MTA Names New President Of Bridges & Tunnels
Just a few minutes ago, the MTA sent out a press release to announce the official appointment of a new President of MTA Bridges & Tunnels. Here are the complete details:
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the permanent appointment of Jim Ferrara as President, MTA Bridges and Tunnels effective May 10. Approximately 800,000 vehicles utilize MTA Bridge and Tunnel facilities each day. Ferrara had been serving as Acting President since January, succeeding Susan Kupferman.
“Thirty-three years at Bridges and Tunnels almost speaks for itself,” said Jay H. Walder, MTA Chairman and CEO. “Jim’s experience, extraordinary management skills, and unique perspective on all aspects of bridge and tunnel operations more than qualify him to run one of the nation’s largest bridge and tunnel toll authorities.”
“I am very proud to be leading a workforce that moves more than a million people a day on crossings that are critical to the region’s economy,” said Ferrara.
Ferrara was previously Vice President for Operations. He began his career at the Authority in 1977 as a Bridge and Tunnel Officer. He came up through the ranks serving as a Sergeant and Lieutenant before entering management, and has served as General Manager of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. He has also worked at the R.F.K. (formerly Triborough) Bridge, the Henry Hudson Bridge, and the Rockaway Bridges.
As Operations Superintendent at the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, Ferrara was in charge the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center towers. He was widely praised for his response in assisting stranded motorists and pedestrians, expediting emergency vehicles and directing employees in the chaotic hours following the attack.
Ferrara, who was born in Brooklyn and now resides in Queens, is a graduate of Nyack College.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels’ facilities, which connect the five boroughs of New York City, are the R.F.K., Throgs Neck, Bronx-Whitestone, Henry Hudson, Verrazano-Narrows, Cross Bay Veterans Memorial and Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Bridges, and the Queens Midtown and Brooklyn-Battery Tunnels.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- MTA Officer Succumbs To Injuries
- New B&T Fares Starting Dec 30th
- Bridges & Tunnels Memorial Day Service Plan
- S79 Changes Happening In Bay Ridge
- Gridlock Sam: Wrong Bridges Are Tolled
Service Diversions 05-07-10
I have just updated the “Service Diversions” page with the latest information for the weekend & following week (beyond in some cases). For riders going near the Broadway-Nassau & Fulton Street stations, do not forget to read this entry to see what service is affected.
LIRR riders who will be using the Ronkonkoma line, don’t forget that service will be affected during the early morning hours on Saturday to rail inspections. Read this entry for complete details.
I suggest you print out a copy of the diversions to carry with you or use your mobile device to access the phone friendly version of Transit Blogger. Have a safe & wonderful weekend!
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Service Diversions 05-13-10
- Service Diversions 06-18-10
- Service Diversions 05-20-10
- Service Diversions 05-27-10
- Service Diversions 06-24-10
Judge Halts MTA Closing Token Booths
Earlier this morning, I wrote about how the MTA was to announce more job cuts today, on top of the 475 token booth clerk jobs that were to be eliminated starting today. However those 475 jobs are safe for now as Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Alice Schlesinger signed a short term restraining order preventing the MTA from going through with the closures. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News had more in this brief report:
Hundreds of token booth clerks’s jobs are safe until at least next week after a judge slammed the brakes on token booth closings early Thursday morning.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Alice Schlesinger signed a temporary restraining order barring the MTA from going through with the closures of dozens of booths — and therefore the layoffs of 475 clerks — after union lawyers argued the Metropolitan Transportation Authority failed to follow legally required steps like holding additional public hearings.
Schlesinger, who heard testimony from management and union lawyers in her home after the courts shut down Wednesday night, scheduled further arguments for Thursday morning, but Justice Saliann Scarpulla declined to hear the testimony.
So the restraining order remains in effect until Monday or Tuesday at the earliest. “These colors fight back!”
Transport Workers Union Local 100 members yelled outside the courtroom.
“Every one is ecstatic,” said clerk Jhesky Vega, one of the pink-slipped workers notified of the reprieve by the agency before dawn.
The MTA had directed the 475 clerks to go to a NYC Transit training center Thursday to turn in their badges, uniforms and other equipment.
Click here for the complete report.
