Fares May Rise
Protesters showed up in droves at the Marriott Hotel in Brooklyn Heights Sunday evening to get one message clear and strong to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)-no fare hike.
With talk about wavering budget deficits, the MTA proposed a 6.5 percent increase in fares and tolls on New York City subways, buses, bridges and tunnels. The transportation authority is projecting $6 billion in deficits over the next four years, according to its Web site. Therefore, the MTA wants to bridge these budget “gaps” by asking common New Yorkers to lay out even more money than they already do to commute-$2.25 for subways, $10 to cross the Verrazano Bridge and commuter railroads like the LIRR and Metro North will increase by 8 percent for all ticket types to/from Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.
The list goes on. There will be an increase to the express bus fare from $5 to $5.25. The tourist-friendly 1-Day Fun Pass would go up from $7 to $7.50. The 7-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard would increase by a dollar. The 30-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard increases from $76 to a whopping $79. “At the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, Queens Midtown Tunnel, Throgs Neck Bridge and Triborough Bridge, the one-way cash toll for cars would increase from $4.50 to $5 and the one-way E-ZPass toll would increase from $4 to $4.25,” according to the MTA.
While these increases seem modest at best, the MTA has failed to show the public what it plans to do with the extra money. On the other hand, these fare increases may not be so modest after all. If the new fares are put into effect, they can have a crippling effect for commuters who are already struggling to make ends meet.
According to Gail Satler, a professor of urban studies at the University, the MTA has not been forthcoming enough about why a fare hike needs to happen.
“I think we all need more facts and the MTA needs to be more transparent in showing why they need the hike,” Satler said.
In defense of the MTA, there have been positive changes all around the city: the Times Square station links 12 subway lines between 7th and 8th Avenues; the Stillwell Avenue station in Coney Island is pristine, easily accessible and efficient; the construction of the 2nd Avenue subway will link the Upper East Side with downtown Manhattan in due time.
However, it’s the stations we don’t always see that hurt the most. If the fare increase happens and nothing changes or improves, that’s when the public will get angry. Say you ride the 7 train from Flushing, the G cross-town local or the B train from Brighton Beach. These commuters ride for long amounts of time and are often ignored by the bright lights of Manhattan. If the fare hike does indeed happen, stations that need improvements or special attention should be given the care they needs to better serve the people of the city-not just the high-frequency ones in Manhattan.
For now, before the MTA makes any big leaps, the only gap we should be watching is the one between the train and the platform.
(By Jacqueline Hlavenka, The Chronicle, Editorial/Op-Ed, Nov. 8 issue)
