Putting modest reforms on hold in order to conserve political capital for the congestion pricing battle is risky, and timing vis-a-vis the electoral cycle magnifies the risks. If DoT waits until 2008 or later to roll out car-free parks or incremental moves toward market-rate curbside parking, there is a much greater likelihood that those measures will get politicized in connection with the Assembly’s vote on the “real” congestion pricing plan in 2008 and municipal elections in 2009 (or even be repealed by a new administration in 2010). As congestion pricing heats up or founders in 2008, the logic of putting more modest improvements on hold becomes even more compelling as the need to conserve political capital becomes even greater.

That’s why I’m antsy with the lack of specifics. There is actually not all that much in PlaNYC to encourage modal shift that is not dependent upon approval of congestion pricing. The administration can avoid putting all of its eggs in the congestion pricing basket by implementing modest measures now that do not require Albany or even City Council approval now.

My comments should not be misconstrued as a charge that DoT or the Bloomberg administration generally is insincere in their support for a broad agenda of “green” measures. I think they seem completely sincere. But at some point we have to be sure that there is at least some lasting legacy for PlaNYC, and that point is not all that far off. Car-free parks have been studied and experimented with sufficiently that it can’t be lumped in with other measures that might be characterized as hasty or ill-considered (I don’t think that the other two measures I mentioned in my earlier comment should be so characterized either, but I’m ready to listen as to why more study is needed). Concrete improvements such as serve as tangible bona fides to the bicycling/transit advocacy community and might even foster some incremental modal shift, both of which could translate into stronger popular support for congestion pricing when that support is needed in 2008. Appeasing the likes of CM Fidler by refraining from concrete improvements until congestion pricing is resolved could leave us with nothing.

As your comment notes, Commissioner Sadik-Khan and her top staff have been in place for a couple of months. It’s just too early to start getting antsy. She clearly hired Bruce Schaller and Jon Orcutt — who are leading thinkers and doers in the transportation reform movement — for a reason. I’d expect a lot of cool things to happen in the next year and a half. What the new DOT does not want to do is hastily roll out a bunch of ill considered stuff and get their head handed to them by City Council and the press. They do not want to burn political capital where they do not need to. That means taking a moment to assess where real opportunities are before plunging ahead.

The original point is that this procedural legislation doesn’t change that one way or another.

What the mayor and his commissioners are actually planning to do with their substantial existing authority, I do not know.

So what specifically is on the DoT’s short-term agenda for addressing congestion? Here are my favorites (nothing new):

Care Free Parks: make this permanent or at least temporary for (what’s left) of the summer. Study the hell out of the impact on traffic in adjacent areas, and use the stats to disprove what we already know–that roadway restrictions reduce rather than increasing congestion on adjacent non-regulated roadways. This will also encourage mode shift to cycling, further reducing congestion. And it can be accomplished with the stroke of the DoT Commissioner’s pen.

Parking Reform: Raise funds for mass transit and reduce congestion caused by double-parked delivery vehicles by market pricing curbside spaces until there are adequate vacancies to accomodate delivery vehicles, and then eliminate the Department of Finance’s “Stipulated Fines Program” that allows commercial delivery vehicles to pay 50% or nothing on their double-parking tickets. Convert all of the free curbside spaces in manhattan halfway up the blocks from commerical strips (e.g., 50% of the sapces on any street block that intersects an avenue with primarily commerical zoning such as Broadway or Lexington). Use the revenues from the new meters and the elimination of the commerical vehicle parking fine giveaway program for mass transit.

Bike Parking: Fast-track the local legislation to require NYC employers of a certain size to supply secure bike parking, and get Parks Dep’t to install bike parking at entry points and other logical locations within City Parks, rather than stepping up their campaign to clip locks and confiscate bikes. Will encourage bicycling without affecting motorists and reduce congestion.

Understand that some of the measures that Bloomberg has proposed would require other legislative approval. But I don’t expect him to sit still until March next year and wait for congestion pricing to be approved before he begins to put in place other traffic mitigation measures. After all, everyone on both sides of the debate generally agrees that increased service will be needed before any plan takes effect – express buses and the like. But I would also expect Bloomy to move on placard abuse in the ensuing eight months, among other things.

Of course, if the Feds don’t come up with the cash, all bets are off. In that case, expect the traffic mitigation measures to be moved front and center. And it won’t be pretty.

Holy hell.

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2007/07/congestion_pricing_bill_take_3.html

So the City can actually put in place many of the other mitigation measures (cameras, bus lanes, etc.) now. It just doesn’t have congestion pricing fees available to pay for them. Yet.