A weekly roundup of good deeds, missteps, heroic feats and epic failures in the tri-state region and beyond.
WINNERS
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. — During his State of the Borough speech, Diaz called on the state to stop dragging its feet and redevelop the Sheridan Expressway.
Hicksville commuters — Governor Cuomo has announced a $120 million improvement project for the Hicksville LIRR station—the busiest station on Long Island.
Fair Haven, NJ Mayor Benjamin Lucarelli — The bike-friendly mayor is taking his campaign for streets safety to Washington to participate in the USDOT’s Mayors’ Challenge.
Ossining Village Board of Trustees — Ossining has adopted a Complete Streets policy which will take effect immediately.
New Rochelle, NY — The City Council has approved two development projects near the town’s Metro-North station, which will include affordable housing.
Metro-North riders — By mid-April, all Metro-North conductors will carry credit card machines.
Statewide transit riders — On Thursday, state and local electeds came together at separate events in Buffalo and in Yonkers for a unified call to action: the State must prioritize funding for statewide transit systems.
New York City road users — A WNYC analysis of NYC’s speed camera program has found that the program is improving safety, as both tickets and crashes have decreased in areas with cameras.
LOSERS
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie — The governor’s newly-unveiled FY2016 Budget cuts state funds for transportation by 8.4 percent, despite the looming insolvency of the Transportation Trust Fund, which was not mentioned once during his speech. The Budget also mentions the potential for NJ Transit’s first fare adjustment since May 2010, which means that while Christie may be against raising taxes, he’s not against raising fares for already frustrated riders.
Staten Island pedestrians — Pedestrian fatalities have fallen in every borough except for the transit-starved Staten Island, but elected officials have instead chosen to invest in widening four intersections to “improve safety.”
Connecticut motorists and passengers – A proposal to require seatbelts for back-seat passengers has brought attention to the fact that Connecticut law currently doesn’t require back-seat passengers to wear seatbelts.
