A majority of New Yorkers say their commutes are worse today than they were back in 2009, according to a survey released today by Transportation Alternatives. In a survey that relied upon voters to send a text message with their choice, 61 percent of bus and subway riders say their commutes are worse while 26 percent say their rides are the same and 13 percent say things have gotten better. A total of 684 New Yorkers contributed their views to the survey.
“This survey confirms what every bus and subway rider in this city knows,” Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, said. “After years of declining transit funding from Albany and the resulting service cuts, our commutes have gotten worse. From higher fares to longer wait times to overcrowded trains, transit riders have seen the quality of their commutes drop precipitously over the last three years.”
As we know, over the past few years, Albany has reappropriated hundreds of millions of dollars that should have gone to the MTA, and as a result, the authority was forced to raise fares in three consecutive years and to cut 36 bus routes and 570 bus stops. It’s little wonder that commuters are finding commutes worse with less frequent service and more crowded trains the norm. “Beyond the frustration of a longer commute and higher fares, these results should be a wakeup call to our leaders in State Government,” White said. “They can fund transit and make a positive impact on millions of people, or they can continue to defund the system and contribute to their struggle. The livelihood of every New Yorker and the economic fate of this region depend on a well-funded public transit system.”
(42nd Street Shuttle)