Councilman Says MTA Plan Is 'Nowhere Near Enough'

CARROLL GARDENS, BROOKLYN — City Councilman Brad Lander says the MTA's plan to fix the subways is "not nearly enough," and he argued that a more significant overhaul to the system is necessary to fix its substantial issues.

Lander — who represents Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace and Kensington — has been a vocal critic of the MTA's handling of the subway system, especially as it has taken a prolific downward spiral recently.

On Thursday, he penned a lengthier diagnosis of what needs to be done, in his view, to fix the system, similar to what state Rep. Bobby Carroll did earlier this month.

Lander called the plan "a good start," but said "this is nowhere near enough to confront the crisis we face."

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"If we want a transit system that meets the needs of our large and growing city – for today, and into the future – then much more is needed," Lander said. "And it needs to start with significant monetary increases in transit investment."

He said the MTA's plan to focus on signals that most frequently fail is admirable but doesn't go far enough.

"It’s a good step to fix the signals that cause the most problems – but we know that the real solution is to get modern, communications-based signals on all 22 lines," Lander wrote. "Right now, we have them on 1 line, with 1 more underway. The rest are functioning on 1930s technology. London has replaced 40% of theirs, and have another 40% underway. Here it NYC, at the current pace, it won’t be done in my lifetime."

Lander also offered three suggestions for how to get more money into the MTA:

• Implement congestion pricing that would bring in at least an extra $1 billion per year.
• Institute a "millionaire's tax." Lander says a "modest increase" on the wealthiest 1 percent could generate at least an extra $2 billion per year.
• Close the "carried interest" loophole that could create an extra $3 billion per year.

Lander also lamented the "city vs. state" battle that has erupted between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio over whose responsibility it is to fix the subways. He says the city shouldn't trust Cuomo's call for the city to up its spending.

"Unfortunately, in addition to hiding from the investments we need, the Governor (with some help from the media) has also distracted us with a specious 'city vs. state' debate," Lander said. "To understand why this is just distraction, read the Streetsblog article. Last time the Governor challenged the City to put up more money, he then used a bait-and-switch to replace the State money he promised with MTA debt."

You can read Lander's entire piece here.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with Lander's assessment?

Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for New York Times