MTA Prepares Budget Cuts That Would Make Transit System "Unrecognizable"

Service cuts, lay-offs and getting rid of unlimited Metrocards could be in the future. [View this email in your browser]( MTA Prepares Budget Cuts That Would Make Transit System "Unrecognizable" Plus: The Flushing Busway Is Paused For The Near Future, Some MTA Workers Aren't Properly Masked, Helicopter Noise Complaints Are On The Rise, New Placard Abuse Reports Could Be Coming, A NJ Bus Company Defrauded NJ Transit and Human-Sized Rats Are On The Subway. By Annie Todd BRAULIO JATAR/SOPA IMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK If the MTA fails to secure $12 billion in federal relief aid by the end of the year, which appears unlikely given Republican control of the Senate, MTA leaders said they will have no choice but to pass a budget which would make public transportation in New York City unrecognizable to riders, and likely unusable for a large swath of the public that relies on it. MTA Chairman Pat Foye called the agency’s 2021 budget, released on Wednesday, “grim.” Bob Foran, the Chief Financial Officer who created it, said it was “ugly.” Board members referred to it as “brutal.” “All of the options we discussed today are grim and have significant downsides and contain actions that no one at the MTA wants to pursue,” Foye said at Wednesday’s MTA board meeting. The agency has been [warning the board]( lawmakers, and the public as far back as July that [if federal relief aid does not come]( by the end of the year, it will have to reduce subway and bus service by 40% and commuter rail service by 50%, as well as lay off more than 9,000 workers. On Wednesday it [released a plan to do just that](. It includes slashing service to every 15 minutes on weekdays and wait times between some commuter trains would extend to an hour. The agency proposed cutting 8,238 bus and subway conductor positions. They would also raise the single-ride Metrocard price to replace the card from $1 to $3, and are even considering cutting the 7-day and 30-day unlimited ride cards. “Nobody likes this. Nobody likes the impact on the customer. Nobody likes the potential impact on the employees. This is just ugly, and this is something that we must consider if we’re going to survive,” Foran said Wednesday. The MTA has also hired the consulting firm McKinsey & Company to review the economic outlook for the agency. Their report comes out next week but in a preview, the firm predicts the pre-pandemic level of ridership won't come back until 2024 and that's the best-case scenario. The MTA board is expected to vote on the budget presented Wednesday before the end of the year. [—Reporting by Stephen Nessen]( Fate Of Stalled Flushing Busway Plan Up In The Air For Now COURTESY OF THE MTA A judge will decide next month whether New York City's plan to install a busway along a clogged commercial corridor in Flushing, Queens can proceed, after a temporary restraining order issued on Friday stopped the project from advancing. The busway project on Main Street — stretching 0.3 miles between Northern Boulevard and Sanford Avenue in Flushing's Chinatown — is part of a city Department of Transportation pilot program aimed at improving service for 19 bus lines that crisscross the area. The project is much like the existing [14th Street busway in Manhattan]( where the roadway is exclusive to city buses and commercial trucks. [An analysis]( of the 14th Street busway shows service improved by 47% when compared to service before the plan. The temporary restraining order issued by State Supreme Court Judge Kevin Kerrigan will last through December 21st, the deadline when attorneys are expected to submit their legal arguments that will determine whether the project can begin. Randall Eng, an attorney representing a consortium of business owners that include the Flushing Chinese Business Association, argues that the busway endangers his clients' bottom line. Their opposition to the project, which will lead to parking spots being removed, had delayed the project from even starting for several months. The preciousness of parking spots near the proposed bus lane was on full display Monday when [a man attempted to run over three men]( during a fight over a coveted spot. "What happened yesterday is a little appetizer of what’s going to happen, but even worse," Andy Chen, a driver and activist with Asian American Community Empowerment, told Gothamist. "The [Department of Transportation] and Mayor’s Office bears responsibility for what actually happened." The proposed busway will serve 150,000 New Yorkers and in a presentation on overall traffic improvements for Flushing in May 2018, the DOT cited 2014 data showing that 79% of shoppers walk or use mass transit to get to a business. Nick Sifuentes, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, which supports the city's efforts for improved mass transit options, believes the Flushing project will eventually move forward. [—Read David Cruz's story on Gothamist]( Here's What Else Is Happening MTA workers worry about their safety as some colleagues don't wear masks and more crew members continue to test positive for COVID-19. The number of MTA workers testing positive for COVID-19 is up slightly over the past two weeks. At the end of October, an average of 4.5 transit workers were testing positive each day. That number is now up to about 6.5 a day, or roughly 0.19% of those tested. Some workers say that their colleagues aren't wearing masks in the break room and the MTA isn't properly addressing the problem. Train operator LaCheryl Kenner-Edwards, 60, has chronic asthma and wears three masks and a face shield at work. But when she caught her supervisor without a mask, "I said, ‘What’s the matter? Don’t get jealous cause you don’t have [a mask].’ I said, ‘ya’ll play too much here, I don’t have time.’” ([Gothamist]( Helicopter noise complaints are rising as more New Yorkers work from home. Helicopter noise complaints have gone up 130% compared to last year, according to 311 data. The bulk of the complaints come from Manhattan and more people called in October to complain about the buzzing sounds than in the months before. Rep. Carolyn Maloney said the rise in helicopter use across the city is a combination of factors including companies flying in from out of state who aren't subjected to New York's regulations, the NYPD and private helicopter services like UberCopter and Blade. ([T]( City]( New Yorkers could finally report placard abuse and earn cash for it. City Councilmember Stephen Levin and Council Speaker Corey Johnson are introducing a new bill today to allow New Yorkers to report illegally parked cars, including cars with city placards. As a reward, citizens will be paid cash, although it's unclear how much. Levin says the legislation is similar to the city's current program that allows passerby to report idling trucks and cars, which was reintroduced this winter with the help of Billy Idol. ([Streetsblog]( A New Jersey bus company is accused of defrauding NJ Transit out of more than $15 million. Academy Bus is accused of defrauding NJ Transit after a former employee blew the whistle and filed a lawsuit in the Office of the Attorney General. Between April 2012 and December 2018, Academy Bus deliberately failed to report thousands of missed bus trips in the Hudson Service Area, according to the lawsuit. Reporting monthly bus trips is how NJ Transit creates the basis of pay and helps figure out where deductions need to be made. Aside from the whistleblower complaint, attorneys also used text messages, emails, bus schedule databases and more to build their case. ([N]( Performance art has come back to the subway in the form of a giant rat. Buddy the Rat, a.k.a. the Subway Rat Costume Dude, has gone viral in recent days thanks to TikTok, Twitter and Instagram videos where he's seen doing typical subway rat things like cosplaying Pizza Rat and putting his feet on the subway seat. Buddy is the creation of Jonothon Lyons, 38, a trained dancer who works in theater and puppetry. Lyons first created Buddy in 2009 and he recently shot a short film as the character with director Todd Strauss-Schulson, which will premiere online sometime next week. ([Gothamist]( A Flamethrower On Top Of A Bus?? Don't worry — it was for a music video. But you can read more about our flamethrowing bus rider and how easy it is to get a flamethrower on [Gothamist](. Weekend Service Changes: Night of November 20th – Early Morning on November 23rd. This is a partial list of major service disruptions scheduled for the weekend. For a complete list of the MTA's Weekender updates, [check here](. Note: The entire subway system is closed each night from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. until further notice. Uptown trains will run express between Canal St and 168 St. Please take an uptown train for service at 23 St, 50 St, 72 St, 81 St, 86 St, 96 St, 103 St, 110 St and 116 St. No service at Queens Plaza, Court-Sq-23 St, Lexington Av/53 St, 7 Av, 50 St, 42 St/Port Authority, 34 St-Penn Station, 23 St and 14 St. runs via the in both directions between 21 St-Queensbridge and W 4 St. No trains will run between 241 St and E 180 St. trains run between Flatbush Av and E 180 St and will replace the train between E 180 St and Dyre Av. trains run between Norwood-205 St and 145 St, via the track at W 4 St and via the train in Brooklyn. trains run between 179 St and W 4 St and replace the between 47-50 St and Stillwell Av. No trains between Church Av and Coney Island-Stillwell Av. No late evening trains between Whitehall St and Atlantic Av-Barclays Center. trains skip Union St, 4 Av-9 St, Prospect Av and 25 St in both directions. trains will not run between Hewes St and Essex St/Delancey St. [Check here]( for complete details about the Long Island Rail Road. For NJ Transit, [check here]( for the latest service advisories. Annie Todd would cry if a giant rat came up to her on the train. Also, please don't use a flamethrower to cook your turkey next week. (We're off for Thanksgiving.) (Photo by Jacob Kaye) Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential transportation coverage and more. [Donate]( Copyright © 2020 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: New York Public Radio 160 Varick Street New York, NY 10013 [unsubscribe]( [update preferences]( [privacy policy](