Unprecedented in recent times, these issues all simultaneously escalated in 2008, along with MTA railroad fares for commuters to the City of New York. Yet in 2008, subway services declined in on-time performance, in the provision of adequate subway security and in the provision of hygienically adequate subway cars. It will be a commitment of the Rogers Administration to closely scrutinize the performance and fiscal health of the MTA and its overall performance will not go unchecked.
Presently, the Bloomberg administration has proposed a 23% hike in subway fares and for bridges and tolls again simultaneously in 2009. A number of subway cars will be decommissioned and permanently cut at a time when rider ship is at its highest in 20 years. The MTA also plans on raising railroad fares the same 23% in 2009, while its executives are commanding record-high salaries. Maybe this sits well within the Bloomberg administration but cannot be tolerated going forward. Certainly, the present economic crisis cannot be blamed for all of the prior mismanagement by the MTA and City Hall over the past 7 years. Simply put, residents want explanations and communication and accountability from their leaders and that has been woefully missing. That must change. It is a cost that the City of New York cannot survive.
