Subways are for sleeping: NYC Transit survival thread

Sudden reversal on congestion pricing is bizarre.

A friend who I’ll just say has a legit source of this knowledge explained to me that the MTA has already been spending as though it would get this extra billion per year in revenue that it’s now not going to get. Total shitshow.

absolute gutlessness by hochul and everyone else on down

oh no, what if new jerseyans can't have to pay a toll to visit manhattan diners! what the actual fuck

truly truly maddening.

https://washingtonspectator.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/hochul.jpg

otm

oh no, what if new jerseyans can't have to pay a toll to visit manhattan diners! what the actual fuck

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 12 June 2024 02:45 (ten hours ago) link

Tbf, they already pay a $16 toll to visit Manhattan

They should take the bus.

Tbf, the current tolls, at least notionally, have to do with the cost of building and operating expensive bridges and tunnels, and other activities of the Port Authority (which, at least notionally, are specific to NY-NJ relations). Congestion pricing would have to do with the currently externalized costs of packing cars into Manhattan, and would apply to vehicles from anywhere, not just New Jersey.

Thought experiment: in a world where CP already existed, but there was no way to drive across the Hudson, I think it'd be pretty reasonable to suggest building some tunnels or bridges, and charging tolls to use them.

One of the things that pisses me off wrt lawsuits and complaints and all that shit is that TOLL ROADS ALREADY EXIST. CONGESTION PRICING IS NOT NEW TECH YOU ABSOLUTE MORONS.

The rationales for killing it don’t make sense to me. They could have run it for a year and if it wasn’t having the desired impact or was having unintended negative consequences, they could have paused it.

There’s a lot of speculation that it’s really just about avoiding an election issue republicans can beat up democrats with.

that's absolute it, innit?

the version i heard is that Schumer and/or Jeffries leaned on her, with this specific notion in mind. it really makes very little sense otherwise; just a few months ago she was very clearly defending the program and articulating its rationale, and then the reversal announcement is illogical gobbledygook. the recent War on Cars episode lamenting the announcement covers those bases pretty well.

def was Jeffries

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/05/new-york-city-toll-hochul-democrats-00161930

and if you need a side-by-side comparison between what she said 6 months ago and now, Gothamist did a good piece on it:

https://gothamist.com/news/watch-gov-hochul-debate-herself-when-it-comes-to-implementing-congestion-pricing

the Gothamist self-debate video is brutal

A friend who I’ll just say has a legit source of this knowledge explained to me that the MTA has already been spending as though it would get this extra billion per year in revenue that it’s now not going to get.

...on unnecessary and disruptive station makeovers in wealthy parts of Manhattan, as usual

One big consideration is the renovations that were going to improve ADA access, like elevators, and the list of planned improvements is at https://new.mta.info/project/station-accessibility-upgrades#:~:text=As%20part%20of%20our%20long,an%20additional%2078%20subway%20elevators. It's not majority in Manhattan.

I don't think it seems outrageous for the MTA to plan for this revenue ahead of time, these projects can take years and the contractors & partners they need to do the work probably schedule their jobs far in advance. Also--congestion pricing is LAW. It wasn't unreasonable to expect it to go through as promised, because it is legally required for the MTA to produce this funding somehow.

for reference, the MTA's 2020-2024 capital program covers quite a range of things which are now in jeopardy. if you click through to the PDF, you can see that $15 billion out of the $51 billion five-year plan was to come from CP. here's what we'll probably lose, just from the highlights page:

The 2020-2024 Capital Program is:

• The MTA’s largest-ever capital plan by far – 70% larger than the 2015-2019 Program – making unprecedented investments in the region
• An unprecedented investment of $51.5 billion, including more than $40 billion for New York City Transit – revitalizing the system and building on the successful investment of the Subway Action Plan

The Program will deliver major benefits, including:
• More frequent and reliable service on 6 line segments, including the Lexington Avenue Line, serving over 50% of riders through modernized signaling
• 70 new ADA-accessible stations, beginning now. Stations serving over 60% of passengers will be ADA-accessible
• Over 1,900 new subway cars, more than 2,400 new buses and hundreds of new commuter rail cars
• Full funding for Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 and construction of four new Metro-North stations in the Bronx

xpost

Hochul has another bright idea about the subway

Gothamist: MTA has 'stopped work on 2nd Avenue subway' due to congestion pricing pause, officials say

Honestly manhattanites are spoiled when it comes to subways. “Wah!! I have to walk three blocks!” At least you don’t have to take a bus

The g shutdown, now that is some impactful sh1t

that "three-block" walk is 15 minutes for people in the Wagner Houses in East Harlem fyi. Phase 2 is also where the SAS would start to deliver real relief to Bronx-Manhattan commuters on the 4/5/6 line, currently one of the most crowded in the system!

no argument that there are other even more alarming transit deserts in the city, of course! and for example, killing CP also kills any hope of even hypothetically developing the Nostrand or Utica extension, or the Triboro RX/Interborough Express, which previously Hochul was pushing forward as a pet project. oops.

I found out the other day that the G used to run into Astoria (or at least within walking distance of MoMI). Service cuts took that away... :(

fucking gillibrand is talking about park-and-rides now

meanwhile the pools aren't open and the libraries are closed sundays (and today, because of juneteenth) because that shit is unaffordable even as cops take helicopters to philly, albany and the hamptons

Vote her (them) out