| Photo credit: Mario Tama/ Getty Images |
According to StreetsBlog, this week's City Council Hearing on transportation did little to set any plans in motion to combat the city's congestion problems. Here are the highlights from the meeting:
- Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said the city is looking into parking policy reforms, and smarter delivery practices.
- MTA CFO Michael Chubak explained declining bus ridership as being caused by riders switching to parallel subway lines, but did not have any updates on improving bus service and reliability. He also said the agency had never explored the possibility of using the MTA's real time GPS system to reduce bus bunching, to which Council Member David Greenfield responded, "You have the technology to actually make sure that bus bunching doesn't occur."
- Mayor de Blasio has stated previously that the City will not fund half priced MetroCards for low income residents, believing the state should cover the cost because the MTA is a state agency. The MTA however, believes the City is responsible for the cost, with Chubak stating, "It's really a social services question. We don't think it's a decision for the MTA to make. It's really a question of social policy, which would need to be made by New York City."
