Sign in with Facebook
Philip Mark Plotch’s Followers (2)
Philip Mark Plotch
* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.
“Developing new neighborhoods without rapid transit would be like building a forty-story office tower without an elevator.”
― Last Subway: The Long Wait for the Next Train in New York City
― Last Subway: The Long Wait for the Next Train in New York City
“While MTA officials were completing the assessment of their needs, they learned that President Carter was not going to be the system’s savior. On November 4, he lost his reelection bid to Ronald Reagan, a California Republican who wanted to slash federal aid to urban areas. Three weeks after the election, the MTA board issued a detailed report proposing a ten-year, $14.4 billion capital program to restore the system to a state of good repair. Most importantly, the board suggested ways to pay for the capital program and new legislation that would streamline the process so that projects could be completed in a more cost-effective and timely manner.44 Ravitch said, “I will not cease for a minute petitioning the government to provide more capital funding. But on the other hand, we should not put our heads in the sand and think that we have fulfilled our responsibilities at the MTA merely by exhorting elected officials to provide funds which, as a practical matter, are simply not available.” That is why Ravitch was prepared for the MTA to take on billions of dollars in new debt to pay for improvements. He suggested increasing the maximum amount of bonds that the MTA’s Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) could issue, and allowing its bond proceeds to be used for transit improvements, something it had never done before. He also proposed that the MTA be able, for the first time, to issue bonds that would be paid back from future fares.”
― Last Subway: The Long Wait for the Next Train in New York City
― Last Subway: The Long Wait for the Next Train in New York City
“In 1974, few people questioned the wisdom of continuing work under Second Avenue. Construction was not facing any organized community opposition, in part because most of the work was taking place in East Harlem, which had fewer people, offices, and shops than the rest of the route. Many of the low-income housing projects that lined the avenue in East Harlem were set back from the street, which gave their residents a buffer from the cut-and-cover construction. The neighborhood was facing much more serious issues than subway construction impacts, including a persistently high unemployment rate, an increasing number of abandoned buildings, and a heroin epidemic.”
― Last Subway: The Long Wait for the Next Train in New York City
― Last Subway: The Long Wait for the Next Train in New York City
Is this you? Let us know. If not, help out and invite Philip to Goodreads.
