Even as NYSDOT shows signs of reform on Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley, the state agency’s recent work on Staten Island reflects a business-as-usual orientation.

Last month NYSDOT opened up the Brooklyn-bound Staten Island Expressway bus lane to cars with two or more occupants. The “pilot program” appears to violate federal environmental laws — no environmental impact statement was performed for what is, for all intents and purposes, a major highway expansion. It comes after a cursory study of last year’s opening of the New Jersey-bound bus lane found little impact on bus travel times (though this study is not publicly available on NYSDOT’s website).

The conversion aims to appease some politicians and drivers who’ve pressured NYSDOT to open the bus lanes to cars since the lanes were opened.  But even the commenters in the Staten Island Advance recognize that it will do little to alleviate congestion in the general purpose lanes, and will completely obliterate any time savings currently enjoyed by Staten Island’s bus riders.

And even as New York City DOT is using the federal stimulus package to shore up its bike and pedestrian program, the biggest chunk of New York State DOT’s stimulus funds slated for the city is going to a $40 million project to add auxiliary lanes and move ramps around along the Staten Island Expressway.

Staten Island is, of course, NYC’s most car-oriented borough.  But that’s no excuse for NYSDOT’s Region 11 office (which handles New York City) to take a pass on innovation. This is especially true given the long-standing feeling among Staten Island residents and elected officials that the borough needs more transit options. This sentiment gets expressed in editorials, at community board meetings, during presentations for the current North Shore and West Shore rail studies, and in many other places. NYSDOT should be tapping into this sentiment, not slowing transit riders down.