22 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 24, 2022 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
editorial
Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit
Story: DOT announces single-lane closure on the Van
Wyck Expressway
Summary: The New York State Department of
Transportation announced that the Van Wyck
Expressway would be temporarily reduced to one-lane
travel starting on Tuesday, Feb. 22. The closure will
allow NYSDOT to work on the ramp as part of its Kew
Gardens Interchange Phase 4 project.
Reach: 26,947 (as of 02/21/22)
Take advantage
of ‘Fair Fares’
For all the talk about infl ation and the
city’s ongoing recovery from the COVID-
19 pandemic, we as a city need to pound
the drum harder about ways to cut costs.
Some 750,000 New Yorkers are eligible
right now to receive half-priced unlimited
MetroCards through the “Fair Fares”
program. Some say even more workingclass
residents of the city are also deserving
of discounted fares; they argue the
city and the MTA should work together
to expand it.
Noble as that goal is, there’s just one
problem: Not enough eligible New Yorkers
are applying for the program as it is. Just
over 250,000 people have applied for it, or
about a third of all eligible residents.
Th e proponents say it’s not because
of a lack of want in New York City; it’s
simply a lack of communication and
promotion. Mayor Eric Adams recently
vowed to change that dynamic, saying
that the city government would do more
to promote the Fair Fares program and
ensure that every eligible New Yorker
who wants a discounted MetroCard can
get one.
And why shouldn’t they? Th e savings
are tremendous. A 30-day unlimited
MetroCard costs $127; Fair Fares
cuts that price in half, to $63.50. Multiply
that by 12 months in a year, and the
cardholder saves $762 annually on their
transportation costs.
Every dollar saved is a dollar earned
for a New Yorker living on a low or
fixed income. They can turn around
and use those saved dollars toward paying
for other necessities, providing a little
more relief in an economy that constantly
wallets.
We’ve covered the Fair Fares program
numerous times over the past year, and
we believe it can be of great benefi t to New
Yorkers in the most need, at minimal cost
to the city taxpayer.
Th e $75 million commitment the
Adams administration is making toward
Fair Fares represents just 0.076% of the
mayor’s proposed $98 billion budget for
the next fi scal year. Talk about bang for
your buck.
Applications for the Fair Fares program
THE QUEENS
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are open now, and we encourage eligible
New Yorkers to sign up today. Visit nyc.
gov/fairfares to check your eligibility and
submit an application.
It’s your money and your city. Take
advantage of this golden opportunity to
save a few bucks while you ride the greatest
public transportation system in the
world.
Just over 250,000 people have applied
for the Fair Fares program, or about a
third of all eligible residents.
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