State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery Sides With Fare Hike Four

Montgomery.jpgThe Fare Hike Four have absorbed most of the fire from advocates and editorial boards for derailing the Ravitch plan, and rightfully so. But by calling so much attention to themselves, they’ve also given cover to other members of the State Senate. So, what does the rest of the Senate majority have to say? Here’s what Brooklyn’s Velmanette Montgomery, re-elected on the Democratic and Working Families Party ballot lines in 2008 (with more than 96 percent of the vote), told her constituents:

Thank you so much for reaching out to me about the MTA "Doomsday" plan. I
am working with my colleagues in the Senate to find an alternative to the
unacceptably harsh ideas suggested by the Ravitch Commission. The Senate
Majority plan provides the MTA with more operating capital than the Ravitch
plan, does so with a lower fare increase and with no tolls on bridges. In
addition it provides for the ongoing future fiscal health of the MTA by
requiring a thorough forensic audit of the MTA to root out excesses and
duplications. It is unacceptable for the public to be continually subjected
to fare increases and be denied any oversight of the MTA finances. With
your continued support for the Senate Majority proposal, we can assure the
continued responsible health of our transportation infrastructure.

The "Senate Majority plan" Montgomery touts is the same one with $700 million in accounting mistakes and absolutely no provision for maintenance and expansion. Claiming that it provides for the "continued responsible health of our transportation infrastructure" is laughable. Her position does not stray from what Carl Kruger and the rest of the Fare Hike Four have been saying.

Every day, traffic to free East River bridges overruns Montgomery’s district — which curves from Sunset Park to Bed-Stuy. Among her constituents, nearly 70 percent of households are car-free, and transit commuters to the CBD outnumber car commuters by more than 10 to 1 [PDF]. Back when congestion pricing was on the table, Montgomery said she had "major reservations." Now that her transit-dependent district faces some of the worst service cuts anywhere in the city [PDF], she’s chosen to obstruct a workable plan to keep trains and buses running by asking drivers to pay their share. This is what it means to represent "working families" in Albany?

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Atlantic Yards Community Forum

|
A community forum dealing with the proposed Atlantic Yards arena and high-rise development project. The evening’s program will feature: A presentation by the Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods on the project’s potential environmental impacts An update on the recently filed Federal eminent domain lawsuit, and other legal challenges An Albany and City Hall update from local […]

Bill de Blasio Comes Out for $2 East River Bridge Tolls

|
Late last week, Brooklyn City Council member and current candidate for public advocate Bill de Blasio released this statement on MTA funding: "In just two months, New York City commuters will face drastic fare hikes and service cuts unless our state government solves the MTA’s budget crisis. Time is running out and Albany needs to […]

Campaigns for Smart Growth and Complete Streets Heat Up in Albany

|
The smart growth bill pending in Albany would cut down on subsidies for sprawling greenfield development. Image of subdivisions outside Riverhead, in Suffolk County, NY: Google Maps The campaign to rein in sprawl and build more livable communities across New York state intensified yesterday, as advocates redoubled their efforts to pass two critical pieces of […]

Albany Update: Hayley and Diego’s Law Has Momentum

|
The Albany legislative session is scheduled to end two weeks from today, and time is running out for state legislators to make streets safer, buses faster, and cities more sustainable. Earlier today we discussed the prospects of bus lane camera enforcement. Here’s a survey of the other top legislative priorities for supporters of livable streets. […]