I won’t get excited about this sudden change as the restraining order is temporary. For all we know, the booth closures & layoffs will eventually go through as planned. The solution to prevent situations like this are not going to come from judges or arbitration panels. Until our elected leaders stop playing games & find a way to create sustainable funding solutions, layoffs, service cuts, & fare hikes will be the only course of action the MTA can realistically take.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- MTA Goes Ahead With 250 Job Cuts
- MTA Station Agent Update
- MTA To Announce More Job Cuts Today
- TWU Still Wants To Bring Back Token Booths
- Clerks Call In 400+ Emergencies A Day
MTA To Announce More Job Cuts Today
Over the past couple of weeks, I have blogged on numerous occasions about the pending job cuts facing many transit workers. My last entry on the topic was two days ago when I wrote about how Jhesky Vega lost his job as he & his fiancee were preparing for their October wedding in Puerto Rico. In today’s edition of the New York Daily News, Pete Donohue takes a look at how the MTA will be announcing more job cuts:
The MTA will announce even more job cuts Thursday as hundreds of token booth clerks – victims of the first wave of layoffs – turn in their equipment, officials said.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority already has instructed about 475 pink-slipped clerks to hand in their badges, uniforms and other property at an NYC Transit training center in Brooklyn this morning and afternoon.
Their positions are among the nearly 1,475 transit officials the MTA previously announced it was slashing from the bus and subway divisions to help close a massive budget gap this year – and now more layoffs are coming.
“We have no choice,” MTA Chairman Jay Walder said Wednesday, discussing the authority’s need to reduce labor costs because of a massive budget gap.
Click here for the complete report.
I can’t say this comes as any surprise. Even a casual observer could not notice how the MTA’s fiscal woes continue to spiral out of control. Until our city & state officials step up to the plate & come up with sustainable funding solutions, hard working blue-collar workers will suffer via job cuts & riders via service cuts. We as a region need to vote all of these crooks out of office & elect leaders who understand the importance & value of mass transit to our region on all fronts.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Clerks Call In 400+ Emergencies A Day
- MTA Files Alert To Layoff About 750 Workers
- Judge Halts MTA Closing Token Booths
- MTA Goes Ahead With 250 Job Cuts
- MTA Station Agent Update
Igor Oberman Runs On Pro Transit Platform
Igor Oberman, the man opposing Sen. Kruger in the State Senate 27th District Democratic Primary. Photo courtesy of Mr. Oberman’s campaign website.
During the middle of April, I wrote an entry about how one of the “Fare Hike Four”, Sen. Carl Kruger was facing opposition in the Democratic Party primary election on Sept. 14. The opposition is coming from Brighton Beach lawyer Igor Oberman. The main point I made in last month’s entry was how I was extremely interested in the transit views of Mr. Oberman.
Enter Streetsblog NYC Reporter Noah Kazis who wrote an article yesterday discussing just this very subject:
The primaries are only four months away, and election season is starting to heat up in New York. All signs point to strong anti-incumbent sentiment among voters, with several entrenched legislators facing primary challenges. In Brooklyn’s 27th State Senate district, long-time incumbent Carl Kruger is facing a primary challenge for the seat he’s held since 1994.
Kruger is best known to Streetsblog readers for his role last year in gutting the Ravitch Plan and killing bridge tolls, which would have put the transit system on steadier financial footing. His opponent, Igor Oberman, has made support for public transit a centerpiece of his campaign.
For the last few weeks, Oberman has been handing out literature [PDF] at busy subway stations across southern Brooklyn, criticizing Kruger and fellow Fare Hike Four members Ruben Diaz, Sr. and Pedro Espada for scuttling the plan to toll bridges over the Harlem and East Rivers, an act of obstructionism that set the stage for major service cuts and layoffs. Transit riders will feel more effects soon: The MTA’s budget gap still exceeds $450 million.
At the Kings Highway station this morning, Oberman questioned whether his opponent can relate to constituents who depend on transit. “When’s the last time he ever took the subway?” he asked, before flashing his very well-worn MetroCard. Oberman believes that “this is a commuter district” and that transit is “as important to them as police service or ambulances.”
Click here for the complete report.
I found this Streetsblog NYC piece extremely interesting as I have been very curious as to his transit views. While I can’t support his views on bridge tolls, I do support his belief that mass transit is just as important as police or ambulance services. The economic positives that mass transit bring to our economy can not be underestimated.
I feel that Transit Blogger readers should do their best to look into Mr. Oberman’s transit positions & find ways to support his cause. While many of us can’t vote for him due to not residing in his district, this should not stop us from finding ways to support his campaign. We as a region need to inject new leaders into political power who understand the importance of mass transit to our region & why we need to find ways to create sustainable funding solutions.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:
