Fare Congestion Confluence

The MTA and its political overseers are the gift that you keep on returning (or giving, if you're looking at this from the opposing position on congestion). With the congestion tax making death rattle noises, it appears that the mayor and governor really want to just put it out of its misery-since both of these scions have just signed off on a fare increase. As the NY Daily News reports: "Mayor Bloomberg backed MTA fare and toll hikes Monday from the other side of the planet - disappointing those at home who hoped he'd save the fare."

And the fare increase appears to be eroding the little legislative support that the congestion tax had, with Straphangers Russianoff and State Senators Sabini and Skelos railing against the increase, and underscoring how it makes it extremely unlikely that the legislature will support any congestion tax. As Sabini tells the News: "I certainly think there is a limit to what we can ask of New Yorkers in order to get to work," said state Sen. John Sabini, ranking Democrat on the Senate Transportation Committee. "I don't think it helps, let me put it that way," the Queens pol said."

The MTA's reputation is in tatters, making the chances of handing the agency a blank congestion tax check extremely dubious.