Transportation
New York City Transit is the life blood of New York City, moving more than
187.9 million passengers per month. However, the Lexington Avenue Subway Line is currently over 150% of capacity. As the City grows we must improve capacity and investigate transportation alternatives. We must find alternative transportation routes for residents of Roosevelt Island by modifying current subway service, trams, ferries, and even building additional subway stations.
While we are building any improvements, including the long overdue Second Avenue Subway, we must make sure that the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (
MTA) is
transparent by making its construction plans available to the people,
open to review and suggestions from the community, and
accountable should final decisions be made by the
MTA without public comment.
While the
Mayor's
Congestion Pricing plan may not have been enacted, it is important not to let a greener New York fall by the wayside. As your City Council member I will work with you to implement initiatives that preserve our environment, improve transportation and make New York City a clean, affordable, and accessible place to live.
Submitted by kallos on Tue, 01/15/2013 - 4:12pm
Please sign our petition calling for the return of subway booth and their clerks on the Upper East Side. Fox News and DNAinfo.com recently reported on the Transportation Committee of Community Board 8 Manhattan where residents called for a restoration of subway booth and their clerks which many believe has lead to malfunctioning MetroCard vending machines. To volunteer on this project send an electronic mail to Action
KallosForCouncil [dot] com.
Submitted by barbara pearl on Mon, 01/07/2013 - 7:37pm
Solution:
Save New Yorkers $52 Million by Recalculating MetroCard Refill Bonuses to Prevent Waste
Explanation:
$52 million is lost every year as subway and bus riders discard MetroCards with leftover balances.
The MTA’s system of providing uneven bonuses to riders when refilling their cards leads to balances below the cost of a single fare. We believe this system is disingenuous, encouraging riders to add dollars that are ultimately wasted. This system is similar to the ‘gift card’ scam ended by the Attorney General’s Office in 2007, where businesses profit from unspent dollars and cents.
In the case of MetroCards, the MTA rewards any amount added over $10 with a 7% bonus, resulting in amounts that cannot be spent. We propose the MTA offer refills by number of trips rather than amount. For example, 5 trips at a $2.25 fare costs $11.25. By choosing to add 5 trips to a MetroCard, customers would be charged $10.51 and receive a “discount” of $.74, for a total of $11.25. By choosing 10 trips, customers would pay $21.03 and receive a discount of $1.47, for a total of $22.50, and so on.
This plan maintains the MTA’s current system of rewards, and ensures riders are not cheated out of leftover balances.
Sources: http://blog.metrochange.org/post/12692925981/getting-the-most-from-metrocard
Submitted by barbara pearl on Mon, 01/07/2013 - 7:36pm
Solution:
Free and Easy Exchange of MetroCards After MTA Implements “Green Fee.”
Explanation:
The MTA loses $13 million annually printing over 170 million MetroCards. In an effort to reduce the financial and environmental costs of printing, the MTA plans to implement a “Green Fee.” This year, riders will pay a one-dollar charge for printing a new MetroCard. The MTA claims this will raise $20 million, costing riders as much as $33 million every year. Riders will not be charged to replace expired MetroCards or refill old MetroCards.
While we agree with the goal of reducing waste, we believe this “Green Fee” unfairly penalizes those whose MetroCards become inoperable from extended use. Therefore, we propose that riders be able to exchange their old MetroCard for a new card at any service stall, without having to mail them to MTA. This has the effect of discouraging riders from discarding usable cards while not penalizing conscientious riders.
