Streetsblog New York City

The New York State Senate has proposed diluting the bus lane enforcement provisions in the governor's draft budget, a maneuver that threatens the effectiveness of new corridors in the city's fledgling rapid bus network.

New York City's strategy to enhance bus service depends on camera enforcement -- which can't be enacted without Albany's approval -- to keep exclusive bus lanes clear of traffic. Governor Paterson's draft budget included a robust program for bus cams. The State Senate's budget proposal, released this week, alters the governor's plan and would lead to a more restricted, less effective program, Streetsblog has learned.

The Senate version limits camera enforcement to existing bus lanes. That could slow down riders on new Select Bus Service routes, including parts of First and Second Avenues and upgrades slated to improve trips for tens of thousands of riders in Brooklyn and Staten Island.

While the Senate passed its budget resolution Monday night, there's still a window to restore better bus cam provisions. The governor, the Senate, and the Assembly must all reach a budget agreement, and the bus cam language won't be final until they do.

"Select Bus Service is the most important and promising project for bus riders in years," said Lindsey Lusher Shute, director of environmental campaigns at Transportation Alternatives. "The New York State Senate needs to revise their bus camera language and give SBS their full support. We expect the Assembly to do the same."

If the Senate language were to emerge from the budget process, riders on the B44 route in Brooklyn, which currently has no bus lane, would lose out. The B44 serves 42,000 riders daily and received the Straphangers Campaign 2009 Schleppie Award as the city's most unreliable bus route. SBS upgrades on the B44 recently received a $28 million federal funding commitment and could go into effect as soon as 2012.

Some of the route falls within the district of Martin Malave Dilan, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee.

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Elected officials gave plans for redesigning First and Second Avenues positive reviews today, tempered by the desire to improve the initial outline presented by the MTA and NYCDOT. They were faced with a complex project that defies easy categorizations. The proposal unveiled last night would constitute a historic re-purposing of New York City's streets -- but stop short of creating an urban corridor where pedestrians, cyclists, and transit take precedence over the automobile.

After two years of breaking new ground and raising expectations for sustainable street design -- with the city's first Select Bus Service route on Fordham Road, its first protected bikeways, and the complete transformation of Times Square -- DOT now faces pressure from elected officials who want to see an even better outcome for the majority of their constituents who walk, bike, and ride the bus.

Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh, who called the presentation "a good beginning," was skeptical of the agencies' claim that the package of bus improvements in the plan -- which did not include physically separated lanes -- would deliver 20 to 25 percent reductions in travel time.

"We want to see a rigorous analysis of the tradeoffs they're making between transit improvements and maintaining traffic flow," he said. "I think that 20 percent is optimistic... Even if we were to achieve 20 percent, I think that there may be opportunities to improve bus service even further."

The Assembly member took issue with the contention of the MTA's Ted Orosz, who postulated that illegally parked trucks would disrupt bus service in separated lanes. "Other cities, and certainly New York, can figure out how to prevent a Snapple truck from parking in a bus lane," he said. "There are certainly ways to configure this that would reduce the chance that traffic's going to block it."

City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, who represents East Harlem and parts of the Bronx, called the plan "a great start" in an email to Streetsblog, while also calling on the MTA and NYCDOT to "move forward with an even better plan."

"I am particularly encouraged by the proposed creation of protected bike lanes, which will go a long way to promote the use of bicycles," she said. "However, I urge the MTA and NYCDOT to consider including separated bus lanes into their plan for the East Side. Many of my constituents depend on the First and Second Avenue buses to get around, and separated bus lanes will make their everyday trips both quicker and safer."

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Following the lead of John McCain and Hillary Clinton, the State Senate voted yesterday to suspend New York's gas tax for the summer. The move was largely symbolic, as the governor and Assembly speaker have both indicated they won't support the bill.

Senator Liz Krueger, a Democrat from Manhattan, immediately issued a statement condemning the measure:

S.7594-B, introduced by Senator Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island), would exempt gasoline and diesel from the State's excise tax, Sales Tax, and Petroleum Business Tax, from May 23, 2008 to September 2, 2008.  These taxes are currently used to provide funds for highways, roads, bridges, and mass transit.  By suspending the taxes the Senate Republicans will create an estimated $600 million budget gap for these necessary services.

