Blaz in gov’s face on MTA
MAYOR DE BLASIO will have his own MTA reps step in to fix the problem-plagued subway if Gov. Cuomo doesn’t come up with a plan, he said Thursday.
“The governor and the MTA have to come forward with a plan to address this current crisis. And I will be very adamant about that,” de Blasio said. “If we don’t see a plan, we’ll put forward a vision through my representatives on the MTA of what needs to change.”
Hizzoner said that although the governor controls the MTA, he plans to be more vocal about the subway meltdown after F train riders were trapped Monday night in a sweltering, airless train they ended up trying to pry their way out of.
“For years and years, the F train was the way I got around. I can absolutely relate to what people must have gone through in that horrible incident,” he said. “We need to demand a plan of action.”
De Blasio did not give details on what a rescue plan should look like, or a deadline for the MTA to act before he steps in, but he said money could be moved from other parts of the transit agency’s budget to help the subway system. An emergency response plan is also needed to deal with situations like the stranded F train, he said.
De Blasio said the subway situation has become a “crisis” in the last month or two.
“It’s really gotten epidemic, the number of breakdowns, and all the electrical problems and everything else. Look, I absolutely am convinced the governor understands it’s a crisis, and his most recent statements suggest he’s taking responsibility for having to come up with the plan,” the mayor told reporters.
“We have to see a vision for fixing the overall crisis and moving resources toward the subways if that’s what it takes, because the MTA has a really big budget,” the mayor added. “I think it’s a fact that historically, a lot of resources didn’t go to the subways that could have and should have.”
A rep for the governor said the mayor should put his money where his mouth is.
“When someone says it’s not about the money, that means it is about the money. The best way the mayor could help is by paying his fair share of capital and operating expenses — that would directly improve service for riders,” said Cuomo spokeswoman Dani Lever.
De Blasio has feuded with the governor for years, though he initially held back on attacking Cuomo over the woes plaguing subway riders.
Asked if his plan to step up as a champion of beleaguered straphangers would make his relationship with Cuomo more interesting, the mayor quipped, “You don’t think it’s interesting enough already?”
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