U.S. Representatives Joe Crowley, Charlie Rangel, Jerrold Nadler, Carolyn Maloney, Bill Pascrell, Bob Turner, and Peter King—when word broke about how bad the House transportation bill was to the tri-state region, these Representatives spoke out about the legislation, which would [...]]]> Your weekly guide to heroic and villainous actions in tri-state transportation and development.

Winners

U.S. Representatives Joe Crowley, Charlie Rangel, Jerrold Nadler, Carolyn Maloney, Bill Pascrell, Bob Turner, and Peter King—when word broke about how bad the House transportation bill was to the tri-state region, these Representatives spoke out about the legislation, which would end dedicated federal transit funding and cut pedestrian safety programs. Representatives Crowley, Rangel, Nadler, and Maloney held a press conference in opposition, Representative Pascrell called the bill “an abomination,” and Representatives Turner and King expressed serious reservations.

Connecticut Transportation Committee Chairs—Transportation Committee co-Chairs, Senator Andrew Maynard and Representative Tony Guerrera, have gotten off to a quick start in advocating for the safety of all users of Connecticut’s roadways. In response to requests from fellow legislators and safe streets advocates to draft vulnerable user and intersection safety camera legislation, the Chairs moved both bills forward at the first committee meeting of the 2012 session. The vulnerable user bill would enhance penalties for careless drivers who injure or kill vulnerable users like pedestrians and cyclists, and the intersection safety camera legislation would allow municipalities of a certain size to install red light cameras at dangerous intersections.

Village of Great Neck Plaza—the Nassau County village adopted a complete streets policy on February 1, when Mayor Jean Celender led the Board of Trustees in a unanimous vote to “create a road system that will accommodate the needs of all users.” The Mayor and Board of Trustees have long worked with the Town of North Hempstead and the New York State Department of Transportation to transform local streets into a more walkable and bikeable environment.

TSTC Bike Donor—late last year, TSTC sent out an e-appeal for an office bike to help employees get to meetings in the city. Thanks to a generous contribution from a leading transportation and smart growth booster, our request has been fulfilled! Thank you to our bike donor, and to all who have supported TSTC’s work through the years!

TSTC's New Bike!

Losers

U.S. Representative Nan Hayworth—the Lower Hudson Valley’s Congresswoman pledged to make sure that the Tappan Zee replacement would be “swiftly completed” in a Journal-News editorial. She assured readers that “the replacement bridge will be designed and built to accommodate mass transit, including rail service, in the future.” TSTC would like to see mass transit on the bridge from day one.

Payroll mobility tax opponents—unsatisfied with the cuts gained during New York’s 2011 payroll mobility tax deal, a group of state and local elected officials want to erode the MTA’s dedicated funding source even further. Under proposed legislation, towns and villages outside of New York City would not be subject to the tax that supports the MTA’s already strained Capital Program.

Governor Cuomo—earlier this week, two agencies under Cuomo’s control cancelled the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement’s February 16^th stakeholder meeting. Without an opportunity for advocates to ask detailed, technical questions about the project’s draft environmental impact statement—the kind of opportunity afforded by a stakeholder meeting—issues concerning government accountability and the public process will continue to go unaddressed.

New York Senator Michael Ranzenhofer—on the heels of a massive cut to the federal tax benefit for transit commuters (and an accompanying rise in the federal tax benefit for drivers), Senator Ranzenhofer, who represents the Buffalo suburbs, is proposing a $500 annual tax credit for all E-ZPass users. The vast majority of drivers in the region already use E-ZPass and receive a reduced toll rate as result. A further reduction could mean less revenue for transit, bridge maintenance, and tunnel maintenance in the metropolitan region.

NJ Transit—a recent survey found that the New Jersey transit agency’s customers are less satisfied now than they were during the last quarter. Their overall rating, on 1-10 scale, went down from 5.2 to 5.1.

