A day after he vowed to tackle the problems straphangers face, newly confirmed MTA chairman Joseph Lhota said he wants to touch up the subway system — by getting rid of pesky peeling paint.
“It’s one of the things that bothers me, and I’d like to fix it as much as we can,” Lhota told the Daily News Tuesday when asked what he’ll do as “rider-chairman.”
Lhota gave himself that title on Monday during his state Senate hearing before being confirmed to the agency’s top post. His hope is to improve riders’ perceptions of the subways in his new job, and that means taking care of eyesores like flakes of paint.
The new chairman likened his approach to the “broken windows” theory, which his old boss Mayor Giuliani used to reduce crime in the 1990s.
“The thought was if a window is broken, someone is going to break another window or someone is going to break into the house,” said Lhota, 57, a deputy mayor during the Giuliani administration. “Fix it. Fix it up front. When paint starts peeling, either peel it off or repaint it.”
Any straphanger who has waited on a subway platform has spotted — among a litany of unpleasing sights like rats and trash — the dangling strands of paint.
In years past, touch-ups have been slow-going, but a revamped stations strategy implemented in 2010 aims to quicken the fresh coats of paints. The MTA brushed up nearly 30 of the 468 stations in the last two years, and it plans to repaint another 133 by the end of next year – an average of 40 a year, according to the agency.
Riders agreed that most stations need a paint job.
“I hope he can clean it up,” said Leslie Pier-Luisse, an office worker from Brooklyn, pointing at the jagged paint curling from the ceiling of the J and Z platform at the Chambers St. station. “It’s been like his for years.”
Other riders said they’ve got far bigger complaints than a few flakes of paint.
“He should focus on individual things like paint, trash and the homeless. What about the smell? I Can’t stand the smell,” said Eileen Ojeda, 30, a night club waitress from Brooklyn.
Lhota left City Hall in 2002 and was a top executive at Madison Square Garden until Gov. Cuomo nominated him last year to run the MTA. While waiting five weeks for his confirmation, Lhota served as MTA executive director.
His return to government started with some soul-searching in August after a dear friend who was the same age died suddenly of a heart attack.
“It really impacted me,” Lhota said. “It was a shock. I finally said, ‘What do I want to do with the rest of my life?”
He soon realized that he wanted to run the MTA, the country’s largest mass transit system.
“I don’t think there’s any other position I would have left the private sector for other than to run the MTA … I know how important it is to the total well-being of the New York Metropolitan area,” said.
The MTA has 8.5 million daily subway and bus riders, 54,000 unionized workers and an annual budget of $12.6 billion. Being chairman is “a phenomenal position…if you like to run things, if you like to manage,” Lhota said. “I’ve always wanted and strived to be a good manager and a good leader.”
On his way back from Albany Monday, Lhota stopped to view the major “Fast Track” project, which currently closes the Lexington Ave. line between Grand Central and downtown Brooklyn for repairs between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
An army of 700 workers blitzed the tunnels and stations. They repaired more than 320 defects along the third rails, cleaned 5,000 feet of track and fixed 16 stairwells that had chipped steps, he said. Some workers replaced tiles, light fixtures and, of course, scraped off peeling paint and applied fresh coats.
“An enormous amount of work was done,” Lhota said. “I think the first night was very successful.”
Officials have said the new strategy will save the MTA millions of dollars on the Lexington line and other lines through increased efficiency and productivity. Officials also expect it will result in more reliable service.
Lhota, the married father of a college-age daughter, lives in Brooklyn. He grew up in the Bronx and the subway is part of his earliest memories, including the time he ran away.
“I went upstairs on the El,” he said. “It cost 15 cents at the time. I went a couple of stops and probably got hungry and said, ‘Let’s go home.’ “
He doesn’t recall what prompted his initial flight from home but said his mother probably gave him the round-trip fare – and he managed to turn a profit. He switched directions at the Parchester station without having to pay for the return trip.
“So, I pocketed the other 15 cents,” he said.
