Hemmerdinger mum on possible ’08 fare hike

It’s all Hemmerdinger, all the time, this week at Second Ave. Sagas. After news about his appointment and news about cranky GOP leaders, we’ve got news about everyone’s favorite MTA topic: the possible 2008 fare hike.

Hemmerdinger, not yet officially the new MTA chair, hasn’t taken a stand on the potential fare hike looming on the horizon. To this, I say, “Duh.” Hemmerdinger isn’t going to give state legislators any reason to block his nomination; why would he make himself the least popular man at the MTA before his first day on the job? He also won’t lie and say that a fare hike is avoidable when it seems clear one is heading our way.

The Daily News has more:

Dale Hemmerdinger, the head of Atco Properties and Management, an international real estate company, said he’d have to delve further into Metropolitan Transportation Authority matters – and be confirmed by the state Senate – before he could offer an opinion on whether an increase is warranted.

The fare is only part of the equation, he said. Government subsidies pay for much of transit operations. “In terms of whether it’s fair or not, the idea is to keep it as affordable as possible, and that’s determined by how much in subsidies there is coming in…,” he said.

Hemmerdinger’s recent experience with transit policy suggests that he will be in favor of a fare hike in the near future. Last year, he was head of the MTA’s Citizen’s Budget Commission, an external audit group that urged the MTA to raise fares in order to meet its operating budget.

For me, the issue of a fare boils down to one point: If the MTA raises the fares, then they should be willing to provide better service. They should provide more trains an express options when tracks are available. They should make sure the money is pumped back into the system in a way that benefits riders.

While Hemmerdinger for now has to politick his way to the MTA chair position, when his job is more secure, I would expect a fare hike. Maybe that fare hike won’t be a bad thing either.