Gridlock Sam's Proposal

7/28/2019 Gridlock Sam's Proposal

1/29

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


2/29

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


3/29

$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


4/29

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


5/29

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


6/29

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


7/29

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

$$

$$

$$


8/29

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!


9/29

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!


10/29

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


11/29

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)


12/29

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


13/29

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

$ #( $ # )

*


14/29

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)


15/29

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


16/29

Manhattan CBD Congested With Choice Riders


17/29

$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)



Peak hour rate

$ #( $ # )

*Al ternat ivesto consider:

Time of dayDay of week

Seasonal


18/29

$ 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)



Peak hour rate

$ #( $ # )

*

+$ 5( $ 7 )

+$ 5( $ 7 ) +$ 5( $ 7 )

+$ . 2 0 ( $ . 50 )


19/29

Manhattanites Contribute (So. of 86th St)

On-Street Parking Surcharge: $25M

End Parking Tax Rebate: $15MTaxis Surcharge: $200M

For-Hire-Vehicles: $50M


20/29

$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


21/29

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


22/29


23/29

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


24/29

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


25/29

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


26/29

Brooklyn > Governors Island > Lower Manhattan


27/29

Greenpoint > Hunters Point > Midtown


28/29

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


29/29

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

Gridlock Sam's Proposal

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