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The current Scudder Falls bridge. In a victory for cyclists and pedestrians, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced on Tuesday that the replacement of the Scudder Falls Bridge between Ewing, NJ and Bucks County, PA will add bicycle and pedestrian access. The span will be the only connection in a 7-mile [...] Detail from NJ Transit's analysis of service impacts. Routes in red are completely discontinued, while routes in blue are not (the NJ Transit maps highlight only complete cancellations and not other service cuts, as TSTC's analysis did.) Just ahead of the bell, NJ Transit released its federally mandated analysis of the fare hike [...] As the Bergen Record‘s John Cichowski wrote earlier, a proposed 25% fare increase and statewide service cuts on NJ Transit “mean much more pain for those on the bottom rungs than they do for those at the middle and the top.” Do New Jersey officials know how much more pain? Tri-State Transportation Campaign has [...] A report released last month by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign named Atlantic Avenue the most dangerous road for pedestrians in Brooklyn with 9 deaths over the three years from 2006 to 2008. Nearby Fourth Avenue ranked third with 6 pedestrian fatalities in the same period. Both roads ranked among the most dangerous in the [...] New Jersey’s new plan to tackle global warming is more serious than prior efforts, thanks to input from advocates. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s final Greenhouse Gas Recommendation Report, released in December, was mandated by 2007’s Global Warming Response Act (GWRA), which requires NJ to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by [...] Demolition performed as part of the Atlantic Yards project has blighted large swaths of downtown Brooklyn. Several Brooklyn civic and community organizations, joined by local elected representatives, argued in state court today that the Empire State Development Corporation improperly rushed through major changes to the Atlantic Yards project without legally required study. The [...] Heeding the call from Tri-State and other groups, the New Jersey Department of Transportation has adopted a complete streets policy, signed by Commissioner Stephen Dilts on December 10th. Complete streets is a policy that requires new or rehabilitated roads to be built for all users, including walkers, cyclist, transit riders, and drivers. Following Connecticut’s passage of Senate Bill 735 this summer, NJ is the second state in our region to make complete streets official policy. New York currently has a complete streets bill pending in the State Legislature.  The policy attempts to make roads like Route 1&9 in Avenel safer. In January, a man was killed attempting to cross the road. NJ’s departmental policy establishes “a checklist of pedestrian, bicycle and transit accommodations” like sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, and medians, “with the presumption that they shall be included in each project” constructed by the department. It represents progress for an agency that has been backsliding under the Corzine Administration and losing its title as one of the most innovative transportation departments in the country. Unfortunately, the policy contains overly broad exceptions and lacks any public process, both of which could undermine its effectiveness. The policy contains five enumerated exceptions, reprinted below. They include exceptions for safety, cost, and lack of need that are present in most existing complete streets policies. However, NJ adds an exception where the “timing of a project is compromised by the inclusion of complete streets.” It is not difficult to foresee abuse of this exception. Adding complete street features to a construction project that did not previously include them can potentially lengthen the project’s timeline. The policy document offers no guidance as to what length of time may count as significant. The real danger resides in an exemption that allows project engineers to ignore the requirements of the policy for any reason, so long as it is internally documented and approved by the Capital Program Committee and Commissioner. Public input is left unmentioned in this, or any other section, of the policy. Contrast this to a similar exception proposed in Delaware where waivers are very limited and subject to two appeal levels and approval by up to nine officials. Still, the policy is a good step and gives Governor-elect Christie’s administration an opportunity to strengthen the policy and ensure New Jersey Department of Transportation regains its foothold as a innovative and sustainable transportation leader. Comparing Exemptions in Tri-State Policies:For comparison, here are the exemption sections from Connecticut’s law, New York’s proposed legislation, and New Jersey’s complete streets policy. While each contains overly broad categories for exempting projects, NJ includes and expands the exemptions to the point that the policy directive can be rendered meaningless: For over a year, the NYSDOT has been allowing cars with at least two occupants to use what was a bus-only lane on the Staten Island Expressway in the westbound direction (the eastbound bus lane was opened to carpools in April). The agency is also proposing an extension of the bus/HOV-2 lanes, from their [...] NYSDOT would add an auxiliary lane to the Major Deegan (Click for larger image). [Update 11/20: You can now tell NYSDOT Acting Commissioner Stan Gee that you oppose this project via e-mail. TSTC has also made available the project's Draft Design Report. Read more here.] The New York State DOT had a hard [...] |
 
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