Mayor: Taxes On Cigs Could Help MTA Fiscal Problems

Mayor Bloomberg said uncollected taxes on cigarettes sold on Indian reservations could help close the MTA's fiscal gap. From The N.Y. Post:

"That just alone would replace one of those fare increases," said Bloomberg, who was in New Orleans for the National Conference of State Legislatures. "We want to make sure that the state goes and finds alternative sources."

Odd Subway Signage Of The Week

Above, a fake advertisement for Kanye West pills - "Fast Acting Tablets That Transform Anyone Into Kanye West." Um, OK? I'm sure this is part of some really clever marketing campaign for his current album, but its my vote for worst subway signage of the week.

Money Runs Underground, Part 2

The blogger behind Bella Goes To Camp brings up an interesting point about the condition of subway stops and how that condition relates to the corresponding neighborhood's affluence in this post (Money Runs Underground).

"By the time you get to to my neighborhood, though, things change. The Parkside Avenue and Church Avenue stops look like bombed-out Balkan train stations from WWII. Filthy, wall-skin peeling away, they beg for renovation. And then mysteriously, as you proceed to Cortelyou and Newkirk, conditions improve."

He's right. And, unfortunately, for those of us using a subway station that needs an overhaul, it's going to be a while. The MTA announced last month that - surprise! - it had to postpone the planned renovations at 15 subway stations in Brooklyn and 4 in the Bronx because of the looming financial crisis.

The Times did a great round-up of rider reaction to the repair delays. It includes some gems like:

Along the D line in Brooklyn, home to large communities of immigrants, riders were eager to share their complaints last week. The stations are grimy, filthy and “gunky,” they said. At their worst, they added, the stations resemble slums.

Angela Mario, who takes the N train to work after transferring from a 62nd Street station in Brooklyn, said she had grown accustomed to walls that ooze with strange liquids and outdoor coverings that leak.

Those concerns are echoed in the Bronx and resonate with Adolfo Carrión Jr., the borough president. When asked if he receives complaints about subway stations, he said, “I wish you could somehow print my laughter.”

Yeah. And I wish they could somehow print everyone's middle finger flipping off the MTA. Or are they not to blame here? Is our city or state government to blame?

What do you think? Who is at fault for this MTA financial crisis and how can it get fixed? Please hit the comments if you have any thoughts.

Bloomberg Addresses MTA

"Anybody that tells me they have a $10 billion budget and they can't find ways to cut 5 percent, that's just poor management."

- Mayor Bloomberg on the MTA

MTA Poised To Set Fares, Again

The MTA is getting ready to jack the prices on all transit fares in 2009.  Again!  If it happens, this will be only the second time in the 100-year New York City subway history that fares rose for two consecutive years, according to the NY Times.

The agency is battling a $900 million budget deficit and hopes to make that up through increased fares and assistance through the city budget.  The group plans to reveal its budget tomorrow.  The problem? 

According to the NY Times:

On Wednesday, the authority will unveil a preliminary budget plan for 2009 that calls for the fare and toll increases and outlines other measures to balance its budget, including more than $300 million in additional financing that the authority hopes to get from the city and state.

One blogger who watches the MTA body closely blames the officials in Albany.

Via SecondAveSagas:

This fare hike news boils down to one: Our elected officials should be funding public transit and making good on promises they made just six or eight months ago. But on Tuesday, they will once again get a free pass. New Yorkers are sure to pile on the MTA for its supposedly poor bookkeeping and its fare-hike deception, but the MTA is just a victim of a bad economy. Those running the agency aren’t happy to see fuel costs skyrocket, and they aren’t happy to see their budget deficit projections increase fourfold.

But the real blame lies in Albany as our elected officials — chosen by us but seemingly responsible to no one — yet again starve a public transit system vital to the economic health of both the New York Metropolitan Area and the entire state. Don’t forget those representatives when the fare hike comes along next summer. Don’t forget them each time you swipe your MetroCard, and don’t forget them ever time more money is deducted from your wallet. The blame for this fare hike news lies squarely on their shoulders.

Getting 'N Tune' At 77th

N Tune

On this Monday morning, commuters scurry down the steps of the 77th Street subway platform, swipe their metro cards in the turnstile and file to the platform. It's July and it's hot. A thermometer on a nearby bank's window reads 85, but down here, it's easily 10 degrees warmer. Probably more. People are sweating. People are annoyed. People are waiting.

And as morning commuters eye their watches, tap their feet, read newspapers, and in general do anything they can to pass the time until the next subway screeches down the rail, Alphonso McGruder gently noodles the opening bars from "My Girl" on his keyboard.

From the reaction of the commuters, the 1965 classic from the Temptations is the last thing they expected to hear while waiting for the train. Smiles crack. Heads turn.

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day

When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May

McGruder is joined at the chorus by two gents helping out with the vocals.

My girl, my girl, my girl

Talkin' 'bout, my girl

"We've been playing together for years and years," he said when asked how long his group, "N Tune" has been together. Specializing in classic R&B and soul - a point he accentuates by drawing out the one syllable in "soul" - the band seems to be a bright spot for the Upper East Side crowd fanning themselves with magazines.

His keyboard case lies on the platform next to him, open and ready to accept anything people want throw in as a tip. It's filled with a smattering of one and five dollar bills and some change.

McGruder makes it clear that he's there to play, not to talk, and says people should reach out to him if they like what they hear.

"We play all the time, man. People can call me if they want more," he said.

If you're interested in hearing more or booking the band for a performance, McGruder can be reached at 917-660-0357.