Comments on: Does the State Senate’s MTA Plan Pass Environmental Muster? http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/04/22/does-the-state-senates-mta-plan-pass-environmental-muster/ Covering the New York City Streets Renaissance Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:31:30 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Glenn McAnanama http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/04/22/does-the-state-senates-mta-plan-pass-environmental-muster/comment-page-1/#comment-66816 Glenn McAnanama Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:18:36 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=5961#comment-66816 This should be a simple question to ask anyone running for office: 1. Do you believe it is a goal of public policy to reduce (noisy, polluting, congesting, etc) automobile usage in New York City? 2. If so, how would you propose to achieve that? If they don't answer yes to #1 or have a compelling answer to #2, then they are definitely not on our side. This should be a simple question to ask anyone running for office:

1. Do you believe it is a goal of public policy to reduce (noisy, polluting, congesting, etc) automobile usage in New York City?

2. If so, how would you propose to achieve that?

If they don't answer yes to #1 or have a compelling answer to #2, then they are definitely not on our side.

]]> By: glenn http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/04/22/does-the-state-senates-mta-plan-pass-environmental-muster/comment-page-1/#comment-66813 glenn Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:53:17 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=5961#comment-66813 Yes, that's exactly it. NY's legislators are "enablers" to the happy motoring public, even if they are a minority Yes, that's exactly it. NY's legislators are "enablers" to the happy motoring public, even if they are a minority

]]> By: Marty Barfowitz http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/04/22/does-the-state-senates-mta-plan-pass-environmental-muster/comment-page-1/#comment-66810 Marty Barfowitz Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:36:03 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/?p=5961#comment-66810 Outstanding post. Even among the few state legislators who are no completely brain-dead -- Brodsky's one of them -- MTA financing isn't really even viewed as a transportation policy or environmental issue. The legislators just see it as a budget matter. As Brodsky and friends showed repeatedly during the congestion pricing debate, the whole concept that fare and toll prices have an impact on transportation choice and the environment is just completely foreign to them. They don't get it, nor do they care to think about it. For them, it's really just a question of how much money does the MTA say they need, how much are we going to give them and where's the least politically painful places to get it? Outstanding post.

Even among the few state legislators who are no completely brain-dead -- Brodsky's one of them -- MTA financing isn't really even viewed as a transportation policy or environmental issue. The legislators just see it as a budget matter. As Brodsky and friends showed repeatedly during the congestion pricing debate, the whole concept that fare and toll prices have an impact on transportation choice and the environment is just completely foreign to them. They don't get it, nor do they care to think about it. For them, it's really just a question of how much money does the MTA say they need, how much are we going to give them and where's the least politically painful places to get it?

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