Long Island Calling

Okay, by now you are probably aware of the fact that Bloomberg’s traffic plan has been shot down, Albany didn’t see eye to eye with him, his approach was wrong, er, um, zzzz…

Look I can care less about the dramatics and egos behind the fight itself.  From my perspective, as a freshly born LI to NYC commuter on a fairly popular line at a high traffic station, the mayor’s idea has the right intentions, but I’m not sure the public transit out in the burbs would have been ready in a year to absorb additional riders on the LIRR, and Metro North that would no longer be commuting by car. Don’t get me wrong, its a shame that the city will now lose potentially $13 billion and of course, the $354 million in federal mass transit funds. But for anyone riding LIRR, these days, many times it feels like this:

and that would not have gotten any better with the plan.

But according to the NYTimes, if the plan did pass, this money still wouldn’t have covered everything:

“But under a new spending plan released Wednesday by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, so-called congestion pricing would cover a relatively small portion — 15 percent — of money needed for transit improvements. That would leave the authority still scrambling for money. The authority said that it would need $29.5 billion from 2008 through 2013 for system improvements (like thousands of new buses and modernized subway signals) and expansion (like work on the Second Avenue subway).”

So regardless of my own desire to get a seat in the morning, this issue must be revived.  The issue must be addressed, but in a way that meets the needs of the city and of the commuters.  Otherwise, the city will still be full of cars, smog and the MTA won’t be able find the money for all of its capital projects and the maintenance, new buses, subway/train cars that are needed.   Do I have the answer?  Well…no.  Would I be blogging if I did?  Umm, no, I would actually be busy.

Particularly there is a project that is already underway and VERY important to me that might be in jeapordy of losing out on funding.  Let all LIers pray that nothing happens to this one-