Gov. Patterson Criticizes The MTA’s Plan To Raise Fares
New York State Governor David Patterson openly criticized the MTA’s plan to implement substantial fare hikes. What their exact plans are won’t be known until later this morning when their financial plan is released (more on that in the next entry). Here is the report from Jeremy W. Peters, Fernanda Santos & Sewell Chan of the New York Times:
Gov. David A. Paterson on Tuesday sternly criticized the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s proposal to increase subway, bus and commuter rail fares and called on the authority to take a second look at its finances before it formally asks for an increase. However, Mr. Paterson did not say whether he would support the authority’s plea for more operating aid from the state.
Speaking to reporters after a news conference here on moderately priced housing, Mr. Paterson said that now was not the time to ask commuters, who are already feeling pinched by a rate increase earlier this year, to pay more to use the city’s transit system, bridges and tunnels.
“Another fare hike this soon after the last fare hike, just in my opinion, is not wise,” he said. “This just cannot become the new way that the M.T.A. solves problems. Every time there is an issue, pass along the increase.”
He added: “Let’s explore other options.”
If the authority gets permission from its board to raise fares, it will be only the second time in its history that it has raised fares in consecutive years. The last time that happened was in 1980 and 1981.
The amount of the increase has not been determined. But if the board agrees to it, fares will rise again next summer.
The authority is facing an increasingly grim financial outlook. Rising fuel costs have caused its operating costs to soar, and revenue from real estate taxes — a major source of the authority’s revenue — are declining as the housing market falters.
Its budget gap for 2009 now stands at $900 million and is only getting bigger. Just six months ago, the authority projected a deficit of only $200 million.
Mr. Paterson said he asked the authority to re-examine its financial situation and report back to him. “What I am asking the M.T.A. is to go back and take another look at their books.”
Click here to read the entire report.
I’ve already discussed my current point of view on the possibility of fare hikes. However I must call attention to the comments left on the above article. Just about all of them are blaming the potential fare hikes on the MTA which is what I said many would do. As I said there, they should point the finger of blame at the elected officials before getting to the MTA.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Gov. Spitzer Says Not So Fast…..
- As If One Fare Hike Was Not Enough……
- MTA To Propose Substantial Fare Hikes Next Year
- How Surprising, Promised Service Upgrades Get Shelved
- Fare Hikes May Be Steeper
So This Is What We Pay For
Woodlawn bound 4 train approaching the 183rd Street station. Resized photo courtesy of Eye On Transit
As I addressed in the previous entry, the MTA will most likely look to implement substantial fare hikes next year to help close the budget deficit that is nearing $900 million dollars. Now in that entry I mentioned how these fare hikes would come as we are continuing to have a decline in the amount of quality service. On Monday, the New York City Transit division of the MTA shared the results of a rise in subway delays which equaled 24% for the year ending in May. Annie Correal & Ray Rivera of the New York Times filed this report:
People who hazard the No. 4 subway line each day don’t need the numbers to tell them: It’s slow. Not just slow, it turns out, but of the city’s two dozen or so subway lines, its on-time performance is the poorest and getting worse, according to new statistics released on Monday by New York City Transit.
The figures were among a raft of dismal performance numbers included in a report to the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the transit agency. They included a 24 percent spike in the number of delays systemwide, measured over the year ending in May, the latest records available.
The indicators come as the authority is considering a second consecutive year of fare increases to help close a budget gap of nearly $900 million. Transit officials said at least some of the performance problems are tied to past budget cuts in subway car maintenance.
Click here to view their full report.
Now here are the full results of each line’s percentage of trains arriving at the terminal within 5 minutes of scheduled time:
: May 2007: 92% / May 2008: 88%
: May 2007: 80% / May 2008: 81%
: May 2007: 86% / May 2008: 88%
: May 2007: 80% / May 2008: 70%
: May 2007: 86% / May 2008: 82%
: May 2007: 92% / May 2008: 89%
: May 2007: 94% / May 2008: 90%
: May 2007: 92% / May 2008: 93%
: May 2007: 96% / May 2008: 96%
: May 2007: 96% / May 2008: 96%
: May 2007: 96% / May 2008: 96%
: May 2007: 96% / May 2008: 95%
: May 2007: 94% / May 2008: 92%
: May 2007: 98% / May 2008: 98%
/
: May 2007: 99% / May 2008: 98%
: May 2007: 95% / May 2008: 92%
: May 2007: 99% / May 2008: 99%
: May 2007: 95% / May 2008: 96%
: May 2007: 98% / May 2008: 97%
: May 2007: 95% / May 2008: 95%
: May 2007: 94% / May 2008: 95%
: May 2007: 95% / May 2008: 97%The top reason for delays is track work. One of the major reasons for delays comes from straphangers holding doors. The other reasons consisted of sick passenger, unruly customer, signal trouble, & other. However before we just assume these results are accurate, lets not forget that these results are based on reports filed by train crews. So these results are unscientific to say the least.
