The greatest city in the world deserves the greatest mass transit system in the world. And every neighborhood in the greatest city in the world deserves equal treatment, no matter how far from Manhattan it may be.
1) Neighborhoods must be treated fairly. Why is that Bay Ridge-bound straphangers are often stuck waiting for an R train at 59th Street for over 30 minutes? How come the MTA is looking to cut so many vital bus stops in Brighton Beach and Coney Island? The MTA should be ashamed of treating neighborhoods near the end of lines this poorly.
2) New York City must stop subsidizing Long Island and Westchester. Not only do we need to bring back the commuter tax so that suburban riders pay their fair share, we also need to make sure that tolls collected on New York City bridges go to New York City transit. Currently tolls on the Verrazano Bridge are mostly used to subsidize areas totally outside of New York City! If Bay Ridge residents pay $17 to see their family in Staten Island, that money should go into Bay Ridge or Staten Island transit needs.
3) New York City needs to take more control. Why are bureaucrats from upstate and Long Island in charge of New York City’s mass transit? It makes no sense! Most New Yorkers assume that the MTA is controlled by New York City which has the effect of misdirecting disapproval from the State to the City. In the end, nobody is held accountable.
4) Prioritize fixing our aging infrastructure. When parts get old, they break. This is common sense. Unfortunately, our transit system is operating using tracks and signals that are a hundred years old. Of course the trains are a mess! The MTA must dedicate emergency funding to upgrade the system immediately.