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Towns in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are planning for safer, more walkable streets, and now the Environmental Protection Agency is lending a hand. Each year, the environmental agency’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program brings development professionals to improvement-minded municipalities across the country, where they advise officials, conduct day-long seminars, and assemble [...] Government officials and advocates across the tri-state area have been voicing opposition to the House transportation bill all day. If signed into law, the legislation would cut off the dedicated funding that public transportation receives from the national gas tax. Transit aid would have to come from the general fund, which would introduce an [...] The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee is set to vote on the five-year federal transportation reauthorization bill tomorrow, but there are some serious flaws in the legislation. MTR will have more on the bill in a later post, but it’s important to know that it: eliminates the largest two programs dedicated to pedestrian and bicycle [...]  Graphic: Alliance for Biking and Walking This week, the Alliance for Biking and Walking released its 2012 Benchmarking Report, and the timing is impeccable. As Streetsblog points out, the release coincides with the soon-to-appear national surface transportation bill, and in the tri-state region, it comes just after state legislatures have gotten into full swing. With statistics, case studies and loads of other resources, the Benchmarking Report shows legislators where the nation’s biking and walking infrastructure stands. After the jump, TSTC presents some of the report’s most interesting figures.  The rollback in the transit benefit impacts the highlighted NJ Transit stations, and then some (this image was cropped for space). Click to view all of the affected stations in PDF form. Transit riders throughout the tri-state region are facing heavy financial burdens after the transit commuter benefit was rolled back on January 1. Before the cut, Americans could spend up to $230 in pretax income on the public transit that gets them to work, but the figure is now $125. At the same time, an equivalent benefit for parking rose to $240 per month, which means that the federal tax code now incentivizes driving over public transportation. A monthly pass between New York City and almost any station on NJ Transit rail, Metro-North, or the Long Island Rail Road costs more than $125. For someone who makes $50,000 annually and spends $230 a month on transit, the rollback is tantamount to a yearly tax hike of $400.  At CommuterBenefitsWorkForUs.com, workers can e-mail Congress in support of restoring the transit benefit. Lawmakers that attempted to extend the expiring commuter tax benefit at the end of last year have renewed their efforts in 2012. Senator Chuck Schumer said he would continue working to restore the benefit, New Jersey Senators Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez made similar pledges, and Connecticut’s Senator Richard Blumenthal and Representative Rosa DeLauro highlighted the issue at a press conference. All support the Commuter Benefits Equity Act (S1034/HR2412), which would permanently set the transit benefit equal to the parking benefit at $240/month. It has been co-sponsored by 10 senators, including all six from the tri-state region. The House equivalent currently has 62 co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle. When Congress debates the extension of a payroll tax cut, which will expire on February 29, legislators will likely have an opportunity to restore the benefit on a temporary basis. Commuters can e-mail Congress in support of restoring the transit benefit at CommuterBenefitsWorkForUs.com. In the New York State Legislature, Senator Charles Fuschillo has introduced a bill to allow residents to deduct commuting costs from their state taxes as if the federal benefit had not been reduced. (State residents would still have a higher federal tax bill if Congress does not restore the benefit). After the jump, TSTC maps show the rollback’s impact on Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road customers. NYC express bus riders, NJ Transit riders, commuter bus riders, and many whose commute involves multiple transit systems also have monthly transit costs that top $125. Virtually all LIRR riders who receive federal transit commuter benefits will be hit with a "transit tax hike" next year. (Click to view larger.) While some in Congress indulge in end-of-year partisanship, it’s transit riders who will be hit by the hangover come January 1. Transportation For America reports that the transit commuter [...] A national freight program could help pay for port and rail projects that are central to the region's economy. Photo of Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal by Albert E. Theberge/NOAA. [Update: On Wednesday, the Senate's Commerce Committee voted to include much of the FREIGHT Act in its portion of the Senate's transportation reauthorization bill. More [...] Sen. Schumer held a press conference at Grand Central Terminal this month in support of extending tax benefits for transit commuters. All six of the region’s senators are standing behind legislation to avoid an impending “transit tax hike” that would affect many commuters. Under federal law, commuters can use up to $230/month in pre-tax [...] The cost to society of traffic crashes is over three times that of congestion, according to a new report from AAA. The report makes a clear case for the importance of traffic safety projects – road, bike, and sidewalk improvements that typically cost less than road widenings sold to the public as congestion relievers (but [...] [Update: The reauthorization bill was adopted by the EPW Committee today on an 18-0 vote, with one package of amendments adopted. Importantly, the CMAQ "reserve fund" that is a (more-or-less) dedicated source for bike/ped funding can no longer pay for road projects.] The 2-year transportation reauthorization bill released by the Senate’s Environment and Public [...] |
 
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