James Vacca—the chair of the City Council Transportation Committee called traffic safety “a serious civil rights issue” after Councilwoman Gale Brewer introduced legislation that would help blind pedestrians navigate [...]]]> Winners

Senator Lobiondo supported an amendment to the House transportation bill that would have restored funding for bicycle and pedestrian programs | Photo: markn3tel

James Vacca—the chair of the City Council Transportation Committee called traffic safety “a serious civil rights issue” after Councilwoman Gale Brewer introduced legislation that would help blind pedestrians navigate the streets.

Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA)—after pressure from TSTC and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the DRPA Finance Committee voted to install a bike ramp on the Camden side of the Ben Franklin Bridge, which connects the city to Philadelphia. Committee Chair Jeff Nash has said that the board is “intent on getting it done,” and the project awaits the DRPA board’s approval.

New Jersey Congressman Frank LoBiondo and Senator Robert Menendez—Representative LoBiondo voted to amend the disastrous House transportation bill, which threatens dedicated funding for bike and pedestrian programs. The amendment was narrowly voted down, but LoBiondo stood up for pedestrian safety, and we noticed. Senator Menendez, working on the other chamber’s version, has put together a bill that increases dedicated transit funding and establishes a transportation-oriented development program.

The Connecticut Post—this week, several reporters have put away their car keys and are biking, walking, or taking public transit, “facing the challenge of getting around mass transit’s missing links.”

Losers

Veolia—on January 1, Veolia took control of Nassau County’s newly-privatized bus system. They pledged to set up a Customer Advisory Committee, which was to begin meeting in January. To our knowledge, no such committee has convened.

Town of Hempstead—at the Town of Hempstead’s board meeting last week, TSTC and pedestrian safety advocate Sandi Vega were assured that a complete street policy was in the works. The town first promised the initiative over a year ago, but the board has taken no action.

Transit-hostile, pedestrian-hostile U.S. Representatives—House leadership is pushing for a long-term transportation bill that would end dedicated bike and pedestrian funding and jeopardize federal transit money, which supports public transportation nationwide. The bill, which Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called ” the “worst,” “most anti-safety” transportation bill he has ever seen, has passed out of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and Ways & Means. It awaits discussion in the House.

Metro-North's New Haven Line posted record ridership | photo: Wikimedia Commons

Governor Cuomo

Hastings-on-Hudson—the Westchester village’s Board of Trustees passed a resolution urging Governor Cuomo to include mass transit in the Tappan Zee replacement plan. Hastings-on-Hudson’s resolution affirms what TSTC [...]]]> Your weekly guide to heroic and villainous actions in tri-state transportation and smart growth.

This week’s winners:

Governor Cuomo

Hastings-on-Hudson—the Westchester village’s Board of Trustees passed a resolution urging Governor Cuomo to include mass transit in the Tappan Zee replacement plan. Hastings-on-Hudson’s resolution affirms what TSTC and the public have been saying over the past decade: transit must have a place on the bridge.

Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Jim Redeker—in a TSTC interview earlier this week, the ConnDOT commissioner showed a commitment to smart growth and sustainable transportation. He’s forging ahead with system integration, complete streets, and hybrid buses.

Senators Lautenberg and Menendez—New Jersey’s Senators sent a joint letter to the Delaware River Port Authority in support of an ADA-accessible ramp on the Ben Franklin Bridge’s Camden side. A ramp on the bridge would both improve accessibility and lighten the load for cyclists, who currently have to carry their bikes up three flights of stairs before they can ride across. Construction plans have not yet been solidified.

