WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES NOVEMBER 19, 2020 13
Biden’s election bodes well for MTA
BY PATRICK J. FOYE
It’s clear the COVID-19 pandemic is
still far from over. Cases are surging
nationally, and here in New York, the
crisis continues to batter the MTA and its
fi nances. But for the fi rst time in a while,
we have some hope about the future: a
new president who prioritizes transit
will take offi ce in January.
The election of “Amtrak Joe” Biden,
the country’s most dedicated and famous
rail commuter, bodes well for our
agency. A longtime champion of public
transportation, the president-elect has
made sustainable infrastructure and
clean energy a pillar of his “Build Back
Better” transition platform.
President-elect Biden knows the role
mass transit and its heroic workers
played in keeping essential personnel
like doctors, nurses, pharmacists, grocers
and food delivery workers moving
during this once-in-hundred-year
pandemic. He also knows the resulting
fi nancial crisis is not the fault of transit
agencies like the MTA and state and local
governments.
But while this has injected a degree of
much-needed optimism into our eff orts
to secure the $12 billion in emergency
federal funding that we so desperately
need, we are not so naive as to believe
Biden’s victory will solve our problems
overnight.
We’re still facing the prospect of divided
government, and Senate Republicans
have made clear that unlike the incoming
president, they don’t understand
the critical role mass transit plays in
not only powering the economy, but in
promoting clean energy and addressing
racial equity. If they maintain control
of the chamber, their indiff erence will
continue to be an obstacle. We must plan
for the worst and hope for the best, as
we put together a budget in the wake
of a crisis that has done more damage
to our fi nances than even the Great
Depression.
That mindset guided the development
of our November Financial Plan, which
MTA Chief Financial Offi cer Bob Foran
will present this week at our monthly
board meeting. Without question, it
is one of the most diffi cult budgets we
have ever had to craft , in one of the
most uncertain and challenging times
ever for the agency and for the country.
It includes the potential for massive
service cuts of up to 50 percent on the
subway and 40 percent on the commuter
railroads, thousands of layoff s, and other
actions we desperately want to avoid.
We know these cuts will hit hard
the people who rely on us most, hurt
employees and further depress the
economy. A report by the consulting
fi rm Appleseed and the NYU Rudin
OP-ED
Center for Transportation estimates
these draconian measures could lead
to a reduction of approximately $65
billion dollars in the regional GDP in
2021 alone. But without the certainty of
federal dollars, there is no recourse. The
MTA is required by statute to deliver a
balanced budget every year, and we
have a fi duciary duty to do so regardless
of the unprecedented public health
emergency.
Hopefully, under the presidentelect’s
infl uence, Washington will come
through for us and we can amend our
doomsday plan and get back to our core
business of moving New York so that the
region can begin its recovery. There’s so
much we want to accomplish in the next
few years: implementation of the longawaited
Central Business District Tolling
Program, Second Avenue Subway
Phase 2, and improving accessibility,
just to name a few.
President-elect Biden can also
single-handedly on day one reverse
a devastating order from the current
administration that prohibits the Federal
Emergency Management Agency
from funding important cleaning and
disinfecting eff orts being undertaken by
mass transit systems and school districts
in the midst of this global health crisis.
We look forward to working with the
Biden-Harris administration and everyone
who wants to advance a pro-transit
agenda that will help not just New York
rebound economically, but the country
as well. As I’ve said repeatedly, transportation
is not a red or blue issue. We all
need to get from point A to point B safely
and eff ectively, now more than ever.
Patrick J. Foye is the chairman and CEO
of the MTA.
SNAPS
FALL IS IN THE AIR
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