There is no doubt that the MTA performs an incredible task every day. Its complexity is astounding, and it is quite difficult to comprehend. However, blindly defending the status quo seems unreasonable and unproductive. It is very possible to both support the MTA system and still call for reform. Is that not the very essence of democracy?

You are correct about that VNM but,,,it is actually sort of unique in its mandates to report monthly in public every detail of its operation, to hold endless public hearings every time it makes a change in fare or service policy in every community, and to publish every morsel of its budget.

For this, the MTA is rewarded with an accusation of “secrecy” the Scarlet S, when the citizens either can’t be bothered with or can’t understand the mechanical details and the human complexity of running a system that employees 67,000 living people plus a small army of subcontractors.

There are really no other public or private authorities that are more transparent than the MTA but still…it goes on and on. And the Liberals, even more than the conservatives, hold forth with endless solutions that the way to “rescue” the MTA is to cut wages, salaries and benefits.

The MTA is really the perfect scapegoat and still moves millions of people in and out of a city of eight million people everyday for a couple bucks a ride.

Defending this situation earns one the title of “shill”.

Not as a defense of particular cost overruns, but the MTA is not the only agency that revises cost projections upward after infrastructure projects begin. In fact, it is the global norm.

As for the mismanagement the Atlantic Yards giveaway is just one of a series of boondoggles and giveaways.

Capital Improvements Gone Wild

1. MTA Headquarters – cost overruns and fraud by convicted MTA employees.
2. Second Avenue Subway – way over budget and no one in sight
3. Fulton Street Station Upgrade – Big hole in the ground almost a billion spent?
4. South Ferry Station – Over budget
5. Siemens L train switch upgrade – Over budget
6. Lockheed Security Cameras – In litigation with Lockheed suing MTA

Boneheaded Deals and Giveaways

1. Atlantic Yards
2. West Side Yards – Gave
3. 7 train Extension

I love me some public transit, but when Mark says people don’t know facts and that these are “tired talking points” there is a certain amount of unreality that one cannot gloss over.

On top of this, capital improvements are geared toward big shiny public works like the nearly 1 Billion dollars spent on Fulton Street that could have funded a hell of a lot of BRT for outer boroughs.

Let me be clear. The legislature is certainly responsible for much of the funding issues here, and my point was not to let them off the hook. My point was that there are some very serious systemic problems with the way the MTA is run, that this blog seems to ignore or defend.

First, let’s talk about secrecy: We have multiple major capital projects such as the Fulton Transit Center, East Side Access, and the 7 train extension with budgets that reach into the billions of dollars. Yet information on those projects in scant at best. The website for the 7 train extension hasn’t been updated since November 2008, East Side Access was updated in January 2009. We’re talking multiple billions of dollars and they can’t update the damn websites. CBTC has been delayed for years, with minimal explanation. MTA spent a ton of money on bus and train locators systems. The bus ones don’t work and the train ones are on one line. Where is there information on this project? Can you show me a website? Other agencies have information for projects a tenth of the size. Is it unreasonable for the public to be aware of where this money is being spent? When the MTA keeps these projects secret, it makes people wary of giving them more. If there is nothing to hide, why hide it?

Did you read about the LIRR conductors taking disability benefits? That didn’t happen by accident without anyone noticing. If something on that large a scale has been happening for years, is it unreasonable to think that it’s probably not the only instance.

Look, I’m all for pinning responsibility where it lies, and a huge portion lies with the legislature and elected officials. And yes, there is a lot of mindless MTA-bashing out there, probably more than there needs to be. HOWEVER, some of it is deserved, and ignoring or defending these problems is counterproductive. That is all I have to say on the matter.

too much of “just fund the mta and all will be fine” on this blog IMO
Plenty of blame to go around between the state, the MTA and the TWU

A couple questions to think about:
1. What does it mean to blame the MTA and not the legislature and governor, when it is the legislature and governor that appoint MTA board members? That’s like saying that GM is to blame for its problems, but that its executive leadership is blameless.
2. Can you give some examples of the “misuse of funds”, “general secrecy” and “generally poor leadership” that you refer to? The only one I’m aware of is the Atlantic Yards giveaway, which is pretty clearly coming not from the MTA but (again) from the legislature — look at the ESDC’s pretty much equivalent approach.