Via Garibaldi 8 Posted August 3, 2017 Share #1 Posted August 3, 2017 Pols to spend 24 hours over two days traveling on NYC subways to 'connect with the riders' on unique issues (L Train) Assignment – MTA STORY. Survey of passengers taken at the L train at the Bedford Avenue North Seventh Street stop in Brooklyn and the Roosevelt Avenue Broadway stop in Queens on Monday February 13, 2017. 0720. (Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News) (THEODORE PARISIENNE/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS) BYDAN RIVOLI NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Friday, July 28, 2017, 3:43 PM Two city and state leaders will tour the subway to hear directly from the riding public next week — and they're not Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio. Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz — both Democrats and chairmen of committees that oversee the MTA — will spend 12 hours a day in the subway on Aug. 3 and 4. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. the two pols will ride the rails in all five boroughs. They expect other elected officials and transit advocates to join. “We want to connect with the riders,” said Rodriguez, who represents northern Manhattan. “We want to hear from them directly and we want to take the opportunity to bring all the advocate groups in different places.” The comments he and staff will collect will inform him ahead of the Council Transportation Committee’s Aug. 8 hearing on the subway crisis. “We expect the MTA will come to the hearing with answers to so many questions that New Yorkers have,” he said. Council Member Ydanis speaking. Rodriguez to remover her sweater. Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez and Assembly Member-Elect Carmen De La Rosa hold presser at The Hebrew Tabernacle, 551 fort Washington Ave., Manhattan, denouncing anti Dominican remarks made by Sen. Jeff Sessions. Sunday Nov.20, 2016. (Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News) (ANDREW SAVULICH/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS) Dinowitz, who represents the Bronx, said the feedback from frustrated riders will reveal some of the unique issues commuters face in the outer boroughs, such as accessibility for the disabled and seniors. “I think by visiting stations in various areas around the city we can hopefully highlight particularly the issues that haven’t been talked about as much,” Dinowitz said. The two pols also weighed in on yet another round of fighting over funding mass transit between Cuomo and de Blasio: new MTA Chairman Joe Lhota asking the state and city to split the costs for funding his $836 million short-term subway rescue plan. Cuomo agreed to the split and has been prodding de Blasio to follow suit. Rodriguez repeated de Blasio’s main argument against ponying up the money — that the MTA should use the money it already gets from the city, taxpayers and commuter fares. MAYOR- 09/02/2014- BRONX, NY (RICHARD HARBUS/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS) “I believe that we, as a city, make important contributions at this point,” Rodriguez said. “I hope that the MTA and Lhota start making all those repairs that he presented in his plan, which I think is a good one, with the resources that the MTA already controls.” Dinowitz, however, thought the city should at least put some extra money into mass transit to cover the MTA’s subway rescue plan. “I do think the city shares part of the obligation, the responsibility to pay for some of this,” Dinowitz said. “They can work out the details. Maybe it won’t be a 50-50 split.” He said the MTA should get all the money that it’s owed — responding to de Blasio’s complaint that Cuomo and New York state lawmakers diverted money away from the MTA to other parts of the budget. “Any money that is or was due to the MTA should be spent for the MTA to do its job,” Dinowitz said. Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/pols-spend-24-hours-subway-connect-riders-article-1.3365576 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RR503 Posted August 3, 2017 Share #2 Posted August 3, 2017 Looooool photo op. Do politicians ever learn... Maybe if they were in Albany and City Hall instead of shmoozing with riders something would actually get done -- we already know EXACTLY what's wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted August 3, 2017 Author Share #3 Posted August 3, 2017 Looooool photo op. Do politicians ever learn... Maybe if they were in Albany and City Hall instead of shmoozing with riders something would actually get done -- we already know EXACTLY what's wrong. Since the two of them claim that the City and State should be working together to remedy this mess, they should be on de Blasio to pony up his half of the funds needed. It's clear that neither of them use the system daily. I saw Dinowitz one morning at the Metro-North Spuyten Duyvil station. He didn't even have the decency to speak with commuters and in fact left as more people came into the station, so if he really wanted to connect with riders, he could do so off-camera. Aside from that he has been completely useless in getting better service for his constituents. He lives in Riverdale and represents Riverdale and parts of the Bronx, and yet we've continued to see abysmal bus service during his tenure. I simply refused to vote for him last election and would love to see him get the boot, but he doesn't have any real challenger. Rodriguez is another annoying one. Thanks to him, he petitioned to elongate my commute by having the BxM1 made MORE stops in Inwood in an area that has Metro-North nearby and two subway lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interested Rider Posted August 3, 2017 Share #4 Posted August 3, 2017 I see that the silly season has started early this year as it usually starts right after Labor Day and runs through Election Day. The problem with many of the so called elections is that the voters are lucky if there is someone running against an incumbent as once he/she gets into power, it is very hard to get rid of them. It is like they are are there until they die or until they retire, are term-limited, run for another office, get convicted of a crime (it happens more often than you think) or does something that the political powers do not like and are primaried out of the position. I, too, am sick and tired of the "holier than thou crowd" from both parties that feed us this pablum of look what I am doing now during the election cycle or only come out of the woodwork when there is a photo op that their friends in the media set up for the politician to look good. I hate to say it but I see our great and wonderful country in a free fall where all of the rights and liberties that we as Americans were blessed with for almost 228 years ( I am dating it from when the constitution was ratified in 1789) are almost gone and that we are now in an era of what Mark Levin rightfully calls "soft tyranny". It is like the system that our founding fathers have created is being destroyed by an ideology that is foreign to us. This is why I am quite pessimistic about what is happening now as we are about ready to lose this great and wonderful experiment in government called the United States of America. To many on this forum, an apology..as you may be asking why is he going off on a rant again on the elected leaders. In my almost 70 years on this earth and a student of history, I have never seen our governmental system in this condition and I am not only referring to our city and state but to the federal level as well and I feel that no one is listening or if they are they will speak up when it too late. One last point does Mr. Rodriguez sit on the MTA Board and is the City Council Transportation Chairperson? If he is the one that it is obvious why he is part and parcel of this photo op. and a political opportunity to how that he is an MTA Board member that is using the Metro card! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallyhorse Posted August 4, 2017 Share #5 Posted August 4, 2017 Looooool photo op. Do politicians ever learn... Maybe if they were in Albany and City Hall instead of shmoozing with riders something would actually get done -- we already know EXACTLY what's wrong. As much as I agree with you, we do and they don't necessarily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interested Rider Posted August 4, 2017 Share #6 Posted August 4, 2017 Why should any of the great fearless leaders who call themselves politicians listen to us as they are the ones that know everything and claim to know everything! Let's face it until they understand that their re-election is not assured (translation running candidates that are just on the ballot for filling the party line), then we will see a major change. A large percentage of the voters do not vote for the candidate but vote for the party which makes sure that the politician will win regardless of their attitude toward the voters. Unfortunately, I do not see any improvement until the voters wake up and smell the roses by voting the incumbents out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.