The North Westchester Energy Action Consortium (NWEAC), a group representing 14 Westchester municipalities and their 230,000 residents, has followed the lead of the town of Hastings-on-Hudson in passing a resolution that calls on “Governor Cuomo, the New York State Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Authority to restore dedicated public transportation infrastructure to its long-held place in any and all plans for the replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge.”
Hastings-on-Hudson and NWEAC point out that transit should be part of any replacement plans for the Tappan Zee from the start, for reasons including the following:
1) The State has data and feedback from over ten years of study and 280 public meetings that indicate that transit needs to be part of the Tappan Zee replacement project
2) Developing public transportation is vital to “relieving congestion in the Corridor and local arterials, improving air quality, achieving sustainability goals, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, improving pedestrian safety, and improving motorist travel time, in Westchester and New York State”
3) “Residents of Hastings-on-Hudson and other communities in the TZB service area would be burdened by many years of unnecessarily increasing traffic if transit infrastructure is not included in the TZB Replacement”
4) “Westchester County is planning its own Bus Rapid Transit (“BRT”) routes along Central Avenue which would benefit by and become more effective by eventually interconnecting to BRT or other public transportation on the TZB”
NWEAC adds: “including public transportation in the TZB Replacement is consistent with and advances the purposes of numerous state, county and federal government policies aimed at reducing dependence on foreign oil, air pollution and the emission of greenhouse gases, including the New York State Climate Action Plan, the Westchester Action Plan for Climate Change, and federal goals enshrined in the Clean Air Act, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act, Executive Order 13514…”
Both groups agree that a “failure to build public transportation now when billions of dollars are being dedicated to the TZB Replacement would be penny wise and pound foolish.”
The municipalities that are members of NWEAC include:
- Bedford
- Cortlandt
- Lewisboro
- New Castle
- North Castle
- North Salem
- Ossining
- Pound Ridge
- Somers
- Yorktown
- City of Peekskill
- Village of Croton-on-Hudson
- Village of Mt. Kisco
[…] on the governor to put public transportation back into the plans for a new Tappan Zee Bridge. As reported in Mobilizing the Region, the North Westchester Energy Action Consortium, which is made up of governments representing […]
Included in the initial design for a TZB replacement is an option to construct a rail line underneath the bridge and to add bus rapid transit at a later date. I know that this doesn’t do anything to appease proponents of transit lines being added to a new TZB. But we shoudl be thankful that a new, better bridge will be built. Woodbury Commons employs over 2,000 Rockland county Residents. New Yorkers love Bear Mountain for picnics and scenic hikes, especially during apple picking season. Golf in Rockland County (Blue Hill, Rockland Lake, etc.) is awesome and also good for the county’s economy. So yes, we need a new bridge. But adding rail and bus transit lines kust isn’t economically feasible (but could be at a later date), so let’s be thankful that a new, better bridge will be built soon.
I know it’s a pain to have to take a bus to commute in to New York City, but that’s also the reason why real estate in Rockland County (as well as property taxes) is a bit cheaper than in Westchester. Also, commuter lines will be added at a later date.
[…] impact statement (DEIS) makes few provisions for public transportation in the Lower Hudson Valley. Many residents want a bus rapid transit (BRT) system, and Tri-State has set up a website to advocate for BRT’s […]
[…] and their 230,000 residents, when the North Westchester Energy Action Consortium (NWEAC), adopted a similar resolution that also pointed out that “including public transportation in the TZB Replacement is consistent […]
[…] I-287 corridor, the DEIS makes few provisions for public transportation in the Lower Hudson Valley. Many residents want a bus rapid transit (BRT) system, and Tri-State has set up a website to advocate for BRT’s […]
[…] the project’s DEIS makes few provisions for public transportation in the Lower Hudson Valley. Many residents want a bus rapid transit (BRT) system, and Tri-State has set up a website to advocate for BRT’s […]
[…] the project’s DEIS makes few provisions for public transportation in the Lower Hudson Valley. Many residents want a bus rapid transit (BRT) system, and Tri-State has set up a website to advocate for BRT’s […]
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