To the Editor,
There are a number of issues which were not addressed by members of the state Legislature who support an $11 billion bill titled “Fix the MTA.” One proposal to ensuring subways and most buses arrive at least every six minutes, every day of the week has unforeseen consequences. This will result in the need to purchase more equipment to replace existing equipment sooner as it is used more frequently. The buses and subway cars will accumulate more mileage earlier than anticipated. They also need to expand maintenance and storage capacity at existing bus depots and rail yards, staffing, maintenance, costs for fueling buses, along with powering commuter rail and subway trains while in transit service.
If you follow the logic of this proposal, it would also be extended to those boarding NYC Transit and MTA express buses from two fare zones known as “transit deserts.” Thousands of those riders will want equivalent increased services. Ditto for the 66,000 daily pre-COVID-19 Staten Island Ferry and thousands more private ferry operator riders. They will want to see significant increased services — even if not every six minutes.
Those working on NYC Transit maintenance and capital improvement projects on and adjacent to tracks would have to stop and resume work every few minutes as subway trains pass active work zones. A significant portion of this work takes place between the morning and evening rush hours, evenings, overnight and weekends. Running subway trains every six minutes will also add time needed to complete routine daily safety inspections and maintenance activities. Capital improvement projects will take longer to finish with additional incurred costs.
Larry Penner
