There’s no doubt, as I wrote two months ago, that the fare hike is a regressive tax that hits lower class people the hardest. Even a $3-$5 raise in the cost of a 30-day monthly is problematic for many people who rely on the subways.

I agree with you that congestion pricing revenue should be used to fund mass transit. That being said, it will take at least a year after congestion pricing is implemented for the money to start flowing to the MTA. The city first has to cover the initial costs of installing a complex monitoring system for the congestion pricing.

I agree with you that the MTA needs funding from the city and state, and I’m all on board for residential parking permits throughout the city. Why should people get to park for just a few dollars in hour in spots that could be churning out some serious revenue for the city?

But right now, the MTA needs a solution quickly to address rapidly growing budget deficits, and until Spitzer or someone else steps in with a plan that’s ready to go, the fare hike is the only act-now plan. I don’t like that this is our reality, but I have no choice but to support until something better that can be implemented right away is on the table.

Those who take taxis and black cars and drive all benefit from the mass transit system, which keeps untold thousands of lower income people off the streets, which is one reason I support congestion pricing.

But the way we need to fix the funding problem is with higher funding from the city and the state. A dedicated funding stream from some form of congestion pricing, ranging from the Bloomberg plan to the Ketcham plan, is also necessary. Adding in residential parking permits for adjacent neighborhoods would provide another income stream (permits and violations) for transit funding.

But at it’s most basic, we have had a major policy failure that has been allowed to fester for years, and balancing the books on the backs of transit riders is the worst possible solution (other than bankrupting the MTA).