Tuesday, 15 December 2009
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The NYC MTA Strikes Again!
Because this post made me mad.Being a born and raised resident of the beloved Boogie Down Bronx, I have experienced first hand the problems of the New York City Subway.
I remember a time when I would be able to go into my parents change jar, pull out a couple quarters and it would be enough for me to not only get on the train but to be able to come back and have enough left over for a trip to the bodega.
Good times.
Now with all this talk of the budget deficits that the MTA is facing (because of the unnecessary 2nd Avenue subway line they're beginning to build—but that's a post for another day), they want to short change the people of New York even further.
If you live in New York, how many times have you been late for work because of "signal problems"? How many times have you not wanted to go into a particular car because of how dirty and nasty the thing looked? And how many times have fares gone up? With an increase in fares, isn't the service and quality also supposed to increase?
Now students might have to start paying their own way in? At $2.25 a ride? You gotta be kidding me.
The fact of the matter is, the MTA can and will continue to take advantage of the wallets of the commuters of New York because there is no competition. What else do they have to compete with? Cabs? Although they are more convenient and more comfortable, they are also more money which really does nothing to combat the MTA's rising prices.
And also the fact that the majority of the population of New York City are commuters, people that live in the outer boroughs that travel into the city for school, work, recreation, etc. Not only is there no competition, but there will never be a shortage of consumers who rely on their service.
A few friends of mine and I have joked about enacting a city-wide boycott of the MTA to let them know that the people of New York will not stand for their abuse. But of course, being from New York, we all know that people don't care enough or are too dependent on the MTA to do that, so it would never be successful.
What do you think about the boycott? Could you think of another way to get the point across to the MTA that we are not going to take their crap anymore?
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About the Author
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- From: MasterCheerios@xanga
- Name: Alyssa
- About Me: Born and rasied New Yorker. Realistically cynical and a skeptic at heart. I've got my opinions and you've got yours, now let's talk them out like rational humans, please?
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Comments (10)
$2.25??? They're gonna start robbing people for their money if the fare keeps going up-I remember when you could get a FREE student pass for the bus/subway and the fare was a nice $1.50. I heard back in the 80's that it used to be $1.00.
wow. government's job is to take over monopoly.
Same problems here in Chicago with the CTA. A subway ride is always $2.25 and they had talks about moving it up to $2.50 next year! A monthy unlimited pass is $86
All we here about is how the CTA has no money.. then we have to pay for it.
As a former resident of NYC and user of the subway system, I see the fare rates have gone up, but I have to say it's still pretty cheap and a good deal.
That may sound like heresy, but once you leave big urban cities like NYC or Chicago and go to other areas, you'll find transportation costs MUCH more expensive and public transit not nearly as convenient.
For one thing, public transportation in most cities is NOT 24/7. You miss the last bus at 8 or 9pm, and that's it for the day- you're stranded or will have to call a cab.
Next, forget about free transfers. You pay full fare for each bus you need to take, and you pay based on distance traveled rather than pay one price to go anywhere in the city. After you add up the costs, it's not a surprise to find that just driving can be the cheaper alternative.
The schedule is also spotty - you get one bus every 45 minutes instead of every 10 - 20 minutes like the MTA.
Finally, be careful of what you ask for. If you think private industry would run things cheaper, think again. You may get better service, but will certainly have a much higher price tag to go with it. You'll look at $2.25 as the "golden age" if that happens.
You're completely right, but the thing is that we *do* need a 2nd Avenue Subway line, and the tunnels *do* need to get repaired and that *does* cost money. (As a Boogie-down Bronxite myself, I have to remind you of the 1 train cave-in a few months ago.)
By no means should that EVER come out of the pocket of public school students and I do hate the $89/month I pay to get to work.I think the solution is efficiency. It's not signal problems, it's people not getting into the train, sitting down/standing up and going about their lives. There are so many people who don't treat it as public transportation and expect to get away with it. Slam the doors and move, there will be fewer delays. It will also have fewer people on the platform waiting, and less of a mess.@Finity@xanga - I agree — the city could really use another east side line :)
Boycotting isnt an option but I really do hope that there will be better management. I was in Europe recently and whenever I get on the MTA, I dream about the efficient transportation system there. The only downside is that they dont have 24-hour service.
Here in DC, I pay 4.50 each way ($9.00) for my commute. I pay $4.75 a day to park in the garage for a total of almost $15 a day. On top of that, the service is crappy.
The boycott is a good idea, but like the OP said. It is only as effective as the people who are willing to adhere to it. And if the majority of people either won't or can't adhere to it, then there is no point.
I don't know what else to do to combat it, though. It is completely unfair, but at the same time the only reason that it is happening at all is because they know they can get away with it. :( Sadly, they are apparently right about that.
Live closer to work. Get rid of the metrocard, and ride a skateboard to work. That's what I did the last time I was in NYC. I bought a sweet longboard for $250 and not only did I never buy a metrocard, but it also provided great, reliable late night transportation, style points everywhere I went, decrease my carbon footprint, and give me "decent" exercise. I wish I still could use it as my only method of transportation. Promote bicycling, rollerblading, and skateboarding as valid methods of transportation while adhering to traffic rules, and being respectful for drivers and pedestrians.
I used to live in Chinatown, work in the east village, and regularly travel to Williamsburg, the west village, Grammercy, and all sorts of places. As long as it didn't rain, the city was mine. And my longboard looked super sweet ... win win situation