🚦Top 10 Transit Twists, Fare Fights & Slime Sightings: Welcome to Edition #8 of the BOMA-NY Transportation Report 🗞️

May 2023 | BOMA-NY Codes & Regs Committee

With apologies to David Letterman, this month’s report comes in Top 10 format, and it doesn’t disappoint. From fare fights to Penn Station redesign drama—and yes, more talk of congestion pricing—May’s transportation update reads like a New York City traffic jam: chaotic, crowded, and occasionally hilarious.

This month’s highlights include:

🚇 MTA funding deals and a payroll tax increase (cue groans from NYC employers)

🚧 Congestion pricing gets the federal go-ahead—but Jersey’s not done fighting

🎰 Times Square casinos, Broadway blowback, and the MSG theater standoff

🚌 More buses with enforcement cameras—and new fines for crosswalk and bike lane violations

🚗 JetBlue cuts 10% of summer flights due to FAA controller shortages

🚮 A bold new containerization plan could cost the city 150,000 parking spots

Whether you manage a high-rise near a subway hub or a midtown office tower plagued by curbside chaos, this report has what you need to stay on top of NYC’s ever-evolving transportation terrain—with just the right mix of policy, practical impact, and punchlines.

📍Fasten your seatbelt and let’s dive in—because traffic lights in New York, as David Letterman reminds us, are “just rough guidelines.”

✅ May 2023 BOMA-NY Transportation Report Summary

1. MTA Funding Deal Finalized

  • NYC businesses face a payroll tax hike (from 0.34% to 0.6%) to raise over $1B for the MTA.

  • NYC must now pay $165M annually for Access-A-Ride.

  • MTA fare increase trimmed (possibly to $2.86), but implementation timing is unclear.

  • A pilot will make one bus line per borough free.

2. Night & Weekend Subway Service Boost

  • Starting this summer, G, J, and M trains will run every 8 minutes on weekends (down from 10).

  • This will roll out in 3 phases over 12 months, funded by $35M from the state budget.

3. Congestion Pricing Gets Final Federal Approval

  • Feds greenlight NYC’s plan without additional environmental study.

  • A 6-person review board will now recommend toll rules and exemptions.

  • Implementation likely in 2024—but NJ Governor Murphy may challenge it in court.

4. Penn Station Redesign: MSG Theater in the Crosshairs

  • ASTM/HOK plan proposes demolishing the MSG Theater to build a daylight-filled hall and new entrances.

  • MTA refuses to support buying/demolishing the theater.

  • MTA plans to pursue a $7B rebuild, hoping for federal funding and cost-sharing with NJT/Amtrak.

5. Casino Revenues Still Eyed for MTA Funding

  • Broadway League forms a coalition to oppose Caesars/Jay-Z Times Square casino proposal.

6. Electric Vehicle Tax Credits: Consumer Confusion

  • New federal rules limit which EVs qualify for the $7,500 tax credit.

  • Consumer EV demand continues to favor SUVs and trucks, not sedans.

7. Bus-Mounted Enforcement Cameras Expand

  • MTA’s bus cameras will now ticket drivers for:

    • Parking in bus stops, loading zones, bike lanes, intersections, and crosswalks.

  • Fines start at $50, increasing up to $250 for repeat offenses.

  • Fleet with cameras growing from 450 to 1,000 buses.

8. JetBlue Cuts 10% of NYC Flights

  • FAA staffing shortages prompt summer flight reductions.

  • JetBlue expects “significant financial impact” from fewer flights at NYC-area airports.

9. Containerized Trash Plan to Reclaim Streets

  • NYC sanitation to pilot containerized trash collection in Upper Manhattan this fall.

  • Full plan could eliminate 150,000 parking spots—about 5% of citywide total.

10. Subways & Public Safety

  • Subway ridership hits 4 million in one day, the highest since March 2020.

  • MTA halted Twitter alerts briefly over API pricing but access was later restored.

  • Crime, mental health, and vigilantism dominate headlines after the tragic Jordan Neely incident.

Read The Full Report Here! BOMA NY Codes & Regs Committee Transportation Report May 2023