1. 1 Financing New York’s Regional Transportation System Robert D. Yaro President Regional Plan Association Greater Vancouver Livability Forum June 1, 2009 Vancouver, British Columbia

2. 2 Founded 1929 Covers 31-county region Private, independent not-for-profit Professional staff of urban planners, economists, architects, transportation planners Distinguished board of directors

3. 3 Connecticut New York New Jersey

4. 4 The Region’s Transportation System Over 100 years old. 2,250 kilometers of rail

5. 5 RPA’s Three Regional Plans

6. 6 Building A Polycentric Region

7. 7 New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Almost $70 billion spent to restore the system since the 1980s Over 9 million rides a day RPA’s 3 rd Plan proposed major system expansion now underway, including 4 “megaprojects,” to meet the region’s mobility needs through 2040.

8. 8 MTA Revenues -- System Wide NYC Transit farebox operating ratio: 54% -- highest in North America Several dedicated taxes are highly cyclical. Decisions to fund capital plans from farebox in 90s dramatically increased debt service

9. 9 Empire State Transportation Alliance Transportation advocates in front of New York City Hall

10. 10 PlaNYC 2030: New York City’s Plan forA Greener, Greater New York, containing 127 separate initiatives, including Congestion Pricing, to promote the city’s long term sustainability. PlaNYC – New York’s Sustainability Plan launched Earth Day 2007

11. 11 Campaign for NY’s Future – a coalition of 150 business, civic and community groups to support adoption of PlaNYC Recommendations –Rallies and Events –Environmental Justice Town Hall Meetings –Community Engagement and organizing –Advocacy Campaign to Advocate for Plan’s Recommendations

12. 12 Congestion Pricing Meets Albany

13. 13 Lessons Learned: Congestion Pricing Didn’t do the preparation needed Rushed campaign from April launch to June end of legislative session. Personal politics and Albany. “Where’s the crisis?”

14. 14 Greening Mass Transit & Metro Regions: A Synopsis of the Final Report of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Sustainability and the MTA January 2009 MTA Sustainability Plan

15. 15 Mass Transit Other Transportation Total Regional GHG Emissions Mass Transit Other Transportation More TransitLess Transit Source: T. Papandreou, LA Metro Transit’s Role in Carbon Avoidance

16. 16 Capture significant share of new regional VMT by 2030 Promote 2/3 of new development near transit stations Solve the “Last Mile” problem Smart Growth/TOD Smart Growth & Transit Oriented Development

17. 17 Source: Journal of Urban Planning & Development, March 2006 8,637 GHG per Person 3,341 Transportation Building Operations Materials Kg CO 2 equivalents/year High Density Transit-Oriented Low Density Auto-Oriented GHGs per person

18. 18 2008: Ravitch Commission Plan L-R: NY Governor David Patterson, Richard Ravitch, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg Fares – Increase fares by Regional Consumer Price Index bi-annually. Regional Mobility Tax -- Excise tax of.33 cents for every $100 dollars … imposed on employers Bridge Tolls – for the free East River and Harlem River Bridges to match existing tolled MTA facilities Raises $2.1 billion annually Regional Mass Transit Improvements Additional bus service improvements put in place before tolls BRT network should be expanded and implemented at a faster pace

19. 19 Ravitch Plan Meets Albany

20. 20 May 2009: Financing Secured Fares – Subway fares up to $2.25 from $2.00; Commuter rail tickets and tolls up 10% Regional Mobility Tax -- Excise tax of.33 cents for every $100 dollars … imposed on employers Fees and Surcharges (apply only in MTA Region) -- 50¢ surcharge on taxi cab fares -- $25 surcharge on vehicle registration -- $2 annual fee on drivers license -- 5% tax on car rentals Raises $2.2 billion annually No New Bridge Tolls, but large budget gap remains

21. 21 Final Thoughts No permanent fixes; financing transit is a reoccurring challenge. New York goes farther than most regions to cross- subsidize between highways and transit A growing region must grow its transit system Must find a way to capture the value created by transit to help finance the system. Auto-free Broadway unveiled May 25, 2009 in Times Square