This morning, in a speech at the Association for a Better New York that marked his first 100 days on the job, MTA Chairman Jay Walder laid out goals for the agency that include an aggressive campaign of restructuring and technology improvements — including the MTA’s first-ever commitment to installing high-speed cashless tolls on one of its crossings. The MTA also released a report, “Making Every Dollar Count,” that described the initiatives in more detail.

Walder said the MTA would test all-electronic toll collection on the Henry Hudson Bridge connecting the Bronx and Manhattan. TSTC has called on the agency to move to cashless tolling for many years, and released a 2004 report, The Open Road, that made the case that non-stop tolling promotes safety, efficiency, and the environment (see also MTR #462). The MTA began a non-stop tolling study last year, but had not said it would actually install electronic tolls until today.

The chairman also said the MTA and NYCDOT would work to push for state legislation allowing for camera enforcement of bus lanes. A bill that would have allowed such enforcement died in committee in 2008.

Other technical improvements Walder outlined were bringing arrival clocks to 75 subway stations and some bus routes by the end of the year, making progress towards smart card fare technology, and further improving the MTA’s website, which was redesigned this week.

Walder spent much of the speech pledging to overhaul the agency’s inefficient management structure and streamline the way the MTA delivers service, which he said would require the cooperation of the MTA’s “labor partners.” He pointed to the MTA’s 92 customer phone numbers, five call centers, and 100 storerooms as some of the obvious signs that the agency needed to become more efficient and bring down costs for riders.

In a statement, the Campaign applauded these goals, saying that “they will greatly improve the quality of life for transit riders and motorists if they are accomplished.” However, without a fully funded five-year capital plan and additional revenue to help close the MTA’s $400 million operating gap, such initiatives will be severely compromised. “It’s up to Governor Paterson, the State Legislature, Mayor Bloomberg, and our elected officials in Washington, DC, to ensure the MTA is able to provide the quality and affordable service transit riders want and deserve.”