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 The advantage of a community planning process is that it can get the creative juices flowing. Sometimes, ideas pop up that seem fantastical, yet carry a powerful logic. Trish Dubow, South Nyack’s mayor, had one such bold idea while contemplating the proposed changes to the Tappan Zee Bridge corridor—building a “lid park” over I-287, [...] LI Bus riders have long been caught in the middle of an annual game of chicken between the MTA and Nassau County over who should fund one of the nation’s largest suburban bus systems. This year it is particularly dire. The MTA says it will cut all of its funding to LI Bus. County Executive [...]  Click to download flyer. On September 21, the New York State Transportation Equity Alliance (NYSTEA) will hold a forum in Albany entitled: “Fighting for Greater Transportation Equity in New York State.” The forum will address New York State’s transportation crisis — its eroding infrastructure and struggling transit systems — and what advocates can do [...] Public hearings on planned MTA fare hikes, which now seem as regular an occurrence as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade or Fleet Week, begin Monday. The fare proposals, which can be viewed on the MTA’s website, will reduce the “bonus” on pay-per-ride MetroCards and increase the price of unlimited MetroCards, LIRR and Metro-North fares, and tolls on MTA bridges and tunnels. Use of “unlimited” MetroCards may also be capped; for example, under one proposal a 30-day MetroCard could be used for no more than 90 trips (transfers would not count).
The fare hike may be the least of Long Island Bus riders’ concerns. Another annual ritual, the fight between Nassau County and the MTA over how much funding each should provide for LI Bus, has escalated to dangerous levels. The MTA has said it may pull all of its funding to LI Bus, decimating the system. This morning, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano called for the next governor to fire MTA CEO Jay Walder. Tri-State has said that major changes to the LI Bus funding structure should wait for the results of an MTA regional bus study that is part of the agency’s 2010-14 capital program. This latest fare hike was planned as part of the 2009 funding package that included the regional payroll tax and was supposed to put the MTA on stable financial footing. But, as TSTC’s Veronica Vanterpool pointed out while testifying before the MTA board in July, circumstances have changed since then. State officials took $143 million in statutorily dedicated transit funds for the budget, and the payroll tax has brought in much less than predicted. The result was the unexpected service cuts put into effect earlier this year. At the July meeting, TSTC’s Vanterpool said it was time to reconsider measures like congestion pricing or East River bridge tolls, calling it “inequitable to keep asking transit riders to contribute more to the system while drivers, who reap the congestion-busting benefits of our transit system, can still travel into the densest city in America for free.” Pointing to the state’s theft of transit funds and the lack of solutions from city, state, and federal politicians, she told attendees that:
After the jump, find times and dates, locations, and more information about the public hearings. » Continue reading… The Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Priority Act (A8011B/S5560B), which directs New York state agencies to make their infrastructure spending decisions in accordance with smart growth principles, was signed into law by Gov. Paterson on Monday. The law was a priority for Vision Long Island, Empire State Future, TSTC, and other transportation and planning groups, [...] Whether it’s how transit is funded, how streets are designed, or how traffic safety is enforced, elected officials play a key role in setting transportation policy, one which is larger than many members of the public realize. Ahead of this year’s New York state elections, TSTC and Transportation Alternatives are organizing two initiatives to get [...] |
 
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