Fare Hike Dismissal: The Right Decision For New York Says Golden

Brooklyn - State Senator Marty Golden issued the following statement in response to the Governor's announcement this morning that put the brakes on the MTA's proposed fare increase:

"Thankfully for New Yorkers, Governor Spitzer came out this morning in opposition to the fare hike proposed earlier this year by the MTA.

I am pleased that Governor Spitzer has finally decided not to go through with this fare hike. My colleagues and I in the Senate Majority's New York City Delegation went on record from the beginning in opposition to this proposal and are glad to see it has finally been tabled.

Commuters are encouraged to utilize the subway and bus systems in light of mounting concerns over pollution and traffic congestion in our city. New York City is home to a very adequate transportation system allowing commuters to get to nearly every point of our city via mass transit.

Adding an extra burden to commuters by increasing mass transit costs would have been irresponsible. A fare hike is unnecessary at this time, with the MTA operating on a billion dollar surplus this year and a projected surplus for 2008.

This announcement by the Governor signifies his listening to the opinions of the lawmakers and the people of this state when making decisions on important issues such as this one."