The New York State 2013-2014 budget was formally adopted by the State Assembly late Thursday evening and Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to sign it into law today. While there was some good news for transportation, a potentially dangerous precedent was included in the final budget and greater street safety fell victim to politics as usual.

Speed Cameras

For the third year in a row, speed cameras were not included in the New York State budget, largely because of opposition from State Senators Marty Golden (who now claims to “have no idea” why speed cameras were not in the budget) and Simcha Felder of Brooklyn. Though the proven life-saving technology didn’t make it into the Senate or final versions of the budget, the Assembly budget included the cameras and the New York City Council passed a resolution in support of the measure.

This progress must continue during the remainder of the legislative session. Senator Jeff Klein, co-leader of the Senate, told the Gotham Gazette, “This is an issue that will come up later in the year,” and even Senator Golden may be coming around, saying, “If the technology is proven, if speeding is reduced and fatalities are reduced, that would be a strong reason this bill should get done.” Luckily for New York City residents that is easy to prove.

MTA

Governor Cuomo and the Legislature again kept their promise to make the MTA whole by ensuring the dedicated funding lost in the payroll tax rollback of 2011 was included in the budget. Higher than anticipated revenues also generated an additional $40 million for MTA operations, and the budget extends the MTA corporate tax surcharge, a key funding source for the Authority, until December 31, 2018.

Non-MTA

Downstate non-MTA transit systems also saw increased funding, thanks in part to the redistribution of the Long Lines Transmission Tax. Unfortunately, upstate transit systems did not fare as well, with operating funding remaining flat. The Long Lines Tax redistribution to non-MTA systems was also extended until March 31, 2018 (though not permanently). This will bring dedicated and needed revenues to systems like the Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) and Suffolk County Transit (SCT) and should assist NICE to restore previously cut service and for SCT to expand service to Sundays in Suffolk County. Non-MTA transit providers will also receive an extra $5 million in capital funding from NY Works.

Road and Bridges

The Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) will receive an additional $75 million for local government road repair and maintenance, and NYSDOT received $200 million from NY Works to use for major road and bridge projects.

Diversion of Dedicated Transit Funding

A dangerous precedent may have been set this year when $20 million was swept from the MTA’s dedicated funds to be used to cover gaps in the general budget. While it’s not the first time dedicated transit funds have been diverted from the MTA the sweep highlights the inefficacy of a toothless transit “lockbox” bill that was effectively sidestepped with six words. This precedent could lead to larger sweeps in the future that could do more damage to the MTA’s ability to operate and maintain the transit system. 

Capital appropriations

The budget also included $16 million in transit capital aid that will be distributed by the New York State Department of Transportation within 45 days of the adoption of the budget for both for upstate and downstate non-MTA public transportation operators. This is a partial payment of six years’ worth of $18.5 million in annual capital appropriations that have still not been disbursed. Transit systems throughout the state have been counting on this funding for some time. The delayed payouts have led some systems to increase its debt burden to meet transit capital needs.