Booker as City Revitalizer

May 8, 2008 – 5:02 pm

Newark officials have issued a Request for Expressions of Interest in the Broad Street Station area.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker has identified the revitalization of the Broad Street Station District as a top priority for the City, and has released a detailed concept plan, dubbed the “Living Downtown,” for approximately 50 acres surrounding the Broad Street Train Station.

The district (outlined in black dashed lines above) lies within a 5-10 minute walk of New Jersey Transit’s Broad Street Station, the Newark Light Rail line, two subway station stops, the Downtown campuses of Rutgers and NJIT, cultural institutions and an increasingly accessible Passaic Riverfront. It is framed by Newark Street to the West, Clay Street East to the North, the Passaic River to the East and Central Avenue to the South.

Mayor Booker and City officials aim to attract redevelopment that promotes mixed-use, mixed-income, transit-accessible projects through the “Broad Street Station District Redevelopment Plan,” which should be released early this summer.

Along with NJDOT’s Broad Street streetscape improvements (see MTR # 559) and NJ Transit’s Go Bus, Newark’s redevelopment plan reflects an understanding among local and state officials that transportation can drive redevelopment. Redeveloping the areas surrounding transit hubs will be a boon for Newark’s economic development as ridership into and throughout the City continues to grow.

By Zoe Baldwin | Posted in New Jersey, Newark, Transit-Oriented Development, Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Trouble Ahead? TSTC Analysis of 2009 NJ Capital Plan

May 7, 2008 – 12:20 pm

A thorough review of New Jersey’s draft 2009 capital program offers some troubling insight into the Garden State’s future transportation priorities. In the short term, NJDOT continues to abide by its nationally recognized “fix-it-first” investment strategy, prioritizing road and bridge maintenance and repair over new capacity expansion. But beyond 2010, spending on new roads and road widenings is projected to consume a larger chunk of the state’s scarce transportation funding.

All together, the program provides $3.3 billion in funding for the state’s roads and transit systems, with $1.98 billion going to NJDOT and $1.29 billion set aside for transit investments.

The Campaign’s examination of the more than 400 NJDOT projects included in the draft capital program reveals four major themes:

  1. NJDOT continues to prioritize road and bridge maintenance, dedicating 44% of the FY2009 capital spending to repair, rehabilitation, resurfacing, and replacement projects. NJDOT’s prioritization of “fix-it-first” projects is critical given the state’s pressing infrastructure needs — the Garden State boasts the third worst roads in the nation.
  2. Spending on capacity expansion projects is projected to increase in coming years, threatening to undermine NJDOT’s “fix-it-first” goals. While FY2009 funding for expansion projects remains a sliver of the total capital program at just 1.5%, by 2011the share of total funding for widening and new roads is projected to grow to nearly 8%.
  3. Progress on smart growth projects stalled. Only a handful of the 17 New Jersey Future in Transportation (NJFIT) smart growth projects in the hopper are slated to receive funding according to the capital program. Even more troubling, two projects originally tapped for smart growth improvements have been transformed into major widening projects, all but abandoning efforts to link land use and transportation and find a more sustainable congestion relief solution.
  4. Funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects has slipped, with the total amount dedicated to those improvements falling 14% and the share of funding declining 12% to just 1.5% of the total. Though NJDOT remains a national leader in spending on bicyclists and pedestrians, sustained funding is critical if the state hopes to continue to reduce bicyclist and pedestrians deaths.

The Campaign’s report offers several recommendations for keeping NJDOT’s reputation as a national model for progressive transportation policy in tact:

  • Resurrect legislation mandating the NJDOT to invest in fix-it-first projects, and legislate a 4% cap on investment in capacity expansion projects.
  • Take a hard look at proposed expansion projects and call off projects that won’t offer sustainable congestion relief.
  • Create a consistent Fix-it-First policy between all State transportation agencies, including NJDOT and NJTA.
  • Boost funding for the state’s NJFIT program to ensure continued progress on smart growth projects.
  • Increase funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects and target it to places with the highest number of pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and deaths.

The full report can be found here.

Image: TSTC analysis shows that new roads, road widenings and other capacity-expanding projects will consume a growing share of the NJ Capital Plan in future years.

By Michelle Ernst | Posted in Bike/Pedestrian, Land Use-Transportation Connection, New Jersey, Transportation Funding, Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Bus Bill Traveling Through CT Legislature

May 6, 2008 – 11:24 am

House Bill 5734, An Act Concerning New and Expanded Bus Transportation Services Throughout Connecticut, passed the Connecticut House yesterday, approving $5 million in capital spending to purchase approximately 20 buses. The bill now moves to the Senate and must be passed prior to the General Assembly’s closing tomorrow.

The Senate must move quickly to pass the bill, an important piece of legislation that, as its title suggests, will expand bus transportation throughout Connecticut. If you are a Connecticut citizen, be sure to show support for the bill and contact your State Senator to urge them to pass this legislation before the Assembly deadline.

By Ryan Lynch | Posted in Connecticut | Comments (0)

Parking Lots, Your New Neighbor in Brooklyn?

May 5, 2008 – 3:30 pm

On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered in Brooklyn to call on Governor Paterson to send the Atlantic Yards mega-project back to the drawing board. The controversial project, which would bring an arena and 17 skyscrapers to Prospect Heights, has reportedly been stalled and scaled down due to financial problems.

From a transportation planning perspective, one of the egregious aspects of the project is the addition of 1400 “temporary” parking spaces in surface lots. (”Temporary” meaning until 2016 or 2018 or whenever the developer is able to finish the second phase of the project, if ever.) The Municipal Arts Society has posted rather upsetting renderings of the Atlantic Yards site with the proposed parking lots. See http://atlanticlots.com/

By Kate Slevin | Posted in New York City | Comments (1)

Paterson Recommends Chris Ward for PA Post

May 2, 2008 – 4:07 pm

This afternoon Governor Paterson recommended Chris Ward, currently managing director of the General Contractors Association, as the Port Authority’s next executive director. A former Commissioner of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, Ward is well respected throughout the region and is an excellent choice to run the agency. Congratulations, Chris! For more, see Governor Paterson’s statement.

By Kate Slevin | Posted in Port Authority | Comments (0)

Tracking Bloomberg’s Accomplishments, and Looking Beyond His Term

May 2, 2008 – 2:50 pm

Three recently released publications will be powerful tools in shaping transportation policy in New York City beyond the Bloomberg Administration. Two are progress reports on Mayor Bloomberg’s 127-point sustainability agenda, PlaNYC; the other is the NYC Department of Transportation’s strategic plan.

Building a Greener Future
The New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) PlaNYC progress report, Building a Greener Future, finds few achievements to hail on the transportation front because Mayor Bloomberg’s heavy reliance on congestion pricing as the tool to reduce gridlock precluded other traffic mitigation measures such as expansion of metered parking or reducing parking requirements in the City’s Zoning Resolution. The League, along with others in the advocacy community, calls for a long term vision for transportation planning that goes further than the current administration, into the next mayoralty and beyond. To do this, the NYLCV emphasizes the need to codify legislative guidelines and offices created during Bloomberg’s tenure that are making progress towards a more sustainable NYC.

The report also asks the City to increase its operating support to the MTA to help end the agency’s cycle of borrowing from the capital program to pay for operating expenses.

Progress on PlaNYC
A second report, released by Mayor Bloomberg on Earth Day, one year after the PlaNYC, was first announced, details the City’s efforts to fulfill the 127 initiatives of the plan. There is significant mention of the demise of congestion pricing in the Assembly and the dire funding situation for mass transit as a consequence. Most notable are improvements made to Select Bus Service (or the City’s BRT program) with the first route launching in the Bronx this June; the launch of a Transit Signal Priority System which will be used to move buses through congested intersections; a pilot ferry service this spring from the Rockaways to Manhattan; 60 miles of new bicycle lanes; an HOV lane on the Manhattan Bridge; three new bus stop designs and two new sidewalk designs to improve pedestrian /transit street transfers; 800 new bicycle racks; and 550 new Muni Meters. The report also forecasts milestones to be completed through 2009, setting up an important foundation for what we should be working towards in future years.

Strategic Thinking at NYCDOT
The New York City DOT is also establishing a strong foundation for future work. On Monday, the agency unveiled a strategic plan to a packed house at the Municipal Art Society. The impressive plan outlines a full agenda for the short time remaining in Mayor Bloomberg’s term and takes strides to guarantee the continuity and ongoing success of progress made. In her presentation, NYC DOT Commissioner Sadik-Khan eschewed bland comparisons with other cities, instead claiming that the plan, “Sustainable Streets: 2008 and Beyond,” will be the framework for “The New York City Model” of a livable city. Highlights include:

- Cutting traffic fatalities in half by 2030 by increasing enforcement of traffic laws, including the expanded use of red light and speed cameras, and through pedestrian infrastructure improvements.

- Doubling the number of bicycle commuters by 2015 and triple the number by 2020.

- Implementing two BRT lines in the next year and a half and the implementation of three more after 2010. Commissioner Sadik-Khan recently presented the city’s BRT plan at a symposium hosted by TSTC, the Pratt Center, Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives.

- Creating quality public space by creating 4 new plazas a year, ultimately creating one in each community board. In addition, Broadway, Fordham Road and Main Street, Flushing will be transformed into main streets and community focal points. Using complete street design, these corridors will optimize public space and pedestrian friendly features – including 20 new automated pay toilets.

- Opening up the limited access parkways to trucks to reduce truck traffic on neighborhood streets. The initial parkway candidates are the Grand Central, Henry Hudson and the Belt Parkway.

On the institutional side, the agency hopes to reach out and train community leaders, overhaul their data collection (including the specific development of tools to track congestion relief, BRT and bicycling) and attract and retain staff that embraces innovation and livable streets concepts.

The report provides some perspective on how far NYC has come and how important it is to continue the good trends, no matter who is calling the shots. Just two years ago, the Campaign was criticizing NYC DOT’s many failures under previous Commissioner Iris Weinshall. (See, for example: “City’s Credibility on Transportation Ebbs,” April 4, 2006; “Limited Input for NYC Rapid Bus Study,” June 8, 2005; “Brooklynites Say City has Failed Traffic Challenge,” July 26, 2006). Today, a new era is upon us.

Image: Cover of NYCDOT’s “Sustainable Streets: 2008 and Beyond”

By Tri-State Transportation Campaign | Posted in NYC Congestion Pricing, New York City, Transportation Funding | Comments (0)

Atlantic Yards Rally Tomorrow!

May 2, 2008 – 11:54 am

Brooklyn Speaks, of which Tri-State is a member, is co-hosting a rally to stop the demolition of the proposed Altantic Yards project. From the brooklynspeaks.org website:

“As originally proposed, the Atlantic Yards project would overwhelm surrounding neighborhoods, further clog already overburdened streets, create outdated superblocks that deaden street life, overtax public transit, streets, water and sewer infrastructure and create eight acres of “temporary” parking lots that could blight Brooklyn for decades.

But now it’s even worse.

Recently, developer Forest City Ratner acknowledged to the New York Times that it doesn’t even have the resources to construct the signature first phase of the project that would surround the arena.

Now the arena will not be nestled in dramatically designed residential and office buildings. Instead, it will be surrounded by vacant space or more temporary parking, creating a dead zone where vitality was once promised. It’s so bad that New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff (a previous supporter of the project) called it a betrayal of the public trust and a creator of new blight. He even called upon architect Frank Gehry to walk away from Atlantic Yards entirely.

It’s time to call a time out on Atlantic Yards before more demolitions, displacements, and disruptions scar our neighborhood, and more tax dollars go into a hole that doesn’t seem to have a bottom.

Join the sponsors of BrooklynSpeaks.net, the Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods, Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, Assembly Members Hakeem Jeffries and Joan Millman, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, NYC Council Members Letitia James, David Yassky and Bill de Blasio and others at a rally next Saturday, May 3rd at 2 PM at on Pacific Street near Carlton Avenue to demand Governor Paterson call “Time Out” on Atlantic Yards.”

Image: Brooklyn Speaks

By Kate Slevin | Posted in Development, New York City | Tags: , , | Comments (0)

Governor Rell Nominates Transit Expert for Top ConnDOT Post

April 29, 2008 – 2:55 pm

Joseph MarieLast week, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell nominated Joseph F. Marie to be the new head of the Connecticut Department of Transportation. In doing so, Governor Rell chose the first ever transit expert to lead the agency. According to the Governor’s press release, Mr. Marie, currently the Director of Operations and Maintenance for METRO, the regional public transportation service in Phoenix, has over 22 years of experience in transit, both in the public and private sectors.

Yesterday, Mr. Marie appeared before the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Executive and Legislative Nominations and, according to news reports, (The Stamford Advocate and The New Haven Register) seemed to impress legislators and is on course to be unanimously approved by the Committee today, with the nomination process then moving to the House of Representatives. The House must then take action prior to the General Assembly closing on May 7th. No Senate action is required.

In testimony, Mr. Marie called for creating a more integrated and multi-modal transportation system throughout Connecticut that incorporates roads, rail and ports equally to address transportation issues. According to reports, Mr. Marie also spoke about the need to focus efforts on transit-oriented development and for ConnDOT to become involved in smart growth initiatives.

It seems like Mr. Marie has been saying all the right things during the confirmation process. His comments concerning ConnDOT’s role in promoting TOD and smart growth are particularly heartening, and suggest that he understands the importance of connecting land use and transportation when working to create sustainable transportation systems and responsible growth.

The Campaign hopes that, if confirmed, Mr. Marie’s words will facilitate action. ConnDOT is in desperate need of a strong leader who can bring lasting and progressive change to an agency that has long prioritized road building and expansion as the solutions to the State’s transportation problems.

Image: Minnesota Public Radio. Joe Marie testing Minneapolis’s light rail system before its opening in 2004.

Editor’s note: Mr. Marie’s nomination was confirmed by the Connecticut House of Representatives on May 1st.

By Ryan Lynch | Posted in Connecticut, Land Use-Transportation Connection | Tags: , , , , | Comments (1)

UVA Has Big Plans for the Sheridan

April 29, 2008 – 2:34 pm

This past Saturday a set of architecture and landscape architecture students from the University of Virginia returned to the Bronx to present their visions for the future of the Sheridan Expressway footprint.

A community-based plan for the removal of the under-utilized highway is currently being studied by the NYS DOT as a result of advocacy by The South Bronx River Watershed Alliance, a coalition of which Tri-State is a member. The UVA architecture studios have worked semester-long to craft plans for parkland, affordable housing, mixed-use construction and access to the Bronx River; all possible should the Sheridan be removed.

The studio work was split between two groups of students. One set worked on a mixed-use plan for the entire footprint and on integrating the new land with the surrounding neighborhoods and the riverfront. The designers put a premium on livability and sustainability in their concepts, including on-site sewage treatment, maximum open space and a focus on pedestrian and common space.

Another group of students focused on the market plaza site at the southern tip of the project area. Their goal is to create a public space that will act as a destination and community center for the Longwood and Hunts Point neighborhoods. The concepts included dog parks, naturally landscaped amphitheaters and community athletic and artspaces.

The final projects will be presented at UVA in May. Thanks to all of the students and faculty that worked so hard on these projects. Their imagination and vision will help make this campaign a reality.

Image: UVA architecture students describe their proposals to Bronx residents.

By Kyle Wiswall | Posted in Bike/Pedestrian, NYSDOT, New York City | Tags: , , , , | Comments (0)

MTA Gearing Up For Real Action on Transit-Oriented Development

April 25, 2008 – 1:24 pm

It seems like the MTA is finally taking transit-oriented development (TOD) seriously. The agency announced that it “is developing a region-wide TOD program to support local communities throughout the MTA service territory,” and has added a description of this program to its website, which includes a single point of contact for communities interested in TOD projects. These are all promising steps towards a broad smart growth agenda outlined in the interim report of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Sustainability and the MTA. The commission was created by MTA Executive Director Lee Sander in September 2007.

For years Tri-State has advocated for the MTA to spearhead a “transit village” program offering planning assistance to municipalities interested in TOD (see, for example, MTR # 542). The interim report calls on the MTA to do just that, recommending that the agency “develop a system-wide Transit-Oriented Development program” and describing the agency’s progress: “the MTA and New York State are establishing a partnership and package of incentives to support TOD development throughout the service area. The partnership will develop a branded TOD program.” In New Jersey, NJ Transit and NJDOT’s Transit Village Program has been very successful in encouraging transit-oriented development (pictured above is planned TOD in Cranford, a designated Transit Village).

The report also recommends that the MTA work with shareholders to capture two-thirds of all new trips in its region and concentrate two-thirds of the region’s new residential and commercial growth within a half-mile of MTA service by 2030. Other recommendations are for the agency to be more proactive in creating intermodal connections and providing bicycle and pedestrian access to its stations.

Encouraging transit-oriented development makes perfect sense for transit agencies, as it has been conclusively proven that TOD boosts transit ridership — which brings benefits of its own. Both the Sustainability Commission report and a recent report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group underscored transit’s impact on lowering energy consumption. The Sustainability Commission report noted that, largely because of transit use, the energy footprint of the average New Yorker is about a quarter as large as the average American’s. The USPIRG report found that the New York metropolitan transit system, by its existence, saved 1.8 billion gallons of oil in 2006 (worth $4.6 billion).

Images: Top - Cranford Downtown Management Corporation. At right - Excerpted from MTA Sustainability Commission interim report (MBTU = million British Thermal Units).

By Steven Higashide | Posted in Land Use-Transportation Connection, MTA, Transit-Oriented Development | Comments (2)