Governor Cuomo—New York’s governor came through on his promise to fill the MTA funding gap that was opened by last year’s Payroll Mobility Tax cut. The executive budget released Tuesday compensates the MTA for lost tax revenue, follows through on plans for $770 million in MTA Capital Program assistance, gives struggling upstate transit systems support, and consolidates the New York State Department of Transportation. While New York State’s transportation doesn’t make any great gains in the budget, it doesn’t lose much either. Speaking of which…

This week’s losers:

New York City Council—the New York City Council passed legislation that gives people a 5-minute grace period on muni-meters. Council Members also voted unanimously to stop sticking signs on cars that don’t adhere to parking regulations on street sweeping days. Council Speaker Quinn, reflecting on her own parking sticker experience, said that “it was a multiday effort…you almost have to chisel it.” Shouldn’t the council focus on some other issues on New York’s streets, like Manhattan’s 10 most dangerous intersections all being near housing projects?

New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson—in response to a reporter’s question about complete streets this week, Commissioner Simpson said that ”we work well with Tri-State, but Tri-State thinks throwing money everywhere is a solution. If we had fatal accidents where people were walking in the street, we’d build sidewalks there, but we can’t build sidewalks everywhere.” TSTC, which acknowledges NJDOT’s financial challenges, has criticized the agency for its overspending on highway expansion and underfunding smart growth and complete streets initiatives. So it’s not that we want to ‘throw money everywhere’—we just want to see more of New Jersey’s funds going towards pedestrian safety.

Connecticut Senator Joe Markley and Representative Whit Betts—the two Republican state legislators are attempting to reroute state funds for the Hartford-New Britain Busway, a bus rapid transit project whose substantial federal funding was sewn up in November. TSTC has long supported plans for the busway (you know how we feel about BRT), and is heartened by the Hartford Courant’s assurances:

To even get the idea on the table, though, [Markley and Betts would] have to win over a legislative committee chaired by one of the busway’s chief supporters.

Even if that happens during this short legislative season, the bill then would need more than half of the heavily Democratic General Assembly to vote down one of Democratic Gov.Dannel P. Malloy’s signature projects.

Governor Chris Christie—New Jersey’s governor stealthily signed the so-called “dirty water bill” into law on Wednesday. The hushed maneuver, which was overshadowed by a State of the State speech that included no mention of smart growth, could lead to sprawling developments in environmentally sensitive areas. Green advocates opposed the bill, since it staves off the implementation of environmentally-conscious development regulations for the next two years.

ReplaceTheTZBridgeNow.org—last week, a group called replacethetzbridgenow.org declared its existence. The group said that they would push for the immediate replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge without mass transit. One of their many problems appears to be technical: despite naming themselves after their website, as of 5:18pm today, replacethetzbridgenow.org is not live.

In 2007, after a troubled widening of I-84, a reform commission reported that the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) “badly needs fundamental change.”

TSTC analyses indicate that ConnDOT has been slowly improving since then, and we sat down with Commissioner Jim Redeker, who has headed the agency since last [...]]]>

ConnDOT Commissioner Jim Redeker

In 2007, after a troubled widening of I-84, a reform commission reported that the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) “badly needs fundamental change.”

TSTC analyses indicate that ConnDOT has been slowly improving since then, and we sat down with Commissioner Jim Redeker, who has headed the agency since last March, to talk about his work. He will be speaking at tomorrow’s transportation financing forum in Hartford.

TSTC: How did your work at NJ Transit prepare you for the commissioner job?

Commissioner Jim Redeker: I think that Connecticut is much like New Jersey was 30 years ago: there’s not a lot of transportation-oriented development happening, there’s still opportunity for new investment in transit and opportunity to improve branch lines. And I really came to try to make a difference there.

TSTC: What are some of the other priorities that you see moving forward?

JR: Connecticut has, as do all northeastern states, an extensive transportation network, be that highway or transit.  It is old. So my goals really start with state of good repair and they have to come first. The rail system has not had the benefit of Amtrak’s funding mechanism to help pay for infrastructure, and with a hundred-year-old infrastructure of movable bridges, catenary signals, and track, it could be a risk.

