State Assemblymember Joan Millman, whose district includes the Heights, attended a public hearing on the MTA’s proposed service reductions, at which she “urged the MTA to reconsider its plans to cut funding for student Metrocards, reduce Access-a-Ride service, lay off MTA employees and decrease bus and subway service.”
“I resent the use of New York City schoolchildren as pawns,” said Millman. “No family should have to make the decision between sending a child to the school of their choice and putting food on the table. To make matters worse, the proposed service cuts to bus, subway and Access-a-Ride would make traveling to Downtown Brooklyn from many neighborhoods in my Assembly District nearly impossible for scores of elderly and disabled riders.”
Assemblywoman Millman pointed out that “the MTA has significant real estate assets, many of which are underutilized. At 370 Jay Street, in my Assembly District, a building owned by the MTA is vacant, its valuable office space unused. Vacant MTA facilities throughout the city could be rented or sold as office space. Another example is the sale of the Atlantic Yards property to a private developer for less than half of its own appraised value”
Millman said she supports “bringing back the commuter tax as a reliable source of funding” for the MTA. She also noted that she “introduced legislation to create a residential permit parking program, of which all funding would be devoted to improving mass transit in the city.” Finally, she observed that “better utilization of existing MTA assets” would also help to solve the Authority’s funding problems.
