Your weekly guide to heroic and villainous actions in tri-state transportation and development.
Winners
Stamford, Connecticut—Charter Communications, a Fortune 500 company, has announced plans to relocate to Stamford. Their office will be just a short walk from the Stamford Transportation Center, which, under the terms of a ConnDOT proposal, could become Connecticut’s next thriving transit-oriented development.
Former New Jersey State Senate President Raymond Bateman—The long-time New Jersey public servant wrote an op-ed that raised concerns about the traffic impact of the American Dream Meadowlands megamall project and urged compromise. Former New Jersey Governors Brendan T. Byrne and Tom Kean have also spoken out about the issue.
New York State Assemblyman Joseph Lentol—The north Brooklyn lawmaker is beginning to rally support for speed camera legislation in advance of the upcoming legislative session. His target? The notorious McGuinness Boulevard. “I think we really have to take measures to save lives,” Lentol said.
Losers
PATH riders—Yet again, transit fares have gone up in the tri-state region, this time for riders on the PATH system, which connects northern New Jersey with Manhattan. Even more troubling for PATH riders is that they are on the hook for further fare hikes in upcoming years as well.
Guy(s) that threw tacks on a bike path—Gothamist reports that someone spread tacks on the Queensboro Bridge bike path yesterday, putting cyclists’ lives in danger. Stay classy, bike haters.
Bergen County bridge users—One third of Bergen County bridges are structurally deficient, the consequence of underinvestment in bridge repair and maintenance. As a result, traffic is being rerouted to ease the burden on some of them—400 NJ Transit buses, for example, must now avoid a bridge between Hackensack and Teaneck every day.
