Cuomo Names Tom Prendergast As New MTA Chairman And More About SBS

THE COMMUTE: It was announced on Friday that, after 100 days without a permanent chairman, the former head of New York City Transit, Thomas Prendergast, who had been sharing the responsibilities with Fernando Ferrer, has been named the sole MTA Chairman and CEO. That is good news. We finally have someone who knows the system. We don’t have to give on-the-job training to a real estate mogul, someone whose primary credentials are finances (i.e. the past two chairmen), or a former transit head from another city. We all know that New York is not like any other major city and its transportation system and needs are unique.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) summarizes Prendergast’s resume here. Here are some excerpts from that WSJ article:

Transit experts have praised Mr. Prendergast’s work over the past three months, saying he would be the right choice to lead the agency given his long years in the field and extensive knowledge of the bureaucracy’s moving parts.

Mr. Prendergast and his team won particular praise for successful planning ahead of superstorm Sandy, helping the MTA escape some of the more severe damage to trains and equipment that afflicted other regional transportation systems…

The new chairman also steps into control of an agency that faces an uncertain budgetary future, four so-called megaprojects to complete in coming years, and a massive, not-yet-determined repair bill to cover infrastructure that was destroyed or damaged by Sandy.

I couldn’t agree more. Prendergast’s appointment still needs confirmation from the State Senate. I’ve known Prendergast for more than 20 years. He reads The Commute, usually minutes after I send him the link. Let’s hope that continues. He forwards problems I send him and I always receive responses in a timely manner. He really cares about the system and is a decent person. Let’s hope he can transform the MTA.

More On Select Bus Service

While we are waiting for Nostrand Avenue Select Bus Service to begin, the MTA and DOT are moving forward with new lines in the Bronx and Queens. I’ve written about the proposed Woodhaven Boulevard route most recently here and explained how it would negatively impact southern Brooklyn’s motorists while doing little to improve bus service. I submitted my comments and received this response from New York State DOT:

Dear Allan:

The Detailed Design and Construction phases of the Woodhaven Boulevard Select Bus Service (SBS) will be programmed in the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2014-18 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which begins on October 1, 2013. Therefore, those phases are not included in the amendment to the current FFY 2011-2015 TIP. The Preliminary Engineering phase of the SBS project was added to the TIP through a previous amendment and the next action will occur when the draft FFY 2014-18 TIP is released for public review in mid-June.

The preliminary engineering study for the Woodhaven Boulevard SBS will examine current traffic and transit conditions and possible options to improve transit service. All options will be evaluated for the impacts on transit service, traffic flow and pedestrian and vehicular safety, as compared to the existing conditions along the corridor. In cooperation with the communities along the corridor and other stakeholders, any design potentially selected would aim to improve transit service and safety without substantial effects to vehicular traffic flow.

Sincerely,

David Drits

It was a form response and leaves me thoroughly confused. I thought I commented on whether there should be funding for a preliminary engineering study for SBS. The response states:

“The Preliminary Engineering phase of the SBS project was added to the TIP through a previous amendment.”

If that is the case, why was there a comment period and what was I commenting on? Drits further states that the study will also examine transit and traffic solutions other than SBS in consultation with the communities and at the same time is proceeding with plans for detailed SBS design and construction.

To make matters even more confusing, according to Queens Councilman Erich Ulrich, the city DOT is already concluding its SBS study, as reported on DNAinfo:

“The councilman said he was working on the plan with the Department of Transportation which is currently ‘in the process of concluding a study’ on the issue.

‘This can be done in under a year,’ he said.”

The councilman sounds as if SBS is already a done deal. The city’s DOT claims it is only one alternative being considered. The councilman also states, “Woodhaven Boulevard is the most congested corridor in all of Queens County.” It certainly is not, but might be if two lanes are removed from general traffic.

Conclusion

We don’t know if an SBS study on Woodhaven Boulevard is nearing completion, if a comment period just concluded for a study that had already been approved, or if consultation with communities will first begin after a study has already been completed. Are you as confused as I am? You do not consult with communities after you have already spent engineering funds to design a system.

What if the communities would prefer SBS in another corridor because reactivation of the nearby Rockaway Beach Line could accomplish so much more without negatively affecting traffic? How could another corridor even be considered when the preliminary engineering funds have already been spent? How does a supposedly responsible elected official suggest that SBS on Woodhaven Boulevard could be completed in less than a year when the MTA website makes no mention that Woodhaven Boulevard is even a potential candidate for SBS?

This is not the way planning supposed to work.

We need a moratorium on SBS — not a rush to construct a half-dozen corridors, which are all different, just because the first two have been somewhat successful. The comment period for SBS along Utica Avenue, closer to home, just concluded on April 12. This is another traffic disaster waiting to happen, even worse than what will happen along Nostrand Avenue.

Unlike Nostrand, which is one-way where the full-time, exclusive bus lane will be, Utica Avenue is a two-way street. That means either left-turns will have to be banned along the entire roadway, or you will have to wait at each intersection whenever the car ahead of you needs to turn left. The problem could be avoided if cars would be allowed to use the bus lane momentarily when cars in front of them need to make a left turn. Thus far, only cars making right turns are allowed to use the bus lane. That policy would have to be changed for SBS to work on Utica Avenue. Or will the city only be interested in issuing as many summonses as it can?

Presentations to communities need to be clear and complete and the traffic impacts must be measured, not only on the affected street, but on surrounding streets and alternate routes as well. That is not being done. We have a new MTA Chairman. I sure hope he is reading this and is paying attention.

The Commute is a weekly feature highlighting news and information about the city’s mass transit system and transportation infrastructure. It is written by Allan Rosen, a Manhattan Beach resident and former Director of MTA / NYC Transit Bus Planning (1981).

Disclaimer: The above is an opinion column and may not represent the thoughts or position of Sheepshead Bites. Based upon their expertise in their respective fields, our columnists are responsible for fact-checking their own work, and their submissions are edited only for length, grammar and clarity. If you would like to submit an opinion piece or become a regularly featured contributor, please e-mail nberke [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com.