"This bill is obviously meant to prey on the desperate need for relief of New York's suffering drivers," said Senator Liz Krueger.  "In reality this bill will only worsen the economic crisis in New York, and at best result in little to none of the intended aid.  Increased demand will lead to higher prices and negate any positive effect the gas tax holiday was meant to have."

So far so good, but then Krueger serves up a cocktail of alternative policies meant to ease the burden on drivers. Even in relatively rail-rich New York, transit doesn't enter the picture.

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A constituent letter from State Senator Liz Krueger, representing the East Side and Midtown in the 26th District:

Dear Friend:

I am writing you because you have previously contacted me regarding Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC and the Congestion Pricing Plan. I have just been informed that the New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission has scheduled its Manhattan hearing for this Thursday, October 25th at 6PM. The Commission is charged with developing a plan for addressing congestion in Manhattan which will then be submitted to both the City Council and the State Legislature for approval or rejection.

The details are as follows:

New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission Hearing
Thursday, October 25, 2007
6:00 PM
Hunter College – Kay Theatre
East 68th Street b/t Park and Lexington

I am extremely disturbed by the short notice provided for this hearing. I have discussed this issue with the members of the commission, and requested additional hearings be held in Manhattan with more adequate notice.

A copy of the hearing notice is available on my website at http://www.lizkrueger.com/congestion_mitigation_hearing_notice.doc. While the form indicates that testimony must be submitted in advance, I have been informed that given the lack of advance notice regarding the hearing, testifiers can bring copies to the hearing rather than submitting them in advance, if you indicate on the form you will be bringing testimony. However, you do need to register if you plan to testify. Because of the short notice, I recommend submitting your reply to the Commission via fax to 718-482-6686 or by email to: commission_mitigation_commission@dot.state.ny.us.

I urge you to join me at this hearing if possible, and to offer your opinions and suggestions regarding the best ways to address congestion in Manhattan.

Sincerely,

Liz Krueger
State Senator
WWW.LIZKRUEGER.COM <http://www.LIZKRUEGER.COM>

211 East 43rd Street, Suite #1300
New York, NY 10017
Tel: (212) 490-9535
Fax: (212) 490-2151 

This afternoon the New York State Assembly voted 122-16 and the Senate voted 39-16 in favor of the process that would establish a 17-member commission to develop traffic mitigation measures for New York City. The commission’s plan would be required to produce a 6.3% reduction in average vehicle miles traveled in New York City.

Mayor Bloomberg praised the legislature and said that he is “confident that through our work with the commission, our proposal for congestion pricing will be implemented.”

The devil’s in the details says East Side Manhattan Senator Liz Krueger

On Saturday, seventeen New York City and State elected officials stood with the Campaign for New York's Future and officially endorsed PlaNYC. They are:

• New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum
• Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer
• New York State Senator Liz Krueger (District 26)
• New York State Senator Eric T. Schneiderman (District 31)
• New York State Senator Jose Serrano Jr. (District 28)
• New York State Assembly Member Karim Camara (District 43)
• New York State Assembly Member Adriano Espaillat (District 72)
• New York State Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried (District 75)
• New York State Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh (District 74)
• New York City Council Member Gale A. Brewer (District 6)
• New York City Council Member Simcha Felder (District 44)
• New York City Council Member Daniel R. Garodnick (District 4)
• New York City Council Member James Sanders Jr. (District 31)
• New York City Council Member Larry B. Seabrook (District 12)
• New York City Council Member James Vacca (District 13)
• New York City Council Member Melissa Mark Viverito (District 8 )
• New York City Council Member David Yassky (District 33)

And here are some quotes from the Campaign's press release: 

State Senator Jose M. Serrano said, "I proudly endorse the many great proposals in Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC, including his call for congestion pricing. I believe congestion pricing is one of the keys to reducing automobile traffic and carbon emissions throughout the city. As an elected official representing parts of Upper Manhattan and The Bronx, my support is based upon assurances of a robust commitment to enhancing mass transit, and addressing the localized concerns of neighborhoods outside of the Central Business District. I applaud the Mayor for his great vision, and I look forward to working with him to make sure that vision becomes a reality."

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