I find it hard to believe that “straphangers holding doors” was not the cause for a bigger percentage of delays. Lets look at the way of life in the jungle known as the NYC Subway. Many straphangers will hold doors open to squeeze into a train as if it is the last train to freedom. Nevermind the fact that they could see the lights of the next train close behind. They must be on the specific train that is too packed for someone else to fit or they legitimately missed.
Is it of any surprise that the worse line for delays is one of the big 3 on the Lexington Avenue line, more specifically the train. It is truly a sad state on that line when it was the only line to score in the 70’s for on time performance indicators or more accurately a 70!
When I saw the results, I thought of a thread on the Straphangers Campaign’s Rider Diaries forum which called some Upper East Side riders oh the Lexington Avenue line maniacs. This sentiment was shared by some due to how many of these riders purposely hold up trains in stations due to the fact they feel it is their right not to miss the train they see even if the next one is most likely only a short time away from arriving.
I must say I find it surprising that the best performing lines were ones that normally get trashed by many for their service. However I want to focus on how the IRT lines have the bottom 6 in terms of on-time performance indicators. This can not be a coincidence & according to Rider Diaries member “Jamal BK3” it isn’t. He provided a very interesting reason as to what might be causing the IRT’s poor on-time performance. After reading his post, it makes a lot of sense especially based on what some employees have mentioned to me. You can read Jamal’s post by clicking here.
I could be here all day breaking down these numbers. Either way you slice it, overall service is behind where it should be & to ask as us to pay more is downright unfair to the riding public. Lets see if our elected officials will take notice as it will take more than vocal opposition from major leaders (I will get to that in the next entry) to fix this.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Subway Delays Up 44%
- J & Z = Subpar
- LIRR Fell Short Of January Performance Goal
- MTA NYC Transit Begins New Ad Campaign
- LIRR Commuters Campaign President Calls Out The LIRR
MTA To Propose Substantial Fare Hikes Next Year
As we all know the MTA’s finances are in serious shambles. Major construction projects have faced delays, doubts have come about as to whether some will even be finished much less started for others. We also have had the implementation of cutbacks to maintenance throughout the system. Although people could only hope that was the end of the pain, we all knew an even greater pain awaited us & that was in the form of yet another fare hike. Some might ask, weren’t we just dealing with this not too long ago?
Yes, we all were just dealing with this last year when this very blog provided wall to wall coverage of the fare hike battle. We were promised better & extra service for accepting the hikes & a promise of no more until at least 2010. We all know the extra service is in a transit place high in the sky or far below depending on who you ask. As far as better service is concerned, we have not gotten that as recent numbers show it has gotten worse. However I will address that in the next entry. Lets go straight to the New York Times’ William Neuman for the report on the possibility of substantial fare hikes next year. Here is a sample of his report:
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will propose a substantial increase in transit fares and bridge and tunnel tolls next year to help close a widening budget gap of nearly $900 million, according to an official at the authority.
Though the precise amount of the fare and toll increase has yet to be determined, the authority will seek to increase the revenue it gets from those sources by 8 percent. If approved by the authority’s board, the increase would take effect next July and would follow a toll and fare increase in March of this year.
In the more than 100-year history of the subway, the fare has gone up in consecutive years only once before, in 1980 and 1981.
On Wednesday, the authority will unveil a preliminary budget plan for 2009 that calls for the fare and toll increases and outlines other measures to balance its budget, including more than $300 million in additional financing that the authority hopes to get from the city and state.
Coming at a time when the state and city budgets face extreme financial pressure as well, those requests are likely to be resisted by elected officials.
The authority faces steadily rising costs, particularly for fuel, as well as sharply declining tax revenues due to a slowdown in the real estate market. Just six months ago, the authority predicted that its shortfall for 2009 would be slightly more than $200 million, less than a quarter of its latest projection.
The budget plan, which the authority is required to produce in July, puts new focus on a state commission created by Gov. David A. Paterson to recommend long-term solutions for the authority’s chronic financial difficulties. The panel, which is headed by Richard Ravitch, a former authority chairman, is to make a report by November. The authority must pass a new budget for next year in December.
