I was stunned by tonight’s Snap Poll. 84 percent of our viewers blamed management for the MTA’s budget gap. 8 percent went to the poor economy, and another 8 percent went to poor funding by the City and the State. I, personally, think it’s a combination of all three of things, but that Snap Poll makes me think maybe Dick Ravitch is right, maybe the whole MTA board needs an overhaul. And, if it does get a makeover, I hope it would allow our guest tonight, Andrew Albert, to vote. Poor guy.

Higher fares, new tolls, new taxes. Those were the key recommendations presented yesterday by a State commission trying to help the MTA balance its budget. Mayor Bloomberg said today there are "no easy choices" when it comes to raising revenue.

Another recommendation from the commission would require MTA Board members to have relevant experience in fields such as transportation, finance or labor relations. The positions now are mainly political appointees.

The riders representative from the MTA Board will join us tonight to answer your questions. Should the leadership at the MTA be replaced? Between fare hikes, new tolls and new taxes, which would hurt you the most? Are the MTA's current fiscal problems the result of poor management, or the economic downturn?

Send us your thoughts using the link above.

i think its a good idea to toll the free bridges instead of a 23% fare hike, the real ny commuters use mass transit, its a luxury to drive into the city so pay for the luxury, also ny is the city of convenience, and convenience is not cheap, the mta taking over the bridges will also add security on the bridges by having bridge and tunnel officers policing the bridges and the mta offers free tow service on bridges, have you ever seen what happens when a car breaks down on the brooklyn bridge.....ohh yeah making the mta workers pay for services is not ok and there contracted to have free transport

kevin, brooklyn

It was obvious to me for quite a while that no company--private or public can sustain paying the entire cost of employee medical any longer, have employees retire after 20 years therefore pay them pensions for what could be 40 or 50 years WITH full medical AND have overtime count into the pension formula thus leaving the field ripe for abuses where individuals can retire making more than their salary had ever been.

Having said that, in this economy we all need to tighten our belts. Most of us are in fear of their jobs and also come to work each day to hear oh you are working for more people, working longer hours, paying more for your medical, or the pension has been phased out.

Even the car cos. have realized they can't sustain platinum benes for their workers because the cost of producing a car is not competive. So they are finally getting with the program and exploring concessions. What galls me the most is the MTA -- We hear tolls instituted on the East River crossings, we hear payroll taxes to employers which will of course result in less to pay us so we get squeezed here then fare increases so we get squeezed from both sides.

The most heinous fact is WHAT IM NOT HEARING IS CONCESSIONS FROM THE MTA UNIONS and executives. So come on be efficient be fair start there. The MTA has such a bad track record of waste and abuse and should be under more scrutiny than the rest of us given their history of surplus oh no deficit oh nevermind surplus blah blah blah! It's very scary that the gov't. is going to watch over pvt. cos they "bail out" when they are the worst offenders and who's watching them?

Regards,

Elena
Staten Island, NY

When is the MTA going to stop selling prime real estate properties to their friends and cronies such as Ravitch himself at below market values? Why don't they eliminate or scale down the top heavy management personnel that they carry? Why don't they stop giving out free E-Z passes to their management and commissioners? Why don't they unload their prime office buildings and relocate to the outer boroughs where space is cheaper? Why is it that the rider's are always expected to bear the burdens of mismanagement? There has to be a better way, let those managers that are so necessary get creative. Give us a break.

Jose'-Astoria

As someone who will have to pay the proposed payroll tax, on top of a franchise tax surcharge already imposed in the Metropolitan Transit District, it galls me that Mr. Ravitch is not going after the one thing that could save significant amts of money, increased employee contributions to their health and retirement plans. In the private sector we contribute to our health and retirement costs far in excess of what these people do. Just ask anyone who sees how much FICA is withheld on their checks, a lot more than whats withheld on a transit workers check for a retirement plan that's a lot better than Social Security. Frankly if they don't like it let them see if they can do better elsewhere like the rest of us. Somehow I doubt if anyone of them would leave if they had to contribute more. When the MTA is able to do that then I will happily pay this tax.

Martin

If the city wants to raise revenue, why don't they make all uniformed workers and the MTA employees pay to use the transit system. The excuse about them going to work is fine. But I see MTA workers with their families and friends going through the gate after showing their ID card. How about not giving out free transit cards to their advertisers and the company that oversees the placement of ads.

I pay to get to and work, as does everyone else who does not have a shield or a badge of some kind. Where do they think this money is going to come from? The reason our local economy is in the toilets is because the powers that be believe that the working class is an unlimited supply of revenue. If we pay more for transit we will spend less with our local merchants.

When gas prices went through the roof, the neighbor stores lost this source of residual income. When the shipping fees for bread, milk and eggs go up cause the supplier will pass on the added cost to consumers, little luxuries like the movies and dining out will dwindle also.

