MTA Public Hearing on Proposed Service Cuts
Wednesday, March 3, 2010 6 PM
Brooklyn Museum, Cantor Auditorium
200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn
The following cuts are being proposed in Brooklyn:
— Elimination of Student MetroCards (system wide)
— $40 million in cuts to Access-a-Ride (system wide)
— Buses to be eliminated: B23, B37, B39, B51, B71, B75, B77, X29, X37 and the X38
— Weekend elimination of the B2, B24, B69, X27 and X28
— The following trains face reduced service, which will result in longer waits and more crowded subway cars: D, F, G, A, L and M trains. The M will be replaced by the V train.
The BHA's Position
While any service cuts are not welcome, the proposed bus service reduction and/or elimination occur on routes that have very low ridership. The 2010 proposed cuts do provide some alternatives where routes are eliminated which the MTA had not done when these same cuts were initially proposed in 2009. We strongly oppose the elimination of student MetroCards, a draconian measure which amounts to a tax on parents of students who commute to school, although a conversation about whether the MTA should shoulder this burden might be helpful.
A proper funding plan for the MTA is long overdue. Michael Cairl, a transportation consultant, prepared an analysis of the cuts for the Park Slope Civic Council (click here for the entire report).
He notes “that in the absence of a major, dedicated, reliable revenue generator like tolls on the free bridges, the MTA will not be in the business of encouraging new transit users by launching new services or expanding existing services. This is most unfortunate from the point of view of regional development and planning, but as long as transportation, land use, economic development, and other factors are kept in separate boxes there will be no incentive for the MTA to think beyond the movement of people…What are the alternatives? Appealing to 'Albany' for more funding would be a pipe-dream; even if the State government weren’t dysfunctional, the State's financial problems are deep and structural. Getting bridge tolling, congestion pricing, or some similar scheme back on the table is the only sensible answer.” We couldn't agree more.
We couldn’t agree more.