Improving Metropolitan Mobility: Strategies for the Bi-State Region
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ISSN 1052-7524 Proceedings of the Transportation Research Forum Volume 7 1993 35th TRF Annual Forum New York, New York October 14-16, 1993 4 Proceedings of TRF, Vol. 7, 1993 vi Keynote Address it Improving Metropolitan Mobility: Strategies for the Bi-state Region Keynote Speaker: Stanley Brezenoff Port Authority of New York and New Jersey a The Transportation Research Forum was our services more flexible and more founded here in New York City 35 years reliable in all aspects. ago, and it is fitting that this year's meeting be held here because, whAever I will provide a quick tour of the major your professional specialty, it is in work underway and sketch the vision motion somewhere in the metropolitan that is emerging of a unified regional area, and a local TRF member is likely network for moving people and goods. to be in the middle of the action. Dozens of initiatives are underway. There is a lot going on in transportation Taken together, they promise steady that translates directly into issues, progress toward a system that offers problems, and concerns that are wider transportation choices, more fundamental to this region, to this competitive gateways to world trade, country, and to this society. easier access to economic opportunity, and reduced air pollution without For example, double-stack rail service, reduced mobility. high speed ferries, new airport transit links, electronic toll and fare collections, If you are working in this region now, "smart highway" systems, new rail you are already part of this new wave of transit links, and improved intermodal investment and service improvement. rail transfers, are all happening here and they all stand to make a difference If you are with a company that serves in the lives of the people who live here. national transportation markets, you should look to the new opportunities This region, America's busiest gateway opening up here for public and private and biggest marketplace, is mobilizing partnerships to move people and goods itself to take full advantage of the within the region and through our changes sweeping transportation in gateway facilities. America. Obviously, the new national directions We are applying intermodal thinking, embodied in ISTEA and other new new technologies, and increased federal federal laws have opened the way for funding across the region. strategic public works investment that can sharpen the competitiveness of The Port Authority and our sister mature regions like ours. agencies in both states are working together to build more capacity into the These policy reforms coincide with a set regional network. We intend to make of emerging technologies and new ser- Keynote Address vice concepts that offer us new tools for new transportation investment by improving regional transportation. We providing taxes, tolls, and other may not have been the first to adopt resources when needed. Both states most ofthese recent innovations,but you have promoted projects and planning Will never find so many of them in one that move the region toward a more Place as you will here through the 90's seamless network. and beyond. Obviously, I won't pretend that New The Port Authority is extending itself as York and New Jersey don't sometimes never before in our 72-year history, with compete with each other. If you listened a broadened capital program, and with to the news this morning, you noted that service-oriented changes in our 900 jobs are moving to Jersey City from ore operations. We want to ensure that the their current place in Manhattan, and region takes every opportunity presented the news received a lot of attention. But by these changes through the decade. that internal regional competition has tjor Frankly, we know ISTEA is a limited- sharpened the region's determination to ion time offer coming out of Washington. support economic growth, and it hasn't aal impeded progress on strategic 3. Our regions' port operations feel the transportation investment benefitting Presence of competition from other both states. v. global and domestic business centers. dy We also value the federal government's rs With thousands of business customers recent support for the critical role played re and tenants using our crossings, by transportation systems in metropoli- le, terminals, and commercial spaces, we tan life and national competitiveness. know they need better service and tight International gateways in this and other ut cost control to survive their competitors. regions are national assets. We see a much improved policy framework for That is why we are reshaping the way melding federal, state, local, and private w, we do our business to be more responsive sector investments to support national of in providing transportation, developing goals. Partnerships, and planning for the future. Our agency is a unique public In this climate, the Port Authority has enterprise. It is self-supporting, spans been able to advance its ambitious two dynamic states, and is home to airport redevelopment programs, port )s more, and different, public and private improvements, and vital interstate ,e Partnerships than any other area. transportation investments. Both state ls transportation departments have ir The region has to have its transportation strengthened their planning and act together to keep the jobs and network management efforts. business activities it has now and to capture new economic growth. We are New Jersey Transit and the New York in a race with competing regions to Metropolitan Transportation Authority upgrade and inter-connect the in-place have been improving transit systems transportation assets that many other that are the envy of every urban area cities are creating from the ground up. with a Clean Air Act problem. More than half of all transit rides in the The race isn't over by any means, but United States occur here. Today, the our pace is quickening. The region's Port Authority, and these two transit elected leadership has strongly supported agencies,serve a 17-county region that is 6 Proceedings of TRF, Vol. 7, 1993 home to 18 million people and 8 million TransitCenter, a marketing alliance of f. jobs. More than 700 million tons of the MTA, NJT and PATH. The freight are moved within the region each TransitCenter is signing up more year. businesses for TransitCheks. TransitCheks are vouchers that Each weekday, all these commuters and employers can give workers to help pay cargo containers go into motion together. transit fares on every public and private They share an overlapping network of transit system in the region. highways and rail lines overburdened on many critical routes and managed by Our airport mobility is being upgraded. hosts of operators. These projects include major terminal and frontage improvements at What is changing now is that the LaGuardia, new roadway systems at region's major transportation players are JFK, and a people mover linking 1 forming a series of working partnerships terminals and parking at Newark to improve the regional network. We International Airport. are moving on three broad fronts and I'll sketch the array of efforts that are now These projects, plus air cargo improve- underway. ments, and other work, reflect $1.3 billion spent by the Port Authority since First, we want smoother connections and 1988, with nearly $2.0 billion more improved services. Every toll crossing programmed through 1997. Airlines and and highway in the region should be other businesses are investing nearly as part of a common electronic toll much equity at the airports at the same collections system within the next few time. years, allowing truckers and others to maintain a single payment account and The second of our three broad fronts save time on the road too. includes many major new services that are in the works. The MTA is beginning implementation of electronic fare card systems on the Transit access to all three regional subway, the heart of the region's rail airports is on the front burner. transit network. Subway fare cards open the way for major expansion of the Plans for linking each airport to the region's existing joint ticketing and regional rail system are going into transit marketing efforts. PATH (The environmental impact study reviews this Port Authority Trans-Hudson commuter fall. We estimate that Kennedy and railroad) Quick Card is already offered LaGuardia links could eliminate as with New Jersey Transit Commuter Rail many as 500,000 miles of roadway travel monthly tickets. daily. More reliable traffic flow for the region's High speed ferries and other waterborne busy highways is happening through links are augmenting the regional TRANSCOM, a 15-agency tri-state transportation system. Governor Cuomo group. TRANSCOM links operations last month announced plans for several centers for major vehicular and transit new routes linking Manhattan with facilities. It is a point of coordination as three boroughs and Westchester County. we put in place IVHS systems and Light rail transit is coming to New motorist advisory services. Employer Jersey's redeveloping Hudson support of transit is growing through the waterfront, and may be across 42nd Keynote Address of Street here in Manhattan. NJT is the Goethels Bridge linking the region he moving forward with expanded via Union County and Staten Island. Dre corarauter rail connections linking ES. services within New Jersey and bringing Second, we are planning with other iat more trains into Penn Station in New agencies to take a very serious look at lay York. creating a major new rail connection for te transit and freight across the core of the The third of our three broad fronts, and, region. Perhaps most important, we are ed. strengthening intermodal freight links. Accomplishment of all or even most of 121 On-dock rail service and double-stack these projects is obviously not guaran- at access is available at our Port Newark- teed.