🛫 Choppers, Congestion & Curbside Beagles: Welcome to Edition #23 of the BOMA-NY Transportation Report 🗞️

April 2025 | BOMA-NY Codes & Regs Committee

It’s official: congestion pricing tolls are still alive—at least through fall—after the MTA and Trump administration hammer out a temporary deal. That means transit funding gets a second wind, while New Yorkers get a second helping of legal drama, public policy pivots, and unexpected dog bus sightings.

This month’s report delivers the usual punch: helicopter crashes and air travel meltdowns, looming bridge failures, new subway maps, Metrocards’ long goodbye, tariffs on auto parts, and spring’s favorite conversation starter—outdoor dining and rodent control.

Also: a Tokyo subway decked out in Snoopy, a ferry terminal restoration that feels like Wes Anderson, and a Mets mascot race that features a giraffe representing the Bronx. No, really.

In this issue:

🛑 Congestion pricing revenue hits $52M in month two—but full funding still uncertain
🚊 MTA averages 448K more riders per day than last year
🚁 Hudson River helicopter crash kills six—renewed calls for stricter rules
🗺️ New subway map released, replacing the 1979 version
🥡 Outdoor dining returns, rodent tips included
🚧 Four NYC bridges flagged for collapse risk, plus several in NJ
🐢 The Beagle on the Bus is officially a springtime icon

— Glenn Waldorf
Transportation Subcommittee Chair
Bell Environmental Services
📞 973-575-7800
✉️ info@bellenv.com

✅ April 2025 Transportation Report Summary Bullets

🚦 Congestion Pricing & Transit Impact

  • Congestion tolls may remain through fall, as MTA reaches agreement with Trump admin

  • $51.9 million collected in February 2025 (Month 2), up from $48.6M in January

  • MTA ridership now averaging 448,000 more daily riders, higher than the entire Chicago CTA system

  • Still not back to pre-COVID levels—“the economy rebounded, but the subway? Not so much”

💰 Funding, Tariffs & MTA Outlook

  • MTA budget fix still pending: Hochul may push a NYC tax hike in budget negotiations

  • 25% tariffs now apply to all cars and auto parts—impact on fleet costs TBD

✈️ NYC Airspace & Aviation Incidents

  • April 10 chopper crash in the Hudson River killed six—revives safety reform demands

  • After record-setting 2024, international flights slump into NYC airports

  • LaGuardia & Newark ranked among worst airports in the U.S. for delays

  • Other incidents:

    • Southwest nearly takes off from a taxiway in Orlando

    • NJ congressman involved in DC plane wing collision

🌦️ Weather, Safety & Budget Cuts

  • Trump’s proposed 2025 budget slashes weather and climate research, raising travel safety concerns

🚇 MTA News & Subway System Changes

  • New subway map released—first redesign since 1979

  • Metrocards to be phased out after 2025

  • NYPD: Fewest subway shooting incidents in recorded history (Q1 2025)

  • New leadership to be named for subways, buses, and Access-A-Ride

  • Metro-North unveils new schedules

🚶 Outdoor Dining & Sidewalks

  • Curbside outdoor dining returned April 1, with only 600 approvals, down from 2,600+ during pandemic highs

  • Springtime advice: Rodent control tips from Bell Environmental

  • JPMorgan proposes converting part of 383 Madison lobby into sidewalk space

🏗️ Bridge Safety

  • Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, and George Washington bridges flagged for collapse risk

  • NJ’s Casciano and Commodore Barry Bridges also made the national concern list

🧼 License Plates & Enforcement

  • NYC’s obscured plate crackdown begins April 16

🚉 Train Stations, Mascots & More

  • Hoboken Ferry Terminal undergoing beautification—”faded grandeur” in restoration phase

  • The Mets launch a 5-borough mascot race at Citi Field:

    • Brooklyn – Pizza Slice

    • Manhattan – Skyscraper

    • Staten Island – Ferry

    • Bronx – Giraffe

    • Queens – Subway

🌍 NJ News & World Cup Prep

  • NJ mayors voice concern about I-78 expansion near Holland Tunnel

  • $3.2B NJ Transit budget proposed, with 3% fare hike

  • NJ ramps up for 2026 World Cup—goal: short-term gains, long-term transport improvements

🎬 And Finally…

  • Seen in NYC: “Indiana Jones and the Wait for the A Train”

  • Overheard NYC: “New Yorkers cross the street like they want to die.” “We do want to die.”

  • Best Bus Story: A doggy daycare bus ferries 2 dozen pups to the park—“best job I’ve ever had”

Read The Full Report Here! BOMA NY Codes & Regs Committee Transportation Report April 2025