Kate Hinds

Road fatalities per 100 000 population in 2010 (graph from ITF's Road Safety Annual Report 2011)

While high-income countries are experiencing a decade of record reductions in road fatalities, the opposite is true in poorer nations.

That's according to the just-released International Transport Forum's road safety annual group report, which monitors safety in about 30 countries (primarily Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development -- OECD -- member nations) worldwide. Caveat: the report only covers ITF member countries -- places that maintain reliable, comprehensive data -- and so omits large swaths of the world.

According to the ITF, 1.3 million people were killed in road crashes worldwide in 2010 and 50 million were injured. Nine out of ten victims were in low and middle-income countries.

Several countries recorded pronounced reductions in deaths, including the U.S., Hungary, Ireland and Denmark. But Stephen Perkins, the head of research for ITF, said "while performance is improving in most of our members countries...Malaysia stands out with its very high number of deaths. And Cambodia -- our newest member country -- instead of reporting a positive trend in the last decade reported a 300 percent increase in the number of deaths."

And those are just two countries for which good statistics exist. India would likely top the list of most dangerous countries -- if it recorded fatalities reliably, said panelists presenting at the ITF summit in Leipzig. If it did, it would top the list.

This is typical of countries in a stage of very rapid development of motorization, Perkins said, adding that "the biggest challenge for road safety today is halting the growth in road deaths in the developing world." These are countries with sub-par infrastructure. The vehicles that are driven tend to be in bad shape and given to sudden breakdowns. Moreover, these countries are more likely to lack safety laws and the ability to enforce the ones they do have.

(Side note: as Marketplace has reported, India and China represent the future of the global car market.)

(photo by Kate Hinds)

But on several graphs -- like the one at the very top of this story -- the U.S. ranked among the worst-performing countries. Can this be true?

"You are absolutely right,"  said Veronique Feypel, a road safety expert for the ITF. "This is a fact. Nevertheless, while most OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries started to see a decreasing trend (in fatalities) about 15 or 20 years ago, it seems that in the U.S. this trend started about two or three years ago."

She said the ITF was encouraged by the U.S.'s progress. "Just two years ago, the rates in the U.S. were about 15 killed per 100,000, now it's around 11. Very big progress." She added that road safety "is very high on the political agenda" -- no doubt a nod to U.S. Department of Transportation head Ray LaHood.

In December, the U.S. reported its lowest traffic fatality numbers in 60 years.

Stephen Perkins acknowledged that breaking down the numbers by population -- instead of by miles driven -- was just one measuring tool. Another is the sheer amount of driving a country does.  When you look at "how many billions of kilometers are driven per year," he said "the U.S. comes out in a relatively better position, because it's such a highly motorized country."

While the ITF reported that fatalities declined almost across the board for most kinds of car crashes, fatalities rose among pedestrians -- 4,280 walkers died in 2010, versus 4,109 in 2009.

You can read the report here (pdf).

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No Federal Loan for Tappan Zee Bridge — At Least Right Now (link)

The Space Shuttle Discovery, seen here in 2009 (photo courtesy of NASA)

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Ford blamed lower profits on slumping sales in Europe -- and higher taxes in the U.S. (New York Times)

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Mayor Bloomberg says car theft's dropping in NYC. "When's the last time ...you saw one of those red bars across the steering wheel?" (h/t @AziPaybarah)

The Onion put out a Transit Issue.  Repeat: The Onion put out a transit issue.

New York State had been hoping that a third of the cost of the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement would be funded through a low-interest loan. But the federal government has taken a pass — at least for this round.

UPDATED WITH LETTER FROM FEDERAL GOVERNMENT New York State had been hoping that a third of the cost of the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement would be funded through a low-interest loan. But the federal government has taken a pass -- at least for this round.

State officials are maintaining that today's announcement is "very good news."  Speaking at an Albany press conference, director of operations Howard Glaser said the bridge would still be considered in later rounds of funding.

"They advised us the Tappan Zee bridge would be one of the six large scale projects that will be considered in the second round," Glaser said. But Glaser acknowledged financing couldn't come until after congress passes a surface transportation re authorization bill, which many experts predict won't happen until after the November elections.  And a letter supplied to Transportation Nation (at the end of the post) didn't mention a short list of six projects.

In February, the state sent the U.S. Department of Transportation a letter of interest, requesting a $2 billion TIFIA (for Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act) loan for the massive bridge construction project.

The state had said that the total cost of the project would be about $5.2 billion, although a budget hasn't been finalized.

