Last month the Tri-State Transportation Campaign submitted comments on the Connecticut Statewide Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan Update. The state’s original plan to encourage biking and walking dates from 1999, so this update is necessary. But it’s also overdue. According to the plan’s website, ConnDOT is updating the plan due to changes in federal transportation [...]
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NJ Transit’s $1.79 billion FY 2010 operating budget, approved last week, avoids a fare hike and major service cuts despite a $62 million reduction in state operating aid. NJ Transit is filling the gap by slashing administrative costs, a laudable achievement, but one that may be hard to repeat in future years. MTR has written before that the bigger problem is that NJ Transit lacks a dedicated source of operating funding and must annually go begging to the state legislature. Because the legislature consistently underfunds the agency, NJ Transit diverts significant funding from its capital budget to operations. In the most recent budget, diverted capital funds made up 21% of the operating budget — over $350 million in mostly borrowed money that should be going towards maintenance, new buses and train stations, and the like. Transit agencies across the country, including those listed below, are grappling with budget cuts and rising operating costs. But NJ Transit is the largest transit provider in the country without a dedicated source of operating funds, making it especially vulnerable to fiscal woes. Here’s how some of NJ Transit’s peers keep their buses and trains running.  All figures are from 2007, the most recent year in the FTA's National Transit Database. (Note that California no longer has a dedicated state transit tax -- see below.) Chicago’s Regional Transit AuthorityThe RTA was established in 1974 to provide oversight of Chicago’s transit system. A decade later, the RTA’s responsibilities shifted giving it authority over the operating and fare responsibilities for the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra commuter rail and Pace suburban bus. At that time, a county sales tax was enacted to support transit operations, and a state match of 30% of tax revenues was imposed. Cook County’s rate was set at a higher level (now 1 and 1/4 cent after a 2008 increase) than the surrounding 5 counties (now 3/4 cent) and one-third of the suburban tax revenues was set aside for the suburban counties. The tax currently brings in about $1 billion annually. More recently, the state legislature passed in January 2008 a real estate transfer tax in the City of Chicago, which brings in between $20 and $100 million annually. The state match for both taxes amounts to approximately $300 million. Importantly, the law which established the RTA requires that half of operating expenses be serviced through fares, advertising, investment income and concessions. This forces the RTA to periodically raise fares. Clockwise from top left: TSTC's Kyle Wiswall, The Point's Adam Liebowitz, Julien Terrell of Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, SBRWA's Melanie Bin Jung, Nos Quedamos's Anna Vincente, and Joan Byron of the Pratt Center for Community Development. Members of the Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance took to the Bronx’s Sheridan Expressway during [...] The opening of the SIE bus lane to cars might be just the first of many poor transportation choices for Staten Island. On Staten Island, traffic congestion is both a way of life and a perennial complaint. Six of the 15 editorials in the Staten Island Advance this month have been about transportation, [...] [UPDATE: The position has been closed.] The Tri-State Transportation Campaign seeks to hire a federal advocate to manage its federal work and assess the needs and structure of a coordinated state-level transportation reform effort across the country. The federal advocate will be a new, full-time, 18 month position, housed in our NYC office, starting immediately. Position Goals1. Strengthen TSTC’s ability to engage in federal advocacy and expand coalitions in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut; 2. Conduct an assessment to help advance state level transportation reform throughout the country. The assessment work will complement planned field campaigns in targeted states, coordinated with state partners. (More after the jump, including how to submit applications.) New MTA head Jay Walder is a transit expert with deep experience in financial management. He’ll need that experience as the MTA prepares to submit its 2010-2014 capital program in the fall. With little money for transit investment coming from the state and city, MTA officials and the state comptroller have predicted that the [...] 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 [...] [UPDATE 7/14: ConnDOT has canceled the fare hike hearings, which raises the possibility that they may be out of the budget.] While budget negotiations continue behind closed doors, Gov. Rell has shown no signs of dropping her proposed 40% fare increase for CT Transit buses. ConnDOT has taken a first step towards the fare [...]  The approximate locations of NJ Transit's major bus projects. (Springfield Ave. GoBus is already running; the others are being implemented or studied.) An expansion of Newark’s GoBus service is only the first of many bus projects NJ Transit has in the works, TSTC learned after a recent meeting with agency staff. Statewide bus plans include projects on Route 9 in Monmouth County, Bergen and Passaic Counties, and Route 1 in Central NJ. But the agency faces several obstacles to bus rapid transit expansion in some of New Jersey’s most congested corridors. In many cases, the quality of existing infrastructure is the largest hindrance to progress. In some places, old traffic signals prevent NJ Transit from implementing full signal prioritization. Other bus corridors center around highways where there are almost no sidewalks or other pedestrian amenities. Most bus shelters in the state are maintained by private companies or local governments, giving NJ Transit limited control over their design and upkeep. This makes it difficult to implement one of the quintessential components of a “true” BRT system, updated shelter design. Features like pre-boarding fare collection and “next bus in X minutes” information greatly enhance the overall efficiency and customer experience. In parts of the state, BRT planners have gotten pushback from local businesses who fear that loss of parking for bus lanes will alienate customers. In others, business owners want better bus access and feel that existing studies will not give it to them. NJ Transit overcame one obstacle to better bus service in January of this year, when the State Legislature passed a bill that adjusted state regulations on bus axle weights. This clears the way for NJ Transit to buy low-floor buses, which provide easier and quicker access for passengers as they get on and off the bus. Below is a brief outline of NJ Transit’s major bus projects: Newark: Bloomfield Ave. – Newark Airport GoBusClosest to completion is a project to enhance bus service along the busy Bloomfield Ave. corridor in the Township of Bloomfield and the City of Newark, connecting to the Newark light rail and the Springfield Ave. GoBus. As part of the Liberty Corridor initiative, the route also establishes a one-seat ride to the airport and connects to existing bus service to the port areas of Elizabeth and Newark. Signal prioritization will be implemented along the whole corridor, but not at every intersection. NJ Transit planners told MTR that they are looking at Staten Island’s Victory Blvd., where NYCDOT has installed signal prioritization to speed up multiple bus routes, as a model. However, the planned route runs on both City of Newark and Essex County streets, which use two different signal systems. Newark’s signals are too old to allow signal priority and would need to be replaced entirely. Some local merchants have balked at extension of dedicated bus lane hours, due to the loss of parking. Replacement of some traffic signals and construction of new shelters with improved passenger information (funded through the federal economic stimulus) began in the spring. Exact location of stops has jet to be determined, but service is expected to begin by the end of 2009. The Museum of the City of New York will host a panel on “The Future of the MTA” on Wednesday, July 15 at 6:30 pm. The panel is well timed, since the agency is going through a leadership transition, has been impacted by the economic crisis, and will soon release a five-year capital program [...] |
 
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