Beyond that, I think there are opportunities to make the system work better. And that can be in speeding up transit services, investing in new equipment, adding capacity through parking and new vehicles, bringing new technologies in, and making our highway systems function better. Branch lines offer opportunities as well. Just small incremental improvements, from a dollar point of view, can make major changes in service.

TSTC: How are you bringing change into your agency?

JR: I’m not. It’s sort of happening on its own. And that’s the great part of it. For example, I didn’t say we should put a bike path on the Putnam Bridge. My engineering group came to me and said, “we’re doing it, is that okay?” And I said, “Okay?! What are you talking about? Sure!”

I also think that having a full-time bicycle coordinator is beginning to make a change, but it’s not just because Kate Rattan [Connecticut’s bicycle coordinator] does a great job. It’s because the design group, the financial group, engineering, and planning are working together. My goal is to set some aggressive dates to get things done. I’m just patching together what have heretofore been independent ideas, and if I can set a goal, independent ideas become a strategy, and we’ll get them done. I’m trying to be the cheerleader that makes that happen.

TSTC: TSTC advocated for the transit-oriented development grants that came out this year. Who’s taking the lead to make sure that they are successful on a local level?

JR: We’re working on it together. You will hear over and over again that the three amigos [Jim Redeker of ConnDOT, Dan Esty of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and Catherine Smith of Department of Economic and Community Development] meet regularly, and that’s true. We meet on a monthly basis, and it really is about smart growth. We’re identifying what resources can come to bear; what priorities should be set. And then we select those  priorities and make sure that our agencies individually and  collectively get things done. What we’ve got is a complete administration and set of commissioners that get it.

TSTC: Over ½ of Connecticut transit riders take the bus. What can they expect as a result of the January 1^st fare increase?

JR: Let me dislink the fares from the service for the moment—I don’t think it’s in our interest to say that each dollar in a fare increase goes to a dollar in service. Frankly, it was 5 years without a fare increase, Connecticut bus fares are some of the lowest anywhere, and this increase is a nickel. I think that we’ve been very sensitive to the needs and income of users in shaping what we did.

But we are constantly looking at service. We will be replacing almost all of our buses with the greenest fleet east of California. We’re also putting in some high capacity articulated hybrid buses—the first of their kind—that give us high capacity capabilities and could potentially add service without increased cost.

We’re also trying to push very hard on integrating our system design. One of the hardest things in Connecticut for me was to figure out 24 different operators with different systems, logos, information systems, and websites. With Google Transit, we’ve got the beginnings of a system of information, but there’s a lot more integration to go.

TSTC: We strongly support the complete streets bill in Connecticut. How are you implementing it?

JR: That’s an easy answer—we have adopted a complete streets philosophy into our design process from the beginning. It’s fully embraced and you’ll see it as part of everything that we do.

TSTC: You’re speaking at our transportation financing forum. Could you give a preview of how you see Connecticut financing its transportation priorities and addressing the issues that you’ve raised today?

JR: No previews—that wouldn’t be fair to everyone else. But I will say that I’m sitting at a time in Connecticut that couldn’t be better, with a governor that added a billion dollars into highways and transit.

TSTC: Especially when you look at the surrounding states.

JR: Yeah, exactly, all of the other commissioners want to move to Connecticut and take my job. But, to get back to the question, there also are other opportunities here—we are studying tolling, we’ve got two pilot programs. The governor has also passed legislation that you might think is about project delivery, but it’s also about a type of financing called public-private partnership. These are all mechanisms that, to me, when you put them on the table, show that there are new ways of looking at how we fund projects.

TSTC: Thanks for speaking with us.

Michael Bloomberg: Winner

Mayor Bloomberg—the Mayor’s State of the City speech showed his laudable urban planning ethos. He pledged to double the number of 20 [...]]]> And now for the much-awaited second iteration of TSTC’s ‘Winners and Losers’ column, your weekly guide to heroic and villainous actions in tri-state transportation.

