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NYC Council Speaker Wants to Say 'Goodbye' to MTA

New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson wants municipal control of the MTA.

“Municipal control means saying goodbye to the MTA,” he said during his first State of the City address.

Johnson calls the new proposed agency Big Apple Transit. He says the MTA’s current structure has too many decision makers.  In his plan, responsibility would fall on the mayor’s shoulders.

“Right now, we don’t control our fairs.  We don’t control the capital plan.  We don’t control the money.  We don’t control what gets built.  We don’t even control our bus routes.  Municipal control means we decide how our system is run,” he said.

The Speaker talked about implementing a ten-year master plan for New York City streets that would prioritize pedestrians while creating more space for busses and bikes.  He’s also asking the state legislature to approve a congestion pricing plan and says if Albany doesn’t pull though, the New York City Council will.

“Today New Yorkers are abandoning the [transit] system and getting into Ubers and Lyfts.  Tomorrow it’s U-Hauls and the businesses will follow.”