New York City’s 2 Million Kids Deserve Better Transit, Safer Streets
New York City kids have a lot in common with their more mature counterparts: they know the feeling of just missing the train, the adrenaline of biking past gridlock and the unrivaled taste of a New York bagel or slice. Nearly 2 million New Yorkers are under the age of 18, more than the entire population of Philadelphia, the fifth […]
A Short-Term Fix for Congestion in Connecticut
Connecticut has some of the worst traffic congestion in the nation. It has been argued that the solution is to add lanes to the state’s highways, but the idea that you can build your way out of congestion is slowly but surely going out of style. If your goal is to reduce chronic, recurring congestion, you have to reduce demand […]
New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Needs Your Feedback; Comments Due October 28
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has released its final draft of the New Jersey Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan, which is ready for public review and comments. The final draft and Executive Summary incorporates revisions based on NJDOT’s Office of Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs review of the Draft Master Plan. The final draft is also currently under review by NJDOT, and the […]
Demand Safer Trains, but Don’t Pretend Transit Is Anywhere Near as Dangerous as Driving
A month before the September 29 NJ Transit train crash in Hoboken Terminal, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that 35,092 people were killed on America’s roads in 2015 — a 7.2 percent increase over the previous year. That report came days after the National Safety Council released preliminary estimates of traffic deaths […]
Wednesday Winners (& Losers)
A weekly roundup of good deeds, missteps, heroic feats and epic failures in the tri-state region and beyond. WINNERS New York City Councilmember Brad Lander — After some outcry from a vocal minority opposing Citi Bike’s expansion into his Brooklyn district, Councilmember Lander issued a fact-based response to concerns over parking, station location and street safety. Women Who Bike […]
Freight Rail Industry Speaking Out Against “Forced Access, Forced Competition”
America’s freight is run on 140,000 miles of private rails which are owned and operated by a multitude of different railroad companies. The industry won some progressive policies through the FAST Act, but a new proposed rulemaking from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (the entity that regulates railroads, known as STB) has freight companies up […]
Another Deadly Crash on Hudson County’s Most Dangerous Road
Hudson County’s most dangerous road for walking claimed another life last Friday, when a pedestrian was fatally struck by a driver on John F. Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City. The victim, 11-year-old George Gonzalez, was on his way to the school bus when he was struck by the driver of a commuter bus who was trying to pass […]
Wednesday Winners (& Losers)
A weekly roundup of good deeds, missteps, heroic feats and epic failures in the tri-state region and beyond. WINNERS New York City Council Transportation Committee Chair Ydanis Rodriguez — At an transit oversight hearing, Councilmember Rodriguez pressed the MTA and the NYC Department of Transportation on plans to improve city bus service. NYC Parks Department and the Bronx […]
If the MTA Has $500 Million in Its Back Pocket, Why Have We Waited So Long for Open Road Tolling?
There has been talk of all-electronic, open road tolling on MTA crossings since the late 1990s, and Tri-State has been a proponent of AET for almost as long. But while other parts of the country have implemented barrier-free, cashless tolling — Florida’s Turnpike, the North Texas Tollway in Dallas and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco all phased out toll booths […]
Better Transit and Safer Streets Can Help Save Lives––and the Planet
A few climate milestones were hit within the last week, and not all were worthy of celebration. On Wednesday, the United Nations announced that the Paris Climate Agreement would formally go into effect early next month. The treaty aims to curb rising global temperatures within 2 degrees Celsius and requires countries to publicize their emission targets and progress. The ratification […]