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The MTA passed it's budget today with fares going up, and worst of all, service cuts. Public transportation is New York City. Cutting that will lead to short term savings, but a much bigger long term loss, as people get fed up and leave.
I am providing a link to a video I did (you are welcome to check out others as well) to get alot of you motivated to do something. I've called and written the MTA, my state reps, and the governor. I will be taking it to the next step and voicing my concerns IN PERSON to each and every one of them.
We need to demand that they do something about the MTA Exec's bloated salaries, as well as their own. We also need to tell them simply...NO RAVITCH PLAN...NO VOTE.
So if plain text wont bring the emotions out of NY'ers, maybe a face to face talk will. GET INVOLVED AND SAVE YOUR CITY!
I'm thinking the same thing regarding the salaries, I'm sure they can survive on half of their salaries.
Exactly who do you mean by "they?" Would it please you if someone suggested that you live on half of what you're currently making? (Of course, if you're talking about the MTA Board, which meets a staggering total of one time each year, and whose members pull in $500,000--no knowledge of urban mass transit necessary--then a little belt tightening is a good thing. In fact, a little elimination of Board members isn't a bad idea, either).
Exactly who do you mean by "they?" Would it please you if someone suggested that you live on half of what you're currently making? (Of course, if you're talking about the MTA Board, which meets a staggering total of one time each year, and whose members pull in $500,000--no knowledge of urban mass transit necessary--then a little belt tightening is a good thing. In fact, a little elimination of Board members isn't a bad idea, either).
That's exactly who I met (the board members). Sorry for the lack of clarification on that.
The MTA passed it's budget today with fares going up, and worst of all, service cuts. Public transportation is New York City. Cutting that will lead to short term savings, but a much bigger long term loss, as people get fed up and leave.
I am providing a link to a video I did (you are welcome to check out others as well) to get alot of you motivated to do something. I've called and written the MTA, my state reps, and the governor. I will be taking it to the next step and voicing my concerns IN PERSON to each and every one of them.
We need to demand that they do something about the MTA Exec's bloated salaries, as well as their own. We also need to tell them simply...NO RAVITCH PLAN...NO VOTE.
So if plain text wont bring the emotions out of NY'ers, maybe a face to face talk will. GET INVOLVED AND SAVE YOUR CITY!
I see,
so you want only taxes on Gas, they already have tax gasoline, and put more tolls up becuase you dont have a car.
but you dont want them to tax anything that has to do with you.
If you buy use the subway dont tax me, if you buy stuff dont tax me, only tax other people but not me.
Is that your plan?
I think the fares should be raised...what exactly is the big deal here? At present the monthly UNLIMITED card is $80...that is a huge giveaway....so increasing it to $102 is still CHEAP for unlimited transportation 24/7/30. I would ALSO like to see tolls on the bridges as this is the ONLY way that people will STOP driving into the city and clogging the streets! In NYC, unless you slap people with fees they don't change....the city was swallowed up by filthy streets UNTIL the city started fining owners for not cleaning in front of their homes (why weren't they doing this before)..and now everyone is out and about sweeping! Same goes for recycling...and every other quality of life improvement the city has passed..it has only been successful because there was a fine behind it. So they will be tolling bridges to alleviate traffic...about time. I would prefer NOT having additional taxes, and would prefer cutting the fat, but I still believe the fare should go up...$3 a ride, and $125 for an unlimited Metro card sounds about right.
SoBro, you're absolutely right. It's really only a question of perception.
In 1953, the subway fare went from five cents--where it had been standardized since the late 1880s--to ten. The screaming and yelling was unbelievable. But, check it out, the world didn't come to an end. Now the fare is $2.00 and another increase is inevitable...and once again, the doomsday prophets are out in full force. But for convenience, you simply cannot do better than our transit system, and it remains cheaper than any other kind of transportation in the city.
The question is, are you better off with the subways or with your car? If you can actually rationalize driving and fighting the traffic in New York City, then the only operative phrase is good luck. You deserve what you set yourself up for.
I see,
so you want only taxes on Gas, they already have tax gasoline, and put more tolls up becuase you dont have a car.
but you dont want them to tax anything that has to do with you.
If you buy use the subway dont tax me, if you buy stuff dont tax me, only tax other people but not me.
Is that your plan?
I dont have a problem with a SMALL fare hike, in fact, part of the Ravitch Plan
calls for an 8% fare hike. I have an even larger problem with SERVICE CUTS. If they are asking people to pay so much more, they should at least maintain the current level of service.
The facts are roads are much more subsidized by taxpayers than mass transit. In NYC, riders pay 80% of the cost of their ride, that's more than anywhere else in the country.
