The Tri-State Transportation Campaign congratulates Jay Walder on his appointment as MTA Chairman and is pleased that Governor Paterson chose a qualified and experienced transportation professional to run the agency. Mr. Walder will take over the MTA at a difficult time, and we urge the Legislature to quickly confirm his appointment so he can begin working to meet the challenges ahead.
The most immediate challenge is the need to find sufficient funding for the MTA’s next five-year capital program while keeping the agency financially stable. Greater use of bus rapid transit would allow the agency to quickly grow the region’s transit capacity at relatively low cost. The agency must also put Long Island Bus on sound financial footing and continue to work towards a comprehensive regional bus system.
Mr. Walder should also continue valuable initiatives begun under his predecessors, such as a sustainability effort that includes transit-oriented development, putting high-speed cashless tolls on all MTA crossings, and improving customer service.
[...] had a similar response but also took the time in a separate post to urge the new head of the agency to avoid another debt [...]
“Cashless tolls?” Isn’t that an oxymoron?
Secondly, Patterson appoints a BRITISH guy!? What’s a British guy gonna know about improving transportation in the UNITED STATES!? What the hell is he thinking? Seriously?! Presidents for all the separate lines? Why? Seriously, why? Bad move on Patterson’s part. I think this is a time we should be consolidating the MTA. Cut costs that way.
“Cashless tolls” mean there are is no physical collection of cash – high-speed E-ZPass plus some mechanism (usually license-plate reading cameras) to charge drivers without E-Z Pass. As a result, there are no toll plazas and drivers move at normal driving speed. They are being used across the country: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-07-27-cashless-toll-roads_N.htm
Also, Walder is an American who was an MTA executive in the 1980s and 90s before moving to London. We didn’t include any biographical information in this press statement, but Ben Kabak at Second Ave. Sagas has some good background (his post was published before Walder was officially nominated: http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/07/13/walder-rumored-to-be-next-mta-head/)