Click here for the full report.
I have not gotten a chance to read or watch the news over the last day or so. I am pretty sure the media is reporting how the MTA is forcing riders to bear the brunt of the MTA’s financial peril. While a simple glance at the situation might lead one to believe that, I urge that the situation be looked into more deeply.
Has the MTA mismanaged money throughout its history? Yes, it has but this isn’t the main reason for the situation they are in. The MTA is not a superhero, it can’t dodge the hardships that come with a failing economy like a speeding bullet. It will face the same issues that you & I face in our lives trying to survive. However the economy is not the biggest culprit here. No, the clear culprit is your elected officials. Every time you hear them scream to the top of the mountain how the MTA brought this on themselves, you should ask when will they take responsibility for the improper funding of our transit infrastructure.
I bet they won’t like that question being asked as the truth as a way of stinging worse than a bee ever could. Lets face it, for years our elected officials on the local all the way up to the federal level have continuously dropped the ball in terms of proper funding. Throughout the build up to the inevitable fare increase that went into effect a few months ago, all you heard from elected officials was the same thing. If you need more money, just ask for it. This lip service was mainly led by Westchester County Democrat Asemblyman Richard Brodsky.
As I stated last month, it is time for elected officials such as Mr. Brodsky to live up to his promises of getting the MTA the money it needs. We heard all about how the assembly wants to work with the MTA to correct failed policies from the past. Yet from where I sit, I see the same cycle of failed policies repeating itself with the MTA being the biggest loser when all is said & done. I feel the MTA should not have to beg for funding as providing adequate funding for our transit infrastructure should be mandatory not only in the tri-state area but throughout our country.
So when you get ready to blame the MTA for yet another fare hike as if they are happy to see costs skyrocket for fuel, energy, etc… take a second & point the finger at the people who are truly responsible for this mess, your elected officials.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Gov. Spitzer Says Not So Fast…..
- Gov. Patterson Criticizes The MTA’s Plan To Raise Fares
- Cigarette Taxes To Starve Off A Fare Hike?
- Straphangers Campaign Calls Out The Government
- Fare Hike Saviors?
New Bus Service To Poughkeepsie Train Station
Yesterday the MTA’s Metro-North division issued a press release to highlight their partnership with the New York State Department of Transportation, Dutchess & Ulster Counties. The partnership has lead to the creation of a new bus service to link bus service to train service at the Poughkeepsie train station. Here are the complete details:
Ulster County residents who want to catch a train at Poughkeepsie soon will be able to take a bus to the station rather than drive over the Mid-Hudson Bridge, pay the toll and hunt for parking.
MTA Metro-North Railroad, the New York State Department of Transportation and Ulster and Dutchess counties have teamed up to create the Ulster-Poughkeepsie LINK, a shuttle service that will operate seven days a week, meeting 25 trains each weekday and 10 trains each weekend day.
“Access to Metro-North’s excellent train service should not be limited by lack of a car or a lack of a parking space,” said Metro-North President Howard Permut. “This new feeder bus service will increase access to our trains and help alleviate a severely constrained parking situation at the Poughkeepsie Station.”
“The Ulster County Legislature has recognized the increasing significance of public transportation in Ulster County,” said David Donaldson, the Chairman of the Ulster County Legislature. “With gas prices rising, we have a responsibility to assure that all modes of transportation are accessible to the residents of Ulster County and we will continue to look for cost effective and innovative ways to facilitate it.
“This service will reduce single occupancy vehicle travel within Ulster and Dutchess Counties, resulting in less fuel consumption, less traffic congestion, and reduced emissions to improve air quality in our region,” Donaldson said. “It also will increase access to Metro-North trains for commuters, students at SUNY New Paltz, senior citizens and people with disabilities who can not drive. Ulster County appreciates the support of Dutchess County, the New York State Department of Transportation Region 8 Office and Metro-North in seeing this project through.”
The service is expected to start in mid-September and will be supported by strategically located Park&Ride lots in Rosendale, New Paltz and Highland.
Poughkeepsie Station, which is the terminus of the Hudson Line 74 miles north of Grand Central Terminal, serves about 1,800 people every day of the week. On weekends, it is one of the Metro-North’s busiest stations, used by 1,800 on Saturday and 1,600 people on Sundays. Fully 25% of these people come from Ulster County. On weekends, the percentage form Ulster is even higher.
