From 2005-2009, the city was contributed much more to the MTA. But that money went towards the #7 line extension, a project that will be a huge boon for real estate developer Related Companies. The #7 line will be extended to the Hudson Yards on Manhattan's far west side, where Related Companies has plans to build office and condo towers. (This is the same Related Companies that refuses to pay living wages at the Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment in the Bronx). Meanwhile, communities in the outer boroughs continue to deal with rapid population increases and inadequate levels of service.

I've argued before that Albany and the federal government need to step up to the plate to fund long-term investments in the city's mass transit system. For New York City to meet its full potential, we need to expand and improve our current levels of mass transit service. The federal government has prioritized highway and road projects over transit projects, and the Mayor, as well as the state's Congressional delegation, need to lobby Congress for a more significant contribution to New York City's mass transit system. After all, New York is the center of the largest metropolitan economy in the country and mass transit is the backbone of that economy. With the city's economy so vital to the financial health of the state, Albany should be doing more to support the MTA. But the Mayor also needs to get his priorities in order. The city will be devoting $8.9 billion to roads and bridges over the next ten years, but less than one-tenth that amount to transit. In a city where most people don't drive, these priorities seem out of whack.

We need a larger commitment from all levels of government for mass transit in New York City. There is only so much Mayor Bloomberg can do about Albany and DC. The city's capital budget, however, is under his direct control.