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My first print feature for @nymag is out today, and it's a look at why it's so shocking expensive to build transit infrastructure in New York, and what we could have if we paid normal prices. nymag.com/intelligencer/…
@NYMag One of my key takeaways in reporting the piece is there isn't one reason we overpay. There are dozens of reasons. In most cases, addressing each one requires a separate fix (often politically difficult) and only saves you a little bit. This is why the problem is intractable.
@NYMag Runaway costs and endless delays are usually diagnosed as due to "unaccountability": the MTA and the Port Authority are anonymous bodies and it's hard to figure out who to blame when they err. This is a problem. But it's compounded by depriving the agencies of tools they need.
@NYMag Often, the MTA and other agencies are at the mercy of other entities (external governments, utility companies, partner agencies like Amtrak) that impose costs but do not have to pay the bills. When the MTA faces costs it cannot control, who would want to be accountable for it?
@NYMag Some of this can be fixed by changing the org chart, but some is cultural: Treating cost control as everyone's problem and expecting everyone who touches a megaproject to work together to control cost. That requires focus from federal, state & local officials.
If we did that, we could build really big (much bigger than East Side Access or the Second Avenue Subway) and reorganize our transportation in the way peer cities like London and Paris have. Cost control isn't boring green-eyeshade stuff; it's necessary for having nice things.
Anyway, I hope you find this issue as interesting as I do. Here's the piece: nymag.com/intelligencer/…
