Yet another watchdog non-profit has declared a coming doomsday for the MTA. The latest numbers from the Citizens Budget Committee are so bad that there's now talk of a fare hike, as the NY Post reported.
Through the whole meltdown, the one glimmer of hope has been the $15 billion of bonding power created once congestion pricing starts in January.
Oh, about that. At a press conference yesterday, the MTA admitted that congestion pricing will be delayed at least a year (NYDN). The agency blames the Trump administration, but wethinks they doth protest too much: Our governor, Emperor Big Dog Excelsior Car Guy has not done anything to move the process ahead and clearly lacks the onions (H/T Curtis Sliwa) to take on Trump by just implementing the essential MTA funding plan anyway.
Otherwise, we're looking at a subway map without half the subways (Streetsblog).
In other news:
- The "Black Lives Matter" mural painted in front of Trump Tower has already been vandalized (to distort that old line from "Casablanca": round up the obvious suspect!) (NY Post)
- Friend of Streetsblog Josh Bell opined in the Daily News that schools should reopen — and seize the streets in front and around their buildings for social distancing.
- Restaurant workers aren't loving the outside dining thing as much as customers are. (Gothamist)
- The Daily News just can't seem to get its crash stories right, always blaming "the car" for causing damage or injuries. Here's the latest example, as New York's supposedly hometown paper writes, "A Lamborghini sparked a wild chain-reaction crash in Brooklyn early Monday that left a pedestrian on the sidewalk critically injured." How about blaming the real guilty party: the driver who was either reckless or careless? (NYDN)
- The Americans with Disabilities Act is about to mark its 30th anniversary. So it's bizarre that the LIRR is still fighting these kinds of lawsuits. (NYDN)
- And, finally, who says prayers aren't answered? Unrepentant homophobe Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr. has announced he won't run for re-election to the City Council. (NY Post)
