gridlock sam's proposal
TRANSCRIPT
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A More Equitable TransportationFormula For NY Metro Area
(+35,000 Recurring Local Jobs)
Samuel I. Schwartz, P.E.Sam Schwartz Engineering
July 2012
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over
again and expecting different results.
- Albert Einstein
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The Current Formula is broken andunfair, a vestige from past eras of
bridge and tunnel pricing.
Mayor William Gaynor1910-1913
Master Builder Robert Moses1930-1968
Governor Nelson Rockefeller1959-1973
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$670 mil lion collected in 2011 on three bridges connecting
Queens and the Bronx (Robert F. Kennedy Bridge +Throgs
Neck Bridge + Whitestone Bridge)
Most of the $$ goes to subways, Metro-North and LIRR
Yet awful transit across bridges
Round trip tolls hiked $11 to $13 cash, $9.14 to $9.60 EZ Pass
on Dec. 30, 2010 and more to come in 2013
This is Wrong...
Throgs Neck Bridge
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This is Insane
Throgs Neck Bridge
1960 $.50 2000 $8
1970 $1 2011 $13
1980 $3 2020 $25
1990 $6 2030 $51
projected*
projected*
* Cash rate round trip
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One would think Staten Island isNew Yorks Central BusinessDistrict. Every entry point istolled
$580 mill ion collected annuallyat the four bridges to StatenIsland
No subways
Increased costs to truckersmeans increased prices ofgoods & services on the island
This is Unfair
$$
$$
$$ $$
STATEN
I S LAND
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50,000 cars, trucks and taxis floodthe streets of Long Island City,
Astoria, Hunters Point andManhattans East Side to get to the
FREE Queensboro Bridge Drivers hop off Long Island Expwy
and Great Central Pkwy to avoidtol ls at Queens Midtown Tunnel andGrand Central Pkwy
Taking indirect routes adds millionsof vehicle miles travelled annually
Adds noise and air pollution
Increases pedestr ian and car
crashes
Same is true for Brooklyn crossings
This is unhealthy...People shop for the cheapest bridge
$$
$$
FREE!FREE!
Van Dam Exit
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Highways lead to the three tol ledEast River crossings
City streets are main feeders to free bridges
This encourages drivers to use citystreets over highways, addingcongestion, casualties andpollution.
Putting Traffic On City Streets vs. Highways Makes No Sense
$$
$$
$$
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We toll drivers going fromQueens to Queens acrossthe Cross Bay Bridge butnot to go from Queens toManhattans CBD across
the Queensboro Bridge.
This is Dumb...
$$
$$
$$
FREE!FREE!
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N e w J e r se yT r u c k e r s S p e c i a l !Take Manhattan BridgeSave $70 and have fun!
Tour Chinatown, Tribeca, and Litt leItaly via Canal St.
(While supplies last)
This is Crazy...
FREE!Outbound
FREE!Outbound
FREE!
Outbou
ndFREE!
Outbou
nd
$70
(5-Axle)
$70
(5-Axle)
Verrazano Bridge BoondoggleCreated by an act of Congress
FREE!FREE!
FREE!FREE!
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This Is Absurd...In Brooklyn we put cars on highways and trucks on city streets
ConeyIsland
Bensonhurst
ProspectHeightsCrown
Heights
ATLANTICAVE.
FortGreene
BedfordStuyvesant
BrownsvilleEas
tNewY
ork
BQE
BELTPARKW
AY
F
LATBUSH
AVE
CHUR
CHAVECA
TONLINDENBLVD
FLATBUSH
AVE
Mill Basin
East Flatbush
Cypress
Hills
40 states l ie west of the Verrazano A highway, the Belt Parkway,
connects the Verrazano with JFKairport
Trucks are banned from the Belt.Truck route includes:Atlantic Ave.,Caton Ave., Linden Blvd and Conduit
Blvd. all primarily residential
VERR
AZAN
O
BayRidge
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Viewed as a tax
Sanctity of inter-borough travel
No trust that dollars will go to transportation
Little in it for car centric outer communities
Boroughs pay bulk; little burden on Manhattanites
south of 86th St.
PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS AT PRICING IN NYC:
Why it failed in the past (1973, 1980, 2008)and why it will continue to fail
Unless, we learn from history
Those that fail to learn from history are doomed torepeat it.
-Winston Churchill-(Var. George Santayana)
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NYC City Council 30 For/ 20 Against Bloombergs Plan 2008
Heavy Opposit ion from outer perimeters of Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island as wellas central Brooklyn and Queens
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Current Dysfunctional Pricing Scheme
$9 . 6 0 ( $ 1 3 )
$ 9 . 5 0 * ( $ 1 2 )
$4.80
($6.5
0)
$2 . 2 0 ( $ 4 )
FREE!
FREE!
FREE !FREE!
CBD
2012 TollRates
$4.8
0($
6.5
0)
$4 . 8 0( $ 6 . 5 0 )
$4.80($6.50)
$1 . 8 0 ( $ 3 . 2 5 )
$1 . 8 0 ( $ 3 . 2 5 )
$ 9 . 5 0 *
( $ 1 2 )
$ 9 . 5 0 * ( $ 1 2 )
$ 9 . 5 0 * ( $ 1 2 )
$4 . 8 0 ( $ 6 . 5 0 )
$9.50*($12)
Legend
$EZPass ($Cash)
Tolls in both directions
Toll in one direction
Peak hour rate
$ #( $ # )
*
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Wipe the Slate Clean
$9 . 6 0 ( $ 1 3 )
$ 9 . 5 0 * ( $ 1 2 )
$4.80
($6.5
0)
$2 . 2 0 ( $ 4 )
FREE!