Despite the presence of 1,035 parking spaces at the station, including 538 in the garage that opened in 2002 there are 400 people on the waiting list for a parking permit.
Ridership growth at Poughkeepsie has been steady and considerable, up 63% since 1992 on weekdays and.85% on weekends during the same period. In the first six months of the year, ridership is up 7% compared to the same period last year.
This bus service, which also will serve the SUNY New Paltz campus on weekends, will be operated by Ulster County Area Transit, UCAT, under contract to NYSDOT. The service will use one new, full size, 35-seat transit bus and two 16-passenger mini-buses for off-peak periods.
The lot in Highland, which is a 15-minute ride from the station, is already in operation and has capacity for 80 or more cars. The lot in New Paltz, which is a 30-minute ride from Poughkeepsie, is under construction. The Rosendale lot, which is 45-minutes from Poughkeepsie, is being expanded. All lots will be paved, lighted and well-signed. Parking will be free with no permit required.
The one-way bus fare will be $1.25 from Highland, $1.75 from New Paltz and $2.00 from Rosendale, where the service will originate (about 10 minutes south of Kingston). For monthly customers who buy a combined bus/rail Uniticket, the bus fare will be $40, plus the applicable rail fare. (The monthly fare from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central Terminal is $367.)
Customers will be covered by the Railroad’s Guaranteed Ride Home Program, which covers the price of a cab ride from Poughkeepsie back to the Park&Ride lot for all Uniticket customers during periods when the Ulster-Poughkeepsie LINK is not operating. This makes the shuttle bus more attractive for people who occasionally may need to get home for emergencies.
The shuttle operation is funded by a $1 million federal Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality grant. The buses were purchased by Ulster County using a combination of federal, state and local money.
I think this bus service is a great idea for the residents of Ulster County. I have a number of friends who live in Ulster County & frequent the Metro-North from the Poughkeepsie station. They always complain about the drive to the station in terms of the cost of gas, tolls, & traffic. This bus service is perfect as it takes care of all 3 issues. Lets hope riders take advantage of the service.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Dutchess Co. May Join MTA Payroll Tax Lawsuit
- Metro North Makes Changes At Poughkeepsie
- Metro-North Service Update 5:18 AM
- Metro North Expands New Haven Service
- Maybe It Wasn’t So Bad After All
New Weekend Train On The Pascack Valley Line
Last fall, the Metro-North & New Jersey Transit introduced an increase in service on the Pascack Valley Line. Now comes the news that the original increase in service will be expanded. The MTA has issued a press release with all the details:
The new weekend service on the Pascack Valley Line, which began last fall after a hiatus of four decades, is being expanded beginning Sunday August 3, 2008.
MTA Metro-North Railroad is adding a new inbound train on the Pascack Valley Line that departs Spring Valley at 7:10 p.m. making limited stops in New Jersey, and arriving in Hoboken at 8:28 p.m. and at Penn Station at 8:38 p.m.
This brings the number of daily weekend trains on the Pascack Valley Line to 24, a dozen in each direction. Ridership is now 250 each weekend day and growing.
In fact, overall ridership on Metro-North’s West-of-Hudson service is up 17% during the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year, due primarily to the introduction of off-peak and weekend service on the Pascack Valley Line.
When the new timetables take effect on August 3, there will be a number of other, minor changes to both the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line schedules. New timetables are available at Hoboken Terminal, Penn Station NY, and Secaucus and customers are advised to pick up a copy to check for changes.
On weekdays, the 5:29 a.m. train from Spring Valley will have a five-minute later connection at Secaucus, and therefore will arrive in Penn Station five minutes later at 6:51 a.m. Also, the 5:28 p.m. train from Penn Station will now leave four minutes earlier at 5:24 p.m. Arrival times at Pascack Valley Line stations remain unchanged.
A number of minor schedule adjustments will be made to other Penn Station–Secaucus connections, ranging from one to three minutes earlier. See the new timetable for details.
An extra getaway train will operate on August 29, the Friday before the Labor Day holiday weekend, The train that departs Hoboken at 2:51 p.m. and Penn Station at 2:35 p.m. has been extended for this holiday and will arrive at Pearl River at 3:47 p.m.; Nanuet at 3:55 p.m.; and Spring Valley at 4:01 p.m.
On the Port Jervis Line, a number of minor schedule adjustments will be made to some Penn Station–Secaucus connections, ranging from 3 minutes earlier to 3 minutes later. See the new timetable for details.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:
