Public transportation needs adequate funding, but the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)—which controls subways, buses, bridges, and tunnels—is going backwards to achieve it. The MTA Board recently voted to dismantle its own policies, designed to protect the public’s health, without a meaningful opportunity for public input. The MTA was right when it banned alcohol advertising in 2017 to discourage underage drinking and marketing that unfairly targeted people with low income and communities of color. Now, it has slipped into reverse gear.
Public transit is the lifeblood of New York City and the surrounding region. On a typical weekday, the MTA serves about 5 million people across its subway and bus lines alone. It is a rare space where New Yorkers of every stripe – young and old, different races and income levels – rub shoulders as we go to school, commute to work, attend appointments, meet up with friends and family, and get wherever we need to go.
When the MTA banned alcohol ads, the then-Chairman stated that making up for lost revenue (then said to be $2.3 million) was not a concern. He noted that advertising accounts for only a small fraction of the Authority’s annual revenue, and there were plenty of other companies interested in partnering with the MTA to place ads.
Now, the millions of people who ride the MTA will again be exposed to aggressive alcohol advertising. Why? The MTA claims the boozy ads will generate $7-10 million in revenue. That is a minuscule slice of the MTA’s $20 billion annual operating budget. And the paltry sum doesn’t come close to justifying the larger societal costs of alcohol advertising and harm to public health. The New York State Department of Health estimates that excessive alcohol use costs New York State $16.3 billion each year.
Alcohol advertising encourages adolescents to start drinking earlier and in greater amounts. These ads can trigger cravings that threaten individuals’ recovery from alcohol addiction and other alcohol problems. They can also increase risky behavior. And, these ads can reinforce racial inequities; they disproportionately target lower-income and Hispanic communities, according to a study of New York City subway stations published in 2017. With the advent of digital screens and surveillance data tactics, the unfair burden on these populations is likely to get even worse.
This decision adds insult to injury. The federal administration, which the MTA is battling to preserve congestion pricing, is aggressively undermining public health. For example, it has eliminated funding for SNAP-Ed, the largest nutrition education program in the country. SNAP-Ed supports cooking classes, healthy eating programs, and other wellness initiatives in under-resourced communities. Just when pro-health and nutrition supports are being taken away, a local public agency will be pushing unhealthy options under our noses.
Recognizing the high cost that communities pay for this advertising, New York City pledged in its recently released Chronic Disease Strategy to “reduce the marketing, promotion, and influence of harmful products and their producers,” including alcohol. At the same time, communities have been working to extend, not roll back, the MTA’s policy limiting unhealthy advertising. Additionally, an executive order from Mayor de Blasio, which banned all alcohol advertising on city property, remains in place.
Later this week, the MTA Board will meet and will hear from organizations, including mine, about how misguided this reversal is. Rather than undermining public health, the MTA needs to get back on track. The MTA Board should reinstate its restrictions on alcohol advertising. Our public transit system should be safe, reliable, and healthy.
