However it turns out that these are not the only concerns about the new position or Diana in question. Skeptics are out in full force as it turns out she does not have a stellar track record for the tasks she was hired for. Michael M. Grynbaum of the New York Times has more:

It may be one of the toughest tasks in New York government: taming the bloat of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, long considered one of the most unwieldy bureaucracies in the state.

The latest official to be given the job is Diana Jones Ritter, 54, who was tapped this month to oversee consolidation and cost-cutting at the authority’s administrative office after serving four years as commissioner of a similarly cumbersome agency, the State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

Any effort to reform the transportation authority is likely to be met with skepticism. But Ms. Ritter has raised eyebrows even before she starts work at the agency on Monday.

Of particular concern, critics say, are reports issued this year by the State Senate and the state inspector general that described her previous agency as marred by runaway overtime, nepotism and wasteful spending — the very vices Ms. Ritter has been instructed to combat in her new job.

Mr. Walder said that he had created Ms. Ritter’s position because he wanted an administrator solely focused on remaking the authority into a leaner, more efficient operation. Her first task will be to lead a merger of several departments, which is expected to save $10 million a year.

Click here for the complete report.

Should I be surprised that she comes from an agency overrun with overtime abuse, nepotism, & wasteful spending? Honestly those three phrases could be used to describe at least 90% of government agencies locally & up to & including the federal level.

Personally I will not trash her specific work as I have no first hand knowledge of her work. Needless to say, I will be keeping an eye on her as I am sure can be said for others. Hopefully she pans out as if she does not, nothing less but an elimination of her position will do.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Finances