The TIFIA website says that the agency received "26 Letters of Interest (LOIs) seeking more than $13 billion in credit assistance to finance approximately $36 billion in infrastructure investment across the country." It continues: "While limited TIFIA resources mean that not all of the LOIs can be selected, five projects are being invited to apply for credit assistance."

But state officials -- who have yet to release a financing plan for the project -- say the Tappan Zee bridge isn't out of it. "In this first round they only did $100 million total for the whole country," Glaser said. " Remember our application for the Tappan Zee alone is in excess of $2 billion.  So those large sclae  high profile projets will be a further round based  on federally available funding. They can't fund these large programs right now."

Glaser said the Tappan Zee bridge funding would have to wait until Congress reauthorizes the transportation bill.

TIFIA loans are used for large-scale infrastructure projects that cost $50 million or more. Loans can't exceed 33% of project costs.

The letter to the state from the federal government didn't make any mention of a short list of six projects. Here's the letter:

John M. Bryan
Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer
Interim Chief Information Officer

Thank you for submitting a Letter of Interest (LOI) in response to the FY 2012 TIFIA Notice of Funding Availability.  In response to the December 30, 2011 deadline, the Department received 26 LOIs seeking over $13 billion in credit assistance to finance an estimated $36 billion in infrastructure investment.  The requested level of TIFIA financing is more than 10 times the level than can be supported given current program resources.

Each LOI has been evaluated against the TIFIA statutory criteria, and the Tappan Zee Bridge project performed well in our review.  Unfortunately, the Department does not have sufficient budgetary resources to invite an application for your project at this time.  In light of those constraints, the Department prioritized projects that could be accommodated within resource levels and required financing in the nearest time frame.  However, if TIFIA budgetary resources are significantly increased as proposed in the President's Budget and the House and Senate reauthorization proposals, we will create an expedited review process for those funds.  We encourage you to continue the planning and financial work necessary to move your project if and when that review process takes place.  Please note that even with an augmented program, the level of TIFIA credit assistance may still be constrained, which could impact the amount available for the Tappan Zee Bridge project.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Duane

Duane Callender
Director
TIFIA Credit Program  (HITJ)
US Department of Transportation

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East River Ferry (photo by James Maskell via flickr)

The House appointed 33 conferees to the transportation bill, one day after the Senate named its own negotiators.  (The Hill)

Looks like New York State -- which had wanted to borrow $2 billion from the federal government to help finance the construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge -- won't be getting a TIFIA* loan. (U.S. Department of Transportation)

Sam Schwartz, aka Gridlock Sam and former NYC traffic commissioner, wraps up his month-long tenure on the Brian Lehrer Show to explain how his congestion pricing plan would affect NYC's mass transit. (WNYC)

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New Jersey's transportation commissioner illustrated Governor Christie's decision to kill the ARC tunnel by comparing the project to an untopped pizza. "They took the sauce and the mozzarella off this deal when we were starting to build it," said Jim Simpson. "It made no sense." (Star-Ledger)

The Los Angeles MTA votes today on the station locations for its long-awaited “Subway to the Sea" -- including one station that would involve tunneling under Beverly Hills High School. (AirTalk/KPCC)

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Europe's first privately-owned high-speed rail line will open this week in Italy (photo courtesy of NTV SPA via flickr)

A new study out of Montreal found that people living in poor neighborhoods are more than six times as likely to be injured in a road accident as their wealthy counterparts. (Metro News Canada)

Harry Reid said Senate Democrats will reject House Republican demands to include approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline in transportation funding legislation. (The Hill).

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More than 300,000 New Jersey residents would have to pay a revived commuter tax to New York City, if a proposal by the Manhattan Borough president is enacted. (NJ Spotlight)

Chicago transportation officials are preparing for next month's NATO summit. (Chicago Tribune)

Taras Grescoe, the author of "Straphanger: Saving Our Cities from Ourselves and From the Automobile," talks about the virtues of public transit -- and the history of the NYC subway system -- on The Takeaway. ("Given how badly it was neglected in the twentieth century, it's a miracle that New York's subway survived into the twenty-first at all...The nadir came in the early '80s, as motors fell from brackets and trains burst into flames with depressing regularity." )

Some helpful subway etiquette tips from Gothamist and Streeter Seidell (the latter being NSFW, depending on your coworkers feelings about expletives.)

A  longtime political insider is going to be NY MTA chief Joe Lhota's right-hand man.

Stephen Morello has been named counselor and chairman to the CEO, at a salary of $148,100.  Most recently, Morello worked as deputy director of communications for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.  Previously, he was press secretary to Andrew Cuomo's father, former Governor Mario Cuomo.

It's a new position for the MTA. You can read the MTA's full press release below.

