In The News

Funding fight with N.Y. could cost N.J. more than $600M, lead to fare hikes, service cuts NJ.com, 7/22/21

$135M now available to aid NJ small businesses hit hard by pandemic NJSpotlight.com, 7/21/21

Why do pedestrians keep getting hit by trains? NJ Transit is trying to solve the mystery. NJ.com, 7/21/21

NJ lawmakers want to pump brakes on congestion pricing as de Blasio demands MTA move on plan Audacy.com, 7/20/21

Revamped plans to reform NJ Transit, give riders a bigger voice is back on track NJ.com, 7/19/21

Metropark’s transit development moves ahead NJBIZ.com, 7/16/21

$13 Million Long Branch Train Station Project Passes House Patch.com, 7/16/21

NJ, CT senators call on NY to drop fight over how to split $14B in transit aid NorthJersey.com, 7/16/2021

Got opinions? PATH and the Port Authority bus terminal want to hear them NJ.com, 7/15/2021 - The Port Authority is asking for public opinions on two of its major transit facilities — the PATH rail system between New Jersey and New York and the Port Authority Bus terminal in mid-town Manhattan.

$117B plan to upgrade Northeast Corridor could shorten your commute, but it needs money NorthJersey.com, 7/14/21 - Agency officials along the Northeast Corridor announced a 15-year plan to update the nation’s busiest section of railroad to improve travel times, make overdue repairs and prepare for future high-speed travel.

N.J. and N.Y.’s summer assignment — write a Gateway Tunnel financing plan NJ.com, 7/13/2021 - This summer won’t be a relaxing one for Amtrak or state officials in New Jersey and New York. Their homework assignment is to have a financing plan and agreement for the $11.6 billion Gateway Tunnel project done by the end of the summer.

How will NJ, NY split the cost of Gateway? Advocates want negotiations sped up NorthJersey.com, 7/13/2021 - New York and New Jersey should share how they plan to fund their portions of the Hudson River tunnel projects by the end of the month, says a local planning group backing the project. 

New bike-share, e-scooter program will help fill transit gaps, city says NJ.com, 7/13/2021 - Newark officials on Tuesday launched a six-month pilot program with Bird Rides, Inc. and Veoride, Inc. to bring 2,000 bikes and e-scooters to all neighborhoods in Newark.

Federal infrastructure bill would be big job creator for N.J., Dem lawmakers say NJ.com, 7/13/2021 - In different parts of the state Tuesday, two congressmen touted potential job-creating projects as they lobbied for U.S. Senate passage of a $547 billion infrastructure bill that could fund 78 transportation projects in New Jersey.

Jersey loves to complain about commuting. But here’s why we secretly miss it. NJ.com, 7/12/2021 - Do you miss your commuting time and that lost chance to listen to an audio book in traffic, to binge watch your favorite show on the bus or to finish that page-turner on the train?

The Power of Getting Paid Not to Park at Work Bloomberg CityLab, July 14, 2021 -Repealing the tax exemption for a popular fringe benefit is unlikely, but the discussion doesn’t end there. In a bid to reduce driving and increase fairness, the District of Columbia enacted its Transportation Benefits Equity Amendment in 2020. If an employer with 20 or more employees subsidizes parking at work, the law requires the employer to offer an equal benefit to employees who do not drive.
 

The Sunbelt’s Transportation Priorities Are Going the Wrong Way Bloomberg CityLab, June 21, 2021 - Many completed and planned Sunbelt light rail investments are poorly designed and are not likely to get much ridership. Highway expansions, for their part, are often geared toward serving new exurban developments...The common thread in these problems is a neglect of market principles. The best indicator of how much transit improvements are needed is how much people are willing to pay for them

The Most Dangerous Roads in America for Walkers Streetsblog, Jul 19, 2021 - Three quarters of the most fatal roads in America for pedestrians are located in low-income neighborhoods, a new study finds — and they overwhelmingly share a handful of notoriously dangerous design characteristics that communities can and must eliminate on any corridor where residents are expected to walk. 

A Critical Evaluation of the Urban Mobility Report Planetizen, July 13, 2021 - Urban transportation is multimodal: urban residents often walk, bike, rideshare and use public transit, and increasingly rely on telework and delivery services...The Urban Mobility Report promotes motorists’ interests; people who rely on other modes are ignored. It treats motorists as victims, ignoring the fact that motorists are also congestion perpetrators. It only considers active and public transit improvements worthwhile to the degree that they reduce congestion. 

Elon Musk wants to dig a tunnel in Florida. What could go wrong?  Recode, July 8, 20201 - Fort Lauderdale is interested in using a tunnel to ease traffic on one of its busiest roads, and Elon Musk wants to build it. This week, Ford Lauderdale’s city government accepted a proposal from Musk’s urban tunnel-digging outfit, the Boring Company, to carve out an underground passageway that will deliver people from downtown to the beach via self-driving Teslas.