Ashley Elizabeth Miller

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo once compared the Metropolitan Transportation Authority with “human veins that pump life into New York City” — maybe the only smart thing he ever said.

But just ask any New Yorker: the subway system is a mess. Trains don’t roll in on time; they’re squeaky, sometimes the vintage orange seats are sticky, sometimes they’re packed to the gills, and other times they’re empty. And the buses aren’t much better.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber rolled out a sweeping plan for cameras to be placed on the fronts of buses. For the small sum of $149 million, buses will now issue tickets to double-parked cars (slowing down the bus lane).

Yesterday, overlooking the Hudson River, I met with Lieber on the 39th floor of the MTA headquarters at 2 Broadway in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan.

Indeed, the MTA loves its press. But notably the press does not always love the MTA. What gives, you ask? Well, the MTA faces a fleet of financial woes.

Walking into the office, I was surprised to see a line of today’s papers: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, Daily News, and amNY.

Unlike other famous transit cities (think: Hong Kong, London, or Toronto), the New York City government does not control the MTA’s budget. Instead, lawmakers in Albany make the final call.

Listen, I’ll tell it to you straight: The MTA needs a lot of work, and that requires a lot of money. But maintenance is not sexy and governors have historically distanced themselves from the entire operation. So, when New Yorkers spew their perennial transit complaints, the mayor often blames the governor. And when that happens, the governor *lying* blames the mayor. It becomes a vicious back-and-forth, best exemplified during the Cuomo and Bill DeBlasio era.

If you have not seen this documentary, I implore you to please watch: https://watch.plex.tv/watch/movie/end-of-the-line-9https://watch.plex.tv/watch/movie/end-of-the-line-9

I’ll be completing this review over the weekend…