NY1
12/20/2008 11:05 AM
2008 In Review: Financial Problems Cause MTA To Hike Fares, Reduce Service
By: Bobby Cuza
With the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in financial meltdown, the agency was forced this year to scale back projects and raise fares. NY1's Bobby Cuza filed the following report on the year in transit.
The year in transit got off to a bad start in January, when the MTA says it can no longer afford to build the Fulton Street Transit Center as designed.
"I am sad to say that we cannot build the transit center, as currently envisioned, in this market, with the budget that we have," said MTA Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Elliot "Lee" Sander.
In March, the MTA raised the price of unlimited MetroCards and reduced the pay-per-ride discount. To soften the blow, Sander promised a number of service improvements, only to cancel them later, due to the MTA's growing financial crisis.
In another plan gone awry, the MTA selects Tishman Speyer to develop its West Side Rail Yards, only to see the billion-dollar deal fall apart, though developer Stephen Ross later agrees to the same plan.
In April, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan failed, as the state Legislature refused to put it to a vote. In response, the governor formed a commission headed by former MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch to come up with alternative funding ideas.
A month later, MTA board members came under fire for their free use of the system, including free E-ZPass tags. The perk was discontinued after the state attorney general called the practice illegal.
"If the board votes to continue the usage, my position is, they'll leave me no recourse but to commence litigation," said State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
The summer kicked off with the agency saying it would have to raise fares again in 2009. The MTA asked the city for more funding -- to no avail.
"There certainly is not going to be more money coming from the city," said the mayor. "We don't have it."
As a result, in November the MTA proposed an even bigger hike of 23 percent plus massive service cuts, including eliminating the W and Z subway lines. The board approved the plan, but said it can be averted, if Albany acts on the recommendations of the Ravitch Commission, like East River tolls and a new payroll tax.
"Please, Albany, Washington, come to our help," said MTA Chairman Dale Hemmerdinger.
Meanwhile, 2008 was also the year the Port Authority scaled back the planned World Trade Center transit hub.
On the buses, transit officials said they will try installing driver partitions following the stabbing death of Edwin Thomas.
Transit also brought back an old concept: the double-decker bus -- and tried out a new experimental service on the BX12 that requires riders to pay at the curb, speeding up the boarding process.
Other transit innovations in 2008 include: elevated sidewalk grates to prevent subway flooding; a partnership with Google Transit to provide door-to-door subway directions; screens that show riders the location of every train on their line; new advertising concepts, including fully-wrapped subway cars and turnstile ads; a new email and text message alert system; and a plan to try seatless subway cars in 2009 to increase capacity.
If that's not something to look forward to in the New Year, how about this: the new South Ferry station is set to open in a few weeks.
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