New MTA chief Jay Walder is in his third week on the job and on the front page of today’s New York Times. That article, which lays out a proposal for lower transit fares at off-peak times, is the latest piece in a multi-day media blitz that Walder has used to introduce three priorities for the MTA: systemwide bus and technology improvements, increased transparency, and an end to the days of delayed, over-budget construction projects.

On Tuesday, the Citizens Budget Commission hosted a breakfast where it released a report excoriating the MTA’s performance when it came to capital construction projects, which the report described as routinely delayed, over budget, and opaque to the public. Walder addressed attendees beforehand, as if to make a clean break from the past difficulties described in the report.

Walder said that it was not time for “grand plans,” but for executing existing megaprojects like the Second Avenue Subway.  The MTA has to deliver projects successfully to win the trust of the public and of elected officials, and demonstrate that taxpayers and riders are getting value for their money, he said.

Walder also addressed the need for transparency at the MTA.  As advocates have often pointed out, the agency makes an astonishing amount of information available to the public. But, Walder asked, is this information understandable?  When it isn’t, the effect is to make the MTA feel more opaque. As one step towards fixing this, the MTA announced it would launch an “online dashboard” later this year where users will be able to track the progress of capital projects.

At the breakfast and in conversations with reporters, Walder made clear that he would prioritize improvements that affect the entire system and could be rolled out relatively inexpensively.  These include a major expansion of bus lanes and a strong push for bus lane enforcement cameras, which will require city and state cooperation. “If I put train tracks down the street, you wouldn’t park your car on them. If I said this is a bus lane, somehow it becomes fair game,” he told the NY Times on Monday. “One person’s use of a road impacts upon another person’s use of the road. My point is, if we have to make a choice, make the choice for the bus, not for the car.”

Also in this category is replacement of the MetroCard with smart cards or more advanced methods of payment. It was in this context that Walder suggested that a new payment mechanism could lead to off-peak fare discounts or other changes to the fare structure. Tri-State Campaign board member Charles Komanoff modeled one possible off-peak discount plan, finding that it would increase transit ridership while reducing crowding at rush hour, but would result in less fare revenue for the MTA.

Much of what Walder has said is not new, but he has made a clear shift in priorities, away from the “grand plans” described in last year’s State of the MTA address. The MTA chairman’s press blitz also suggests that he has the political and media acumen that will be needed to get his priorities accomplished. This week’s burst of positive stories came not only from the CBC breakfast but also from meetings Walder set up with NY Times reporters and the NY Daily News editorial board. As John Kaehny pointed out on Streetsblog, focusing on bus improvements is a politically savvy strategy, since success could come relatively quickly, shoring up the MTA chief’s job security before the 2010 gubernatorial election.

On Tuesday, Walder asked for patience as he puts together a more detailed plan in his first 100 days. But based on his performance so far, the new chairman will be moving at a full sprint.