Flying Cars, E-Bikes, Congestion Pricing and How to Avoid a Repeat of the ‘Summer of Hell’

Flying cars are still very far in our future, transit experts say, but politicos, communication vendors, lobbyists and others discussed the present and future of transportation in the NYC area at a recent pow wow where they outlined plans to avoid a repeat of transportation’s infamous “Summer of Hell” in 2017.

Most attendees who gathered at the recent “Transportation in New York Summit” sponsored by “City & State” concurred that “Summer of Hell” six years ago that snarled auto and mass transit traffic was the wake-up for NYC infrastructure. With many elements falling apart then, it was a do or die moment in our shared history.

Over the course of five separate panels that stretched for over four and a half hours they outlined plans now underway to avoid a repeat of the disastrous summer.

What is the Port Authority thinking?

Rick Cotton, Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, provided insight to the agency’s plans. He noted that while there was much done in the recent past for its facilities, there will be a lot more upcoming. Do you need to go to JFK in the next five years? He warned travelers to allow extra time to get there due to extensive construction and redevelopment for the airport that serves 62 million passengers yearly. With a new AirTrain for Newark, and additional improvements at LaGuardia, the Port Authority has budgeted $30 billion for its three major NYC airports, over the next five years. And the unavoidable traffic headaches will eventually give way to smoother ground and air traffic.

$10 billion overhaul for Port Authority Bus Terminal

Way beyond its shelf life, there is a a $10 Billion rebuild afoot for the Port Authority Bus Terminal, noted Rick Cotton, the executive director of the Port Authority of NY & NJ. Cotton noted that while there is no money budgeted to add another Hudson tunnel for buses, with the aid of AI, up to 40 percent more buses should be able to move through the Lincoln Tunnel on a daily basis allowing bus gates to turnover at two to five times per hour

Congestion pricing above ground, subways below

Richard Davey, president of New York City Transit discussed both congestion pricing–the 500 lb gorilla in the room–as well as improvements to the subway system that will be made possible in part by funds raised by the tolls on autos below 60th St in Manhattan.

Even before the funds kick in, Davey touted the metric of an 84 percent on-time train arrival rate in the past year for the subway system, compared with 60 percent seven years ago. Davey noted that other U.S. cities are watching to see how “New York’s noble experiment” will work on congestion pricing. Davey also looked ahead to replacing the 70-year old, subway signal system, and reconstituting the Transit Authority’s bus lines, which, he indicated, were based on trolley routes dating back 90 years. Zero-emission and hydrogen buses were also on the list of new mass transit improvements heading our way, he said.

Queens Assembly member Zohran Mamdani, sponsor of the ‘‘Fix the MTA” bill, which calls for a fare freeze and free NYC buses, says that if congestion pricing succeeds as planned, it will transform how we think about public and private transit. He stated that London, which already uses a congestion pricing system, has seen a 17 percent increase in bus usage.

But he also says that improvements are needed for taxis–both riders and drivers. In some low-economic zones those vehicles are an economic lifeline, he said. NYC carries 40 percent of total transit ridership in the United States, he declared, which means the MTA should be the “dominant progressive force” in American transit.

Others spoke of the transit “deserts” in the NYC Area, notably southeastern Queens, where transit riders face a 45 to 55 minute walk to reach public transit.

Taxis were also a hot button with other panelists. Although mass transit accounts for 85 percent of all commuter traffic in the city, one noted that the $1.3 billion amount of surcharges collected on taxi fares for MTA financing, nothing has gone back to the taxi drivers and owners, who are now besieged by everything from e-bikes to Uber and Lyft cars now on the streets of NYC.

Why can’t I cross the street without worrying about getting hit?

State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal focused on the danger posed by the explosion of scooters and e-bikes. Many are posing a danger by traveling at breakneck speed, riding on sidewalks and running against traffic. Many of the bikers are undocumented and unlicensed. He advocated for regulations, traffic enforcement and point of sale registration and licenses for these vehicles.

When City Council member Gayle Brewer–who was at the session– was asked by Straus News what she feels is the biggest transportation issue she was quick with an answer. “My biggest fear is going out of my apartment,” she noted, “My constituents complain about all the bicycles, e-bikes and motorcycles violating the laws, threatening senior citizens, pedestrians and people with strollers.”

She noted that there are 55,000 delivery people on the streets of New York on any given day, with a majority unlicensed. She said most e-bikes used all day need to be powered by up to three separate batteries. And cheap, unapproved batteries pose a fire hazard and the city council is imposing new regulations to try to eliminate the danger. Plans are also afoot for cargo e-bikes that will involve using transport by water to piers for package pick-up by the deliverers, she said. In summation, Brewer noted that governmental policy implementation in this realm is not going fast enough.