Bus Budget a Priority, Say Nassau
Lawmakers
According to the Nassau County Legislature’s Presiding
Officer Judy Jacobs, restoring funding to Long Island
Bus is the “top priority for the Democratic majority.”
Free East River Bridges Add to Traffic
A new report says tolls on NYC’s now-free East
River bridges could reduce the traffic crossing them
by 24-26% and raise about half a billion dollars for
the city each year. The tolls would also increase MTA
revenue by redirecting some traffic to crossings like
the Triborough Bridge and Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. The
report was prepared by Schaller Consulting for NYPIRG
Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives.
Subway Centennial: How Should We Celebrate?
This week, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and
the Straphangers Campaign launched a contest for ideas
on how to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NYC
subway system. The subway officially opened in October,
1904.
Fairness and the $5 Fare
The Straphanger’s Campaign
has written to the Port Authority voicing similar concerns
to those raised here (MTR #430) over the planned $5 fare
for the JFK AirTrain.
Transit Oriented Development: Possible in Secaucus?
In response to last week’s article about possible
development near the Secaucus Junction train station,
a New Jersey Meadowlands Commission spokesperson contacted
the Campaign to emphasize that the housing element
of the development would be a short walk or bike ride
from the station, making mass transit readily available.
NYC: Bikes on the Rise
The NYC Dept. of Transportation reports that a recent
survey shows that more bicyclists are crossing the
East River than ever before.
Government Car Potatoes Hog NYC Bike Lanes
In response to our item last week noting that NYC DOT
would install several new bicycle lanes near downtown
Brooklyn instead of acting on more extensive recommendations
from the multi-year downtown Brooklyn traffic calming
study, one reader wrote to say that existing bike lanes
in the area, and in lower Manhattan, are generally
abused by city government cars.
Review of Sheridan Options Underway
The NY State Dept. of Transportation’s Bruckner/Sheridan
interchange project wrapped up its public scoping process
with a Stakeholder/Advisory Committee meeting on Oct.
2. A final scoping document, published in August, included
a community-supported plan, long-fought for by the
Campaign, Sustainable South Bronx, Youth Ministries
for Peace and Justice and other groups, to tear down
the Sheridan Expressway and replace it with open space.
Bronx Long Range Highway Plan Awaits Wrap-Up
The final public hearings for the NY State Dept. of
Transportation’s “Bronx Arterial Needs
Major Investment Study” may be held this fall,
in anticipation of the publication of a final report
by year’s end, according to the agency. The study
began in 1997 and seeks primarily to address problems
in the Cross-Bronx and Major Deegan Expressway corridors.
