Halftime underground

Gov. Cuomo’s Fix NYC panel, recommending congestion pricing to curb traffic and fund the ailing subways, issued its report exactly five weeks ago, Jan. 19. Exactly five weeks from now is April 1, the deadline for the state budget, the best and perhaps only legislative vehicle to get Albany to enact a fee for cars and trucks entering Manhattan.

So millions of daily subway riders are at the halfway mark between the report’s hope of generating billions of needed funds to put the city’s public transit system on sound footing and the reality of politicians having to step forward and sign onto a plan to save the trains by having drivers chip in.

Happily, there has been progress in the first half of this win-or-go-home game.

Cuomo, who has properly claimed responsibility for transit and made some smart moves in directing MTA Chairman Joe Lhota to fix the trains, has introduced elements of the blueprint into his executive budget. He could and should have added more, but as an opening bid, it’s a strong start.

While not yet formally pushing for a fee on private vehicles entering Manhattan south of 60th St., Cuomo has submitted legislation to fight cars blocking the box. He also wants to combat the abuse of parking placards — overdue — and to study of the impact of buses on traffic.

Most significantly, the governor has advanced the concept to charge every taxi, Uber and livery fare entering Manhattan south of 96th. Keep going. Signals are green ahead. Mayor de Blasio has also made some important strides. Gone is his trashing of congestion pricing as regressive and hurting the boroughs. The truth, to which he may be awakening, is that it is actually progressive, helping the poor by having those who are better off pay more. And it helps the boroughs by boosting subways there; 321 of 472 subway stations are outside Manhattan.

Even better, de Blasio agrees with Cuomo on slapping a small surcharge on taxis/Ubers/liveries. He wants it put in place as soon as possible.

The mayor should have the TLC quickly produce a surcharge plan ready for Albany to okay. Let’s start plowing the money — every dollar — into the Transit Authority, earmarked for urgent upgrades that make the trains run more reliably.

At the other end of City Hall, Council Speaker Corey Johnson backs congestion pricing and, unlike the mayor, wants the city to put up money for a rescue plan right away. Johnson needs to keep working on de Blasio to agree. There is a deal there.

While there is lots of progress on the ground in Albany and at City Hall, what hasn’t made progress is the deplorable conditions underground. The subways remain in crisis.

To solve it will require big bucks — money that can only come from a congestion pricing fee.