New York City, Traffic Solution
Location: USA
Abstract:
In August of 2007, the federal government through the Department of Transportation awarded a grant of $354 million to New York City to combat traffic congestion problems. Prior to this, Mayor Michael Bloomberg had proposed a fee-based congestion solution for Manhattan, and he singled out the wireless-technology-based systems of both London and Stockholm as exemplars. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters stated at a recent press conference, "Unlike building new roads, this plan can be implemented quickly and will have almost an immediate impact on traffic. That’s something our current approach has failed to deliver. It seems the only thing growing faster than transportation spending -– which has doubled since 1991 -– is traffic congestion along our cities and highways. Mayor Bloomberg is that rare politician willing to take on taboo topics like congestion pricing, because he knows that commuters need solutions that work, not promises that do not." The City will receive $1.6 million initially, although this money will be used primarily to solidify the congestion management plan, which still faces obstacles. Mayor Bloomberg has appointed a 17-member panel that will produce a study and plan for the system, to be approved by the New York City council and the state legislature. While congestion pricing has been mentioned, it is not the only option on the table. Congestion pricing faces harsh opposition from residents of the outlying boroughs of New York City, who see the plan as further fencing off Mahnattan for the wealthy, or as a new tax scheme for already overburdened New Yorkers, or as the least viable of many traffic management alternatives. Proponents of the plan, on the other hand, see it as an incentive to use public transit and an opportunity to reduce air pollution in the downtown core. The federal grant for New York City is part of over $1 billion being doled out by the federal government to improve transportation systems coast-to-coast. Seattle has also received funds, targeted at not only reducing congestion, but at improving bus, train, and ferry services in the Puget Sound region. It is true that traffic congestion comes at a high cost to communities in the US, and many efforts to decease it -- by, for example, building more or wider roads -- have had exactly the opposite effect. Sudhakar Ram, the CEO of MajescoMastek, the IT provider responsible for the London system, believes that wireless technology networks that provide seamless traffic flow through fee-based congestions zones offer the most holistic solution for congestion in large cities.
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Website:
Practitioner Name: Astrid Glynn
Practitioner Tel: (518) 457-4422
Practitioner E-mail: aglynn@nysdot.gov
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