Satirical news website The Onion turns up the heat on New York politicians, this time flipping the tables of the fare evasion debate.
Fare evasion: the illegal behavior of not paying for the use of a public transit system, of varying criminality depending on the jurisdiction and the levels of enforcement from police forces.
In the United States, transportation systems in Philadelphia, Portland, and Washington, D.C. have decriminalized fare evasion, while others, like in the San Francisco Bay Area, have turned to more draconian measures to curb the behavior. Researchers and advocates suggest there might be better ways to approach fare evasion.
Systematic neglect of public transit is both cultural and political, however, and the fake news website The Onion has focused on the role of New York politicians in failing to overcome political ambition to maintain the city's infrastructure. Last week, The Onion took on Mayor Bill de Blasio, campaigning for president while the city flooded. This week, it's Governor Andrew Cuomo. The totally fake, satirical article is actually just a headline—"Police Apprehend Man For Repeatedly Failing To Pay For Subway"—followed by a photo of the governor.
To be fair, sometimes New York's transportation problems result from spending too much on transit.
FULL STORY: Police Apprehend Man For Repeatedly Failing To Pay For Subway
New York MTA Seeks New Funding Sources
The agency plans to negotiate new options for operational funding as farebox and toll revenue lingers far below pre-pandemic levels.
The Onion Satirizes New York's Fare Enforcement Techniques, Over Spending on Transit
Two jokes in one: The Onion reports a totally fake news story about New York builds a super expensive fake subway station just to bust fare evaders.
Satirizing Mayors Who Campaign for President During a Flood
The Onion took some shots at presidential hopeful and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio after summer rain showers flooded streets and sent water cascading into the city's subway system.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association