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"Diaz, don’t betray our trust / Our people ride the bus"

So said one of the many chants ringing out this afternoon in front of Senator Ruben Diaz Sr.’s district office in the Bronx.  Constituents of Sen. Diaz gathered to protest his obstruction of an MTA rescue plan at a rally organized by Communities United for Transportation Equity (COMMUTE).

Those following the Albany negotiations on an MTA rescue plan know that Sen. Diaz has been vocal in his opposition to tolling the East and Harlem River bridges, necessary to fund the MTA and avoid the insult and injury of service cuts and raised fares.  The senator’s opposition is puzzling.  His district relies on transit more than most in a city whose lifeblood is its subways and buses.  According to COMMUTE’s press release:

In Senator Díaz’ district, more than 67% of households have no access to a car and are dependent on mass transit; more than 140,000 constituents are daily transit riders. The Bruckner Expressway which runs through the district and the 55,000 weekly truck trips along local streets and bridges associated with the Hunts Point Market alone have been documented as major contributors to the area’s poor air quality. The local asthma rate of one in four children, which has been directly correlated exposure to with truck and car exhaust, is among the highest in the nation.

The Bx4 bus is the most heavily used local bus that is slated to be eliminated due to the transit crisis, with a daily ridership of more than 13,000 people. There are at least 7 senior citizen centers that are served by the bus line.

The Senator’s own explanations are no help.   According to his press release, “Low income families cannot afford these surcharges, and it is our duty as elected officials and as Democrats to protect the less fortunate members of our society.”  The Senator’s conclusion is laughable.  The proposed $2 toll is what low income families are paying every time they get on a bus or subway. Of course, that fare will certainly rise if funding isn’t secured for the MTA.

Diaz’s alternative solutions to the MTA’s funding gap, which include buying prescription drugs from Canada, are similarly unhelpful.

Let’s hope that the Senator hears the rising voices of his community and puts his vote where his heart should be – with the transit-relying people of the Bronx.

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Lukas Herbert
Lukas Herbert
15 years ago

The sad part about this is that Reuben Diaz usually locks up the Democratic, Republican and Conservative party lines in every election. So it’s not just as simple as “we will remember this at election time”. Who else are you going to vote for??? Reuben Diaz pretty much knows this – that’s why he said so brazenly in the newspaper the other day “if people don’t like this, they can vote me out.”

Reuben Diaz is going to do what Reuben Diaz wants to, constituents be damned! Just like how he held Albany in a state of gridlock for several weeks because he wanted a promise that gay marriage won’t be voted on, all while the State Senate should have been working on the MTA problem. What is more important to his constituents, affordable transit or stopping gay people from getting married?

If people really want change someone is going to have to run against Reuben Diaz on a third party line. Politicians who never face election challenges have no reason to do what their constituents want.

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[…] reinstate the commuter tax — nixed by Albany lawmakers in the 1990s — than impose the tolls. As Mobilizing the Region notes, Diaz has also proposed saving the MTA through prescription drugs from […]

Jacob
Jacob
15 years ago

Jay,

Where is your data to back up your 20% claim? Senator Diaz has not given any data to support his claim that the surcharge would hurt low-income families. In fact, every bit of data shows the exact opposite, a transit fare hike would disproportionately be shouldered by the poorest families, while a bridge toll would fall on wealthier families who choose to drive. Senator Diaz is deliberately distorting the truth, and in doing so he shows nothing but contempt for his transit riding constituents. They will not forget this when he is up for reelection.

Steve321
Steve321
15 years ago

The politicians should raise the tolls to $10.00 one way during rush hour on all bridges and tunnels to discourage driving into Manhattan. The money collected from the tolls could be used to improve and increase subway and bus service. Mass transit is better for the environment and health of NYC residents. Just remember Mister Politician, the majority of NYC residents use MASS TRANSIT…we can’t afford to take limos or taxis like you into Manhattan.

Susan D.
15 years ago

Great job everyone! I hope he gets the message.

Harlem Smarts
Harlem Smarts
15 years ago

I want to give a big thank you to everyone who came out for the children of Upper Manhattan. Sacrificing our children’s health and community’s public transportation so that wealthy suburbanites can drive their cars through our neighborhoods is not the kind of false leadership from our elected officials.

jay
jay
15 years ago

We believe in Senator Díaz

67% of households have no access to a car ??

who make up this numbers the real number are more like 20 %

Senator Díaz keep it up !!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Susan Donovan
Susan Donovan
15 years ago

Jay these are the facts. I know Senator Díaz seems to THINK it’s only 20% of us who need good transit but clearly Senator Díaz is out of touch with the people in his district.

trackback

[…] Protesters Tell Diaz Sr to Get Behind Bridge Tolls (City Room, MTR) […]

Steven Higashide
15 years ago

Jay, I wasn’t involved with this rally but the data most likely comes from the 2000 Census, because it is the same information we found when we did an analysis of NYC’s legislative districts during congestion pricing.

(http://www.tstc.org/cpsheets/CP_factsheets_NYCsenate.html)

According to the 2000 Census, 67% of households in Diaz’s district do not own a vehicle and make around $26,400 per year. 33% have cars and make on average $49,000 annually.

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