Jean-Manuel Izaret (JMI)’s Post

New York City is taking a significant step toward transforming its transportation landscape with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board’s recent approval of a revised congestion pricing plan. Starting January 5, 2024, drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street will face a peak toll of $9, gradually increasing to $12 in 2028 and $15 by 2031. This phased approach, championed by Governor Kathy Hochul, aims to soften the financial impact on commuters while ensuring essential funding for mass transit upgrades. The plan, approved in a decisive 12-to-1 vote, reduces tolls by 40% during its initial three years. This adjustment allows the MTA to generate sufficient revenue to secure $15 billion through bond sales, as mandated by state law. These funds will support much-needed modernization projects, including extending the Second Avenue Subway to Harlem, upgrading the aging subway and bus systems, and enhancing commuter rail services. Janno Lieber, MTA board chair and CEO, emphasized the broader significance of this initiative: “The transit system is the lifeblood of New York, but I also think it’s the pride of New York.” This phased tolling approach represents a commitment to balancing financial accessibility for drivers with the long-term sustainability of New York’s transit infrastructure. While the initial toll reductions may extend the timeline for revenue generation and debt repayment, MTA officials remain optimistic. Jamie Torres-Springer, president of MTA construction and development, noted that funding from the upcoming 2025-2029 capital plan will help mitigate potential delays in project implementation. The congestion pricing program is expected to generate over $500 million annually during its first three years, climbing to $700 million annually with the $12 toll in 2028, and nearly $1 billion per year once the $15 toll is implemented in 2031. These revenues will be pivotal in maintaining and expanding New York’s transit infrastructure, ensuring the city’s economic vitality and livability for years to come. #CongestionPricing #MTA #NYCTransit #InfrastructureInvestment #SustainableTransportation #SecondAvenueSubway #MassTransit #UrbanPlanning #SmartCities #TransportationFunding #NYCDevelopment #InfrastructureMatters #TransitUpgrades https://lnkd.in/ekHQU9-q

The City of Windsor to upgrade its transit system after a joint federal-provincial-municipal investment of more than $117 million.The upgrades include improved bus stops and terminals, new technologies and a larger fleet. The investment will also help the city purchase new hybrid electric buses and phase out old diesel ones. City of Windsor Transit Windsor Blog – Key concerns for Transit – Ridership Funding and Congestion - https://lnkd.in/ggQjfsrq #Transit #greentransit #transitsystems

Opinion - Focus on The Metrolinx Eglinton Crosstown LRT Help me understand why at this time, the focus, time and energy is not on the opening of The Finch West Transit and the Metrolinx Eglinton Crosstown LRT and instead Premier Doug Ford and the Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria of Ontario is focusing all their time on the removal of the bike lanes and building new highways and the list goes on (all related to cars). I strongly believe that if Metrolinx Eglinton Crosstown LRT and Finch West Transit has been up and running, it would have helped to reduce traffic congestion and improve the quality of life for commuters by reducing daily travel time. With 25 stations along the dedicated route, getting across town would have been up to 60% faster than before. With the city expanding and thriving at a fast pace, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT will move fast along with it, connecting communities along the way. I wonder --- I recognize that Premier Doug Ford is car-eccentric and he and the Minister of Transportation appear to be deliberately delaying the transits projects, because he wants to see more cars on the road even though he says he is sick of being stuck in traffic? To summarize, it appears Premier Doug Ford doesn’t realize that the solutions to improve traffic.  At this time, the priority should be The Finch West Transit and the Metrolinx Eglinton Crosstown LRT and West Finch Transit.

https://lnkd.in/gxK4JJpR It will cost $9 for most motorists driving into large parts of Manhattan starting in January under a revised tolling plan that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is seeking to push through before President-elect Donald Trump, who opposes the new fee, takes office. The governor has limited time to implement the new charge and avoid the incoming administration halting the program, as Trump did during his first term. Hochul abruptly paused the prior version of congestion pricing with a $15 charge just before it was set to begin in June, citing the financial pressures of working families. The $9 toll would bring in revenue that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the city’s transit network, would borrow against modernizing a more than 100-year-old system. Metropolitan Transportation Authority Transport for London #trumpincl #Hochul #taxation #Funding I have authored many articles on transit including areas like route optimization or pricing model ties to housing  including development and other taxes or changes to marketing model.   Global Transit Analysis and Commentary – October 2024 – Technology - https://lnkd.in/gbsuUDAw   There are challenges with NY state congesting pricing model -  https://lnkd.in/gxgJZ9NC

