Lawmakers: MTA delays top commuter complaints

<p>New York City lawmakers on Tuesday revealed their findings after fielding commuter complaints while riding the subway system for 24 hours.</p>

News 12 Staff

Aug 8, 2017, 4:43 PM

Updated 2,696 days ago

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New York City lawmakers on Tuesday revealed their findings after fielding commuter complaints while riding the subway system for 24 hours.
City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez and state Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz spoke with close to 2,000 riders last week while riding the subways in the Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The lawmakers found that 75 percent of the riders said they were either late to school or work in the past two weeks because of subway delays.
Nearly two-thirds of commuters said they faced delays at least three times a week, and 21 percent of commuters told the lawmakers it occurs on a daily basis.
Earlier this week, Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed taxing 1 percent of New York's most wealthy to help fund improvements and repairs to the troubled subway system. The mayor also argued that since the MTA is run by the state, it is not the city's duty to fund the subways.
Councilman Rodriguez says he wants to fix the subway's aging infrastructure by raising revenue using all possible means, whether it's through bonds or the mayor's proposed tax.
The state Legislature would have the final approval of any bill moving forward.