Thursday, June 19th, 2008
But Do You Really Want To Be The One To Defend It In The Papers And On TV?*
A revolt over free travel appeared to be brewing Wednesday on the normally docile board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, as several board members said they opposed a move backed by their own chairman to restrict their use of free E-ZPass tags and transit and commuter rail passes.
*Because then you’ll have to endure ruthless mockery in the Post, for example**:
An MTA board member said yesterday he and his colleagues should be allowed to keep their free transportation privileges to encourage them to endure the “inconvenience” of riding trains.
David Mack, the MTA vice chairman and chairman of the Long Island Rail Road committee, said it’s important for board members to take mass transit because when they report a problem they’re listened to, but complaints from average Joes are worthless.
“If you [the average rider] saw something and called it in, it goes right there,” Mack told reporters at a committee meeting, kicking a garbage can.
“Why should I ride [the train] and inconvenience myself when I can ride in a car?” asked Mack, who has six free E-ZPasses.
Annotation: To be fair, this is how the Times put it:
But Mr. Mack, a Long Island resident who says he typically rides the railroad 5 to 10 times a year, said that if he had to pay, he might change his habits.
“Why should I ride and inconvenience myself when I can ride in a car?” he said.
Similarly, he said, without free E-ZPasses, some board members might use the city’s free bridges and avoid the authority’s tolled bridges and tunnels.
Meaning (I think) that he tries to ride the train as much as he can to be eyes and ears for the system but — sarcastic tone — why should he bother paying to help out?
Though I guess when you don’t have to explain yourself to the public all that much, you tend to get a little rusty . . .
**Or, worse, the telephone-style reporting from the Daily News, in which a “reporter at a committee meeting” becomes “sources who overheard his comments at MTA headquarters”***:
In one of those believe-it-or-not moments, a top MTA honcho admitted Wednesday he wouldn’t use authority trains if he couldn’t ride for free, sources said.
“Why should I ride and inconvenience myself when I can ride in a car?” asked David Mack, vice chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, according to sources who overheard his comments at MTA headquarters.
The wealthy Long Island developer also suggested the MTA tosses complaints from the general public into the trash can — but takes corrective action when he calls with a gripe, observers said.
***See what you miss when you don’t cover committee meetings?!
