Below you can find links to some of Tri-State's major reports and publications. All documents are in Adobe Acrobat's PDF format.
2008
Trouble Ahead? Tracking NJDOT's Priorities
This analysis of the NJDOT’s fiscal year 2009 capital program shows a continued commitment to maintenance and repair, but finds a worrying trend of increased investment in highway expansion in coming years. Furthermore, progress on NJDOT's smart growth projects has stalled. The report recommends that New Jersey resurrect legislation mandating a "fix-it-first" investment strategy for NJDOT, create a consistent "fix-it-first" policy for all state transportation agencies, re-examine the need for highway widening projects, and boost funding for the smart-growth NJFIT program and bike and pedestrian programs.
2007
Getting Up to Speed: A Case for Bus Rapid Transit and Transit-Oriented Development in the Tappan Zee/I-287 Corridor
This evaluation of the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Environmental Review calls for increased leadership from the New York State Department of Transportation in connecting land use and transportation, and suggests that bus rapid transit, combined with a transit-oriented development strategy, would do the most to reduce congestion in the I-287 corridor. According to NYSDOT data examined in the report, most users of the Tappan Zee Bridge are commuting from suburb to suburb, not to Manhattan. Full-corridor bus rapid transit is projected to attract more east-west commuters than commuter rail or light rail (the other transit alternatives under consideration). The report also includes national and international examples of successful bus rapid transit systems and transit-oriented development efforts.
It's the Sprawl Stupid! What's Driving Connecticut's Traffic Congestion
This fact sheet explains the cycle of sprawl and congestion which has led to vast increases in Connecticut’s per capita traffic delay and vehicle-miles traveled over the last two decades. It recommends that CT embrace smart growth policies and create a transit village program that would provide state funding and incentives to interested towns. ConnDOT should also shift funding from highway expansion to maintaining its aging infrastructure, and increase bicycle and pedestrian funding.
Reform: The Road Not Taken -
A Review of Projected Spending in Connecticut, 2007-2010
This analysis of Connecticut’s 2007 to 2010 transportation plan reveals that the state will make highway expansion a priority in coming years. More than 60 percent of the $2.3 billion in projected highway and bridge spending is dedicated to widening and expansion projects. At the same time, Connecticut devotes a relatively high share of spending to mass transit projects. The report recommends that Connecticut should adopt a "fix it first" approach to road infrastructure, develop more effective tools to manage congestion, and strengthen its bicycling and walking programs.
2006
The State of Transportation 2006: Benchmarks for Sustainable Transportation in New Jersey
This report identifies dozens of metrics which help answer questions about the direction of New Jersey's transportation systems, collecting them in a user-friendly and graphic-rich document. Important findings include rises in vehicle miles traveled, miles traveled on transit, freight movement, transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, and energy consumption for transportation.
2005
Skimping on Sidewalks : New Jersey's Bicycle and Pedestrian Funding Deficit
Though municipal demand for bicycling and pedestrian projects has soared since New Jersey issued its Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan in 1995, the state is not even coming close to meeting this demand. This analysis of Bikeways,
Safe Streets to School, and Transportation Enhancements
funding applications and approvals for fiscal years 2003 to 2005
reveals that less than one-fourth of all applications submitted
are approved by the state.
Still at Risk: Pedestrian Safety in New Jersey
New Jersey made pedestrian and bicyclist safety a transportation
priority beginning in 1995 with the publication
of the Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master
Plan. But a ten-year look at the trend in pedestrian fatalities
reveals no perceptible reduction in pedestrian deaths, even as
Census data shows fewer New Jersey residents walking.
The Trucks Are Coming: What Growing Truck Traffic Will Mean for New Jersey's Quality of Life
New Jersey's truck traffic is projected to grow by 80 percent over the next two decades, with enormous consequences for traffic safety, congestion, wear and tear on roads and bridges, air pollution, and public health. Recommendations include increased funding for rail freight, better planning of freight distribution, innovations like "shuttle trains."
2004
The Open Road: The Region's Coming Toll Revolution
Around the region, transportation agencies are upgrading toll plazas to take advantage of the convenience, safety, economic, and pollution benefits of open-road and roll-through tolling. The glaring exception is the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which seems determined to maintain old-fashioned, stop-and-go barrier gates. This report reviews non-stop tolling practices in the region and recommends that the MTA implement a non-stop tolling demonstration project.
2003
A Value-Pricing Toll Plan for the MTA : Saving Drivers Time While Generating Revenue
This report by Charles Komanoff of Komanoff Energy Associates proposed enacting congestion-pricing or "value-pricing" on the MTA's bridges and tunnels by charging a higher toll during peak hours as a means to increase revenue and reduce congestion on or near the MTA crossings.
