Transportation News

NYLCV recently joined The Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, and Moms Clean Air Force as part of the Fix Our Transit Coalition to urge lawmakers in Albany to include a comprehensive congestion pricing plan in this year’s budget. The groups released a fact sheet of numerous environmental and public health benefits that congestion pricing would bring.

In his State of the City Address, Mayor Bill De Blasio revealed his plan for improvements to New York City’s public transportation system, which included steps towards making the City’s buses run faster and expanding the NYC ferry service. Unfortunately, the MTA this month announced that the busway on 14th Street in Manhattan would not continue as originally planned. NYLCV believes that DOT should continue with the busway as originally proposed to accommodate the nights and weekend service changes.

Testimony of Patrick McClellan, State Policy Director, Before the New York State Senate Committees on Transportation and Corporations, Authorities, and

Traffic is a notable problem in New York as mass transit is becoming riddled with delays, signal failures, and decades-old infrastructure. Congestion pricing would raise much-needed funding for long-term improvements to the region’s transit system, reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from cars, and decrease traffic congestion by encouraging the use of public transportation.

A new $1.25 million pilot program spearheaded by New York City Council Member Rafael Espinal will put electric school buses on the road in NYC, an effort NYLCV has supported. In addition, the City Council Environmental Protection Committee recently held a hearing on Council Member Danny Dromm’s bill, Intro. 455, to speed up the transition to cleaner school buses.