Stephen J. Morello Joins MTA as Counselor to the Chairman and CEO

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota today announced that Stephen J. Morello will join the MTA as Counselor to the Chairman and CEO.  In that role, Mr. Morello will direct the communications, government relations, and community affairs divisions of the MTA and its agencies.

“Steve Morello will be an invaluable asset to the MTA,” Lhota said. “He has served three governors and one mayor, and I look forward to gaining his insights and guidance as we work to make the MTA more transparent and improve our image in the eyes of all our customers and elected officials.”

A veteran of state and city government, Mr. Morello has served for the past year as deputy director of communications in the office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.  His previous government assignments include serving as press secretary to Governor Mario M. Cuomo and as deputy and then press secretary to Governor Hugh L. Carey, and as director of communications for the NYC Department of Education.  Mr. Morello also served as Deputy Commissioner for the NYC Department of Correction.

Mr. Morello's private sector marketing and communications management experience includes serving as Vice President for Global Communications for the Readers Digest Company and as President and CEO of the New York City Convention and Visitors Bureau-now known as NYC & Company.

(photo by Brigid Bergin/WNYC)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo hasn't changed his mind about congestion pricing.  Cuomo said there's isn't "political support" to pass it.

Also Tuesday Cuomo was asked the last time he'd ridden the subway. Cuomo said it was before he became Governor. By contrast, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg rides the subway most days. Cuomo grew up in a suburban neighborhood in Queens and now lives in Westchester.

At an event Tuesday in lower Manhattan to highlight the state's efforts to curb distracted driving, WNYC asked the governor if he supported an iteration of a congestion pricing plan.

Former New York City traffic commissioner Sam Schwartz is touting a plan that would toll the East River Bridges while lowering tolls on other, non-Manhattan bound spans in an effort to both reduce congestion and give the city's transit system a funding boost. It's gotten support from some corners -- but New York's politicians are wary.

Here's the exchange:

Q: Have you seen Sam Schwartz’s revised congestion pricing plan? Do you support it?

A: I have not seen it. We’ve talked about congestion pricing for many years. We’ve tried to pass it in the past. It hasn’t passed. I don’t know that anything has happened to change that dynamic. I just don’t know if you have the political support to pass it.

That position is virtually unchanged from his position as a candidate for governor, detailed here.

On the subway, the Governor said:

"Our subway service our bus service is a tremendous asset for the city and the state. It works extraordinary well. It’s a great investment. It’s one we want to continue and grow. We can always make it safer. We can always make it faster. We can always make it cleaner. But it’s a great service."

(with reporting from WNYC's Brigid Bergin)

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Los Angeles Rapid Bus (photo by AllyUnion/Wikimedia Commons)

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...leading Democratic lawmakers in that state to question whether Gov. Chris Christie is doing enough to wean New Jersey off its reliance on borrowing to pay for transportation projects. (AP via NJ.com)  And, oh yeah, a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Exec is reeling in a cooling half mil a year in salary. (Newark Star-Ledger)

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An MBTA commuter rail train (photo by matthrono via flickr)

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New Jersey governor Christie signed a 'road rage' bill into law. (Star-Ledger)

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From a Star-Ledger editorial on Wednesday's Senate committee hearing, in which a Port Authority executive went after Senator Frank Lautenberg for using a free EZPass: "If taking offered benefits is a crime, then (Port Authority executive Bill) Baroni is a felon and the governor is his high-flying accomplice."

Just how rare was Wednesday's hearing brawl? “It’s highly unusual...like an unassisted triple play, you never go to the ballpark expecting to see one.” (North Jersey.com) Note: you can listen to some fiery audio from the hearing here.

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Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa briefly walked out of a transportation committee meeting after another elected official used the term “gang rape” in a reference to a transit sales tax championed by the mayor. (Los Angeles Times)

Art bike! See photos of spirograph-like Sharpie artwork created by a stationary bike. (PSFK)

(photo courtesy of Senator Lautenberg)

A new trans-Hudson tunnel got a $20 million vote of confidence Thursday -- but it remains to be seen whether it will win approval in political environment riven by dissent over transportation funding.

The Gateway tunnel project-- deemed "absolutely critical" by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a hearing last month -- was proposed last year as an alternative to the ARC tunnel, a similar project cancelled by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in 2010.

According to Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), who 's trying to bring a new rail tunnel to fruition, Gateway is expected to increase Amtrak and NJ Transit's capacity into New York by 65 percent.

Both New Jersey senators have thrown their support behind the project. “The Gateway Tunnel is critical to addressing our state's transportation crisis,” said Lautenberg in an emailed statement. Senator Robert Menendez, also quoted in the email, added: “We are at capacity on all Hudson River crossings, so the Gateway Project is simply essential to New Jersey’s economic growth and for our commuters."

