The millions of people who live in the four boroughs that aren't Manhattan, drive cars. You cannot take your kids to school or buy groceries without a car. The only people who do not own cars are not actual people. Either they are super poor and on welfare, or they are some form of tourist/transplant/hipster who do not the responsibilities and obligations of actually being a New Yorker. In Manhattan, hundreds of thousands of people own cars. Especially people with rent controlled apartments because lots of them have holiday homes. Not all of them, but lots and lots.

Do you know what the New Starts program is? It's a program where the Federal Government funds a certain percent of a transit project. Now, a local transit authority has to identify the project and apply for funding. There must also be a local way of funding part of the capital cost, such as taxes. That is why I say that transit development is locally driven. The federal government does not identify upgrades for systems and install them.

This is weasel-y nonsense and you absolutely know better. It does not matter who identifies the projects. Locally NYC has identified that new train lines need to be built. They have been trying to build the second avenue subway line for 7 decades. Seventy Years. That's because there is no money to build it. Why? Because the state and federal governments will not pay for it. That's reality. So when you say, transportation is locally driven that is a lie. It's more accurate to say that transportation is locally driven WITHIN THE LIMITS of what the state and federal governments will pay for. And what they will pay for is BUSES. Which is what I said.

Look buddy, lie to yourself, don't lie to me.