Legislation Passes to Raise Fines for Jumping the Turnstile

Photo via www.ktu.com

When I was a kid my mom made me duck under the turnstiles when we went into the city from Brooklyn. I felt guilty, like I should have been paying for my ride.

These days, I think the MTA owes me. I should be able to duck under turnstiles and hitch a free ride now and then. And yet soon, ducking or jumping the turnstile could cost us a lot more. The current maximum fine for skipping a fare is $100. Legislation passed by New York State senate yesterday would increase the maximum fine to $500, and that's before potential late fees are incurred (which could be raised from $50 to $100).

At $100 per fine, a gambler would actually beat the house. Some reports estimate that a regular fare-evader could expect a $100 fine once every six to 13 weeks. That's cheaper than buying six weekly Metrocards. Fuck, I wish I'd done the math on that sooner.

However, is this really going to do anything other than screw the occasional unlucky dope (probably a new New Yorker) into paying the city 500 bucks? I don't see it deterring the teenagers who jump the turnstile knowing that they're never really going to be held responsible for paying a fine.

Thank you Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (R-Merrick) for wasting our government's time with this legislation.

[Via NYsenate.gov]