MTA Reveals Two Possible Higher Fare Plans
To raise fares by 23 percent next summer, the MTA has come up with two proposals: one will raise the base rate from $2 a ride to $2.50 a ride, and the other will raise the base rate to $2.25 a ride but charge a premium for single rides, essentially putting the brunt on those who don’t ride the MTA regularly.
Under proposal one, a one-day pass will be $9.50, a seven-day pass $31, a two-week pass $59, and a monthly unlimited $103.
Under proposal two, a one-day passes and seven-day passes will cost the same as in proposal one, but two-week pass would cost $57, and a monthly-unlimited $99.
Also, paratransit fares will double to $5 or $4.50, depending on which proposal is adopted. Express bus service will no longer accept the discounted student fare. More change details are available on the MTA homepage, www.mta.info.
As required by law, several public hearings on the fare hike proposals will be held from Jan. 14 to Feb. 4. Locations and times are listed on the MTA website.
Christmas Tree, Electronics Recycling to Begin
The Department of Sanitation is taking in old Christmas trees and electronics Monday, Jan. 5 to Friday, Jan. 16. Trees must be stand-, ornament-, tinsel-free and un-bagged. Just leave them on your curb and the DOS will haul them off into the ecosystem. Last January, the DOS collected 160,000 trees.
For instant gratification, trade your tree for a bag of mulch at one of over 80 mulching sites around the city. The Parks & Recreation Department will be holding Mulchfest 2009 on Saturday, Jan. 10 and Sunday, Jan. 11 from 10 am to 2 pm. Locations are listed at the DOS website www.nyc.gov/sanitation.
If electronics are what you are waiting to dump, the Lower East Side Ecology Center will take care of you. They are holding four one-day take-backs in the Bronx, Union Square Park, Chelsea, and Brooklyn. Electronics contain mercury, cadmium, and other toxins and should not be thrown into the garbage.
Department of Health Surveys Street Level Air Quality
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene set up 150 air quality monitors on light posts throughout the five boroughs to test for air pollutants.
They are testing for fine particles, nitrogen oxides, elemental carbon, sulfur dioxide, and ozone, all of which contribute to respiratory diseases and can trigger asthma attacks. The monitors will be turned on for two-week intervals during each season, beginning this winter. Results will be available when the survey is completed at the end of 2009.
The survey will help inform public policy decisions in the mayor’s goal to make New York City environmentally sustainable by 2030.
