Senator Weber Addresses Joint Senate Regarding MTA's Failures In Serving Rockland

by M.C. Millman 

At Wednesday's joint Senate-Assembly Transportation Budget Hearing last week, New York Senator Bill Weber questioned MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber about the MTA's consistent failures to serve the residents of Rockland County. 

The Senator stressed the value gap between the taxes and fees Rockland residents pay to the MTA compared to the services received with the Congestion Pricing plan being forced upon Rocklanders, adding insult to injury for the entire County. 

The Senator addressed the fact that Rockland County has a  $40 million annual value to the MTA, but the services received in return don't even approach that value. 

"We don't have a one a one-seat ride into New York City," the Senator said, addressing the MTA Chairman, "which is extremely frustrating, and then we see the congestion pricing plan coming into effect when we have a lot of middle-class residents...

"For far too long, the services of Rockland have been really inconsistent and unreliable, and obviously, as mentioned earlier by my colleagues here, they've been unsafe, especially when you get into the city. ... so I would like you to just maybe speak to what I've talked about and speak to the fact that are there any plans in the foreseeable future to improve the lines and improve the stations in Rockland county knowing that we are going to have this congestion pricing that is going to go in."

The MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber responded, saying, "We really want to improve connections from Rockland and west of the Hudson into the Hudson line, and we can talk more about that because we are passionate about that connection."

"The MTA has been ripping us off for decades, admits it, and does nada to address it but talk," Rockland County Executive Ed Day stated on social media after the Senator's address. 

The Senator says he will meet with MTA leadership personally in the near future to continue the discussion as he continues to fight for the good of the residents of Rockland County.