Does Cuomo’s Budget Include Tappan Zee Subsidies?
Governor Cuomo's state budget proposal includes hundreds of millions of dollars in discretionary spending for what one administration official has called "transformational projects." It's not clear what the loosely-defined pot of money will be used for, but so far the rhetoric indicates that Cuomo's wide, transit-less, double-span Tappan Zee replacement bridge could be one recipient.
February 4, 2013
Cuomo Budget: Rising MTA Debt Costs Leave Big Gap for Riders to Cover
When it comes to Governor Cuomo and the MTA, no news is bad news, and the governor's 2013 budget contains nothing new for the transit agency's operating budget. With debt, pension, and health care costs on the rise, the MTA continues to slowly drown in red ink, relying on straphangers to keep it afloat.
January 23, 2013
What Will It Take to Enact the Sandy Commission’s Transportation Proposals?
Governor Cuomo's post-Sandy infrastructure commission unveiled its recommendations [PDF] last week, and while it focused heavily on hardening the city's transportation network against future storms, it also offered glimpses of how infrastructure could be more resilient in the wake of disaster, with Bus Rapid Transit playing a prominent role.
January 15, 2013
Cuomo Barely Mentions Transit in 2013 Agenda
Tuning in to this afternoon's State of the State address, you could be forgiven for forgetting that New York depends on the nation's largest transit system -- a system burdened by debt and ravaged by Hurricane Sandy, which is in desperate need of leadership from the governor. Between the inside political jokes and grand pronouncements, Andrew Cuomo barely had time to talk about what makes New York's economy run: its transit system.
January 9, 2013
New York Needs Cuomo to Talk Transit in Tomorrow’s State of the State
In his State of the State address tomorrow afternoon, Governor Andrew Cuomo has the opportunity to set the tone for transportation policy in the year ahead. And with the NYC region's transit system having absorbed billions of dollars worth of damage from Hurricane Sandy, it's going to be a very important year indeed. Cuomo has to chart a path to recover from the storm and prepare the region's transit infrastructure for the future, all while maintaining the existing system, which is staggering under the load of excessive debt.
January 8, 2013
Jim Brennan Reintroduces $4.5 Billion Bond Measure for Transit and Roads
When New Yorkers go to the polls less than a year from now, they'll definitely be voting for a new mayor, and they might also be voting for billions in state-backed transportation funding, if a measure put forward by Assembly Member James Brennan clears Albany.
December 19, 2012
Who Runs the MTA? Check Governor Cuomo’s Website for the Answer…
The MTA -- the agency elected officials usually try to distance themselves from as much as possible -- has lately been serving as the model for effective post-Sandy recovery. And in a welcome turn, Governor Andrew Cuomo himself has taken center stage when all eyes are on the MTA's performance. There are even real-time MTA service status updates on his website.
November 19, 2012
New DMV Policies Target Repeat Dangerous Drivers — If They’re Drunk
This afternoon, Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Barbara J. Fiala announced new policies to make it tougher for repeat drunk or drugged drivers to get behind the wheel.
September 25, 2012
Even With a Toll Hike, Truck Companies Are Getting a Steal on the Thruway
The New York State Thruway Authority's proposal to increase truck tolls by 45 percent is getting a lot of pushback from lobbyists and politicians in Albany, including Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. But not only do the Thruway's truck tolls fall in the middle of the road when compared to tolls in other states, trucking companies in New York are paying a disproportionately low cost for the damage their vehicles cause to roadways.
September 12, 2012