Tell the MTA to NOT Cut Our Services
Speaker Christine Quinn, Council Members and leading transportation advocates joined on the step of City Hall urging the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to reject the irresponsible service cuts that were announced last week.
These cuts include:
• the elimination of 2 subway lines and 21 local bus routes;
• steep service reductions on dozens of additional bus and subway routes;
• cuts to the Access-A-Ride program; and
• Cuts to student MetroCards.
Hardworking New York City transit riders, who were subjected to a 10 percent fare increase just a few short months ago, have every right to demand that mass transit service at the very least be maintained at current levels.
There are more than a half million students who receive free or discounted MetroCards. The added cost of these students’ transportation will break the budgets of working families across the city, especially those who are not earning a living wage. These MetroCards must not be cut.
That is why the Council is proposing that the MTA reallocate $140 million of capital funds to temporarily close an unexpected gap in its operating budget. The additional funds would come from two sources: More than $90 million in unspent federal stimulus aid that may be allocated toward operating expenses through a congressionally sanctioned process known as “flex,” and roughly $50 million in MTA operating funds that are currently being used to supplement the capital budget. The combined funding boost would be more than enough to offset the $129 million the MTA expects to save through cuts to subway and bus service citywide.
The MTA must also conduct their budget process in a more public and democratic fashion. The MTA released this package of cuts just one week before they will be voted on. Pushing these cuts through with no public input is insulting to taxpayers and a slap in the face to working- and middle-class New Yorkers. Before these drastic changes are made, the MTA must give the public a chance to voice their concerns.
Please sign on below to demand a transparent MTA budget process and to urge the Authority to commit to a more democratic process between tomorrow and the implementation of the 2010 budget. This must include public hearings and the honest consideration of alternative plans presented by New Yorkers and their elected leaders.
