#500
On the occasion of assembling the 500th edition of MTR — about
10 years of nearly weekly coverage — we took a
look back at the first few editions we issued in September
1994. We were not sure if doing so would be instructive,
depressing or uplifting.
Clean Air Case Against West Side Plan
Last week, the Hell’s Kitchen Neighborhood Association
sued New York City and State in the first federal case
against the city’s Far West Side development plans.
Numerous other cases have been brought in state court.
North Jersey Planners: "Funding
Crisis"
The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority’s
new "Issue Spotlight" calls on leaders in Trenton
to restore the state’s Transportation Trust Fund.
New Jersey Republicans: Pandering on Gas Tax, Tolls Begins
In two recent televised and one radio debate between
the seven men running for the Republican nomination for
governor of New Jersey, a near-consensus seemed to emerge
that the state should collect less money for its transportation
system despite the fiscal cliff the Garden State’s
transportation budget is approaching. Any increase in
the state’s gas tax was derided by six of the seven,
while elimination of tolls resumed its prominence as
an election theme.
NYC Democrats: Projects and Priorities
Transportation may be an emerging theme in this year’s
NYC mayoral race. City Council Speaker Gifford Miller
recently launched a campaign theme around improving city
transit, and at a recent forum for candidates, several
expressed sharp opinions about transportation project
and policy priorities.
Throwback Project Would Blight Harlem River
In what looks like a dramatic retreat to the period when
highway engineering priorities were permitted to trump
all other considerations, the New York City DOT is planning
a new elevated highway structure in East Harlem stretching
from 126th to 131st Streets, to connect the Harlem River
Drive and Third Avenue Bridge.
CT Transit Funding: Tax Shift
The Connecticut legislature’s Finance, Revenue,
and Bonding Committee recently nixed Governor Rell’s
proposal to slowly increase the state’s gas tax
and instead approved a gradual increase of the petroleum
products tax.
