🚦Fares, Fights, and Flipping Plates: Welcome to Edition #12 of the BOMA-NY Transportation Report 🗞️
February 2024 | BOMA-NY Codes & Regs Committee
It’s still winter in New York, but the heat around congestion pricing, toll enforcement, and subway mishaps is anything but cold.
This 12th edition of the BOMA-NY Transportation Report breaks down the month’s major moves—from congestion toll comment periods and lawsuits, to busted license plate gadgets and the most expensive bus terminal project you’ve never heard of. We’re also tracking the MTA’s latest safety fixes (some flopping), Jersey’s rising toll resentment, and the federal government’s curious war on funny highway signs.
In this issue:
🚘 Congestion pricing enters the public comment stage—and no one, not even NYPD, is exempt
🧾 NJ sues, tolls rise, and fare hikes loom—but hey, maybe they’ll get a cut of the MTA’s pie?
🚇 A subway crash on the UWS injures 24—vandals, brake failure, and system errors combine
🚧 $10B bus terminal overhaul, but still no new escalators
🥡 Outdoor dining rules finalized—apply by August or kiss your café setup goodbye
🚔 License plate trickster caught after racking up $20K in tolls
🛑 Federal ban on highway humor means no more “Only Rudolph should be lit” signs
🧠 Teamwork on the subway platform—decoding garbled announcements like true New Yorkers
📍It’s all here: tolls, tunnels, ticket traps—and just enough laughs to keep you from screaming into a MetroCard reader.
— Glenn Waldorf
Transportation Subcommittee Chair
Bell Environmental Services
📞 973-575-7800
✉️ info @ bellenv.com
🗞️ BOMA-NY Transportation Report – February 2024 Summary
Prepared by Glenn Waldorf, Bell Environmental Services
🚦 Congestion Pricing: Public Comment Now Open
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MTA’s finalized plan:
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$15 for cars entering below 60th Street (5 AM–9 PM weekdays, 9 AM–9 PM weekends)
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Trucks: $24–$36; motorcycles: $7.50
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Taxis: $1.50; ride-shares: $2.50
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Tunnel discounts: Up to $5 off for cars entering via Holland, Lincoln, Battery, or Midtown tunnels
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The public comment period runs until March 11, 2024, with:
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Online forms, email, mail, voicemail, fax, and 4 hybrid hearings scheduled from Feb 29–Mar 4
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⚖️ New Jersey Still Suing Over Congestion Toll
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Governor Murphy’s lawsuit is ongoing, though settlement talks are underway.
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NJ’s outrage is partly driven by:
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NJ Transit’s proposed 15% fare hike
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Turnpike Authority’s toll increases
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Some NJ leaders also want a share of congestion pricing revenue
🚇 Subway Updates
Gateway Tunnel
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Federal funding increased, easing the burden on NY/NJ for the Hudson River rail project
Port Authority Bus Terminal
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A proposed $10B overhaul aims to modernize the outdated Midtown facility
UWS Subway Crash
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January collision caused by radio failure, brake issues, and vandals pulling emergency brakes
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24 people injured in the incident
Fare Evasion Crackdown Flops
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New fare gates and platform barriers met with skepticism; early reactions suggest they’re not solving the problem
🚲 Street & Surface News
Outdoor Dining Rules Finalized
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NYC restaurants must apply by August 2024 to comply with the new permanent outdoor dining regulations
License Plate Cheating
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Port Authority busted a driver with $20,000 in unpaid tolls using a plate-flipping gadget on the GW Bridge
Parking & Double Parking
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NYC still unofficially tolerates “courtesy” double parking, though technically illegal
🛑 Humor on Highways Banned
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Federal rule prohibits cheeky highway signs, such as:
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“Use Yah Blinkah” (MA)
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“Don’t drive Star-Spangled Hammered” (PA)
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“Only Rudolph should be lit” (NJ)
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NJ’s famously witty DOT signs will soon be history
💭 Moments of NYC Transit Humanity
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A tweet about NYC subway riders working together to interpret a garbled announcement won praise for celebrating spontaneous commuter teamwork