The reality is most people who drive to the city could take mass transit, but they choose not to. Had Congestion Pricing been approved (thanks Sheldon Silver ) we would not be in this mess. The mess has happened because the state, city, and counties have been putting less and less money aside for the MTA. The MTA also wastes money, no doubt about that, however I dont think cutting the execs salaries in half is even nearly a solution, but they could set a good example for doing that, instead of being like a doctor who tells you to quit smoking while he puffs on a cigar.
In Europe they have a totally different and much more efficient concept of getting around. Their carbon output is much less and the quality of life in their cities is better. But here in the U.S., even here in New York there is still a car-centric mentality that needs to die if we are to improve our quality of life.
The Ravitch plan spreads the pain around, but minimizes it's intensity. Without it is asking the working New Yorkers and poor to bear the sharpest point of this ax, not to mention hurting the city's image in the long run, which will wind up costing us more than the money saved by "stopping tolls".
And with gas at very low prices, an additional tax would still be much lower than what gas was 6 months ago.
SoBro, you're absolutely right. It's really only a question of perception.
In 1953, the subway fare went from five cents--where it had been standardized since the late 1880s--to ten. The screaming and yelling was unbelievable. But, check it out, the world didn't come to an end. Now the fare is $2.00 and another increase is inevitable...and once again, the doomsday prophets are out in full force. But for convenience, you simply cannot do better than our transit system, and it remains cheaper than any other kind of transportation in the city.
The question is, are you better off with the subways or with your car? If you can actually rationalize driving and fighting the traffic in New York City, then the only operative phrase is good luck. You deserve what you set yourself up for.
IT IS THE SERVICE CUTS THAT WILL BE DEVASTATING! Have any of you actually been on the subway? Or city buses? They are PACKED. What are you expecting people to do...ride on the roof?
I dont have a problem with a SMALL fare hike, in fact, part of the Ravitch Plan calls for an 8% fare hike.
And it should be a lot more, to cover everything.
Quote:
I have an even larger problem with SERVICE CUTS. If they are asking people to pay so much more, they should at least maintain the current level of service.
So much more?? a 8% is a much more? the MTA have 3 options, lower service and raise a 8%, or keep current service and raise a lot more then 8%.
Quote:
The facts are roads are much more subsidized by taxpayers than mass transit. In NYC, riders pay 80% of the cost of their ride, that's more than anywhere else in the country.
Actually this has already been debated a few weeks ago, and NO, the roads are not subsidized by taxpayers, actually the TOLLS, pays for everything and even have a surplus. And that surplus is already being used for the subway.
It should be 100%, if you use it you pay for it,
Just like roads, we are paying tolls that represent 120% of the cost for using them.(Like I said, they have a surplus.)
Quote:
The reality is most people who drive to the city could take mass transit, but they choose not to.
Thanks God, they are paying your low subway fair.
Quote:
Had Congestion Pricing been approved (thanks Sheldon Silver ) we would not be in this mess. The mess has happened because the state, city, and counties have been putting less and less money aside for the MTA.
Yes..
Quote:
The MTA also wastes money, no doubt about that, however I dont think cutting the execs salaries in half is even nearly a solution, but they could set a good example for doing that, instead of being like a doctor who tells you to quit smoking while he puffs on a cigar.
No body can disagree, and they need to fire a lot of MTA workers that work part-time and gets paid full-time.
Quote:
In Europe they have a totally different and much more efficient concept of getting around. Their carbon output is much less and the quality of life in their cities is better. But here in the U.S., even here in New York there is still a car-centric mentality that needs to die if we are to improve our quality of life.
I dont think cars are doing anything to your or anybodys quality of life
Quote:
The Ravitch plan spreads the pain around, but minimizes it's intensity. Without it is asking the working New Yorkers and poor to bear the sharpest point of this ax, not to mention hurting the city's image in the long run, which will wind up costing us more than the money saved by "stopping tolls".
Can you explain please.
Quote:
And with gas at very low prices, an additional tax would still be much lower than what gas was 6 months ago.
Yes but gas will increase at some point.
You have to understand something, cars are not going away. Not even in 200 years.
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Welcome to City-Data.com forum! Make sure to register - it's free and very quick! You have to register before you can post and participate in our discussions with 700,000 other registered members. User profiles and some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your free account you will be able to customize many options, you will have the full access to over 15,000 posts/day about local topics and you will see fewer ads. 
No Ravitch Plan...No Vote!
) we would not be in this mess. The mess has happened because the state, city, and counties have been putting less and less money aside for the MTA. The MTA also wastes money, no doubt about that, however I dont think cutting the execs salaries in half is even nearly a solution, but they could set a good example for doing that, instead of being like a doctor who tells you to quit smoking while he puffs on a cigar.
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