Testimony to the MTA Board Reopening and the MTA
By Lisa Daglian Executive Director, PCAC
June 22 for June 24, 2020
Greetings, my name is Lisa Daglian and I am the Executive Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, PCAC.
We’re thrilled – as we know all New Yorkers are – that our region continues to reopen and hope the worst of the COVID crisis is behind us. The MTA and its heroic workforce had a tremendous role to play in ensuring that essential workers could get to their frontline jobs and help flatten the curve and stop the spread. On behalf of riders, thank you!
This week, New York City follows Long Island and the Hudson Valley in entering Phase 2. A datadriven approach has been integral to the Governor’s reopening strategy and continues to be the safest way to ensure we don’t see a spike in cases. As the region enters its new normal, more and more riders are coming back to the system. In handing out PPE two weeks ago, we heard from dozens that they have never seen the subways and stations cleaner – and we agree!
We hope that the last weeks and months have provided the agency with good information and data about the effectiveness of its cleaning initiatives and use of innovative technologies like UV-C and antimicrobials, and that the MTA will to continue to explore how to maintain the cleanest system possible. Importantly, we hope it will use that data to plan a path forward to resumption of 24/7 service.
We understand why the drastic step of overnight closures was taken, but it’s time to look to the future and to again serving all riders, particularly those who need to travel late at night and early in the morning. We would like to meet with those at the MTA who will be weighing the metrics of when to reopen the system to 24/7 operation as soon as possible, in order to get a better idea of how and when this will happen.
After all, the city that never sleeps shouldn’t be known as the city that naps. Thank you.
Download here: 6.22.2020 MTA Board Testimony Cleaning and Reopening