Right now I am hoarding the residual cash I used to spend for presents. Only my grandchildren, nieces and nephews under the age of 18 will get gifts this year. I was frugal with the stock market and put my money in CDs with a lower but guaranteed return. Now I will use those funds as a hedge against what I lost in 401K. I cringe everyday when I come to work and hear about the forced retirements. If you are over 55 at my job with a vested pension and medical, you are being shown the door, whether you want a buy out or not. Who can afford to retire now?

Charles

Since Corporate America runs this country, let them account for this deficit. So it will be one less Lexus in the CEO's garage, or trip to the Bahama's. Hell yeah, tax the millionaires!

Catherine

the board should be subject to recall by the public

tom
richmondtown

The MTA board should be changed so that anyone serving on the board has relevant experience in transportation, public administration, or finance, along with people who experience MTA operations and service delivery as a rider/driver or an employee, and every board member should have a full vote on all matters that come before the board.

In addition, not one penny of any money raised from the payroll tax and tolls on east river and harlem river bridges should be given to the MTA until it clearly and specifically reduces expenses, including the elimination of unnecessary duplication of services and excessive management.

Pete from Manhattan

I find all of this rather humorous. We are being subjected to the same conditions that would have been imposed by Congestion Pricing. Except for the fact that New Jersey and Connecticut residents would have paid most of the bill. The campaigners for Congestion Pricing did a poor job at educating New Yorkers, so NY'ers thought Congestion Pricing would be a tax on MTA riders. When it fact, it was just the opposite. Congestion Pricing would have been an opportunity for New Yorkers to charge outsiders for the damage they cause to our roads on a daily basis, avoid fair hikes, and gain improvements to the rail and bus system. Ignorance has a price and we are going to pay that price sooner than later.

I am sure Bloomberg is off in a corner somewhere saying "I told you so".

Henry
Cypress Hills

I like the proposal about requiring MTA board members to have some kind of relevant knowledge of mass-transit instead of being appointed because of political reasons. I'd like to see some staff benefit and job cuts made from the ranks of MTA executives -- starting with the big shots in their corner offices. Spare the staff who actually make the system run.

For me, the fare hike (I use the 30-day Metrocard) and threatened service cuts are the worst part of the situation. I like the idea of tolls on the East River bridges; it would hopefully cut down on the vehicle traffic and might even cause more people to stay in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx to do their shopping.

One example of MTA waste (I realize this is a capital-budget item, but it is galling anyway) is this nonsense of having to build a full station far underground in the mid-40s for the LIRR trains coming into Grand Central for the East Side Access project. Metro-North only uses a fraction of existing track and platforms at Grand Central. I understand that some maintenance and layup work is needed, but building a whole station is stupid. Plus it will be a long passageway away from the Metro-North and East Side IRT -- a passageway that will have to be maintained and protected.

Faye from Brooklyn

THE PUBLIC THINKING IS THAT THE TRANSIT WORKERS HAVE IT MADE. WITH THAT THINKING, I SAY BECOME A TRANSIT WORKER. WE ALSO PAY FOR MEDICAL. WE MAY ENJOY FREE TRANSIT RIDES, BECAUSE, TRANSIT WORKERS ARE EXPECTED TO ACT AS SUCH, ON DUTY, OR OFF DUTY. IF AN EMERGENCY ARISES, WE GET INVOLVED. TRANSIT WORKERS HAVE DANGEROUS JOBS. WE ALSO HAVE LINE OF DUTY DEATHS IN EVERY SINGLE TITLE. ENUMERATING IN THE HUNDREDS. I WOULD ASK NY 1 TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE LINE OF DUTY DEATH LIST AND MAKE IT PUBLIC TO THOSE WHO MAY WISH TO PERUSE IT. BE A LITTLE MORE CEREBRAL WHEN ASKED HOW COST MAY BE REDUCED. THE PRIVATE SECTOR ENJOYS PERKS AS WELL. SHOULD WE BE TAXING THOSE FREEBIES AS WELL? POLITICIANS RARELY ATTEND OUR FUNERALS. MAYBE THAT IS A GOOD THING.

JOE
BAY TERRACE

Adding tolls on the East river bridges would cause the same effect as congestion pricing. This would not only hurt small businesses in Manhattan, but thru-out the Tristate area. The subway riders alone must carry the load for this catastrophe.

CookBook

Tolls on bridges will force more people into the subway. MTA plans to increase fairs. MTA plans to decrease the number of running trains and buses. what does this all add up to? a huge payday for the MTA. And for what? we don't know because we can't see the books. What a joke. especially with trains being over crowded already.

-John
(Queens)

Hello. I'm totally disagree with MTA proposal. Car owners should not pay for MTA problems. Problem was created by MTA itself, by pure management. People should NOT pay for that especially who do not use MTA service.

