Last night’s fare hike hearing in Monday was hardly the raucous affair I had anticipated. As Michael Grynbaum noted, “empty seats outnumbered the audience,” and those who stood up to voice their views were more subdued than normal. The public’s outrage, misdirected as it is, can last only so long. Still, MTA CEO and Chairman Jay Walder’s statements prior to the open-mic session spoke volumes about Albany and its approach to transit.
“I don’t think that’s really the choice we have right now,” Walder said. “We’re dealing with a financial situation that I believe is going to require a fare increase.” He later clarified this view, noting that Albany is “well aware of the [MTA’s] financial difficulties” and has refused to act. Outside the Cooper Union, the Straphangers Campaign had called upon the state legislature to renew a debate over congestion pricing or East River bridge tolls. Those pleas will fall upon deaf ears.
For frequent readers of SAS, the theme of Albany inaction is not a new one. The state has simply given up, and so too have its people. They won’t protest; they won’t vote; they’ll just keep paying more and more. We need the subways more than politicians realize. Will they only notice when they’re nearly gone?
13 comments
Time to split the state in two, then we can keep the outrageously high tax money we pay in for the people that actually pay it out. Anyone else agree?
Making New York City a city-state isn’t the craziest idea in theory, but it would seem almost impossible to pull off in practice. Imagine the red tape!
I’ve been saying that for the longest time. Time to drop the dead weight outside the MTA region & see if they sink or swim. I’m betting on the former.
Sean- You are exactly right. They some real conservatives in this disgusting body in Albany. The left and the RINO’s never get anything done except spend, spend, spend on pork. This will never change. As i walked past polling places today i laughed at the idea that people continue to go in and elect these clueless clowns. Sadly, if you live in NYC and NY State that will never change..
Sorry- I meant they NEED some real conservatives…didnt proofread that..
Sorry- I meant they NEED some real conservatives. You lost me on that last remark. Do you mean more of the Glen Beck PARANOID types? The Sarah Palen I can see Rusha sertifiable nut? or the sociopathicRush Limbaugh. That’s enough to revive the Psycho therapy industry & really lower unemployment.
Why not? If New York gets some real conservatives, it will stop being so wretched and start prospering, just like Alabama.
The last time real conservatives were in charge of the MTA, they starved it for funds and forced it take on billions of dollars in debt. That’s not what the agency needs at all right now.
Here here! At the very least get a little more autonomy. Why should Albany be able to tell us we can’t use cameras to enforce bus-only lanes?
NYC isn’t any better. They are not only starving the MTA of funding, but they are also interfering with efforts to replace those buses. Walder has to start kicking over sacred cows for the MTA to survive. He knows that when the MTA initiates the fare increase, Albany is going to immeduiately take a large chunk of the proceeds.
The MTA needs a thorough restructuring, reengineering and complete rethink, top to bottom. The agency as it stands today exists for 2 reasons: (i) provide a dumping ground for political hacks, and (ii) ensure over employment. Providing transport is the smokescreen.
Real conservatives like Carl “send the poor to prison for job and hygene training while I send racist emails” Paladino? Good luck on running a state with that tea party hack. Fortunately I don’t think that’ll happen.
But cutting loose the areas beyond MTA s service area would make both successor states more governable.
Seriously, I’m not sure either half is governable without reform. We might as well try to fix the state government we have. A start would be cleaning up the State Senate; if we could eliminate the Republicans and Espada types (yay, he’s gone) from power there, the old “No, it’s his fault” game from Silver and Bruno would be over for good and we might get some traction on reform.