Those who follow the goings-on around Charlotte are probably aware of the desire to eventually build a second light rail line (called the Silver Line) to help combat increasing vehicular traffic congestion.  Despite not even being anywhere close to starting construction, the history behind the Silver Line is fascinating, and is definitely worthy of exploring more closely in a later post.  But for now, the planned 29-mile route would travel from Matthews to Belmont, with 31 stations in total. As with many things, the biggest hurdle will be funding.  With cost estimates cresting $2 billion, this would be one the most expensive transportation projects in North Carolina history.  However, there is widespread unwillingness from the state level to help foot the bill, and state leaders recently voiced their preference of a “roads first” approach instead. Unsurprisingly, “roads first” directs funding and other resources towards building and upgrading the road network.  This is generally a relatively easy approach due to minimal public resistance as well as its perception of addressing a widespread inconvenience.  The main problem with roads first, however, is that it directly translates to “cars first”, and assumes that road construction is a one-size-fits-all fix, when in reality it is much more complicated than that. As ridiculously simple as it sounds, “build it and they will come” has been extremely evident in Charlotte.  By 2035, our current light rail line (the Blue Line) is expected to have fueled about $44 billion in development, much of which has rapidly revitalized previously dormant areas such as South End in a manner that allows residents to get around without needing a car for everything.  On the other end of the spectrum, I-485 was gradually built section-by-section around the outer reaches of Charlotte, and rapidly fueled a boom of subdivisions and shopping centers in its wake, quickly necessitating several widening projects in an attempt to keep up with rapidly increasing traffic volume.  At the time of this post, the 17 mile section of I-485 between I-77 and US 74 (Independence Blvd) is undergoing a $346 million project to add more lanes, and is already the second widening project within this section of I-485 since 2010. And therein lies the dilemma.  As the cost of infrastructure continues to rise, so too does the cost of getting it wrong.  State leaders are on record saying they don’t want Charlotte’s traffic to rival Atlanta’s legendarily bad traffic, while simultaneously being seemingly unwilling to do anything differently than Atlanta.  Obviously, there are areas where we need new roads, but there are also areas where it is evident that more lanes will not fix the root of the problem. Something has to give.

In 2019, a proposal for FASTER Bay Area aimed to transform the region’s transit system with $100 billion over 40 years, but it was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, discussions led by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission are underway for a 2026 ballot measure to sustain and transform Bay Area transit, considering significant fiscal challenges and progress in transit integration since 2019. https://lnkd.in/gt5AeNjr #FASTERBayArea #TransitTransformation #MetropolitanTransportationCommission #RegionalTransit #BayAreaDevelopment

Chicago-area public transit has consistently been underfunded compared to transit in other parts of the country since before the pandemic, Regional Transportation Authority of Northeastern Illinois (RTA) Kirk Dillard said in a statement. Talk of reforms must be paired with discussion about finances. “We welcome discussion on reforms that strengthen coordination, efficiency and accountability across the regional transit system,” he said. “Riders expect and deserve faster, more reliable service, and a safer and more accessible system. But reforms must come with the necessary funding to upgrade service and maximize transit’s impact on the region’s economy, climate, and access to opportunity for all residents.” https://lnkd.in/g7AWYRsx

The anticipated congestion pricing initiative for New York City is currently on hold. This would have been a significant step towards reducing traffic in the city and promoting more sustainable modes of transportation. However, it seems we'll have to wait a bit longer to see this change in action. For more information, you can read the full article here. https://lnkd.in/dYTrxx-R #NYC #CongestionPricing #SustainableTransportation #TrafficUpdate #FinancialPlanning #NewYork #NewJersey #Commute #USFS

The anticipated congestion pricing initiative for New York City is currently on hold. This would have been a significant step towards reducing traffic in the city and promoting more sustainable modes of transportation. However, it seems we'll have to wait a bit longer to see this change in action. For more information, you can read the full article here. https://lnkd.in/dEdJEMPD #NYC #CongestionPricing #SustainableTransportation #TrafficUpdate #FinancialPlanning #NewYork #NewJersey #Commute #USFS

The anticipated congestion pricing initiative for New York City is currently on hold. This would have been a significant step towards reducing traffic in the city and promoting more sustainable modes of transportation. However, it seems we'll have to wait a bit longer to see this change in action. For more information, you can read the full article here. https://lnkd.in/dJEwT6Yr #NYC #CongestionPricing #SustainableTransportation #TrafficUpdate #FinancialPlanning #NewYork #NewJersey #Commute #USFS