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MTA Statement Regarding Negotiations In Albany

Posted by
on March 4th, 2009 at 5:05 pm

Everyone from the leaders in Albany down to the riders themselves knows that time is ticking on finding solutions to starve off a “doomsday scenario“. With that in mind, representatives from the MTA, Gov. Patterson, the State Assembly & Senate continue to hold meetings to do just that. A short time ago, the MTA issued a statement about these meetings through e-mail:

Significant progress was made today in meetings between staff representing the MTA, Governor Paterson, the Senate and the Assembly. We have agreed to do additional analysis and reconvene in Albany tomorrow morning for further discussions.

For the sake of so many in the tri-state area, lets hope they can come up with legitimate & well thought out solutions. The fate of our transit system & the millions who use it daily depend on it.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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State Democrats Question MTA’s Credibility

Posted by
on March 4th, 2009 at 12:05 am

So the dreaded date of March 25th is just about 3 weeks away. This is the day that the MTA might vote to enact the “doomsday scenario” that would affect millions of riders throughout the tri-state area. The Ravitch Commission has recommended some proposals to help the MTA close its operating budget gap & create dedicated sources of revenue for years to come.

One of those proposals included tolling East & Harlem River bridges. This has irked many but that did not stop State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver from proposing his own toll plan. With all of that in mind, state democrats have called into question the credibility of the MTA’s financial books. Glenn Blain & Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News has more in this report:

Questions about the MTA’S credibility are hampering a plan designed to rescue 8.5 million subway, bus and commuter train riders from massive fare hikes and service cuts.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) Monday said he has enough votes to pass a package with tolls on East and Harlem river bridges.

But some Senate Democrats doubted a majority of senators would go along – and Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority “does not have a history of being forthright in terms of their budget. You know, they kept two books at a time.”

Senate Dems planned a “full vetting of MTA finances” and want to strengthen the state controller’s oversight of the authority, Smith said in a statement last night.

Senate action on any bailout plan wouldn’t happen this week, a Smith spokesman said.

Click here for the complete report.

I am no apologist for the MTA but this is ridiculous. There is only 3 weeks to go until the MTA Board votes on whether or not to implement the “doomsday scenario” which would affect riders throughout the tri-state area. So is this really the time to question the credibility of the MTA’s books? The double books scandal happened over 5 years ago & those responsible are no longer with the MTA. So why of all times are you now looking to vet their records?

The leaders in Albany have known about the dire straights the MTA has been in for ages now. Hell, they are the biggest reason why the MTA is in the position it is in now. So why with only 3 weeks to go are these leaders doing a disservice to their constituents by wasting such precious time on this? Residents of the tri-state area need to be the main priority here & not some dog & pony show between bickering so called “leaders”. We need people them to understand that time is of the essence & can’t afford to be wasted on this vetting process.

There is no way that they could audit their books within 3 weeks! So where does this leave the riders who will feel the pain when the MTA Board approves the “doomsday scenario“? I will tell you where they will be left, in the cold like they always are. The people who ride mass transit have never been or will ever be a priority to the so called “leaders” we have in Albany. For as much as I mock the responses left to reports in the Daily News, one responder had a partial point when they said:

While I think the MTA is a bunch of thieves that should all be fired and jailed, I find it hilarious that the morons in Albany are trying to call them on it. That’s another bunch that should be thrown out a window.

So called “leaders” calling anyone out on possible misleading books is such a prime example of the “pot calling the kettle black” if I have ever seen one!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Some Politicians Rally Against Sheldon’s Toll Proposal

Posted by
on March 3rd, 2009 at 12:47 am

When it comes to the who’s who of New York politics, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is in the top echelon. So when he proposes something, people listen. This is what happened a few days ago when he countered the Ravitch Commission’s toll plan with one of his own. Now fast forward to yesterday when 20 state legislators signed a letter opposing Sheldon’s plan which they planned on delivering to him. Meredith Kolodner of the New York Daily News has more in this report:

More than 20 state legislators from the city have signed a letter opposing a plan to stave off doomsday transit cuts by imposing $2 tolls on the East and Harlem River bridges.

The lawmakers plan to deliver the letter Monday to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), who is pushing for bridge tolls to prevent massive fare hikes or service cuts.

Also elected city officials want hearings and a public debate over alternate plans, including increases on vehicle registration fees and reinstating the commuter tax.

“This plan will tend to hurt working-class families,” said Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat (D-Washington Heights). “It’s not a shared sacrifice.”

Espaillat said he favors a plan put forward by City Controller William Thompson that would charge drivers more to register their vehicles, depending on the size of the car.

Click here for the complete report.

Well I am not surprised that some elected officials have gone down the route of publicly disapproving of Sheldon’s plan. Residents of NYC know that when anyone even mutters the idea of tolling those bridges, the attack dogs come out. I have to say that I side with the leaders who are against this proposal. As I said the other day:

What is the point of implementing a lower toll if it will still lead to substantial fare hikes & service cuts due to lower revenue? The answer is clear, there would be no point at all.

