The survey revealed strong levels of opposition or unease among those holding and running for office in the lower Hudson Valley toward the NY State Thruway Authority's plan to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge with a larger span. It also found strong support for new mass transit capacity and high levels of interest in other congestion-busting policies.

The Campaign was joined by Tarrytown Mayor Paul Janos, Orangetown Supervisor Thom Kleiner, the Rockland Civic Association and the Ramapo River Committee in sending questionnaires to candidates in State Assembly districts 84 through 94, State Senate districts 35 through 38 and Congressional districts 18, 19 and 20.

The survey asked about NY State Thruway and Metropolitan Transportation Authority recommendations to build a new Tappan Zee Bridge and an Orange/Rockland/Westchester commuter rail line, about congestion pricing toll policies on the Tappan Zee Bridge and other mass transit and transportation issues. The questionnaires also posed different general policy questions to state legislative and congressional candidates.

Out of 27 questionnaires mailed, the issuers received 14 written responses. The responses were heavily concentrated in Rockland County and in lower Westchester districts along the Hudson River, though some came from candidates in Orange County and northern Westchester. Two respondents ¾ Assemblymembers Richard Brodsky and Michael Spano ¾ answered by letter rather than responding specifically to the questionnaire.

"The survey results suggest the outlines of a regional consensus on key transportation issues ¾ opposition or strong concern about the Tappan Zee II plan and unanimous backing for West Shore commuter train restoration," said Orangetown Supervisor Thom Kleiner.

Incumbents and challengers, Republicans and Democrats feel highway expansion will not resolve the lower Hudson's transportation woes. Candidates further east in Westchester apparently don't feel a strong stake in weighing in on the questions the survey raised.

Only one respondent, Assembly 94th district incumbent Nancy Calhoun, offered unqualified support for replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge and building an Orange/Rockland/Westchester commuter rail line across it.

Every respondent backed West Shore rail restoration. Some also thought that a Stewart Airport rail link is important, but thought that West Shore line access might be preferable to the plan to link Stewart to Westchester via a new Tappan Zee rail line.

Respondents indicated growing support for congestion pricing on the Tappan Zee Bridge. Of those offering an opinion on the topic, eight candidates supported the idea, while four said they opposed it. Others wanted to know more about specific plans for implementing a congestion-related price signal at the tolls before taking a position.

Candidates were mixed on the idea of using the Tappan Zee reversible lane for a carpool- and bus-priority lane. Some were supportive, but others were skeptical of HOV lane performance elsewhere in the metropolitan region, and still others said there was not enough mass transit in the I-287 corridor yet to warrant a dedicated lane.

Candidates for state legislature generally favored more state attention to bicycle and pedestrian programs, and a return to more predictable multi-year appropriations of state aid for local mass transit systems like Westchester's Bee Line.

Several Rockland County candidates expressed negative views toward the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in response to a question about long term MTA financing. Assembly incumbent Sam Colman called specifically for Rockland and nearby counties to form a Lower Hudson Transportation Authority independent of the MTA. Rockland candidates also conditioned their support for increased rail freight operations with calls for a more cooperative stances by the railroads on locomotive idling problems and track-sharing with new commuter rail services. The survey and a summary of candidate responses are available on-line at www.tstc.org/tz/candsurv.html