This week’s winners:

Michael Bloomberg: Winner

Mayor Bloomberg—the Mayor’s State of the City speech showed his laudable urban planning ethos. He pledged to double the number of 20 mph school zones in New York City and talked enthusiastically about bike lanes, bike sharing, and Select Bus Service. As he put it at one point, “The reality is more and more New Yorkers are biking, and the more bike lanes we put in, the fewer deaths and serious injuries we have on our streets.”

Joe Lhota—the MTA’s new Chairman and CEO sailed through the Senate confirmation process and handled himself admirably in subsequent interviews. He’s got a tough job to do, but the former deputy mayor and Madison Square Garden exec knows a little something about the spotlight (and Penn Station). Lhota’s agency also launched real time bus tracking on Staten Island this week. Way to go, Joe!

West Windsor—the New Jersey Township became New Jersey’s 24th Transit Village, which means that they’ve shown commitment to smart growth near Princeton Junction. At one point, the NJDOT Transit Village designation gave municipalities access to dedicated funding, but this is no longer true. Until NJDOT Commissioner Jim Simpson follows through on promises to restore the program and give Transit Villages priority for other funding sources, TSTC’s praise will have to suffice.

New Jersey Transit—the agency has retrofitted 760 buses with particulate filters and electronic modules, which will reduce the vehicles’ emissions. The Sierra Club warns that the bus systems could still use a lot of work, but we’re encouraged by the progress that’s been made so far.

This week’s losers:

The State of New Jersey—figures released this week show that the state lost $279 million on the aborted Access to the Region’s Core project, which would have improved commuter rail service between New Jersey and Manhattan. Construction had already begun when Governor Christie nixed the venture.

Joan McDonald—at a luncheon in Westchester, the head of the New York State Department of Transportation said that adding transit to the Tappan Zee project would delay the project “by two years.”  TSTC’s Veronica Vanterpool argued that community opposition to a transit-less bridge would delay the project further, and told the Journal News New York needs to take a long view. “We are building a bridge for the next hundred years; we should get it right,” she said. “Designing the bridge for bus transit on day one doesn’t preclude construction from starting on the bridge.”

Senator Chuck Schumer— New York’s stalwart Senator is leading the fight to restore the federal transit tax benefit, which lapsed at the end of [...]]]> Welcome to the inaugural “Winners and Losers,” your guide to the week’s heroic and villainous actions in tri-state transportation and smart growth.

This week’s winners (who did things we like):

Senator Chuck Schumer— New York’s stalwart Senator is leading the fight to restore the federal transit tax benefit, which lapsed at the end of 2011. Currently, public transit commuters can spend up to $125 per month in pretax income on their commute, while drivers can spend up to $240 in pretax income on parking at their job. Chuck Schumer sees the insanity of such an arrangement.

The Genting Group— the Wall Street Journal reported that the private backers of Governor Cuomo’s proposed convention center would “work with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to fund uninterrupted subway service between Midtown Manhattan and the proposed convention center.” The jury’s still out on the plan itself, but we can get behind developers that think seriously about transit access (are you taking notes, Triple Five?)

Melissa Mark-Viverito— the NYC councilwoman wrote a editorial for the New York Daily News in support of an East Harlem bike lane. We’re all fans.

This week’s losers (who did things we dislike)

The Government of the State of New Jersey— 2011 was a dark year for smart growth-oriented transportation policy in the Garden State. New Jersey defunded the Transit Village Program, increased funding for new highways, and gave $200 million in tax breaks to The American Dream (a retail development in the Meadowlands with very limited transit options). Traffic fatalities were also at an all time high. On Monday, the Legislature has a chance to redeem itself by stopping a proposal that could encourage sprawl development and dirty water.

Opponents of station improvements— Some Upper East Side residents have banded together to oppose the construction of two new entrances to the 68th St./Hunter College station. The improvements would also include an elevator, which would make the station ADA-accessible, but one resident protested that “[by] putting this subway entrance in front of our building, you turn 69th Street into 68th Street, which is a busy commercial street.” Ugh.

