I think many of our transportation problems would be solved by increasing mass transit, making it available to more New Yorkers, and putting the city back in control of the MTA. We need to eliminate wasteful spending by the MTA and increase funding by instituting a more progressive system of taxation.

FINAN 09
A MAYOR WHO CARES
John M. Finan
www.Finan09.com
E.E.I.T. (EAT)

The city will add a million people over the next 20 years, yet our mass transit system has neither expanded nor modernized over the past 50. This status quo will eventually be unsustainable. That’s why I recently released Moving NYC, my plan to improve, expand, reform and modernize our city’s transit system.

The plan includes a variety of service and performance improvements for rail, bus, and ferry riders. The proposal includes expanding Bus Rapid Transit to congested roads in all 5 boroughs, reinstituting F line express service, expanding CityTicket so Queens and Bronx residents can ride—not drive—to work, and creating new transportation alternatives, including light rail, ferries and commuter vans. It also calls for cost cutting and management reforms, such as improving ParaTransit and creating an accountability system that would let New Yorkers track the performance of their mass transit.

Over the past 7 years, we have worked hard to improve mass transit. The #7 line extension is being built on time and on budget, and the MTA agreed to take over private bus lines in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, dramatically improving commutes for nearly 370,000 New Yorkers. We are also boosting a cleaner, healthier form of transit –bicycling. For example, we have focused on creating safe bike connections to the 4 East River Bridges.

But, as you know, there is much more to be done.

First, we need to keep our irreplaceable transit system in a state of good repair and upgrade it when it isn’t. Two major reports I released as Comptroller illustrate a systematic decrease in City and State transit support. The result: two proposed fare hikes in 18 months and a 2010-2014 MTA capital program that is $10 billion short.

As Mayor, I will reverse this trend by working to find new sources of funding through measures such as my weight-based automobile registration fee increase.

Second, we need to improve and enhance transit service. One tactic: Use cost-effective Bus Rapid Transit or BRT features like pre-payment to help move buses more quickly.

Third, we need to make transportation in New York City accessible for all New Yorkers. Too many New Yorkers cannot use the City’s yellow-taxi and livery cabs because they do not accommodate wheelchairs.

Many neighborhoods are also poorly served by transit. In 2006 and again this year, I urged the MTA to broaden the use of CityTicket on the commuter railroads. As Mayor, I will use my influence at the MTA to make this a reality.

Finally, I will significantly increase City oversight of MTA and Port Authority decision-making and make sure that the State Department of Transportation also is more responsive to City needs. My MTA Board members will be subway and bus riders, more representative of the City’s population and more willing to fight for better service and smarter use of our fares and tax dollars.