Special Reports
Streetsblog Basics
Congress Set to Pass Yet Another Short-Term Transpo Funding Patch
The 35th transportation extension in the last six years is about to pass. The House had passed a five-month extension, the Senate insisted on moving forward with its six-year bill, then the House proposed a three-month extension, and somehow that sounded great to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
July 29, 2015
Senate Transpo Bill Sinks Under the Weight of Its Own Chicanery
Last night, the Senate voted to proceed with the consideration of the transportation bill Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democrat Barbara Boxer had worked out. It was just a day after the body had voted to block progress, objecting that they hadn’t had time to even look at the bill.
July 23, 2015
Anthony Shorris: City Hall Open to Funding Transit Via Toll Reform
After an Albany legislative session that came and went without any serious effort from Governor Cuomo to address the $14 billion shortfall in the MTA's next five-year capital program, there are faint stirrings of action.
July 22, 2015
Senate Committee Moves to Eliminate TIGER Program in Next Transpo Bill
The Republican-controlled Senate is poised to eliminate the TIGER program, one of the few sources of federal funds that cities can access directly to improve streets and transit.
July 14, 2015
Senate Committee Passes DRIVE Act Unanimously After Some Tinkering
Given the bipartisan gushing that accompanied the release of the DRIVE Act on Tuesday, it came as no surprise that the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed the bill unanimously yesterday, with more gushing for good measure.
June 25, 2015
Inhofe’s DRIVE Act — Not as Big a Disaster as You Might Think
No, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's new six-year bill, obnoxiously named the DRIVE Act (Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy) [PDF], won't usher in a more enlightened era of federal transportation policy. But neither would it be a significant step backward. And with the realization setting in that further extensions of current law might be impossible, the DRIVE Act could actually become the nation's first long-term transportation authorization in a decade.
June 23, 2015
2 Queens Community Board Members Hold Up a Safety Project for Thousands
The transportation committee of Queens Community Board 4, which covers Corona and Elmhurst, is comprised of three people. On Monday evening, two of them showed up to a meeting -- that's quorum, apparently -- and they really, really did not want any changes to 111th Street.
June 3, 2015
Q Poll: Move NY’s Toll Swap Jacks Up Public Support for Road Pricing
A new poll released by Quinnipiac today reveals how much New Yorkers warm to the idea of tolling the East River bridges when the policy is paired with lower tolls on outlying crossings. A lot: Support for putting a price on the free bridges rises from 27 percent to 44 percent if accompanied by toll reductions and using the revenue "for mass transit."
May 14, 2015
How Much Will Fares Rise Without Closing the MTA Capital Plan Gap? Try 25%
When the MTA’s chief financial officer warned last month that the likely price for failing to fund the authority’s capital plan was a 15 percent fare hike, the response was swift. Just 24 hours later, according to Newsday, MTA chief Tom Prendergast “backed away” from that scenario, calling it "unconscionable."
May 12, 2015