While I am here, I have to acknowledge some of the rhetoric posted in the responses to Meredith’s report. I am getting sick & tired of some people who continue to pin their rhetoric on a few b.s. studies which spew out garbage of people who drive into Manhattan only do so as a luxury. For some reason, people want to spew this misguided garbage around as if it is fact. Yes, there are drivers who choose to drive & could afford toll increases without the blink of an eye, & might have adequate public transportation options available. However to spin it as if the majority of drivers fall into that category is completely irresponsible.

Let me share some of the ridiculous b.s. posted in the response section:

The opposition to tolls is full of BALONEY!!! The working people who are going to be hurt are the ones riding the subway. Very few commuters drive to Manhattan — and guess what those who do are not the poor. Wake up Daily News — how about a headline screaming about the poor who will be facing 200% subway increases?

In this recession times, people driving up to Manhattan are NOT poor. If they can afford cars, gas, parking then why not a 2 $ toll,, why dont they use subways, we have buses everywhere. We travel using subways, buses day and night must get some consideration and not to those who can still afford luxsuries in such hard times.

So if you were to believe that garbage, every person who drives into Manhattan is not poor. They must make extremely good money since driving to Manhattan is a luxury & not a necessity. Yeah ok, sure! This line of thinking is so asinine that I could be here for quite awhile poking one hole after another into it. These same people will complain when some drivers choose to stop driving & add to the ridership that is already bursting at the seams. Sorry people but you can’t have it both ways but don’t tell them that. Since we all know that the study that recently came out as to be 100% factual because people said so.

In the end, we will probably need tolls to help raise revenue for the MTA. However the plan must be thought out with all sides in mind & treated equally. Since in reality most people do not drive out of luxury as last I checked many areas in our region do not have adequate mass transit options. Oh but wait a minute that can’t be true even if common sense & actual maps/schedules tell you otherwise.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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LIRR Adds Eight PM Rush Trains For 03-02

Posted by
on March 2nd, 2009 at 12:56 pm

Within the past hour, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) issued a press release via e-mail. The press release was to announce the addition of 8 trains for tonight’s PM Rush hour due to the snowstorm. Here are the complete details:

The MTA Long Island Rail Road will be adding eight additional eastbound trains from Penn Station this afternoon between 2:09 PM and 3:48 PM for customers leaving work early due to the snowstorm. The extra service includes: three trains on the Port Jefferson Branch, three on the Babylon Branch, one on the Port Washington Branch to Great Neck and one on the Far Rockaway Branch.

The extra service is as follows:

Port Jefferson Branch to Hicksville and Huntington:

• 2:09 PM stopping at Jamaica, Carle Place, then all stops to Huntington

• 2:26 PM stopping at Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Jamaica, New Hyde Park, then all stops to Huntington

• 3:24 PM stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, Westbury and Hicksville

Babylon Branch:

• 2:22 PM express to Lynbrook, then all stops to Babylon

• 3:00 PM stopping at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon

• 3:31 PM express to Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon

Port Washington Branch to Great Neck:

• 3:40 PM stopping Woodside, Flushing-Main St., then all stops to Great Neck

Far Rockaway Branch:

• 3:48 PM express to Locust Manor, Laurelton, Rosedale, Valley Stream, then all stops to Far Rockaway

If you do not have to travel today, don’t!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Prepared For Season’s Biggest Snow Storm

Posted by
on March 2nd, 2009 at 1:14 am

Late yesterday evening, the MTA sent out word via e-mail of their plans in preparation for the season’s biggest snow storm. Here are the complete details:

In preparation for the predicted snow storm set to strike the greater metropolitan region, NYC Transit and MTA Bus are taking steps to ready the subway and bus network for Monday morning’s commute.

The Department of Subways has positioned crews on equipment designed to clear the rails of ice and snow in known problem locations such as the Rockaways in Queens and the Dyre Ave line in the Bronx. During the overnight and early morning hours, Stations personnel will focus attention on station platforms and entrances to ensure they are as free of snow as possible, while crews from the Maintenance of Way Division will work to keep switches clear in order for subways to operate properly.

Crews from NYC Transit’s Department of Buses and MTA Bus will man snow fighting equipment to clear bus depot aprons to allow buses to pull out, as well as bus stops along certain routes. Supervisors in the Bus Command Center will also closely coordinate snow fighting efforts with the NYC Department of Sanitation during this weather event.

NYC Transit and MTA Bus plan to run a full rush hour complement of bus and subway service on Monday. However, given the predicted conditions customers are advised to factor in additional extra travel time to their normal commutes.

Customers can keep abreast of changes in regularly scheduled subway and bus service by logging on to www.mta.info and reviewing posted Service Alerts.

I will most likely be doing all of my work from home today so I will post any major updates if I can.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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