Tuesday Headlines: Transportation Hearing Edition

Transportation and engineering experts will testify today as state lawmakers try to get a handle on where their priorities meet Gov. Hochul’s.

Budget hearings can be snoozefests, but you never know. In 2024, even-tempered MTA President and CEO Janno Lieber went on a tirade against New Jersey’s rail infrastructure.

He’ll be testifying, as well as the commissioners of the state Department of Transportation and state Department of Motor Vehicles. Advocates for transit and safe streets will also be heard, and the people responsible for maintaining our roads will also get a holler.

Lieber appeared on Capitol Pressroom on Monday, and even though he didn’t drop any bombs, he reaffirmed support for transit affordability (but not free buses) and stopping fare evasion. He also mirrored Hochul’s openness to a Metro-North expansion north of Poughkeepsie.

It’s unclear if anything will come of it, but he’s still beating the drum on the western shore of the Hudson River’s lack of transit options when compared to the eastern shore. Advocates from the Save the Ferry coalition wrote about the situation for Streetsblog to start the week.

At the risk of dampening viewership, Streetsblog would love to hear what you wanted to ask this hearing. Lawmakers don’t always cover everything or can get caught up in their own priorities. But say, if you want to find out what philosophy state DOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez is sending engineers into the field with, let us know!

The hearing starts at 9:30 a.m. and can be watched here.

In other news:

• Streetsblog NYC’s Kevin Duggan answers questions on Hochul’s car insurance plan like, “What is it?” and “Why is it bad for crash victims?” and “What even is car insurance?” in his new explainer.
• A landlord who was set to win big under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Penn Station redevelopment plan is involved with a finalist to develop the project under federal oversight. (New York Focus)
• Republican Rep. Mike Lawler’s Rockland town hall went as expected: Yelling and protesting with a few attendees removed. (The Journal News)
• Former Adelphi University President Christine Riordan pleaded guilty to lesser charges after being accused of driving drunk into a Garden City LIRR station. (Newsday)
• Of course, suburban drivers benefitted from congestion pricing. (Bloomberg)
• The Gateway Tunnel agency sued President Trump to get back their money. (NYDN)
• State Police are still searching for a maniac motorist who hit three cars on Friday night and led officers on a 19-mile chase. (the Times Union)
• A Central New York crash victim has forgiven the driver who hit him, even after losing a leg. (Syracuse.com)
• A Rochester mother pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide after her 7-year-old son was hit by a U-Haul van driver and killed when they attempted to cross a median. (the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
• Former Assembly Member Jeff Aubry endorsed Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas’s primary challenge to state Sen. Jessica Ramos, which wasn’t a shocker since Aubry and Ramos have history. (X)