NY State Transportation Commissioner Joseph Boardman’s panel on transportation policy came downstate last week, holding hearings in Suffolk County and Manhattan. The panel is to consider elements of transportation policy as the state transportation department considers a new transportation master plan, looking out to 2025. The panel includes a good mix of former transportation officials, some with strong mass transit backgrounds, and including James Tripp, general counsel for Environmental Defense and a Tri-State Campaign board member.

Transportation reformers at the meetings stressed new 21^st Century missions for the NY State DOT:

• Taking the lead to better unite transportation and land use planning. First by better educating municipalities about the transportation consequences of locating development, and thereafter working with receptive towns and cities on transportation plans that complement transit and pedestrian oriented, mixed-use plans for growth
  

• Taking on an even greater role to promote rail freight, including making public investments in key rail projects a larger portion of the state DOT capital budget. Forecasts of truck traffic growth in coming decades warrant a major public commitment to increasing the railroads’ share of total goods movement. More freight moved by rail will lessen traffic congestion and truck damage to highways.
  

• Using tolls innovatively. Bringing new tolls to freeways will remain a heavy lift for some time to come. But the federal government may liberalize some of the rules that make such action problematic on highways that receive federal aid, and toll facilities themselves are becoming less of a blockage to traffic flow (see item on non-stop toll progress in the region, page 2). An early implementation project in New York State would be to permit solo drivers to use the Long Island Expressway HOV lane (supposed to be completed by 2005) in exchange for an E-ZPass paid toll. To the extent traffic volumes become intolerable during future economic upturns, new tolls could control demand on key roadways while raising money to invest in transit and rail freight projects.

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