http://www.nbcnewyork.com/syndication?id=36806859&path=%2Fnews%2Fbusiness
Hell, why not? If banks, auto manufacturers, and more are all bellying up to the pork buffet, why can’t the MTA?
Senator Chuck Schumer wants the federal government to write a check for a few billion dollars to bail out the MTA.
Just think, this could have been done back when Congestion Pricing was all the rage. It wouldn’t have been a bailout either. Under the Congestion Pricing plan, the city would have received a massive grant to fund the building of the infrastructure to get the system off the ground…to the tune of $500 million. Much of it would have also went to improving services to handle the expected increase in ridership.
Then, the city would have created a new and massive revenue source…all of the congestion pricing fees (taxes) that could have been funneled right back into maintaining the MTA services.
But noooo…we had to block that. F*cking idiots. Everyone who opposed that plan should be booted out of office.
Would it have completely avoided the current crisis? Probably not, but it would have done a ton to make it better. The estimated yearly revenue generated from the congestion pricing plan is around $491 million. That would have gone a long way to helping get us out of the disaster we are currently lost in.
SUBWAYblogger 
Yeah! Why are they bailing out a multi billion dollar industry that can take a hit and still manufacture cars when one of the nation’s largest transit system is about to hit the wall running.
If things keep going how they are, the government is going to have alot of problems in the future. New York’s financial district is the nations heart with wall street being there. Imagine if the MTA had to cut back in that area?!
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Congestion pricing would have solved the overcrowding problem… because businesses that can’t afford to make ends meet now would be closing shop and moving from the increases the plan would have incurred on their goods… which would cause a drop in the service industry because now there are fewer people to cater to and which would have lead to further unemployment.
Congestion pricing is not the answer.
If you really want to hunt the sacred cow… how much of the MTA’s budget goes to Access-A-Ride?
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@NYCWD:MMMMmmm…I disagree.
It would not have a tremendous impact on business. Hell, if you already take the Lincoln Tunnel to work, it wouldn’t cost you anymore. The tunnel already costs $8.00 and you’re only responsible for paying the difference in cost of the $8.00 congestion fee. So the net would be zero in that case.
For the service industry, they’d only pay once per day. It’s not like it would cost you $8.00 every time your delivery truck moved. Instead, you’d just pay once at some point that day, and that would be it. Paying it once per day, five days a week would end up costing a truck around $2000 a year. That’s not terribly unreasonable. And surely not enough to shut down a business.
Even if it cost a tractor trailer $100 to drive into the city, spread that cost over a total trailer load shipment, and its pennies per item.
It would not have the chilling effect people claim.
However, I agree with you on Access-A-Ride.
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Congestion prices is one of the last thing this city needs with reduced subway service. I think more subway service is needed before anyone even thinks of congestion pricing. Like finish the 2nd ave subway 1st. If congestion pricing occurred, it would really just move the gridlock from the streets to the subway.
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I love how the post about pork-barrel spending is above a picture of real pork 🙂
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@Tim: I dont think you understand congestion pricing. The whole idea was that we would get a ton of federal money to INCREASE subway service and repair systems.
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