This was a tough year for transportation funding. Looking at what was won and lost, Upstate and Downstate, it’s pretty clear the State Senate’s new Transportation Committee Chair hails not from Long Island, but from Monroe County in Upstate New York, and the fact that Governor Cuomo has spent a good portion of his term focusing on Upstate concerns.

$30 Million Diverted from Downstate Transit

Despite an outpouring of support from legislators, multiple editorials from the media, and a solid need to improve transit service that was slashed in 2010, transit riders lost to a determined, and powerful, governor. The biggest travesty is not the cumulative effect of last year’s $20 million diversion, and this year’s $30 million diversion, but the fact that there is an outstanding bill of $350 million in MTA state service contract bonds, and it is now clear that the governor wants transit riders to pick up the bill that the State had originally contracted to pay.

$40 Million Increase for Upstate Local Roads

It’s been a tough year for local roads, with a series of snowstorms that turned asphalt into a swiss-cheese obstacle course. The final budget included a $40 million bump in “CHIPs,” funding that will provide much-needed assistance for getting the roads back into shape. Although the request for dedicated funding for pedestrian and bicycling improvements did not make it into the final budget, this $40 million can be used to help make roads safer for these vulnerable users; brighter paint, road diets, improved curbs and sidewalks can all be paid for with CHIPs money.

$2.8 Million Increase in Operating Funds and a New Funding Formula for Upstate Transit

Upstate transit agencies, like Buffalo’s Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, have become more vocal and more powerful in their efforts to increase state transit support, and this year they got two important wins: a $2.8 million increase in operating funds, as well as a new funding formula that should improve operating revenues in the years to come. As noted by the New York Public Transit Association, the funding formula for Upstate transit systems is outdated, largely the result of declining revenue from the gas tax, leaving insufficient dedicated funding for Upstate transit providers at a time when ridership is soaring. By pegging future receipts to the sales tax, which is inflation sensitive, this budget could lead to a steadier funding future for Upstate transit providers.

Speed Camera Demonstration Programs

Although last minute squabbles led to the removal of the speed camera demonstration program that the governor proposed in his 30-day budget amendments for Nassau and Suffolk Counties, the future looks bright. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senator Jeffrey Klein have introduced matching bills that even include more cameras for New York City. The bills are moving quickly and are expected to be passed when legislators return from spring break.

Still to Come

Both the MTA and the New York State Department of Transportation have five-year capital programs that need to be designed, approved and signed. We’re looking forward to a year when transportation will be demanding more attention in the budget process.