WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES MARCH 10, 2022 13
Governor Hochul should invest in six-minute transit service
BY JIM BURKE
Governor Hochul has twice
postponed the MTA fare hike and
announced major megaprojects
across three boroughs. She’s also
announced initiatives to confront
subway safety.
Now, with a $6.4 billion budget
surplus and record federal highway
aid, the most far-reaching, most effective
investment our governor can
make is in more frequent service for
millions of current riders and to
help public transit attract millions
of others considering getting on
board.
New York City is the city that
never sleeps. It’s time our buses
and subway schedules reflect that.
We have always prioritized the 9-5
office worker while everyone else
got the short end of the stick. As we
look toward the future, we need a
transit system that acknowledges
the debt of gratitude we owe lowincome,
frontline service sector
workers and how the pandemic has
transformed the economy.
For many years I worked from
four in the afternoon until midnight
and from midnight to eight in the
morning. I waited on corners for
buses that never came and on empty
platforms, worried for my safety,
while 20 or 30 minutes passed before
a train arrived. Our hospital
workers, doormen, deliveristas,
cooks, bakers and more continue
to suffer long waits. It was never
fair but now it has no justification.
Since the pandemic, our new normal
is that riders from a great variety of
jobs now also travel in the so-called
“off hours,” all day and all week.
When riders see long waits on
countdown clocks, and realize no
bus or train is coming soon, they
give up. They cancel their trip or
take an Uber or Lyft which, for our
fellow NYers with fewer resources,
often means doing without essentials
during the week just to keep
their job, to make an appointment or
to pick up their kids from school and
daycare. Those with more resources
opt to drive themselves. All of this
results in more congested and more
dangerous streets. Shorter wait
times mean quicker service and
more riders in a system that sorely
needs them back.
The best way to invest in NYC’s
future is investing in subway and
bus service that runs every six minutes.
The effect will be profound and
its benefits felt first and foremost
by people and communities that
have always had substandard service:
our essential workers. More
OP-ED
frequent service isn’t just a matter
of convenience, it’s a question of equity.
Not only are Black and brown
New Yorkers more likely to perform
essential jobs that all NYC residents
depend on, they’re also more likely
to endure very long commute times.
More frequent buses and trains
yield faster door-to-door commutes
because riders spend less time
waiting to board. That means less
time at bus stops and less time on
train platforms. Less time in transit
means more time for work, family,
education, healthcare and participation
in civic activities and with each
other. Less time waiting for buses and
trains is also a boon for rider safety.
Thanks to federal emergency aid
and infrastructure funding, MTA
services are still going strong despite
billions in pandemic-driven
lost fares. There are literally tens of
billions of dollars in the megaproject
pipeline for legacy efforts like
Penn Station and the Second Avenue
subway and bold equity initiatives
like Interborough Express. These
worthwhile projects will take a
number of years before we see any
benefits. The governor can invest in
improved service immediately. We
can restore what we have lost and
build our service back better NOW.
Jim Burke of Queens is a member
of the Riders Alliance, New York’s
grassroots organization of subway
and bus riders.
SNAPS
LUNCHTIME IN FOREST HILLS
PHOTO BY JOE ABATE
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