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Two City Council members take subway tour around city

Published  August 3, 2017 9:11pm EDT
News
FOX 5 New York

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Two city council members have a better idea of how frustrating it is to ride the subway every day.

The MTA may have laid out an aggressive plan to stabilize and modernize the subway system but two politicians are taking time today and tomorrow to hear from the riders. They've been going around from subway to subway listening to what commuters go through daily.

They are calling it the riders respond tour. Two politicians, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez and Assemblymen Jeffrey Dinowitz are getting an earful from commuters.

"It’s like holding a hearing in the subway,” said Councilman Rodriguez

They started their day in Riverdale hopping on and off subway and talking directly to riders about the challenges they face.

They spent a total of 12 hours on subways in both Manhattan and the Bronx with a pen and paper in hand they ask straphangers a few questions.

The City Council has declared the subway system in a state of crisis. In the past few months and weeks, our subway system has experienced a number power outages, track fires, and delays making New Yorkers commute a nightmare.

"The most important thing is that riders know that we are interested that we want to hear from their ideas and frustration directly,” said Rodriguez.

Fox 5 reached out to the MTA about the two-day tour and said they understand riders are frustrated and had every right to be. They went on to say, “that's why chairman lhota laid out an aggressive plan to take immediate action to stabilize and modernize the system.  Today, he also unveiled a new leadership team to implement that plan everyone is stepping up, from the state, to local elected officials, to the business community, and its time for city hall to do their share in funding half this needed rescue plan."

The councilman and assemblymen will do another 12 hours on Friday. They will hit Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. With all the feedback they get, they will compile it and present at the city council hearing on the subway on Tuesday.