NEW YORK CITY -- On Wednesday evening, a water main break flooded a subway station in Manhattan's West Village.
Very soon after, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted that he was taking mass transit to the office Thursday, asking fellow New Yorkers to do the same.
The timing of the tweet -- likely pre-scheduled -- felt unintentionally ironic.
Major water main break at 14th street station. 1, 2, 3 shut down. Station filling with water, luckily we got out! A video posted by Jennifer Bostic (@jennybostic) on Apr 8, 2015 at 4:16pm PDT
Our transportation system keeps this city connected. Take mass transit to work tomorrow like I am. Together we can #StandUp4Transportation.— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) April 9, 2015
De Blasio's message was part of a nationwide call by more than 60 mayors across the United States.
"[Local officials] will join transportation providers, businesses, transportation system users, state partners, and others for events around the country to call on Congress to pass a long-term transportation bill that increases investments and local control in our subways, buses, ferries, roads, and bridges," a spokesperson for de Blasio said in an email.
In many U.S. cities, the message to "stand up for transportation" will be interpreted as a call to choose mass transit over driving as a way to save money and reduce pollution.
But this is New York.
Last year, Metropolitan Transportation Authority ridership in the city increased 4% from 2013 to more than 2.7 billion rides. For New Yorkers, aking mass transit is more of a necessity and way of life than it is a choice.
In that sense, de Blasio's call to use public transportation is a roundabout way of saying what he actually means: that he wants New Yorkers to support a request to Congress for additional federal funding.
"Our transportation system keeps this city connected, from the northern tip of the Bronx to Staten Island's south shore," the mayor said in an email Thursday morning. "But without a strong federal partner, maintaining existing infrastructure and preparing for the future will simply be impossible. We'll have to delay existing projects, cancel new ones and create short-term fixes that are more expensive and less efficient than long-term solutions."
De Blasio has highlighted U.S. President Barck Obama's six-year, $478-billion nationwide proposal for highway, bridge and transit upgrades as "an ideal framework."
About to get on the R, see you at City Hall. #StandUp4Transportation https://t.co/G2bcuWHDAZ— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) April 9, 2015
Proud to be joining mayors in calling on Congress to support long-term federal funding for transit. #StandUp4Transportation kb— Betsy Hodges (@MayorHodges) April 9, 2015
Waiting for the #10 BAT bus on my way to 7:20 arr. at Downtown BAT Terminal. #StandUp4Transportation @enterprisenews pic.twitter.com/u2XgourGNQ— Mayor Bill Carpenter (@MayorBillCarp) April 9, 2015
Our infrastructure needs your support. #StandUp4Transportation tomorrow, Five Points, 11am. #SU4T. http://t.co/vp4PpkKmMt— Keith Parker (@CEOMARTA) April 8, 2015
Wednesday's waterworks in the West Village wasn't even that unusual for New York City's transit system, which often sees delays and is constantly under construction.
On Thursday, the L train, which runs between Brooklyn and Manhattan, stopped for half an hour during morning rush hour. Signal malfunctions and switch failures are common enough that sometimes the MTA announces alerts when the system is functioning normally. The train's reliability has become something of a running joke.
Just got an MTA alert that service on a line was expected to be normal.— Jessica Plautz (@jessicaplautz) April 3, 2015
For riders, the reality of New York City's transit system is all the more painful considering recent fare increases, from $2.50 to $2.75 for a single ride, and from $112 to $116.50 per month for unlimited rides.
Even the billions budgeted for the MTA only provide a bandaid solution for existing infrastructure -- that is, to keep it running -- than an actual investment to update or build anything new.
With New York City's recent and ongoing population changes, especially in the outer boroughs, the existing system is proving to be inadequate. Locals will have to wait and see whether de Blasio's requested amount can make a big difference, both in the Big Apple and other cities across the U.S.
"If we’re funding the transportation bill at the same level that it’s been stuck at for 13 years, for a lot of these cities, we will be falling behind," the mayor said in a press conference last month. "Because if this country doesn’t invest in infrastructure, doesn’t invest in transportation, we will literally fall behind."