Dear New Yorker,
Last week, I unveiled a series of proposals for improving mass transit in New York City and ensuring that we have a modern mass transit to aid in the continued economic growth of our city.
Together, these proposals, collectively called "Fair Ride NYC", seek to cut commute times and improve and expand mass transit across the five boroughs by:
- establishing New York City control of the MTA;
- creating 10 new select bus service routes in Staten Island, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens;
- instituting mayoral control of the MTA Board;
- using public transportation to fuel new development; and
- extending Metro-North and ferry service in the City.
Our transit system has always been among the best in the nation. It's part of what has kept us a global leader over the last 100 years. But it hasn't kept pace with our ever-changing city.
Working together we can build a better, more efficient system – one that serves every New Yorker in every borough so that no one has to spend more than an hour commuting between boroughs.
Doing this won't be cheap. However, the payoff in terms of jobs, economic activity and improved service would be enormous.
You can read more about these proposals on the New York City Council's website at http://www.council.nyc.gov/html/pr/041113transpo.shtml.
Thanks in advance for letting me share these ideas with you. I look forward to working with you to help make our "Fair Ride NYC" plan a reality.
Sincerely,
Christine C. Quinn
Speaker
NYC Council