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Trouble Ahead? Tracking NJDOT's Priorities - This analysis of NJDOT’s fiscal year 2009 capital program shows a continued commitment to maintenance and repair, but finds a worrying trend of increased investment in highway expansion in coming years. Furthermore, progress on NJDOT's smart growth projects has stalled. The report recommends that New Jersey resurrect legislation mandating a "fix-it-first" investment strategy for NJDOT, create a consistent "fix-it-first" policy for all state transportation agencies, re-examine the need for highway widening projects, and boost funding for the smart-growth NJFIT program and bike and pedestrian programs.
NYC Metropolitan Area Fact Sheets on Congestion Pricing - This examination of 2000 Census data showed that the vast majority of commuters in New York City and the surrounding suburban counties would not be affected by a congestion pricing fee because they do not drive alone to the proposed congestion pricing zone (Manhattan below 60th Street). The analysis also showed that vehicle-owning households throughout the region are wealthier than households without access to a vehicle.
Getting Up to Speed: A Case for Bus Rapid Transit and Transit-Oriented Development in the Tappan Zee/I-287 Corridor - This evaluation of the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Environmental Review calls for increased leadership from NYSDOT in connecting land use and transportation, and suggests that bus rapid transit, combined with a transit-oriented development strategy, would best reduce congestion in the I-287 corridor. The report also includes national and international examples of successful bus rapid transit systems and transit-oriented development efforts.
It's the Sprawl Stupid! What's Driving Connecticut's Traffic Congestion - This fact sheet explains the cycle of sprawl and congestion which has led to vast increases in Connecticut’s per capita traffic delay and vehicle-miles traveled over the last two decades. It recommends that CT embrace smart growth policies and create a transit village program that would provide state funding and incentives to interested towns.
Reform: The Road Not Taken - A Review of Projected Spending in Connecticut, 2007-2010 - This analysis of Connecticut’s 2007 to 2010 transportation plan reveals that the state will make highway expansion a priority in coming years. More than 60 percent of the $2.3 billion in projected highway and bridge spending is dedicated to widening and expansion projects. However, the state devotes a relatively high share of spending to transit projects. The report recommends that Connecticut adopt a "fix it first" approach to road infrastructure, develop more effective tools to manage congestion, and strengthen bicycling and walking programs.
The State of Transportation 2006: Benchmarks for Sustainable Transportation in New Jersey - This report identifies dozens of metrics which help answer questions about the direction of New Jersey's transportation systems, collecting them in a user-friendly and graphic-rich document. Important findings include rises in vehicle miles traveled, miles traveled on transit, freight movement, transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, and energy consumption for transportation.
Skimping on Sidewalks : New Jersey's Bicycle and Pedestrian Funding Deficit - Though municipal demand for bicycling and pedestrian projects has soared since NJ issued its Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan in 1995, the state is not even coming close to meeting this demand. This analysis of Bikeways, Safe Streets to School, and Transportation Enhancements funding applications and approvals for fiscal years 2003 to 2005 reveals that the state approved less than one-fourth of all submitted applications.
Still at Risk: Pedestrian Safety in New Jersey - New Jersey made pedestrian and bicyclist safety a transportation priority beginning in 1995 with the publication of the Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. But a ten-year look at the trend in pedestrian fatalities reveals no perceptible reduction in pedestrian deaths, even as Census data shows fewer New Jersey residents walking.
The Trucks Are Coming: What Growing Truck Traffic Will Mean for New Jersey's Quality of Life - New Jersey's truck traffic is projected to grow by 80% over the next two decades, with enormous consequences for traffic safety, congestion, wear and tear on roads and bridges, air pollution, and public health. Recommendations include increased funding for rail freight, better planning of freight distribution, innovations like "shuttle trains."
The Open Road: The Region's Coming Toll Revolution - Around the region, transportation agencies are upgrading toll plazas to take advantage of the convenience, safety, economic, and pollution benefits of open-road (roll-through) tolling. The glaring exception is the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which still uses old-fashioned, stop-and-go barrier gates. This report reviews non-stop tolling practices in the region and recommends that the MTA implement a non-stop tolling demonstration project.
A Value-Pricing Toll Plan for the MTA : Saving Drivers Time While Generating Revenue - This report by Charles Komanoff of Komanoff Energy Associates proposes enacting congestion-pricing or "value-pricing" on the MTA's bridges and tunnels by charging a higher toll during peak hours as a means to increase revenue and reduce congestion on or near the MTA crossings.
Funding Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects in New Jersey (April 1999) - This pamphlet is for local governments, bicycling and pedestrian advocates, civic leaders and other concerned citizens that want to find the (state and federal) means to finance proposals to make New Jersey communities more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly.
Crossroads: Highway Finance Subsidies in New Jersey (April 1995) - This report describes in detail how New Jersey subsidizes driving. In total, government funding of roads in New Jersey totals $3.2 billion annually, but drivers pay only $2.5 billion for those roads. The report also determines the negative externalities caused by driving (which motorists do not compensate the state or the public for).
