In a few weeks, the MTA will host a series of public hearings on a proposal to raise fares by approximately 7.5 percent, and then a few weeks after that, New Yorkers will go to the polls at Election Day to send a bunch of unqualified and largely inept legislators back to Albany. As the vote and the fare hike draw ever closer, one topic not on the lips of politicians this year is a funding solution to the MTA’s woes. While congestion pricing or bridge tolls remain untapped, the only solutions Albany can offer involve service cuts, fare hikes or more borrowing, quite destructive in the long-term. The MTA’s funding crisis so no signs of abating.
Today in the Albany Times Union, John Petro of the Drum Major Institute takes Albany to task for neglecting its duties to public transit in and around the New York City area. “State lawmakers,” he says, “must craft a long-term plan for taming the debt they let grow out of control and for maximizing new sources of transit funding without overburdening average taxpayers or the riding public.” The only problem with this seemingly simple mandate is that state lawmakers have buried their heads in the sand and have taken dedicated funds away from the MTA at the time of greatest need.
In his piece, Petro urges the media to push hard on Andrew Cuomo’s non-stance on the MTA. In his campaign literature so far, Cuomo has barely paid heed to the MTA’s problems and has instead hinted that he might rollback the payroll tax, a source of $1.4 billion in annual revenue for public transit. Petro also urges New York’s representatives in Washington to secure more funding for operations assistance. As he says, “Our public transit system is an irreplaceable asset and an invaluable part of the nation’s infrastructure that should be protected. Leaders in state government better start treating it that way.” I hope someone is listening.
As the MTA gears up to host