Your weekly guide to heroic and villainous actions in tri-state transportation and development.
Winners
Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey—Thanks to the hard work of Patrolman Christopher Inglis, the Atlantic Highlands police department has earned a grant that will help enforce traffic laws. The measure aims to make sure that cars stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.
The MTA—Over the past couple weeks, the MTA has announced that tolls on the Henry Hudson Bridge will go cashless in November, begun implementing service improvements, and won praise from advocates for the improved clarity of announcements on its subways.
West Hartford Bicycle Advisory Committee—With the mission of “working within the system” to make West Hartford’s plans to improve Farmington Avenue more cyclist friendly, the West Hartford Bicycle Advisory Committee held a ride to raise awareness about the issue last week.
Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn—Legislator Hahn has passed legislation that directs the Suffolk County Department of Public Works to study improved methods of fare collection on its transit system. Currently, Suffolk County Transit riders must pay exact change on board, and commuters cannot purchase a monthly pass.
Losers
MTA riders—Details about the MTA’s fare hike proposals have begun to emerge, and the Daily News’ headline says it all: “MTA’s four fare-hike options all hit riders hard.”
Overzealous bike ticketers—Last month, a Brooklyn cyclist was fined $1,555 after he ran three red lights on his way home (while wearing headphones). Yes, cyclists should obey traffic laws, but this seems like…a bit much.
New Jersey rail commuters—Last Thursday, a signaling malfunction caused multihour delays for many New Jersey commuters on a crucial stretch of rail known as the Northeast Corridor (NJ Transit’s Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast lines were both impacted). The Record’s Karen Rouse summarized the situation well: “Amtrak and NJ Transit officials both acknowledge the system is old, and that funding has not kept up with the growth in use of the corridor by commuters.”
Barclays Center area residents—Despite high-tech truck facilities at Brooklyn’s new arena, Atlantic Yards Report has found at least one truck parked roadside while on Barclays Center business.
