Photo credit: Marla Maritzer

New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. testifies before the New York State Senate Committees on Transportation, and Corporations, Authorities and Commissions on February 18, 2009. Pictured (l to r) are: Joseph Rappaport, Senior Transportation Analyst, New York City Office of the Comptroller and Thompson. View testimony View video

New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today testified in favor of equitable funding for transit, reiterating his proposal for a weight-based vehicle registration fee.

“We all know that this City can’t survive without good subways, buses, and commuter rails,” Thompson said before the Senate Committees on Transportation, and Corporations, Authorities and Commissions. “When transit funds are cut and the infrastructure isn’t maintained, our economy and our quality of life are at risk.”

Thompson noted that his office unveiled an online system that allows transit riders to see how the MTA’s proposed cuts would affect their respective subway and bus lines. Thompson’s system, which can be accessed at www.comptroller.nyc.gov, allows users to search by zip code or subway line or bus route to see what the 318 proposed MTA cuts would mean to their neighborhoods.

“These cuts would be devastating to all mass transit users,” he said. “Schoolchildren, senior citizens, and workers—anyone who takes transit, at virtually any time of day—would encounter longer rides and more crowding.”

He continued: “These cuts jeopardize the safety of New Yorkers. If the subways lose 211 station agents, there would be many fewer transit employees available in an emergency to call police or EMS. This puts schoolchildren and everyone else who ride the trains in greater jeopardy.”

“Along with these service cuts, the proposed fare hike would perhaps hurt working families the most,” Thompson said. “Riders would be asked to pay more while getting less, and these hikes would hit them at a time when many New Yorkers are struggling just to make ends meet.”

In his testimony, which can be accessed at www.comptroller.nyc.gov, Thompson also expressed his outrage regarding the MTA’s proposal to raise Access-A-Ride fares to as high as $10 for a round-trip. “I’m surprised that Mayor Bloomberg has yet to assert his right under the contract the City has with the MTA—which my office uncovered—to reject this proposal,” he said.  

Thompson reiterated his disapproval of the Commission’s proposal to institute tolls on the East River and Harlem River bridges. “Some working people, especially those who own small businesses, would end up paying a disproportionate amount for tolls,” he said. “Many of the city’s small businesses—food suppliers, plumbers, painters—are in Brooklyn, Queens, or the Bronx. They are vital for the economic diversity of the city. But tolls would significantly burden these businesses, many of which are already struggling.”

As an alternative, Thompson has proposed a weight based vehicle registration fee of $100 for vehicles weighing 2,300 pounds or less. For larger vehicles, drivers would pay $100 plus a 9-cent charge for every pound of curb weight over 2,300.

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