NRDC Rallying with Elected Officials, Labor, and Advocates to Preserve MTA Service

Tomorrow morning, I’ll be joining NYC Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio, NYC Council Transportation Chair James Vacca, Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen, DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts, NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign Senior Attorney Gene Russianoff and large contingent of NYC and NYS elected officials to rally against the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s decision to halt service on key subway and bus lines throughout the city.

It’s at 8:30 a.m. at the Broad Street Station (that’s the J, M and Z lines for those without easy access to MTA subway maps).  Hope to see you there.

In December, the MTA announced a wide swath of service cuts that include an end to student transit passes for more than a half-million kids, plus a long list of subway and bus cuts throughout the city.   The MTA estimates that this will save about $100 million.

It doesn’t have to be this hard.   Under last year’s federal stimulus bill, transit systems around the country can use up to 10 percent of their federal capital funds to ease the sharp drops in their operating budgets that are due to the declining economy.   At least six of the nation’s ten largest transit fleets have taken advantage of this opportunity to keep their trains and buses running, including Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.

If the MTA followed their lead, it would have the funds to avoid the proposed cuts.

Some say this isn’t a long-term answer and that we need to keep investing in the infrastructure of the system to prepare for future generations of riders—and I agree.  But these are unique times—and workers and students need to get to their jobs and schools now.  That’s why President Obama and Congress agreed that it was necessary to enable transit fleets to use these funds to maintain service and transit-oriented jobs during this economically difficult time.   

Ahhh, but this just came in:  the Daily News reported this afternoon that the MTA is facing a $400 million gap in its finances this year – even after it implements the cuts announced in December.  That’s because planned revenue from a new payroll tax has dropped further than the state’s budget office had predicted.

So this is going to get harder before it gets easier.

If New York's leaders are serious about increasing mobility, reducing congestion, and cutting pollution to create a more environmentally sustainable city, they - and we - need to find ways to preserve - and improve - transit service, not cut it. 

Here are three steps that should be supported:

First, the MTA should take advantage of available stimulus funds to help avoid drastic service cuts this year.

Second, the State and City should pay a fairer share of the costs of moving 585,000 kids with discounted student MetroCards.  

And third, we should all work together towards a new jobs bill in Washington that would provide more federal funds to underwrite transit operation.