Richard Ravitch
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Pols Skeptical Ahead of Ravitch Report Release
The much-anticipated report from the Ravitch Commission is scheduled to be released within the hour. The report is expected to include recommendations for an eight percent increase in transit fares along with tolls on East River and, possibly, Harlem River bridges -- measures deemed necessary to avert the MTA "doomsday" scenario of a 23 percent fare hike and massive service cuts. And yet, in this morning's media coverage, we couldn't find one quote from a politician other than Governor David Paterson who was willing to keep an open mind on the idea of new bridge tolls.
December 4, 2008
Thompson: Car Commuters Should Pay Their Fair Share
City comptroller and mayoral candidate William Thompson is urging the Ravitch Commission today to push for a revival of the commuter tax to help stave off an MTA "doomsday scenario," expected to unfold next spring unless the agency gets help.
November 24, 2008
MTA Budget Proposes Severe Service Cuts, Perpetual Fare Hikes
As expected, the proposed 2009 MTA budget is rife with grim news. In addition to various cutbacks at the administrative level, the budget and 2009-2012 financial plan -- minus an infusion of aid from the city, state or federal government -- will have a direct impact on transit customers in the form of service reductions and fare increases. From today's press announcement:
November 20, 2008
Ravitch Commission Faces Difficult Task of Shoring Up MTA’s Future
The panel headed by former MTA chief Richard Ravitch held its first public hearing yesterday at NYU's Kimmel Center. Representatives of advocacy groups, local government, think tanks, trade associations, and unions gave the commission a variety of proposals, including but certainly not limited to road pricing, to help the MTA navigate its funding crisis.
September 16, 2008
Ravitch Commission Hearings Announced
The Ravitch Commission, formed to recommend MTA funding sources for the next decade, has scheduled three public hearings later this month. The Tri-State Transportation Campaign's Mobilizing the Region has the scoop:
September 5, 2008
The Biggest Fare Hike Factor? It Could Be MTA Debt
Saturday's Times delved into the history of the MTA's mounting debt burden, which, along with rising fuel costs and plummeting revenues from the real estate transactions tax, has severely squeezed the authority's finances:
July 28, 2008
Will Richard Ravitch Resurrect Congestion Pricing?
Marc Shaw, former chair of the Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission, caused something of a stir in the local press on Friday, when he predicted that congestion pricing would "rise again" as a proposal to toll East River bridges and a cordon across 60th street. Speaking at a panel discussion at the RPA's Regional Assembly, Shaw said he had been told by Richard Ravitch, the one-time MTA head who's been asked by Governor Paterson to devise ways to shore up the agency's finances, that pricing is "on his agenda."
April 22, 2008