New PCAC report finds as many as 97,000 new riders could bolster the system; promote affordability and equity citywide if well implemented
New York- More than $309 million a year from as many as 97,000 new riders could be generated for operating subways and buses under the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity (City of Yes). In its new report, The Track to Better Transit is Laid with City of Yes: An Analysis of How City of Yes Will Enable the MTA to Improve Transit Citywide, issued after the City Council’s adoption of the City of Yes rezoning, the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC) found that New Yorkers living in the up to 80,000 anticipated new housing units could bring that previously unexplored boon the MTA’s Operating Budget within 15 years of passage as compared to the status quo.
Building transit-oriented homes across the city will have rippling positive impacts, including making the city more affordable by lowering the cost of housing, making better use of the transit network, and helping the city and state meet their ambitious climate-change goals. City of Yes takes advantage of excess system capacity on the MTA network while encouraging development of affordable housing that will in turn fund the most affordable transportation option in the city: transit. Governor Hochul’s contribution to helping achieve the compromise needed to move it forward through committee votes last week helps to further support the MTA system and its riders.
“As New York City continues to grapple with a deep affordability crisis, it is essential that we build more homes near transit to increase supply while simultaneously inviting more residents to get on board,” said Lisa Daglian, Executive Director, PCAC. “We applaud Mayor Adams, Speaker Adams, and Commissioner Garodnick for their steadfast leadership in getting City of Yes over the finish line. Regardless of any controversy surrounding these bold steps, we believe the virtuous cycle of building more transit and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods across the city will win converts. We encourage the City and MTA to work hand-in-hand to implement the most robust and transit-centric version of their plan as possible to make the city and region more affordable and equitable over the long-term.”
PCAC included a number of key recommendations on how the City Council and MTA can best implement the program to promote affordability and equity across the city, including:
- Continue to say “Yes” to transit-focused housing proposals like City of Yes. It is time for NYC to build housing that utilizes its greatest asset: the MTA. And in turn, the MTA can leverage the additional revenue to provide improved service, and therefore, encourage more housing that facilitates the housing of more people and higher ridership. Good housing policy is good transportation policy, and good transportation policy is good housing policy.
- The MTA should work hand in hand with DCP and DOT to fulfill the maximum benefits that City of Yes has the potential to bring, especially for bus riders. Targeted investments vis a vis the Streets Plan designed and built in cooperation between agencies can take advantage of newly created demand to deliver increased speed, reliability and pedestrian safety. Existing programs like Zoning for Accessibility should be expanded to bring tangible improvements to all riders.
- The MTA should monitor which subway, bus, or rail projects require capital investments in neighborhoods that see the highest growth from City of Yes in future capital plans. Assets could include new rolling stock, accessibility improvements in stations, or signaling upgrades to allow more frequent and reliable service on congested lines.
- Adjust service with revenue gained from additional ridership–anticipated at up to $309 million annually. Due to increased ridership created by new housing and residents, the MTA should explore using newly gained fare revenue to increase service, when needed, especially in areas that are likely to see a significant uptick in new residents outside of NYC’s core.
- Make paying the fare convenient and affordable on the commuter railroads by creating a weekly CityTicket with transfers to subways and buses and expanding Fair Fares to the rails within New York City. Up to 22,000 new affordable housing units could be built because of City of Yes, including in many neighborhoods in eastern Queens that are primarily served by the LIRR. The city needs to meet transit-dependent residents’ needs with better, more affordable transit through discounted rail fare programs, including Fair Fares. Creating a weekly CityTicket with transfers to subways and buses would benefit frequent riders including residents living in transit-oriented developments near rail stations. It is important to create affordable options to entice and reward New Yorkers who rely on the rails for mobility and faster commutes.
About PCAC:
Created by the New York State Legislature in 1981, the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC) represents transit and commuter rail riders in the 12-county MTA region. PCAC regularly researches issues, recommends viable solutions, and advocates on behalf of the region’s subway, bus and Staten Island Railway riders, and Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad commuters through its three rider councils – the Long Island Rail Road Commuter Council (LIRRCC), the Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council (MNRCC), and the New York City Transit Riders Council (NYCTRC). These councils and their non-voting MTA Board members were created to serve as a voice for users of the MTA system in the development and implementation of policy, and to hold the MTA Board and management accountable to riders.
Contact: Brian Fritsch- (319) 432-8503, [email protected]