Inside
London’s Success
With Congestion Pricing
Derek Turner, until recently Transport for London’s
director of street management, presented the impressive
results and the “how-to” story of the “congestion
charging” system recently inaugurated in London
to New Yorkers last week. Turner headlined the Regional
Plan Association’s annual regional assembly on
Friday, and attended several other meetings with interested
parties.
MTA Credibility Crisis Rooted in Politics
The problem underlying the MTA’s crisis of credibility,
as the NY Times and Straphangers Campaign defined the
furor over the city and state comptroller reports on
the transit agency’s financial maneuvering and
reporting prior to its recent decision to raise fares,
is that MTA management functions simply as a department
within the Pataki administration.
NJ Gas Tax Ain’t What it Used
to Be
A recent Brookings Institution report on gas taxes in
the United States points out that the per-gallon value
of New Jersey’s long standing 10.5-cents/gallon
state gas tax has been significantly eroded by inflation.
The Potential Avalanche Behind Bloomberg’s
Transit Cuts
As we reported last week, Mayor Bloomberg’s budget
plan would cut aid to mass transit in two forms: 1) by
cutting aid for NYC Transit buses and subways by about
$100 million, and 2) by handing the city’s seven
private bus lines over to the MTA without providing the
agency with any operating support. Unfortunately, the
story may not end there.
City Starts Long-Awaited Truck Route Study
The NYC Dept. of Transportation has hired a consultant – Edwards & Kelcey – and
is set to begin the first comprehensive review in memory
of the city’s truck route system and map.
Booth Closing — Coming to
a Station Near You
Last week, Transport Workers Union Local 100 released
a preliminary list of 62 subway station booths they said
the MTA planned to close later this year.
