RPA's Amanda Kennedy testified Friday to the Connecticut General Assembly Transportation Committee to promote road pricing that would reduce congestion and vehicle miles traveled. The committee was considering a bill that would require payment of tolls at the state's borders, and voted on Monday to strike the word "border" from advancing legislation. The new bill requires the DOT to prepare an implementation plan for tolling state highways. Legislators and supporters have insisted that Connecticut's toll-free highways give through-drivers a "free ride," but border tolls would unfairly impact labor markets near the state border that rely upon workers from out-of-state and would burden Connecticut residents who travel to out-of-state jobs. RPA requested that the legislature redirect its efforts to instituting a per mile traveled road pricing system that would incentivize personal reductions in travel and help transition away from our dependence on gasoline taxes to fund transportation investments and maintenance. In lieu of a full VMT pricing system, congestion pricing on the state's most crowded highways would reduce travel times and emissions while supporting pedestrian and transit investments. "We believe that drivers will be willing to pay for a roadway that is less likely to jammed for hours any day of the week," said Kennedy. Maps prepared for the Committee illustrate the extent of cross-border commuting in Connecticut. About 5% of Connecticut workers come from out-of-state with the proportion higher in border towns: 30% of workers in Enfield come from out-of-state and 26% in Greenwich.

A new report released today details the catastrophic path the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund is on, showing the Fund will run out of money by mid-2011 at the latest, placing road repairs, transit services and vital federal funds at risk. The 12-page analysis, titled, "Spiral of Debt: The Unsustainable Structure of New Jersey's Transportation Trust Fund," was written by Regional Plan Association in conjunction with Tri-State Transportation Campaign and New Jersey Future. It details revenue sources and expenditures, and shows how the nearly $900 million in tax revenues raised for the fund every year will, by next year, be dedicated entirely to paying off interest and principal on old debt.

(New York, NY) The MTA held public hearings in all five boroughs and in the suburban counties over the past week and a half to hear from riders who will be affected by proposed service reductions, including those to paratransit service, student Metrocards and subway, bus and commuter rail service. The MTA is proposing the cuts close a $383 m budget gap for 2009. The MTA board will meet on March 24th to make final approvals. RPA's Chris Jones, Robert Freudenberg and Jeff Zupan delivered testimony at the Manhattan, Suffolk and Rockland hearings. 

Read written testimonies here (or click through for full text): 

- Manhattan
- Suffolk County

(New York, NY) Regional Plan Association supports the Port Authority's new efforts to break the deadlock with Silverstein Properties, Inc. over the construction of the World Trade Center site. RPA urges all parties to bring these protracted negotiations to a swift and successful conclusion. At the heart of the issue is whether the Port Authority should back financing for two of Silverstein Properties' planned commercial towers, rather than the one tower the Port Authority has already agreed to help finance.

The City of Bridgeport and Bridgeport Regional Business Council today celebrate the release of BGreen 2020, a Sustainability Plan that outlines the policies and actions to be implemented in the next decade to improve the quality of life, social equity, and economic competitiveness of the city while reducing carbon emissions and increasing the community's resilience to the effects of climate change and increasing energy costs. The program management team, led by Regional Plan Association, convened the efforts of more than a hundred stakeholders in a Community Advisory Committee and working groups to develop strategies to address brownfields and land use, pedestrian and transit access, renewable energy production, and environmental protection while supporting the growth of green jobs in the region.

Mayor Bloomberg today announced members of the upcoming Charter Revision Commission, which will include RPA Center for Urban Innovation associate director Hope Cohen.  Hope's extensive experience as both an analyst and activist on New York City development issues will bring unusual expertise and energy to the commission.  The Commission was given responsibility to "review the entire City Charter and propose to City voters any possible amendments that would improve it." Dr. Matthew Goldstein, current CUNY Chancellor, will chair the effort. For more details on the announcement, visit NYC.gov.

(New York, NY) RPA has released maps by county of the most recent round of MTA subway, bus and commuter rail service cuts. The cuts are part of a larger set of gap-closing actions, including reduction in Paratransit service, elimination of student Metrocards, worker layoffs and salary reductions, which the MTA is undertaking to close an estimated $750 m operating shortfall brought on by state cuts and loss in revenue.

The maps show cuts by State Senate and Assembly district. RPA and the Empire State Transportation Alliance are urging the state and city to address the MTA's operating budget shortfalls as well as fund an estimated $10 billion gap in the upcoming 2010 - 2014 rebuilding and repair program.

The maps are released as the MTA begins a series of public hearings around the region to gather public input on the proposed service reductions.

A Monmouth University Poll released today finds that 95 percent of New Jersey residents think it is important to pay to maintain and improve the NJ transportation system, yet almost half of NJ residents don't know the Transportation Trust Fund - the primary source of money paying for road, bridge and transit repairs - is going broke.

Read the Press Release and Poll Results

Recently released housing data compiled by HUD shows the differing housing needs challenges faced by Connecticut households. While many of the state's households face high housing costs, small non-family households pay the highest share of their income towards housing, especially in communities closest to jobs and transit.

Regional Plan Association and Brooklyn Greenway initiative are pleased to issue this request for qualifications for design development services for the Naval Hospital Cemetery Memorial Landscape at Brooklyn Navy Yard. Responses to this Request for Qualifications must be received by Brooklyn Greenway Initiative by 4:00 PM Friday March 12th, 2010. Notice of Intent to Respond, by email (to mpuryear@brooklyngreenway.org) must be received by March 1st, 2010 in order to receive any addenda to this RFQ.

Regional Plan Association applauds the decision by the Mayor's office and New York City Department of Transportation to make permanent a pilot pedestrian project along Broadway at Times and Herald Squares. "Times and Herald Squares have been iconic public spaces of New York for over a century but in reality they have never lived up to the glitz," said Bob Yaro, president, Regional Plan Association. "To many, the areas have been auto-oriented traffic jams that worked neither for pedestrians or drivers. The decision to permanently reclaim part of the pavement for safer streets and more free-flowing traffic is an idea RPA has been pushing for over forty years. This move should be embraced by New Yorker's and tourists alike."

Amidst ever growing deficits facing the New York region's transit system, Empire State Transportation Alliance members descended on Albany Monday to raise concerns over major shortfalls in transit funding. The group released a letter, met with key legislators and staff members and testified at the Transportation Executive Budget hearing. 

Read now:
News Release (click through for HTML version) 
Letter from ESTA
Testimony by Kevin Corbett