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Like the B61 bus doesn't suck enough already...
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Subject: Not the MTA...
I'm no defender of the MTA, but this time around it was the State Senate's fault. Blame Sens. Smith, Kruger, Parker, Diaz Sr. and others that refused to act. All because they wanted to protect the 4% of drivers who would have to pay $2 to enter the city like everyone else. -
Well I drive into the city early Saturday mornings to take my kids to class and I also happen to be a five-day a week train rider. I think tolls on the east river bridges are unconscionable, especially when the MTA is not planning on spending the funds on increasing capacity (which is pretty much tapped out) in Brooklyn, but instead will be spending it on things like the 2nd Ave subway and the extension of the 7 line. Forgive me if I'd like my $s to make my commute easier rather than to make sure that the guy who lives on 68th and 1st can avoid having to walk to Lexington each morning to get on the train. The MTA spent much of the last ten years playing the market, engaging in elaborate hedges that are now underwater and they find themselves owing their counterparties. They determined that they could continue to support escalating debt service based upon fairbox $s supported by increasing State spending and escalating tax revenues. Market downturns? Slowdown? Banks said it would never happen. We're all being forced to pay for that folly, and neither the MTA nor their banks seem to be taking any responsibility for any of this. So forgive me if I don't think that the holdouts were wrong. The MTA was always going to screw folks one way or another. They've managed to keep us all sniping at one another instead of looking at WHY they are in the situation they are in. Maybe now folks will start to demand a little more transparency in the MTA books and record-keeping.
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Well, it looks like I'll be purchasing that bike I've been procrastinating on buying this Spring. According to the MTA's new monthly subway fare ticket, I'm sure the bike will pay for itself in just under two months. Now I'll just be waiting for the city to start imposing fares on bikers....under the sheets.
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[quote="homeowner"]Well I drive into the city early Saturday mornings to take my kids to class and I also happen to be a five-day a week train rider. I think tolls on the east river bridges are unconscionable, especially when the MTA is not planning on spending the funds on increasing capacity (which is pretty much tapped out) in Brooklyn, but instead will be spending it on things like the 2nd Ave subway and the extension of the 7 line. Forgive me if I'd like my $s to make my commute easier rather than to make sure that the guy who lives on 68th and 1st can avoid having to walk to Lexington each morning to get on the train. Seems like it could have been a bit fairer though. Why can't they toll the bridges and make people who drive into the city on a daily basis pay the toll? When I leave Brooklyn in the car, it's probably only once a month. I don't feel that it's right that I should have to pay a toll just to leave, especially when I don't use the car to commute to work! Seems like EZ Pass could have tracked people's usage of the bridges and we all could have split the difference between subway and bridge tolls. Also, let’s not forget that we only pay half the ticket of the actual cost for us to ride the train (according to the mta). The European subways are WAY more $.Loving PH since '98!
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kick rocks!!!! » The European subways are WAY more $.
Yeah, I can't imagine the expensive hell NY subways would be like if they had a zone system like they do in London. -
homeowner » Well I drive into the city early Saturday mornings to take my kids to class and I also happen to be a five-day a week train rider. I think tolls on the east river bridges are unconscionable, especially when the MTA is not planning on spending the funds on increasing capacity (which is pretty much tapped out) in Brooklyn, but instead will be spending it on things like the 2nd Ave subway and the extension of the 7 line. Forgive me if I'd like my $s to make my commute easier rather than to make sure that the guy who lives on 68th and 1st can avoid having to walk to Lexington each morning to get on the train.
I don't see how asking transit riders to pay 25% more in fares is more conscionable than asking drivers to pay into a system that they benefit from as well, especially since, on average drivers make more than twice as much as transit riders. Why is it conscionable to ask drivers to pay to enter from the Midtown tunnel and other crossings? Are the ERB special? I don't follow your reasoning. -
homeowner » Well I drive into the city early Saturday mornings to take my kids to class and I also happen to be a five-day a week train rider. I think tolls on the east river bridges are unconscionable, especially when the MTA is not planning on spending the funds on increasing capacity (which is pretty much tapped out) in Brooklyn, but instead will be spending it on things like the 2nd Ave subway and the extension of the 7 line. Forgive me if I'd like my $s to make my commute easier rather than to make sure that the guy who lives on 68th and 1st can avoid having to walk to Lexington each morning to get on the train. The MTA spent much of the last ten years playing the market, engaging in elaborate hedges that are now underwater and they find themselves owing their counterparties. They determined that they could continue to support escalating debt service based upon fairbox $s supported by increasing State spending and escalating tax revenues. Market downturns? Slowdown? Banks said it would never happen. We're all being forced to pay for that folly, and neither the MTA nor their banks seem to be taking any responsibility for any of this.
The MTA isn't paying anything for the 7 extension, the city is funding it. The 2nd Ave subway is mostly getting federal funding which cannot be legally spent on anything else. Toll revenues would not be spent on new construction, they would be for operating and maintaining the existing system. The MTA was forced by the Pataki administration to borrow to fund the capital program (prior capital programs were funded by bonds issued by the state and by direct appropriations). There were plenty of warnings at the time that it would lead to a $5 fare. Plenty of people were saying the real estate bubble would burst, no one wanted to listen. -
Well, European subways (Spain and Belgium, at least) are WAY cheaper and cleaner. At least you will not find rats, litter and other disgusting stuff. If I'm going to pay $103 I would like for them to clean it up from time to time. Agrrrr...MTA, what a nerve you have!!!! Reduce you CEOs salaries and bonuses and don't make us pay for you poor investment management!!
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CRISTINA » Well, European subways (Spain and Belgium, at least) are WAY cheaper and cleaner. At least you will not find rats, litter and other disgusting stuff. If I'm going to pay $103 I would like for them to clean it up from time to time. Agrrrr...MTA, what a nerve you have!!!! Reduce you CEOs salaries and bonuses and don't make us pay for you poor investment management!!
European subways don't cover nearly as much ground, and generally don't run 24 hours. The MTA has its problems, but I wouldn't trade our subways for any other subway system in the world. -
I too do not see why the East River Crossings are sacrosanct. If we can pay for the Tri-Boro Bridge, why can't we pay to cross the East River? The real bottleneck is not Saturdays and Sundays in any case, but weekdays. Using the Easy Pass system, tolls could be varied depending on when you crossed the river. Peak travel times should be charged at higher rates than off peak and weekends. So the folks who like to take the occasional trip to Manhattan on Saturday or Sunday when traffic is light and parking (relatively) plentiful, would pay a much lower toll or no toll at all. It's the folks who insist on jamming the bridges and tunnels at peak hours on Monday because they like sitting in their air conditioned SUV's that are the problem. And it's the State Senators who support this insignificant minority of their constitutuents over the interests of the majority that are ultimately responsible for the higher tolls. The 5% who drive needlessly scream like stuck pigs to the electeds, while the 50% who commute quietly curse the MTA. As ol' Abe said, you can fool some of the people all of the time........... Eventually the troglydite senators will get with the program, or get shown the do by the voters. Speaking of Albany, did anyone read the Daily News today? If not, here's what the News had to say about the madhouse in our state capital: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/state_of_shame/2009/03/29/2009-03-29_the_dysfunctional_government_in_albany_y.html
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