Mayor de Blasio suggests the MTA consider turning over control if they can't handle fixing the subway
Mayor Bill de Blasio is ready to get more involved and vocal about the increasingly bad state of the MTA's subway system and his first step will be to start taking the train more. A day after embarking on his first subway ride in two months, not only did the mayor disclose his plan to start commuting more via subway, he also suggested that if MTA cannot fix the problem, perhaps they should the city take control, reports the New York Post.
"If the MTA will not fix the problem, I'd rather have the city of New York run it," said Mayor de Blasio at a press conference held in Chelsea, unrelated to mass transit issues. "I'll be out there, but much more important than that is, again, we're going to be pushing for a plan [from the MTA]."
Up until now, the Mayor has had much of a not-my-problem stance when it came to the plagued MTA, often pointing back to the state and Governor Cuomo, who oversees the agency. The two officials have been bickering back and forth over who is responsible for the subway system's woes. Ideally, the agency should fix its growing list of problems, but de Blasio says that if that can't be done then it's time to hand over the ranks.
In the unlikely event that the city would gain control, de Blasio would still need to come up with a plan for the ailing system. Aside from that, the agency's board is largely filled with members that were appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo, so a transition of power doesn't seem likely to happen in the immediate future.
Spotted on the C uptown: @NYCMayor. When asked if any reason for riding, replied "easiest way to get where I'm going." pic.twitter.com/mUjtSyo2ai
— Nick Corasaniti (@NYTnickc) June 14, 2017
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