Every five years, the MTA presents its wish list for improvements to the region’s transportation network. It’s called the Capital Plan. This year, the plan includes major upgrades to subways and buses, plus a slew of big new projects like extension of the Second Avenue Subway, new stations for Metro North in the Bronx and at Penn Station, and East Side Access to Grand Central for the Long Island Rail Road. The total cost of the plan is $32 billion, but the MTA has only identified just over half the money to make it happen.
"It’s like Christmas, but instead of actually getting the presents on Christmas morning, you just get a list of the presents you might get if Mom and Dad get the money together to buy them for you," said Riders Alliance Executive Director John Raskin.
To increase revenue and bridge a $15 billion gap, some advocates are calling for new tolls on the East River bridges and along 60th Street (and then lower tolls on all other bridges that don't go into Manhattan). Others have talked about a higher gas tax, sales tax, or payroll tax. The state could also borrow the money, but that would drive up fares which are already scheduled to go up next year. The MTA already has $34 billion in debt, about 17 percent of its annual budget.
But you don't hear politicians talking about these options very much.
New York Governor Cuomo recently called the MTA's plan "bloated," and said it doesn't need the additional revenue.
"The first budget from every agency always calls for $15 billion extra," he said. "That’s part of the dance we go through."
Charles Brecher, Consulting Research Director of the Citizens Budget Commission, said analysts don't expect any real discussion about how to pay for the plan until after the election.
"Raising revenue is painful for people who are elected. And there’s an election coming up," he said. "So I think everybody at this point is looking to defer the pain til after November 4th."
The Citizens Budget Commission recently published a report calling the priorities in the plan "misplaced."
Legislators must approve the plan, and they typically allocate funding during the annual budget process in the spring.
Raskin says, when they do, he hopes they'll recognize the significance of the transportation network.
"The whole regional economy depends on a functioning public transit system," Raskin said. "The question is not how much do we want to spend, it’s do we spend money now, or later, when everything falls apart."