Bloomberg: Approaching A Transportation Crisis
At a congressional hearing on high speed rail las week, Mayor Bloomberg made a powerful statement that should make everyone take notice. He said, “The Northeast is approaching a transportation crisis.” While some might think that is political theater from the mayor, he is speaking the absolute truth.
A lovely community manager at WNET alerted me to this story so I could share it with all of you. So here is the report written by Sarah Laskow courtesy of State Room:
Is New York City a transport heaven, or a transport hell?
When executing a perfect transfer, when that next subway train pulls up right as you’re ready to step on, when in half-an-hour you’ve crossed half the city, the subway system can seem like a marvel of the modern world.
But when you can’t catch a cab or find a parking space, when you just miss that late-night train and the station is cold and damp, when you calculate just how early you should get to the airport, it seems like it might be better to live anywhere else.
New Yorkers have some of the longest commutes in the country. The region’s three airports have the worst delays. The city’s buses “are not very reliable,” according to the New York state auditor. And the Metropolitan Transit Authority has a looming debt burden that could herald fare increases four times larger than the most recent bump.
The transportation in and around New York City is at a turning point. There are two problems to solve — how to get around and how to get away. And the decisions that policymakers are pursuing right now will determine how easy it will be to do both in the years the come.
Getting away has always been a particular problem in a city built on an island. Whatever Robert Moses’ flaws, one of his initial triumphs was smoothing the way for New Yorkers desperate to get themselves out of sweltering city streets and onto Long Island beaches. But the solutions that worked for Moses — bridges and highways — are no longer an option. As Mayor Bloomberg reported last week at a congressional hearing on high-speed rail, held in Grand Central Station, “The Northeast is approaching a transportation crisis.”
Click here for the complete report.
I normally don’t agree with the Mayor but he is right about the Northeast approaching a transportation crisis. I will throw in that is mainly the fault of elected officials who do not truly understand or care about the value of a well built, maintained, & thought out transportation system. Such a thing would clearly be an even bigger economical engine compared to what it currently is & that is saying something.
While I will not hold my breath on this high speed route materializing as when do states really work together for the benefit of all, it would be nice to have as it would be a money maker & truly utilized on such a busy corridor. Time will tell if this fantasy will turn into a reality.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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