Thank you
Pavel

Before the MTA even considers raising fares, they should be looking to cut costs. I mean efficiencies, not just cutting services. The MTA is a wasteful agency and if it was audited I believe it would auditors could find hundreds of millions in savings. The management doesn't talk about reducing costs and I am suprised that our politicians and media don't call for these savings. I am talking about subway repair shops, bus depots, etc. People I know who work for the MTA tell me about the incredible waste that goes on there.

Martin

The MTA has been mismanaged for years. Where is the accountability? Remember the year of the cooked books/crying deficit when there was actually a surplus. As usual the taxpayer will continue to pay because we are an endless source of funds for local, state and federal governments and the MTA. Get some people with transportation experience not people who learn quick.

Robert

Commuters who have paid the tax in the past have been given a 5 Trillion taxcut over the past 10 years. Now its time to pony up. Reinstate the commuter tax!!!!!

Al - Manhattan

First I do not understand why they do not have enough money to run the transportation system. Second I think the problems with our economy were caused by rising prices on everything not just Fanny May and house mortgages. Greed is our downfall. Oil prices, Most businesses have lower prices when the demand is higher. Everything costs so much now it is no wonder that so many people can no longer afford to pay there mortgages. Raising these prices will only make things worse. The transit system should learn how to run the system on the money they have. I also find it hard to believe that the people running the system do not have relevant experience in field. No wonder they cannot make ends meet.
Also Car owners are already paying into the transit system with the tax at Motor Vehicles. Drivers should definitely not have to pay more.

I am sure that security is costing more. One example is The LI Railroad. It has no security. The tracts run everywhere (they cannot be secured). Anyone could cut a fence go on the tracts and place bombs. Won't it be practicable for web cams to be put on the tracts. Volunteers could monitor them. Plus monitors can be installed in the trains so the conductor could see the tracks 2 miles ahead. Enough time to stop the train in case a child is playing on the tracks, avoid a accident, or to see unidentified objects on the tracks. The cost of this would be much less than placing people at all over the place which would not be sufficient.

Gail
Flushing, NY

Hi,

Thanks for having segments like TheCall where the average NYer can get some of our thoughts across to a vast audience of our peers. Below is my thoughts on raising transportation fares and tolls.

The real issue is that Bloomberg has let construction in NYC go way out of control, never has there been so much construction. A few developers are making billions of dollars and not being accountable for deteriorating the quality of life in my neighborhood and throughout the city. The population has multiplied 3 to 4 times. The subways are busting at the seams in the morning. All this extra population means we need more of everything, more services, products, food, schools, hospitals, parks etc. Why is everyone paying for this? We didn't cause it. The developers brought on this burden, they should pay the city depending on the amount of luxury units and floors they construct and cram into every lot they get their hands on. This will help out with the accommodations of more roads, schools, hospitals and transportation etc that will be needed. Instead the cost of a few greedy developers is handed down to everyone. Why are we being charged for this by raising tolls and transportation rates? Charging tolls and higher fares to get people, goods, products and services in and out of the 5 boroughs is going to bring up the cost of everything for ever NYer, this a viscous cycle that could be avoided by charging the individuals and companies causing this burden. Is Bloomberg missing the obvious because he is a big time developer himself?

Thanks,
Sal
Upper WestSide

John,

I live very close to the triboro bridge, and I got surprised by the changing in the name of the bridge. I have never seen any previous announcement of the change, and about the cerimony on the Astoria Park, so I missed to see important politicals, and the "genius" that proposed and the "genius" that signed the bill for the name change. I can not proof anything, but I got the feeling that someone is making a lot of money behind this change.

As somebody else said, The Kennedy family should pay for everything, any piece of paper/stamp/badge/sign that need to be changed...and even maps, update the maps on my gps...to have their name there. As a real political that cares about the population and the hard time that we are, they should say NO to this absurd fact. And ours polititian should just had proposed a sign in dedication to RFK with his picture, even having a statue would make more sense than change the name. Politicians !!!I am not suggestion to do this on top the change. You should thought better before.

Would be interesting to see the MTA books for this small fact...Can NY1 do this...show in details how much it cost and will cost. Do some interviews about it, including the MTA's CEO...I would like to see him justifying and analyzing against the current situation. And of course they didn't realize and learned with past situation... the real name of the bridge from now is "RFK BRIDGE(formerly the Triborough Bridge)", people always refeers to what makes sense....

Now look at the text that I just seen on MTA site, it looks that they are very proud about it. "A new articulated bus costs almost a half-million dollars. New York City Transit currently has more than 600 articulated buses in service." HALF MILLION for a bus...I could understand 100K...even if it is the most enviromentally friendly bus.

Thanks
Marcelo

Why is there no mta manager or supervisor on the subway platforms? The mta lacks accountability and needs to get rid of waste within their organization!

Yuki