High Speed Tolls: Pataki Should
Look to MTA
Governor Pataki’s announcement that the NY State
Thruway will develop highway-speed E-ZPass applications
is good news. But the Thruway has never been lacking
when it comes to toll policy innovation.
Shouldering Gridlock on I-95
Even though the project is hated by virtually everyone
else, Governor Rowland and ConnDOT are moving ahead with
the “I-95 Commuter Shoulders” project. It
is a scheme to widen I-95 in Fairfield County by converting
the breakdown lane to a regular traffic lane. Scoping
meetings for the plan’s environmental review were
held in April.
Subway Booths on Chopping Blocks
Governor Pataki recently vetoed legislation that would
have required the MTA to keep 62 subway slated for closure
open for up to three years.
NJ Transit Budget Gets Worse?
The Star-Ledger reported
last week that NJ Transit is increasing its reliance
on capital funds to cover day-to-day operating costs.
Queens Fed Up with Deadly Boulevard
At the end of
July, nearly 300 people attended a vigil for two women
killed this summer on Queens Boulevard, known now as
the “Boulevard of Death.” The
women were the second and third pedestrians killed
there this year. The event was well attended by state
and city elected officials, who vowed to do more to
fix the dangerous roadway.
Garden State Paying for Neglected Pavement
NJDOT recently announced a new preventative maintenance
program that will monitor pavement conditions and get
repair work done faster. The initiative is meant to
save the state money on future repairs by catching
deterioration before it produces gaping potholes and
undermined roadbeds.
TIP of the Iceberg
The NY Metropolitan Transportation Council recently
released a draft 2004-2006 “transportation improvement
program” for public inspection. The TIP, as it
is known, is a big list of projects that agencies expect
to spend money on during the identified period. The
federal government requires regional planning bodies
like NYMTC to develop a TIP every few years to show
how agencies intend to use federal transportation aid.
Information Age? Not Below Ground
An MTR writer was bluntly reminded last week of the
reasons he has largely shunned the $2 subway in favor
of his bicycle. The cause: seemingly chronic problems
on lines linking Queens and Manhattan’s west
side, and no worthwhile information from NYC Transit
about what was going on.
