From the Daily News:Facing a massive budget crisis, the cash-squeezed MTA is moving to implement sweeping service cuts - again - including shutting down dozens of bus routes.
Two subway lines also would be wiped off the map and four stations would be shuttered overnight under the plan expected to go before a Metropolitan Transportation Authority committee on Monday.
If it sounds familiar, it is. The lineup is the same roster of reductions threatened earlier this year when the MTA was lobbying for a state bailout. The cuts never happened.
But in recent weeks the MTA has been rocked by bad news. The state - struggling with its own budget mess - slashed transit funding by $143 million. And cash from state payroll taxes is coming in about $200 million short of what the state had planned for mass transit.
Even with 2010 service cuts, the MTA will have to find other ways to plug the sudden budget gap, sources said.
25 comments:
are these Ws going to be replaced by Ns ?.........business as usual and for whatever reason,there are no demands for the mta to produce all sets of books and make an accounting for all the fare revenue.
That would really suck because I tend to take that train from time to time, and it takes long enough already, but what about the people in Astoria who rely on it?
They are losing money because we are all out of work and fruitlessly sending our resumes out via computer.
No jobs, no commuters.
I know Crappy commenters will disagree, but this why we need tolls on the East River bridges. It's time for drivers to pay their fair share.
Hey, I read the community activists in Astoria had a rally in Norword Gardens featuring the guest celebrity (roll of drums please) Pe-ta Va-loone!!!
Yes, dear breathern in Bayside, you might have run his brother out of town (who, we assure you, will be back) but in that part of the borough the Vallones are .... Community Activists Fighing Developers!!
No, that is not the opinion of the Taminent Club or the Western Queens Gazette or the Community Board One talking, but the ... (roll of drums please) community activists!!!
[Memorable quote from the rally: "We are behind you 1000% Peter!]
Oh, did someone say the subway service would be cut by half? Thank God they are "downzoning"!
(yes dear reader, most of them are so clueless they don't even see the irony in this post)
http://www.qgazette.com/news/2009-11-25/Features/Norwood_Gardens_Residents_Push_For_New_Zoning_Plan.html
The Q would replace the W.
Why are drivers expected to pay their fair share, but not developers like Bruce Ratner, who originally won a bid to build Atlantic Yards at $50M, when a competitors' bid was $100M and the property appraised at $150M?
The Q will replace the W .... for this year until the next round of cuts.
Remember, the Broadway line, already one of the most crowded, serves God's country (read the Ditmars area) and will get only 2/3 the service as the population doubles in the next decade.
Good point about the tolls. Crapper knee-jerks against it, and now you see the results- reduced service for public transportation.
The people who use the bridges should pay toward them.
Also, unions are killing this city and state.
How would a plan that counts on people driving less make money for mass transit? More money would be required to set it up than would be raked in.
You folks are very simplistic in your thinking.
The whole "two sets of books" thing was a lie invented by Alan Hevesi to make himself look good. This lie was also propagated by our friend John Liu when he was running for comptroller. The "two books" claim was found to be untrue in 2003, but politicians still use it to make the MTA a scapegoat for their inaction. Every time I see someone post "why don't they produce all sets of books?", I just want them to know that they're being manipulated by sleazy politicians.
I know well that the MTA itself is far from perfect, but the true origin of the problem lies in Albany and in City Hall. Our "Green Mayor" has slashed the city's contribution to the MTA and the "bailout" passed in Albany a couple of months ago does nothing to address the long term financial problems of the agency. Instead of solutions we get posturing from our elected officials and no one seems to mind. If you want to hold the MTA accountable, you can start by holding Albany accountable.
Bridge tolls = bike lanes = aggressive parking tickets.
all connected - think about it...
Anonymous said...
The whole "two sets of books" thing was a lie invented by Alan Hevesi to make himself look good. This lie was also propagated by our friend John Liu when he was running for comptroller. The "two books" claim was found to be untrue in 2003, but politicians still use it to make the MTA a scapegoat for their inaction. Every time I see someone post "why don't they produce all sets of books?", I just want them to know that they're being manipulated by sleazy politicians.
I know well that the MTA itself is far from perfect, but the true origin of the problem lies in Albany and in City Hall. Our "Green Mayor" has slashed the city's contribution to the MTA and the "bailout" passed in Albany a couple of months ago does nothing to address the long term financial problems of the agency. Instead of solutions we get posturing from our elected officials and no one seems to mind. If you want to hold the MTA accountable, you can start by holding Albany accountable.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
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Exactly correct.
Now we have public authorities reform and we won't have closed door sweetheart deals like the one they made with Ratner where they lost money.
I say we should do a commuter tax. Alot of people come into our city to work. They should pay their fair share too.
- They are losing money because we are all out of work and fruitlessly sending our resumes out via computer.
- No jobs, no commuters.
NO JOBS - NO COMMUTERS BECAUSE THE 500,000 BRAINLESS YUPPIES THAT DID NOT GROW UP HERE WHO ALL VOTED FOR CEO BLOOMBERG AGAIN. DO YOU THINK HE IS HERE TO HELP YOU OR HIS BILLIONAIRE PALS?
Time to sell the Volvo's and head back to Connecticut!
There we go again: prepare for another fare hike in 2010.
Yeah! Bring back the commuter tax.
And now the latest, they want to take away the student metro card. Come on, are you kidding me?
The MTA is so mis managed. They need a complete overhaul.
The W ?
I been living in NYC all my life never heard of it.
Was this W train one of the citys recent "improvements"
I wonder what happens when out of work parents can't afford the train fare to send their children to school. No one walks there anymore, they're sent all over the place today.
Everyone criticizes the MTA, Con Ed, Port Authority, Albany, Washington.
The problem is City Council and the developers.
They are the root of most of our city's problems.
East River bridge tolls are absolutely not needed. It is absurd how much it costs to drive around the city. It should not cost me $10-12 in round trip tolls to go visit my family on the other side of the RFK bridge. No other city charges its people so much to get around. They argue that we should use transit instead of driving, but transit just sucks for getting from certain points A to certain points B. It takes an insanely long time to get from certain parts of Queens to certain parts of the Bronx using transit, that would take 5-15 minutes by car.
"The people who use the bridges should pay toward them."
Are you serious? We are ALL paying for the bridges in taxes anyway.
Its Triboro, f*ck hacks naming it 'RFK'
Just the first in the long line of faults from Albany not paying the small percent they should. Yes developers do not deserve tax breaks or zilch but ask yourself if any European country with subway and train systems which is many countries have any of the same embarrassment as NYC and its dirty uncared for system as this one city in America.
Yes its the Triboro, not the RFK which is another waste of money for a name.
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