Andrew Cuomo
Streetsblog Basics
The Politics of NYC Toll Reform — What’s Different This Time?
Next month's MTA fare and toll increase will be the seventh hike in 15 years, noted "Gridlock" Sam Schwartz this morning. "But there is one traveler that hasn’t seen any change in the cost of travel," he said. "And that’s the person that drives into Manhattan."
February 17, 2015
Albany Has Already Saddled the MTA With More Debt Than 30 Nations
As Albany contemplates paying for the MTA capital program by borrowing as much as $15 billion, it's worth pausing to examine the debt load straphangers are already shouldering. To put it in perspective, the MTA carries more debt than Bolivia, Tanzania, and Luxembourg combined, according to numbers compiled by the Straphangers Campaign. The MTA owes more than at least 30 nations, including several with populations much larger than New York City.
February 12, 2015
De Blasio: Albany Failing to Meet Its Obligation to NYC Transit Riders
Mayor de Blasio unveiled his preliminary budget proposal this afternoon. In an address outlining the broad strokes of the budget, de Blasio called out Albany for neglecting the MTA and warned that inaction on federal transportation funding could undercut the Vision Zero program.
February 9, 2015
Cuomo’s Transit Budget Is a Confusing Jumble of Raids and Transfers
It's state budget season! Governor Andrew Cuomo's executive budget is chock-a-block with raids of dedicated transit funds, questionable transfers, and toll cuts doled out as election-year favors. It's a mess that doesn't answer how the state will close the $15.2 billion gap in the MTA capital program.
February 5, 2015
Tomorrow: Advocates Ask Albany to Guarantee Bike/Ped Funds
Nearly four dozen advocates from across the state will travel to Albany tomorrow to make the case for better policies to support walking and biking as budget hearings get underway in the state legislature. The push comes days after the Cuomo administration told legislators that while it is committed to active transportation, dedicated funding that would make up for shrinking federal funds isn't necessary.
February 2, 2015
Just a Reminder: Cuomo Can Take Charge of the MTA Whenever He Wants
At approximately 5 p.m. Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that he had ordered the complete closure of New York City's bus and subway systems in the face of an oncoming snowstorm. If nothing else, it was a stark reminder that the transit system is not a political orphan. The MTA is, in fact, Cuomo's agency.
January 29, 2015
Cuomo to Spend Lion’s Share of NY Bank Settlement Windfall on Highways
One of the looming questions as Governor Andrew Cuomo has unveiled his budget agenda over the past few days has been how he'll divvy up the $5.4 billion windfall the state has reaped from bank settlements. At the State of the State address this afternoon, Cuomo revealed that the biggest chunk of that money will go to the Thruway Authority so highway drivers don't have to pay higher tolls.
January 21, 2015
Cuomo’s LaGuardia Train Would Be Slower Than Existing Transit
The centerpiece of Governor Cuomo's second-term transportation agenda for New York City isn't closing the $15 billion gap in the MTA capital program or taking serious steps to relieve the city from suffocating traffic. Instead, Cuomo's big idea is a new rail link to LaGuardia Airport.
January 21, 2015
Cuomo’s Transpo Vision: Huge Garages, Cheap Roads, Lots More MTA Debt
A day before his big statewide policy address, Governor Andrew Cuomo laid out his transportation and infrastructure agenda today at a Midtown breakfast hosted by the Association for a Better New York, a business group. This was not the speech where the governor finally laid out his plan to prevent runaway MTA debt, fix the traffic that is choking New York City's economy, and revive cities around the state by tearing out decrepit 20th century highways and redeveloping downtowns.
January 20, 2015
With Opening at DMV, Cuomo Has Opportunity to Lead on Street Safety
With the retirement of Barbara Fiala, the top position at the Department of Motor Vehicles is vacant, giving Governor Andrew Cuomo an opportunity to appoint someone who will use the state's oversight of driver education, training, and licensing to improve street safety and prevent traffic deaths.
January 2, 2015