The complaints will become relevant to New York soon enough.  At the very least, higher oil and natural gas prices will sharply raise the cost of the electricity that runs the subway system.  High gas prices have already impacted buses.  I bet that the MTA is running way over budget as a result.

The state government is not going to provide any more subsidy, so there will be higher fares as soon as the MTA can legally impose them.

Indeed, if high energy prices render enough Americans insolvent, there could be a sharp drop in consumer spending.  High energy prices and increased credit risk will continue to exert upward pressure on long-term interest rates, with a likely deflation of the real estate bubble.  Put these things together, and you have a major recession that will have an especially severe impact on the financial sector.

That will mean a decrease in tax revenues and therefore subsidies for the MTA and higher fares still for New Yorkers who will have less money to spend on them due to layoffs.