Capital New York

HamTech87 commented on The councilmembers who believe fast buses can be a hot political issue

NYC needs to include close-in parts of Westchester and Nassau in its BRT system, and share congestion pricing revenue with MetroNorth and LIRR. Just by including Yonkers, this could bring some powerful state legislators (Minority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Members Pretlow and Mayer) to support congestion pricing. Do the same with Mt. Vernon and New Rochelle and you gain some momentum.

Posted on March 22nd, 2013 5:39pm

HamTech87 commented on 'We have what you'd call problems of success '

I know the schools are a huge issue, but don't overlook the other population moving to the city -- suburban parents whose kids have moved out of the house. They want to downsize to an apartment, in a place with great transit (hello SBS on 1st Ave!), no yard to maintain, and lots to do. And they don't have kids in the school system. NYC has been known as a "Naturally Occurring Retirement Community" (NORC) for some time. This trend is going to continue.

Posted on March 15th, 2013 11:08am

HamTech87 commented on 'We have a bit of a trend': City Hall announces that New York is gaining people

So let's get Seth Pinsky's EDC to build more parking in Flushing! Oh wait, that's not transit....

Posted on March 15th, 2013 11:04am

HamTech87 commented on Why do the 2013 candidates treat congestion pricing like a third rail?

Not sure what Kathy Wilde is proposing here. Is she saying put the eastern boundary tolls in midtown at 2nd Avenue? And that would mollify the outer boros? Interesting. Brooklyn, Queens and Bronx residents could still come over free bridges, and connect to the FDR drive to ger around midtown. But once they crossed over 2nd Ave, they get hit with a toll. Since the Henry Hudson photo tolls seem to be working well, this is obviously easy to do. It may mean more toll cameras, but that shouldn't be a reason not to do it. It would also provide political cover to the mayor and City Council that they "saved the free bridges." As much as I think it is silly, I'm almost ready to do anything to get more revenue for transit.

Posted on March 6th, 2013 1:28pm

HamTech87 commented on Young, angry, connected, disciplined, aggrieved: Your candidates for public advocate

Not that its not important, but why do all the public advocate candidates sound like they are running for schools chancellor? Aren't there other issues? Would some candidate address the slaughter happening on our streets every day as cars and trucks run down people? Please?

Posted on February 12th, 2013 12:08pm

HamTech87 commented on How will a Democratic takeover affect Andrew Cuomo's Albany arrangement?

The lack of debate in the legislature has led Cuomo -- and us -- on track to serious train wrecks. Two biggies that will only wreck once Cuomo is in the White House: fracking and a boondoggle Tappan Zee Bridge. Fracking is going to leave the state with a toxic legacy and cleanup bill that will dwarf Love Canal. And an oversized and unnecessary TZ Bridge, which can't pay for itself and will require funds from state transit money, will bankrupt us. Let's hope the new legislature gives us some debate.

Posted on November 8th, 2012 4:47pm

HamTech87 commented on Major League Soccer enlists the Barclays Center team for its Queens stadium project

Why are VIPs always assumed to be drivers? Here's a Red Bulls player taking PATH. Can't they take the subway like everyone else? Shouldn't public land not be taken to satisfy VIPs? http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/encounter/67282/

Posted on October 5th, 2012 12:02pm

HamTech87 commented on Outside New York, too, a historic spike in traffic deaths

It is absurd that NYC-DOT Commissioner Sadik-Khan gets the blame for this alone, when other factors and players are at work: 1. An analysis of traffic fatalities has not been done to show WHERE the fatalities occurred. Are they in spots where NYC-DOT has been able to make streets safer, or are they at places where they have been stymied by motorist opposition? An accurate assessment of Sadik-Khan's changes should wait for this analysis. 2. The national increase in smartphone usage is even more visible in NYC, where people are using their phones on the streets a lot instead of in their homes and offices. (Remember, our street life is what we love about NY!) The comparison of fatality rates in city vs. suburbs is problematic. Suburban and exurban roads are not designed for people to walk or bike on. They are designed solely for cars, and their design uses the principle of the "forgiving road" -- no matter how stupid a driver is, the road will do its best to save the lives of the car occupants. (These roads virtually ignore the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists, and often make the roads MORE DANGEROUS for them, which is why walking and bicycling in the suburbs and exurbs is often deemed suicidal.) NYC-DOT can't make "forgiving roads" for motorists because our streets are also used by the more than half of New Yorkers who don't own a car. So crashes related to stupid driver behavior, like smartphone use and other distractions, will have more fatalities (often pedestrians and bicyclists) in the city than in the suburbs. 3. Where is the NYPD in all of this? They are busy giving out more tickets to bicyclists than speeding motorists. You would think their COMPSTAT principles would call for focusing on the cause of largest fatalitiies -- motorists driving cars and trucks. Why isn't the NYPD investigating every crash to see whether distracted driving or speeding was a contributing factor? The NYPD, and Commissioner Ray Kelly, needs to stop focusing on the victims and start focusing on the slaughterers.

Posted on September 28th, 2012 11:40am

HamTech87 commented on The courts can get rid of the M.T.A.'s payroll tax, but then what?

Thanks for this piece, a great reality-check. What the suburban legislators are missing is that all those people on the trains are fewer cars on the roads. So when LIRR service is cut, expect a lot more drivers on the parkways and LIE. Talk about Armageddon.

Posted on September 11th, 2012 11:30am

HamTech87 commented on Andrew Cuomo won't be long

Cuomo may be popular in New York right now, but that is only because a lot of his efforts push back the pain of his policies until much later. The Tappan Zee Crossing project, a soon-to-be overbuilt, 1950s-style boondoggle, will leave New Yorkers cursing him in the decades ahead as the bills come due. And on fracking, who is going to pay to repair all those upstate roads damaged by the heavy equipment trucks, and clean-up all the contaminated water from the benzene? It is easy to be popular before the bills come due.

Posted on September 6th, 2012 12:42pm