BP MARKOWITZ STATEMENT ON MTA APPROVAL OF CUTS TO SERVICE AND STUDENT DISCOUNTS
Today's vote by the MTA to eliminate or scale back subway and bus service, Access-A-Ride and discounted student fares is unconscionable, and couldn't come at a worse time for New Yorkers not only struggling to keep their jobs, but who will soon have fewer commuting choices to get to and from the workplace. These "punitive" measures fail to equitably spread the burden of funding public transit throughout the entire MTA region. In Brooklyn, the elimination of Z subway service (forcing the J line to run local), the closing of the Lawrence Street Station overnights along the R line, changes to the G and M lines in Brooklyn and Queens, drastic reductions in regular bus service--including the elimination of weekday service on the B23, B25, B37, B39, B51 and B75, as well as weekend service on the B7, B14, B31, B45, B48, B57, B64, B65, B67 and B77--and reductions in Access-A-Ride will add up to a disproportionate burden for Brooklynites, including students and their parents, as well as our seniors with no other way of getting around.
There are several possible solutions on the table--including a plan supported by Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign to allocate MTA capital money and stimulus funds to close the budget gap. But we must be careful using capital doesn't set a precedent and allow the system to fall into a state of disrepair as it did in the 70s and 80s. I am once again calling on the MTA to adopt equitable funding solutions across the 12-county MTA district. As I suggested during previous rounds of MTA budget talks, let's consider a modest gasoline tax on drivers in the MTA district; an extension of the auto registration surcharge in New York City to the entire MTA region; increased car registration fees tied to vehicle size and weight; the dedication of a lottery to raise proceeds for mass transit; internal MTA budget cuts and the consolidation of the agency's holdings and lease properties, such as 370 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn; and the restoration of the commuter tax.
I remain hopeful that Governor Paterson, the legislature and the MTA will find ways to restore student discounts and identify funding solutions that will reduce the severity of service cutbacks while ensuring that everyone who uses the public transportation system contributes to its short-term and long-term sustainability. It's clear that we must act quickly and decisively to keep the MTA solvent and our City moving, but let's not run the same train down the same track by shifting the responsibility to our hard-working New Yorkers, students and seniors.