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Fares will increase for transit riders in Bridgeport, one of Connecticut's poorest cities. But nearly all the outcry over fare hikes in the state has focused on Metro-North riders who are losing discounts. Faced with deficits of over $400,000 as a result of increased health care and operations’ costs, the Greater Bridgeport Transit [...] Yesterday’s leafleting for the Access to the Region’s Core rail tunnel between NYC and New Jersey was not the only effort in support of ARC. Also yesterday, Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez held a rally with union members at the tunnel’s North Bergen construction site. Sen. Menendez said he had identified five cost-saving options for ARC and asked Gov. Christie to brainstorm ideas as well. “The question is, do you want to make it work?” he asked. Today, more supporters came out for the project, with 31 state and regional businesses and business groups; labor unions; and disability rights, environmental, faith, housing, planning, and transportation groups sending a letter to the governor asking him “to keep the project on time, on budget and moving forward.” The full letter is below:
There’s been a lot of speculation about the details and timing of President Obama’s recently announced plan to invest $50 billion in transportation since its Labor Day unveiling. Last week, armed with a new report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers that showed the economic benefits of transportation spending, the President urged [...] Commuters at Princeton Junction signed a giant postcard telling Governor Christie, "We need ARC!" Staff and volunteers with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Regional Plan Association, NJ Future, and Environment New Jersey gave out thousands of leaflets today, asking commuters to call Gov. Christie’s office or send him a letter through www.WeNeedARC.com to tell [...]  (Click to visit.) While New York City has historically leaned blue, and upstate has leaned red, Long Island and the Hudson Valley have straddled the cusp of colors—and with many races neck and neck, it is unclear which way they’ll swing this year. These suburban regions face unique transportation issues that impact the economic viability of the region—limited public transit, dangerous and congested roads, growing freight traffic, and land use patterns that exacerbate transportation woes. The New York Transportation Survey, a collaboration of TSTC and Transportation Alternatives, recently asked New York’s suburban region candidates how they would tackle pressing transportation issues if sent to Albany. Safety in the StreetsWhen it comes to the safety of our streets, all Hudson Valley and Long Island candidates responding to the survey agreed on one thing: the need to increase the penalties for dangerous drivers. Drivers with suspended or revoked licenses are nearly 4 times more likely to be in a crash and are involved in 10% of all fatal crashes in New York State; stiffer penalties can help to keep these drivers off the road. However, when asked about more difficult choices—like making a greater investment in bicycle and pedestrian safety—the candidates’ responses diverged. For example, in Orange County’s 97th Assembly District, Republican incumbent Ann Rabbitt addresses pedestrian safety by stating:
Myrna Kemnitz, her Democratic opponent, in response to the same question, wrote:
See the full responses for Rabbitt and Kemitz. Funding Mass TransitMost of the outlying suburban counties have sued the MTA over the vastly unpopular payroll tax, and anger at the MTA was evident in many of the responses. Long Island Bus, recently tottering on the brink of extinction, was another point of funding contention. The area targeted for development in New Haven. Two highway removal projects in the region got a boost of federal funds today. USDOT announced that New Haven’s Route 34 and the South Bronx’s Sheridan Expressway will receive $16 million and $1.5 million respectively to advance plans to convert these underutilized highway corridors into [...] A new analysis by the Regional Plan Association shows how much time commuters would save at each station where rail service would be improved by the Access to the Region's Core tunnel. A new report from the Regional Plan Association quantifies the enormous time savings commuters will gain if the Access to the [...] Readers of New Jersey’s largest business publication, NJBIZ, overwhelmingly disapprove of Gov. Christie’s move to cancel the Access to the Region’s Core project. 60% called the cancellation of the NJ-NYC rail tunnel a “bad move,” with another 10% saying it was “an example of Christie overstepping his bounds.” But local editorial boards were [...] A sample image from a red light camera in Nassau County. At the Nassau County Legislature’s Finance Committee hearing on the 2011 Budget held on Friday in Mineola, County Legislator Wayne Wink may have offered a glimmer of hope for LI Bus riders with a proposal for supporting LI Bus operations. During the [...] USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Republican Congressperson from Illinois. Don’t write off New Jersey’s most important transit project, the Access to the Region’s Core rail tunnel between NJ and NYC, just yet. Almost immediately after Gov. Christie announced he was canceling the tunnel, USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood arranged a meeting with the [...] |
 
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