Shift funding from freeways to public transportation.

Provide incentives to locate new development near transit stops, as Glendenning did in Maryland.

For your patience, heare are two  links .

The good way is to maintain safe and effective yellow-light periods and not succumb to the revenue-generating opportunity.

The bad way is to shorten the yellow-light period to artificially induce more violations and greater revenue opportunity.

The shortened yellow-light strategy is so pervasive that any support for red-light cameras really ought to include a statement "without messing with light timing."

James, I'm usually against camera surveillance, but I'm with Steve on this one. There are a lot of good ways to make a case for traffic cameras that doesn't make the case for "general big-brotherness." I'd add that cameras can be a good way to cut down on the number of police(cars) and attending troubles. Just mail 'em tickets. Cameras wouldn't be on my top ten list, but I'm not against 'em.

http://nyc.theoildrum.com/story/2006/9/2/204732/7715

- although it'd be politically difficult for a NY governor to spend money on a rail line that's mostly in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

http://www.thedailystar.com/news/stories/2002/05/03/train.html
http://www.syracuse.com/news/nyslushfunds/poststandard/story4.html

Spitzer says, "New York should also build on its existing regional compact to address climate change. I have already started speaking with other governors about the need to link and expand our climate change initiatives. This is something that can and must be achieved."

O.K., great.

Equally refreshing is this: "The second part of our plan to adapt to the Innovation Economy will be a coordinated effort to revitalize distressed cities, towns and neighborhoods across our state – because in the Innovation Economy, investment and jobs will flow only to those areas that are safe and vibrant places to live and work."

Finally: "And Lieutenant Governor Paterson will lead efforts to increase renewable energy production so the state can meet its goal of obtaining 25 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources."

All wonderful! What specifics does he mention for transportation policy that will further these goals?

"we must follow through on ... the construction of I-86 along the Southern Tier."

What? He's going to reduce climate change, encourage renewable energy and restore city centers by spending scarce resources to build or upgrade a 200-mile interstate?

Widening highways, encouraging urban flight and energy consumption. That's so 20th century.

CAVEAT emptor: Locally, Spitzer's much better, with stated support for the Second Avenue Subway, (YES YES YES!) and LIRR to Grand Central Terminal (good). I'd have preferred it if he said LIRR to Fulton Street however.

Is intrusive surveillance on the road and the possibility of automated enforcement directed at bicyclists worth it to me, if it is the price that must be paid for compliance by motor vehicles? This is a very difficult question--the experience of bicycling in NYC would be radically transformed, and bicycle commutes for some might take a lot longer than they do now due to traffic lights. On the other hand, the most dangerous motorists would be driven out of their cars and into mass transit or possibly onto bicycles or the sidewalk. This would contribute to a general increase in bicycling due to increased safety on the road to double or triple the current rate. The resulting growth in the bicycling minority would set the stage for even more gains in encouraging alternatives to private motor vehicles. And reduction in driving and elimination in speeding would significantly ameliorate atmospheric impact. As much as I am opposed to government surveillance and the licensing of bicyclists, to me, the upsides of automated enforcement against motor vehicles are too great--I support it.

James' other concerns--getting ticketed for being just 2 MPH over, or being mistakenly ticketed--don't worry me. There no doubt will be "accidents" in the implementation of automated enforcement, but they are of the correctable kind, unlike the "accidents" chronicled weekly by AD on these pages ( http://www.streetsblog.org/category/special-features/carnage/ )

Check out comments 23, 24, and 26-28 here:
http://www.streetsblog.org/2006/12/31/setting-the-agenda-on-pedestrian-safety/

Does anyone have a report on the Park Avenue CB meeting?

Back on:
"to serve as an economic engine for the Hudson Valley."
Isn't this a euphemism for 'generate sprawl'? Of course there needs to be economic growth in all parts of NY State but airports seem to have a horrible track record with regard to urbanism.

Transportation
--------------

Infrastructure also means transportation. We must finally break through the political gridlock to complete priority projects so we can move people and goods faster and cheaper.

Upstate, we must follow through on the replacement of the Peace

Bridge and the construction of I-86 along the Southern Tier.

Downstate, we must construct the first segment of the Second Avenue subway and plan for the full extension to Lower Manhattan. We must also complete the planning process to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge and move forward on the East Side Access project to connect

Long Island and Queens commuters to Grand Central Terminal.

And we must have the vision to expand Stewart Airport to become the fourth major airport in the Downstate region and to serve as an economic engine for the Hudson Valley.

As we complete these priority projects, we must ensure they are accompanied by smart-growth planning, which will alleviate environmental degradation, instead of contributing to it, and will make our communities more vibrant places to live, work and raise a family.

A good list, and you're on the ball, as always.

But you left out perhaps the most important thing: Gov. Spitzer should commit his office to supporting a fair and effective NYC road pricing plan to simultaneously unsnarl traffic and raise transit funds for use in the city. This will help kill the bogeyman that "the State will never ratify NYC road pricing" and provide cover for City electeds to start voicing support.

In addition, Point #9, on pedestrian and bicyclist safety, should include funding and staff support to analyze NYS pedestrian and cyclist fatalities as to cause and culpability, along the lines of Right Of Way's landmark studies, KILLED BY AUTOMOBILE (1999) and THE ONLY GOOD CYCLIST (2000). This will likely confirm those studies' key (but neglected) findings: (i) drivers are culpable in a large majority of ped and bike fatals; (ii) the most common cause of ped fatals is driver turning into peds crossing w/ right of way; (iii) the most common cause of cyclist fatals is driver aggressive passing.

Keep up the great Sblogging.