Governor Cuomo— New York’s Governor hardly mentioned transit in Wednesday’s State of the State speech. Transit advocates have been critical of the Governor’s reduction in the MTA’s dedicated funding and the removal of transit from the Tappan Zee Bridge project.

And here’s the “after”:

In some areas the redesign incorporates “shared street” concepts, eliminating traffic lights and forcing all road users to keep an eye [...]]]> Tom Vanderbilt’s How We Drive blog recently posted some eye-opening photos of street makeovers in the English town of Ashford. Here’s the “before” image for one street:

And here’s the “after”:

In some areas the redesign incorporates “shared street” concepts, eliminating traffic lights and forcing all road users to keep an eye out for each other. According to an Evening Standard columnist (quoted in Vanderbilt’s post), the changeover has reduced the accident injury rate to zero and the elimination of signals has improved travel time for drivers.

Ashford has about 59,000 residents in 6.7 square miles, making it roughly similar in size and population to Bayonne, NJ (another comparison to cities with similar population: Ashford is denser than White Plains and less dense than Mount Vernon, NY).

Members of the Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance took to the Bronx’s Sheridan Expressway during [...]]]>

Clockwise from top left: TSTC's Kyle Wiswall, The Point's Adam Liebowitz, Julien Terrell of Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, SBRWA's Melanie Bin Jung, Nos Quedamos's Anna Vincente, and Joan Byron of the Pratt Center for Community Development.

Members of the Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance took to the Bronx’s Sheridan Expressway during yesterday’s afternoon rush hour and, well, you can see what “rush hour” looks like on the lightly used stub highway. The photo above was taken around 5:30 pm yesterday near 174th St. Alliance members are standing in the Sheridan’s northbound lanes (i.e. the peak direction!).

The gaps in the traffic weren’t quite long enough for a sit-down picnic, which is too bad because the South Bronx is sorely lacking parks and other places for families to recreate and relax. The needs of the area and the light traffic are just two of the many reasons why the Alliance is calling for a teardown of the 1.2-mile Sheridan, and why NYSDOT is studying it. A demapped Sheridan could be replaced not only with open space, but also affordable housing and mixed-use development.

The first photo was no fluke. SBRWA was able to take one group shot after another.

Finally, this should go without saying, but please don’t try this yourself (stunts like this should be performed by trained professional advocates only!).

The Sheridan isn't exactly the BQE at rush hour.

All images via SBRWA. The Alliance also includes Mothers on the Move, Sustainable South Bronx, and the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.

On Tuesday, ESTA [...]]]> The initial set of MTA hearings on the agency’s “doomsday” plan to raise fares and cut service ended last week (there is one more hearing, scheduled for March 2 in Orange County), but advocates from the Empire State Transportation Alliance and the Campaign for New York’s Future haven’t let up.

On Tuesday, ESTA representatives were again in Albany to meet with state legislators who must vote on the Ravitch Commission’s proposals to fund and reform the MTA. The picture above is from Thursday, when Campaign members continued direct action in Brooklyn subway stations, garnering signatures to send to Gov. David Paterson and members of the State Legislature (add your name here).

Finally, TSTC and the Regional Plan Association (who are members of both ESTA and the Campaign for NY’s Future) held a forum today on how regional bus, one of the Ravitch report’s recommendations, could affect the funding structure and service quality of Westchester’s Bee-Line bus service. The forum brought together mayors and state legislators who will vote on regional bus and whose constituents would be affected by regional bus, the Westchester officials who plan and run bus service, international experts, and many other stakeholders.  Participants generally agreed that a regional bus authority could mean a better funded Westchester bus system that could provide better service, but there were many questions regarding what institutional structure would be most effective. These bus improvements could happen only if the Ravitch Commission’s funding proposals pass the State Legislature.

MTR will have more on the regional bus forum next week. We resume publication on Tuesday.