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Tell 'Transit' Not to Defer Improving Subway Vents; Thompson, UFA Cite Safety Issues
'Can't Delay These' Gathered at the 14th St./8th Ave. station on the A/C/E and L lines, Mr. Thompson said the cutbacks compromised rider safety, while Mr. Cassidy also accused the Fire Department of shirking its responsibility for overseeing fire safety in the subways, putting his membership at risk. Due to budget problems, the MTA is planning to defer $2.7 billion in capital programs, which includes $366 million for fan plant work to provide ventilation for fire safety in the ways. "It will delay several critical important projects such as signal upgrades, subway station rehabilitations, tunnel lighting improvements and more," Mr. Thompson told reporters, pausing when his voice was overpowered by the rumble of passing trains. "All of these projects are vital to the life and prosperity of our city." The Comptroller and the UFA president pointed specifically to the need to upgrade fan plant systems, which push air through the tunnels in the event of a fire, allowing firefighters to respond to emergencies in the subways. "When a ventilation system doesn't work - as they've been demonstrated, the MTA has failed miserably on many of these issues - public safety is compromised. Firefighters are being asked to go down the subways system with no ventilation extinguish a fire and save lives," Mr. Cassidy said. "The New York City Fire Department has an obligation to ensure that they stay on the MTA and highlight that it is unsafe." Mr. Thompson noted that 76 of 201 fan plants in the system, or 38 percent, were not in good repair. "Ventilation fans have to work at 100 percent," Mr. Cassidy said. "Many of them are not even close. Some of them are not working at all." Mr. Thompson added that a fan plant has yet be installed to service the tunnel between the 14th St. station and the West 4th St. station on the A/C/E line. While noting that the condition jeopardizes transit workers as well as the public and emergency responders, spokesmen for Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Roger Toussaint declined to comment on the status of occupational safety for subway workers. MTA: Delay Won't Affect Safety In a statement, the MTA defended its deferrals, placing some of the blame for its current budget problems on nationwide increases in construction costs. "Every project in the capital program is important, but the proposed deferrals, including several fan plants, are projects that were chosen because they can be delayed without impacting the safety of the system," the authority said. "All of the MTA's underwater tunnels are protected with new fan plants in case of emergency, and the MTA continues to invest in other initiatives to significantly reduce the risk of fire and smoke. The MTA's transportation network is safer than ever, and none of the proposed deferrals put that safety record at risk." This is not the first time Mr. Thompson, a likely candidate for Mayor next year, has tussled with the MTA over its budget. Last August, his office released a report offering six budget recommendations that it claimed would generate $728 million to cover New York City Transit and the MTA's projected deficits in 2009 and 2010, enabling it to avert a fare increase. Last week, the Comptroller sent a letter to the MTA Chair H. Dale Hemmerdinger urging the authority to hold off on deferring work until a Governor-appointed committee headed by former MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch makes its recommendations. The MTA vowed that if the Ravitch Commission found new funding for its deferred projects, it would reinstate them. "Let the Ravitch commission do its job," Mr. Thompson said. "Give them time to do their work." |
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