New York City and Metro Area Transportation Issues:
Traffic and Commuting
In the Bloomberg Administration's sustainability plan for 2030, PlaNYC, released in
April 2207, traffic and transportation were central elements.
This report, issued in anticipation of PlaNYC, presents key facts about traffic and transportation
in the New York City, the problems that confront
the city in these areas, and discusses the types of policies that should be pursued. (2007)
Why do commuters drive to work when most could be taking transit? The study shows that it's all about the free
parking. Results from a survey of over 1,600 motorists in Manhattan show how many have parked in Manhattan, how much
parking costs, and who pays. (2007)
Congestion pricing and other fees to use the public street space have provided traffic relief in cities as diverse as
London and Los Angeles. Does road pricing make sense in New York? What type of road pricing would win support from
the public and be feasible and effective? A report commissioned by the Manhattan Institute, an op-ed column in the New York Times and a Gotham Gazette column
addresses these questions, proposes a road pricing plan for New York, and addresses the arguments of congestion pricing
opponents. (2006)
With space at a premium in New York City, what would happen if auto use were restricted
in favor of buses, pedestrians and bicyclists? Do auto users have realistic transit options?
How would they get to work, shopping or the theatre without their cars? What would be the
economic and traffic impacts? This report is intended to help New Yorkers
evaluate how much space should be devoted to personal auto travel
based on the facts about auto use in the Manhattan central business district. (2006)
Using Prince Street in Manhattan's SoHo section as a case study, this report
finds that swapping parking spaces for more pedestrian space would make this vibrant commercial district more attractive to
both visitors and residents. The study, conducted for Transportation Alternatives, assesses how people currently experience the crowded sidewalks of SoHo and
the quality of life and economic impacts of reallocating space between pedestrian, parking and street vendors. (2006)
Transportation planners have long sought to toll the East River bridges to reduce traffic delays on the bridges and reduce traffic in neighborhoods near the bridges. This report synthesizes data covering traffic patterns, traffic speeds, characteristics of those who use the bridges, toll collection technologies and the traffic impacts of MTA toll increases.
The report concludes that tolling the bridges offers compelling benefits for New York as a source of City revenue and as a transportation measure.
The report also identifies issues needing further research. (2003)
Analysis of recently released 2000 census data and other data on subway, bus and auto usage reveals a dual trend.
On the one hand, transit usage for non-work trips - shopping, recreation and personal business - has increased dramatically. As a result, most transit ridership is now for non-work purposes such as recreation and shopping.
On the other hand, transit commuting increased more slowly than employment so that transit's share of all commute trips declined slightly.
This report considers the implications of these trends. (2002)
After decades in which public transit lost ridership and market share to
the automobile, ridership on subways and buses in New York City rose more
rapidly in the 1990s than did auto use. This report examines the causes and
implications of the unprecedented and unforeseen shift in modal growth and
mode shares in New York City. (2001)
Travel is the ligament that connects the different parts of each person's
day and the different regions of the metropolitan area. This report summarizes
results from a recent travel survey conducted by the New York Metropolitan
Transportation Council and North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. (2001)
New York City and Metro Area Transportation Issues:
Transit Issues
Lower Manhattan is the only major central business district in the country without direct
commuter rail access from the suburbs. In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks,
the Downtown business community renewed its longstanding calls for direct commuter rail service.
This report puts the debate on this issue into a larger context, asking two fundamental
questions: (1) What should be the focus of commuter access improvements? (2) What modes
would best serve those needs? (2003)
New York City has the slowest buses in America. What can be done to improve bus speeds and make bus service more efficient and attractive?
This report, commissioned by the NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives, shows how bus rapid transit features can be applied to
improve bus service in New York City. See also the follow-up report on the M96,
the slowest bus line in NYC. (2002)
Transit systems survive and prosper only with continual investment for system
maintenance and expansion. Building that support is no easy task.
This paper, presented at the January 2001 Transportation Research Board
Annual Meetings, describes the development of a New York City-area coalition's
outreach and public education campaign.
Nearly every transit agency--as well as proponents of liveable and sustainable
communities--wants to make transit more attractive in car-oriented
society. What steps are most effective? How can transit advocates
and managers choose to best spend available resources? This paper was presented
at Transportation Research Board Annual Meetings, Washington, DC, January
1999.
When New York City Transit rolled out its MetroCard fare initiatives, highlighted
by free transfers between bus and subway and 30-day and 7-day passes, ridership
surged more than anyone expected. Why? This analysis was
published in the New York Transportation Journal, Fall/Winter1998.
Low floor buses promise easier entry and exit and reduced maintenance cost
as ramps replace wheelchair lifts. But they also pose the challenge
of less passenger space. How to balance the design trade-offs? This
article is from Mass Transit, May/June 1998.
New York City and Metro Area Transportation Issues:
Financing and Fares
The 2005-2010 capital budget currently being proposed for New York
State’s roadways and bridges has set aside insufficient funds to meet
the needs of downstate New York - New York City and nine nearby
counties - and will lead to deterioration of roadways and bridges and greatly
increased congestion,
according to this study conducted for the Rudin Center for Transportation Policy
and Management at New York University's Wagner Graduate School of Public
Service. This
approach will lead to far higher costs in the long-run to conduct major
repairs or replacements of under-maintained infrastructure, with
attendant delays, congestion, and impacts on the city’s economy. (2005)
From 1997 to 1999, subway and bus riders in New York City were offered a series of fare discounts
and unlimited ride passes that made public transportation more attractive, more convenient and less expensive.
Ridership boomed as a result. What should be learned from this experience? Are there further improvements
that should be considered? This report, the first comprehensive public assessment of the fare incentives,
recommends five improvements to the public transit fare in New York that would increase ridership, increase
the attractiveness of unlimited ride passes, and improve the equity of the fare structure -- all without reducing revenues
for the transit system. (2002)
U.S. Transportation Policy and Market Research
This Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) report synthesizes issues and methods
of conducting surveys on-board buses and rail vehicles and in transit stations.
Fall 2005.
Case studies report that illustrate useful strategies for special event planning and management.
Report was funded by the Federal Highway Administration and published by Public Technology Inc. Copies
can be obtained here
on the PTI online store.
This Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) report synthesizes transit agency
experience with advertising sales contracts and concessions. Available
here (pdf file)
from tcrponline.org. (2004)
This report synthesizes current practices and recent experiences concerning web site content, design, marketing and administration, based on information collected from 47 transit
agencies representing a cross-section of the U.S. transit industry. (2002)
This study documents relationships and processes that have proven successful
for intergovernmental cooperation, coordination and collaboration in furthering
the capital, operations, and maintenance needs of large, central city
transportation systems. National Cooperative Highway Research Program Synthesis
#297. Ordering information and link to download
from the NCHRP web site. (2001)
America's large cities play a vital role in the nation's economy and its
transportation network. This 2000 final report of the federally funded Large
City Technical Exchange and Assistance Program explores critical large city
transportation issues concerning:
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Interjurisdictional cooperation in traffic management
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Interagency sharing of fiber optic networks
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Fostering walkable cities.
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CITYinFLUX: Understanding and Untangling Traffic and Transportation