Commuters Voice Disgust At Cuomo, De Blasio Fighting Over Subway

We can’t fix Penn Station or update the subway’s signal systems. But we can give voice to your frustration, hold those in charge accountable and find creative ways to make commuting more pleasant. Patch is partnering with WNYC and Gothamist to do just that. Join "We the Commuters" and you’ll receive tips, inspiration and a megaphone for your voice this summer.

NEW YORK CITY, NY – Straphangers are fed up as Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio go back and forth blaming one another for the dilapidated state of the subway system.

Commuter Andy Scherer, 60, called the feuding “a little disturbing” while waiting for a B train at the Herald Square station on Friday afternoon.

“It seems to be more about power positioning between the governor and the mayor and less about the long-term needs of the system and the commuters,” he said.

The latest point of contention between Cuomo and de Blasio is funding nearly $1 billion in subway repairs, part of a MTA “action plan” released Tuesday. Cuomo and MTA boss Joe Lhota are calling on the city to foot half the bill, but de Blasio says the city won’t pay any more — adding that the state has raided the MTA’s funds already.

Anastasiya Mosher, a 20-year-old artist, was not impressed.

“I think that’s kind of babyish of them,” she said while riding an express train to Penn Station. “I think they just really need to step it up and do what’s good for the city.”

A poll Quinnipiac University released Thursday showed more New Yorkers blaming Cuomo than de Blasio for the state of the subway, which has seen constant delays and even derailments in recent weeks.

Out of 70 percent of city voters who rated the subway as “not good” or “poor,” 40 percent thought Cuomo was mainly to blame. Twenty-one percent blamed de Blasio, and 20 percent said both were responsible.

Asked for her thoughts on the Cuomo-vs.-de Blasio fight, Bernell Everett, 57, initially said nobody cares about her opinion.

But when asked again, the housekeeper said, “They should get [the subways] cleaned up, that’s the right thing.

“They should do what’s right and stop the fighting and come together as one and do what’s good for everybody,” said Everett, who was waiting at a 14th St. stop for a 2 train to the Bronx.

Patch is partnering with WNYC to get your voice heard. Sign up for the We The Commuters project here.

Lead image by Shant Shahrigian/Patch.