I am extremely concerned about the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) proposal to hike fares and tolls 6.5 percent. It is of particular concern to me how it would affect city residents. New Yorkers contribute the most revenue to the MTA and should not have to face an increase in fares. In fact, city residents contribute a great majority of all the toll and fare revenues gathered by the MTA.
I also want to make sure that all current rider discounts are kept in place, including discounts for pre-payments and for seniors citywide.
The number of people who use New York City subways and buses annually is approximately 2.25 billion. Compare that to people who use the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North and these rail lines numbers dwarf in comparison. In 2006, 76.9 million people used Metro-North, while 32.16 million people used the LIRR for approximately 100 million people. Moreover, there is a tremendous rip-off of New York by the Port Authority.
The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), which is a division of the MTA, operates seven intrastate toll bridges and two tunnels, whose tolls are overwhelmingly paid by city residents. Yet the division of their revenues is unfairly divided to favor residents of the northern suburbs and Long Island.
Despite this tremendous disparity in ridership and revenues, the New York City transit system only receives 53% of all monies, while the LIRR and Metro-North receive 20 percent. Throw in the fact that the riders of both the LIRR and Metro-North no longer have to pay a commuter tax anymore, and it seems clear to me that city residents are not being treated fairly.
It is simply not fair to ask city commuters to pay more when their fares have already provided the MTA with a projected $323 million surplus at the end of this year. It is also extremely shortsighted to raise fares at a time when we are encouraging more people to take mass transit.
Additionally, it has been reported that the Port Authority is also looking to drive up bridge and tunnel tolls. City residents pay a substantial part of these tolls and do not receive aid for mass transit in return. Far too much of their revenue goes to New Jersey, including capital and operating costs for their transportation services. In fact, the Port Authority does not contribute at all to New York City’s transportation needs.
I believe that the way the Port Authority is constituted should be eliminated.
Assemblymember Ivan C. Lafa
Twenty Years Of Ghost Workers
Just read the November 22, issue. Good reporting! And accurate.
In the late 80s, the captain of the 108th Police Precinct assigned a young Hispanic bi-lingual officer (Jose Rivera) to the beat near where the day workers began congregating. He communicated and bonded well and learned that many of the complaints about rowdies were unfounded. The workers indeed used the toilet facilities at the Hart Playground nearby and not doorways.
Eventually, a Hispanic advocacy group began making the rounds. The Salvation Army on Monday to Friday sent a food wagon to feed the hungry and their outreach program transported the homeless to shelters.
I live nearby at 39th Avenue and 64th Street.
John Caffrey
Woodside
When less is not more
Queens Councilman Peter Vallone wants the Department of Education (DOE) to create one night without any homework for elementary schools children. He has proposed a resolution that will limit homework for elementary children so that they can be free to participate in more after-school activities or simply spend a night of quality time with their families.
This resolution will not be binding but will put pressure on the DOE to comply.
Well in my book, the goal of education is to educate the children and I believe having less homework will not achieve that goal. When I was in school, I had a lot of homework but I had loving parents who helped me with my homework and I think that made me feel closer to them. I believe when parents help their children with their homework the children will truly do better and want to learn.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Bellerose
Restore World’s Fair Icons
As a 25-year resident of Forest Hills, and a Queens historic preservationist and World’s Fair enthusiast, the mere fact that the New York State Pavilion and the Tent of Tomorrow has not been maintained to date, is a dereliction of civic duty on behalf of the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. This is not only a site with a recognizable history, but an architectural, cultural, and historical icon of vast national significance, designed by the renowned Philip Johnson. New York has had three World’s Fairs, and the last two, the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fair were held in Flushing Meadows. We the people, commonly referred to as constituents, implore Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation to act now on our behalf, and ensure that these monuments are stabilized, revitalized in a historically appropriate context, and possibly utilized for exhibitions pertaining to the ’39 and ’64 World’s Fair with panoramic renderings.
Michael Perlman
Forest Hills
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