Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Transit Funding

Remembering Hugh Carey, the Man Who Saved New York’s Transit System

By Noah Kazis | Aug 8, 2011 | 3 Comments

Hugh Carey, governor of New York from 1975 to 1982, died yesterday at the age of 92. Even in an office held by the likes of Al Smith, Franklin Roosevelt, Nelson Rockefeller and Mario Cuomo, Carey was a giant; Mayor Ed Koch, who served at the same time as Carey, called him the greatest governor […]

Funding Assumptions in MTA Capital Program Already Look Like Fantasies

By Noah Kazis | Aug 4, 2011 | 2 Comments

The MTA capital budget is risky enough as advertised: It requires putting $7 billion of repairs and system expansions on transit riders’ credit card. But the total tab may end up being much bigger, because in addition to billions in borrowing, the funding plan relies on a series of highly optimistic assumptions. Just one week […]

Silver on MTA Funding Plan: Wait Until 2012 Budget Debate

By Noah Kazis | Aug 1, 2011 | 2 Comments

The current MTA capital budget is very bad news for transit riders, who are being asked to shoulder $7 billion in debt all on their own. Where can the 8 million daily riders who count on the MTA turn for help? Not Washington: The just-negotiated debt ceiling deal is likely to mean more cuts to […]

Guess Who Has a Lot to Lose From an MTA Meltdown: Drivers

By Charles Komanoff | Aug 1, 2011 | 8 Comments

Can you spot the flaw in this excerpt from the New York Times’ Saturday backgrounder on MTA chief Jay Walder’s pending departure for Hong Kong? [T]he future of New York’s cash-poor transit system, depended on by millions of riders a day, has now fallen directly to Mr. Cuomo, who must pick a successor. The passage […]

MTA Identifies $2 Billion in Savings — Now Comes the Hard Part

By Noah Kazis | Jul 26, 2011 | 7 Comments

Jay Walder’s surprise resignation announcement last week overshadowed some important news about the MTA’s finances: The agency has identified $2 billion in savings in its capital program [PDF], which maintains and expands the transit system, but expects $1 billion less in federal assistance. That brings the total gap in the five-year, $26 billion capital plan […]

Mica Transportation Bill Would Devastate New York Transit

By Noah Kazis | Jul 8, 2011 | 5 Comments

Rep. John Mica’s proposed transportation bill would take a machete to federal transportation spending, cutting overall transportation funding by a third and entirely eliminating dedicated funds for pedestrian and bike infrastructure. In New York, the effects would be especially dire. Statewide, the total cuts would inch up to 37 percent, according to calculations by the […]

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