Transit Funding
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Without Big Toll Hikes, Cuomo’s Tappan Zee Puts Transit Riders at Risk
Andrew Cuomo's Tappan Zee Bridge does next to nothing for transit riders; the governor is unwilling to spend even $150 million on incremental transit improvements, much less put in the work to design a full transit corridor. But could it also hurt the existing transit system? If Cuomo isn't willing to make drivers pay the full cost of the bridge, it could. Every dollar for the Tappan Zee that doesn't come from tolls is a dollar that Albany won't give the MTA.
July 24, 2012
MTA Partially Restores Transit Service and Adds Some New Bus Routes
The MTA is starting to repair some of the damage done by 2010's devastating round of service cuts. The transit agency has announced a new set of transit service improvements worth $29 million a year, making up roughly a third of what was cut in 2010. Riders will also get a two-month reprieve from next year's planned fare hike, with the higher prices now set to kick in on March 1.
July 19, 2012
Transpo Bill Preserves Transit Funding, Wastes Opportunities For Progress
In H.R.7 -- the transpo bill so backwards even the House couldn’t pass it -- the roads-only crowd threw transit riders under the bus, as it were, eliminating dedicated funding for transit, which was left to fend for itself off scraps from the general fund.
June 28, 2012
This Time, Lockbox Bill Falls Short in Legislature, Leaving Riders at Risk
A bill that would protect dedicated transit funds from being stolen by Albany failed to pass the legislature this year, leaving riders upstate and downstate at continued risk of further service cuts at the hands of the state budget process. Since 2009, Albany has taken away $260 million in funds promised to the MTA, and more to upstate transit agencies, contributing to major service cuts across the state.
June 22, 2012
Rising or Falling, Volatile Gas Prices Underscore Importance of Transit
When gas prices go up, it can be a big motivator for people to start taking transit more frequently. But according to a study released by the American Public Transportation Association and Building America's Future [PDF], even when gas prices start to go down, the newly converted keep riding transit.
May 16, 2012
On MTA Board, David Paterson Could Be a Force for Transit Funding
As first reported by the Daily News this morning, Governor Andrew Cuomo has nominated former Governor David Paterson to serve as the newest member of the MTA board.
April 23, 2012
Stringer: MTA Funding Would Be a Top Priority as Mayor
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer made the state of New York City's transit system one of his top policy issues in the run-up to next year's local elections, saying in a speech this morning that finding new revenues for transit would be his top priority in Albany if elected mayor.
April 17, 2012
Elmhurst Reps Want LIRR Station Reopened and New Revenues to Pay For It
Elmhurst's elected officials voiced support for transit investment at a town hall hosted by Congressman Joe Crowley and Council Member Daniel Dromm last night.
April 12, 2012
Talking Transit Funding With Construction Honcho Denise Richardson
Transportation infrastructure is big business. With tens of billions of dollars at stake, nobody tracks the financial health of the state's transit and road systems more closely than the construction industry. And right now, the future of transportation funding in New York is hazy indeed.
April 5, 2012
Are Council Members Ready to Pay for Their MTA Wish List?
The New York City Council doesn't like the MTA's budget. And really, who would? Fares and tolls are scheduled to rise in 2013 and again in 2015, bus lines cut in 2010 aren't scheduled to ever come back, and the MTA is assuming net zero increases for transit worker compensation. It's a product of worldwide financial crisis and Albany fiscal skullduggery, and it isn't pretty.
March 6, 2012