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Articles by Jamison Dague
Switching Gears
Print Share Expand Table of Contents May 08, 2019 By authorizing a new congestion pricing fee New York State’s elected officials assumed a place of national leadership in transportation financing. The new approach serves the dual goals of raising revenue and reducing traffic congestion; however, the measure is not a complete solution to the State’s need for transportation funding.
Reform at the Bargaining Table
Expand Table of Contents April 30, 2019 The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) fiscal outlook is dire. The latest update to the authority’s four-year financial plan projects annual cash deficits growing from $68 million this year to $976 million in 2022. End-of-year reported cash reserves will be exhausted next year, and in 2022 the authority will have a cumulative cash shortfall of nearly $2.3 billion. (See Table 1.) Improving the MTA’s fiscal outlook requires a multipronged approach.
Building a Sound Fiscal Future for New York's Highway and Mass Transit Systems
Expand Table of Contents March 19, 2019 New York’s transportation infrastructure is critical to the economic vitality and safety of the state. The highway system is both the chief circulatory system for people and goods within the state and primary connection between New York and the rest of the continent. Highway user fees should be sufficient to cover the cost of operating and maintaining the road and bridge network in a state of good repair and in addition should cross-subsidize mass transit.
At PATH a Higher Fare is a Fairer Fare
September 29, 2014 On October 1, 2014, the single-ride fare for the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH)—the rail system connecting Newark, Harrison, Jersey City, and Hoboken to Midtown and Lower Manhattan—will increase by 25 cents.[1] This is the third in a series of three annual increases approved in September 2011 that bring PATH’s single-ride fare from $2.00 to $2.75. Many riders will complain, but the simple truth is that the higher fare is a fairer fare.
MTA Fiscal Dashboard
Today the Finance Committee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) met in a special meeting to discuss aspects of the 2019 Final Proposed Budget and November Financial Plan 2020-2022. Agency representatives discussed proposed budget reduction initiatives, which are expected to save the MTA $381 million next year, less than 2.5 percent of the MTA budget. The agency expects to use one-time actions to end 2019 in the black.
More Than Fare
Second, transportation investments must better promote a more environmentally friendly system that generates less pollution and slows the phenomenon known as climate change.
Three Takeaways from the MTA's Financial Plan
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) released its 2019 Preliminary Budget and four-year financial plan last month. Here are three important takeaways. First, the good news is the MTA has a new source of revenue. The agency will receive approximately $385 million annually from the New York City Transit Assistance Fund—supported by new fees on taxicab and for-hire vehicle trips that occur in or traverse Manhattan south of 96th Street.
Getting Back on Track
A critical element of high quality transit service is reliable subway car performance. Riders do not want to be delayed by a train being taken out of service because a car breaks down or suffer an unpleasant ride because a car’s heating or air conditioning is not functioning. Keeping subway cars in good condition, defined as a state of good repair, requires regular inspections and preventive maintenance as well as scheduled replacement based on expected useful life.
4 Things You Should Know About the MTA's Commuter Railroads
Expand Table of Contents April 18, 2018 On an average weekday more than 603,000 riders travel across the New York City region on one of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) two commuter railroads—the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and the Metro-North Railroad (Metro-North).
Bridging the Financial Gap
Expand Table of Contents October 12, 2017 In late August the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement, the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, opened to traffic. How will the costs of constructing this new bridge be funded? A loan from the federal government, bonds issued by the New York State Thruway Authority, and cash funneled to the project by the State will pay the bills in the short term. In the long term, approximately $2.9 billion in loans and bonds will need to be repaid.
Who Pays When “The City” Gives Money to the MTA?
Blog Transportation May 05, 2015 The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is the circulatory system of the region; supplying the funding it needs is an extremely important priority. In a well-intentioned search to plug the MTA’s $1 billion annual future budget hole, MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast, with the support of transit advocates, recently urged Mayor Bill de Blasio to increase the City’s annual contribution to the MTA capital plan from $100 million to $300 million.
Is the Enhanced Station Initiative a Good Idea?
On June 29, Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) service area citing continuing failures of MTA infrastructure and their “vast and deleterious” impact on the region. As part of this declaration, the newly-named Chairman, Joseph Lhota, will conduct an assessment of the MTA’s capital needs within 60 days.
Welcome Back, Joe Lhota! | CBCNY
On the last day of the scheduled 2017 legislative session, the Governor appointed, and the state Senate confirmed, Joe Lhota as Chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Lhota returns to the agency where he served as chairman and chief executive officer from January to December 2012. Much has occurred since Lhota last chaired an MTA board meeting. The following five charts illustrate the agency’s current plight.
What New Yorkers Can and Cannot Learn from the Ten-Year Capital Strategy | CBCNY
Every day New York City’s vast public infrastructure system supports the activities of more than 8 million residents and hundreds of thousands of commuters and tourists. This system is needed to provide government services, generate economic output, and provide a good quality of life. Ensuring these assets work now and for future generations is an important function of government. The City of New York has a multipart capital planning process that guides its investments.
Inside the Port Authority: An analysis by City & State and the CBC
Established in 1921 the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (Port Authority) supports the region’s passenger and freight transportation systems through interstate bridges and tunnels, a rail transit system (PATH), bus terminals, airports, and seaports. In addition, the agency is a large commercial landlord, owning the World Trade Center.
REPORT CARD: New York State Executive Budget, Fiscal Year 2016-2017
These are midterm grades for the Governor’s Executive Budget; final grades will be given at the end of the annual budget process determined by the outcome of negotiations between the Governor and legislative leaders. The Executive Budget deserves an excellent grade for continued spending restraint and no tax increases. Total state-financed spending would increase less than 2 percent with agency spending held flat.
Best (and Worst) Stations by Subway Line
On Sunday the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) opened its Hudson Yards subway station at 34th Street and 11th Avenue, the first expansion of the subway system since 1989. This brand-new terminus of the train is a stark contrast to the stations on the rest of that line and underscores the need to bring all subway stations to a safe and functional status referred to as a “state of good repair” (SGR).
A Fairer Fare Increase
On Sunday March 22 fares for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) subways and buses will go up. Like three previous biennial fare increases since 2009, this hike is needed to raise revenue for transit operations. However, more money could be gained or the increase could be less painful for riders if the MTA pursues another, arguably fairer, revenue-raising strategy.
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