I cannot tell you the number of horror stories I have heard about the current state of New York City transit. I have literally witnessed grown men weep on the subway, knowing they will be late for work and possibly lose their jobs. I have left my home an extra hour early only to arrive to a meeting sweating, late, frustrated and begging the question, “Why is the New York City transportation system so broken?” I am fortunate enough to be able to purchase a monthly MetroCard at the beginning of each month, but for so many New Yorkers, they must pay per ride. On the one hand, it is fantastic that for $2.75 you can travel from the top of the Bronx all the way to JFK Airport deep in Queens. However, I am appalled that $2.75 can leave you stranded on a hot subway car as you sit in between stations for an indefinite amount of time.
The Riders Alliance recently released a report about the old, broken, faulty and non-coordinated traffic signals, which cause most delays on the subway. They even reported on the “perfect” day Aug. 23, 2018, when there were no signal delays and the trains had limited delays. Just my luck, I was out of town that day! They do not have the resources to conduct a study each month, but I can imagine the MTA does not have many “Aug. 23” days.
One way to pay for the much needed repairs and modernization efforts is to impose new tolls on drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street. The idea of congestion pricing has been quite controversial and divisive for some politicians, but the Riders Alliance and other transportation advocacy organizations argue that this measure could raise between $1 and $1.5 billion annually for transit improvements.
Now that Gov. Cuomo has been re-elected as the Democratic nominee and is facing what many pundits believe will be a relatively easy general election race against Republican Marc Molinaro, we must still pressure the governor to allocate significant money to support New York City and downstate transportation. Without voters from the five boroughs, Cuomo does not return to the governor’s mansion in Albany. Now is the time to make our voices heard and be sure the governor knows that he must deliver much more in the area of public transportation—that is, more money, better leadership and more organization and coordination among the various entities within the MTA.
Molinaro will surely court upstate voters, and in Cuomo’s quest to cruise toward re-election and possibly a foray into national politics, we cannot let the governor ignore the needs of downstate New Yorkers who are just trying to get to work, explore communities and see more of this great city.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” the co-host of the new podcast FAQ-NYC and the host of The Aftermath on Ozy.com.