FREE!
FREE !FREE!
CBD
$
4.80
($6.5
0)
$4 . 8 0( $ 6 . 5 0 )
$4.80($6.50)
$1 . 8 0 ( $ 3 . 2 5 )
$1 . 8 0 ( $ 3 . 2 5 )
$ 9 . 5 0 *
( $ 1 2 )
$ 9 . 5 0 * ( $ 1 2 )
$ 9 . 5 0 * ( $ 1 2 )
$4 . 8 0 ( $ 6 . 5 0 )
$9.50*($12)
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Fair Pricing: A more equitable
transportation formula1. Apply market-driven pricing where theres
serious congestion and where there are goodtransit options (aimed at choice drivers).
2. Lower or eliminate tolls at poor transit locations
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Manhattan CBD Congested With Choice Riders
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$9 . 5 0 ( $ 1 2 )
$2 . 2 0 ( $ 4 )
CBD
$ . 8 0 ( $ 2 . 2 5 )
$9 . 5 0 ( $ 1 2 )
$ 9 . 5 0 * ( $ 1 2 )
$9 . 5 0 *( $ 1 2 )
The
FairPlan
An exampleof flat rateapproach
$ 5( $ 7 )
$ . 80
( $ 2 . 2 5 )
$4 . 6 0 ( $ 8 )
$2 . 3 0 ( $ 4 )
$2.3
0($
4)
$2.3
0($
4)
$ 5( $ 7 )
$ 5( $ 7 )
$ 5( $ 7 )
$ 5( $ 7 )
$5($7)
$5($7)
$9 . 5 0 *( $ 1 2 )
Legend
$EZPass ($Non EZ)
Tolls in both directions
Toll in one direction
Peak hour rate
$ #( $ # )
*Al ternat ivesto consider:
Time of dayDay of week
Seasonal
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$ 0
$ 0
CBD
-$ 1
$ 0
$ 0
$ 0
$0
The
FairPlan
+$ 5( $ 7 )
-$ 5
-$2 .50
-$2.5
0-$
2.5
0
+$5($7)
-$ 1
Delta ratesfrom 2012
+$ . 2 0 ( $ . 50 )
Legend
$EZPass ($Non EZ)
Tolls in both directions
Toll in one direction
Peak hour rate
$ #( $ # )
*
+$ 5( $ 7 )
+$ 5( $ 7 ) +$ 5( $ 7 )
+$ . 2 0 ( $ . 50 )
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Manhattanites Contribute (So. of 86th St)
On-Street Parking Surcharge: $25M
End Parking Tax Rebate: $15MTaxis Surcharge: $200M
For-Hire-Vehicles: $50M
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$1.4 bil lion net/year*
$56 bill ion over 40 years
Bondable at $12-15 bill ion at start Or pay-as-you-go capital spending
35,000 annual recurring jobs
* From Balanced Transportation Analyzer by Charles Komanoff
Bottom Line
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Addressing No Trust Dollars Will Go to Transportation
Enact Following in Enabling Legislation
$400M annually for state of good repair
Divide remaining $1B to capital programs Two-thirds for transit
One-third for road & bridges
Define these capital investments
Nothing for fare reduction* or fare maintenance
*Except for local buses in transit deserts
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Local Bus Improvements
Reduce bus fares by $1 in neighborhoods with no subways (transitdeserts)
No service reductions on local buses for three years withoutCommunity Board approval
Consider restoring some local bus service discontinued in 2010
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Strengthen and Expand Ferries
Support capital investmentsby private operators
Strengthen existing trans-Hudson ferries
New:La Guardia via Westchesterand East River
East & South shores ofStaten Island
Bay Ridge
Upper East Side
Bronx
Westchester
Jamaica Bay/Rockaways
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Three New Bridges to Manhattan for Peds/Bikes$50 cent toll for bikes
Hoboken /Jersey City
Midtown
Financial District
GovernorsIsland
DowntownBrooklyn
Long Island City/Hunters Point
Greenpoint
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Brooklyn > Governors Island > Lower Manhattan
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Greenpoint > Hunters Point > Midtown
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Not a Tax Fair Pricing where theres congestion and good transit (Manhattan CBD only) Make it market-driven; when congestion worsens increase tolls, if economy is bad
and traffic decreases lower tolls
Cheaper Inter-borough Travel
Tolls reduced between Queens-Bronx, Brooklyn-Queens, Staten Island-Brooklyn Only travel to CBD is priced
Manhattanites Pay Most No parking rebate south of 86th St. $1 surcharge on taxis and black cars south of 86th St.
Dollars Must Go To Transportation Enabling legislation will define revenue assignments Two thirds will go to transit One third will go to highways and bridges
Lots In It For Car-centric Outer Communities Many of their tolls reduced Staten Island Expressway, Belt and Van Wyck Expressway widened Bus rapid transit for LIE, Belt Parkway and Bruckner to suburbs
+ 35,000 J obs
Equitable Transportation Formula
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Motorized Tranquili ty
The idea is not to penalize people for using their cars, but to
give everyone a choice about how best to get from here tothere.
If New York is to become a better habitat for automobiles, it
should never be cheaper to drive than to take a less convenientform of transportation. To put it another way: Saving t ime
should cost money, and vice versa. That way, car-haters can
stop spluttering about the ills of driving and let the rest of us
whip around the city in motorized tranquility.
Justin DavidsonNY Magazine, June 5, 2012