Lautenberg is smarting over the ARC tunnel. At a Senate hearing yesterday, he testily asked a Port Authority executive: "Why did the administration that we have in office now cancel $6 billion worth of money that we raised through this place to build a tunnel and get 22,000 cars off the road?"

If the $20 million wins full Senate approval, Amtrak will have a total of $35 million to begin design and engineering work on Gateway. In November 2011, the Senate approved $15 million for the project. Amtrak had initially requested $50 million for a design and engineering study.

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Silver Line construction near Tysons Corner, VA (photo by cizauskas via flickr)

The House passed another transportation funding extension, but the "shell bill" will hopefully lead to a conference committee. (Washington Post)

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Ford is building a new assembly plant in China that will double the number of passenger cars it builds there. (Detroit Free Press)

A 14-minute film based on Brooklyn's B61 bus is premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival. “If you don’t know the B61, you don’t know the pain of waiting," says one regular rider. (New York Daily News)

St. Paul City Council is a step closer to licensing pedicabs. (Pioneer Press)

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Meanwhile, the Virginia budget passed without funding for the project. (WAMU)

New York Times editorial: President Obama is right to call for more scrutiny of the oil markets.

Sam Schwartz -- aka "Gridlock Sam" -- returns to the Brian Lehrer Show to talk about how commercial traffic would be handled under his traffic plan. (WNYC)

A Senate committee hearing on the fairness of toll hikes devolved into a slugfest between Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)  and Bill Baroni, deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The Port Authority's Bill Baroni, testifying at a Senate hearing

Listen to a conversation about the hearings -- and hear some audio from them - below.

UPDATED A Senate hearing ostensibly on the fairness of toll hikes devolved into a slugfest between Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)  and Bill Baroni, Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Lautenberg has been seething since New Jersey Governor Chris Christie killed the ARC commuter tunnel under the Hudson River in late 2010.  Last summer's  Hudson River toll hikes -- raised by as much as 50% -- only added fuel to the fire.

Lautenberg had a line of questions prepared, including when the Governors of New Jersey and New York knew about the 2010 toll hikes and whether Baroni thought they were fair.

But Baroni, a Christie appointee, was prepared. "It is impossible to argue fairness in tolls if you don’t pay them," he said, pointing out that the senator -- a Port Authority commissioner from 1978-1982 -- had used an agency-funded EZ Pass at Port Authority toll crossings 284 times (a perk -- since discontinued -- formerly available to Port Authority commissioners for life).

Lautenberg seemed caught off guard by the statement, and although he quickly brought the line of questioning back to the toll hike, it looked like he had brought a butter knife to a switchblade fight.

The senator was also unable to pin Baroni down on one of his key issues: what did Governor Christie know about the Port Authority's plans for last summer's toll hikes, and when did he know it? Baroni wouldn't get specific. "I'm not going to talk about conversations that I have with different administration officials," he said -- spurring Lautenberg to retort: "Are you running a protection agency there?" "Excuse me?" responded Baroni, all wounded indignation.

But with all things Lautenberg and Christie-related, all roads lead back to the ARC tunnel. Senator Lautenberg is furious with the governor for canceling the trans-Hudson tunnel -- a project which the senator had long championed. "Why did the administration that we have in office now cancel $6 billion worth of money that we raised through this place to build a tunnel and get 22,000 cars off the road?" he spat at Baroni. A brief mic outage muted the Port Authority executive's response.

Lautenberg went on to grill Baroni about accusations of political patronage at the Port Authority, and told Baroni he had two weeks to supply the Senate committee with the names of people Governor Chris Christie had recommended for employment at the Port Authority.

"Sure!" said Baroni. "Should we go through them now?"

"Your impertinence is barely tolerable," Lautenberg told Baroni.

Later in the hearing, which stretched to almost 70 minutes, Baroni described the agency's plans to expand platforms at Harrison's PATH station. "Under the plan, we're going to be able to go to ten cars, and that's going to help us bring more rail —"

The senator abruptly hit the gavel twice. "Thank you very much. This hearing is over."

After the hearing, Senator Jay Rockefeller, Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee chided Baroni: “I am troubled and disappointed by accounts of inappropriate discourse and decorum by a witness at the Senate Commerce Subcommittee this morning. A basic level of civility is expected from every witness who testifies in a formal Senate hearing and reports suggest that standard was not met today.”

Later this afternoon, Governor Chris Christie's press secretary, Michael Drewniak, sent the following statement dripping with enmity: (full statement at end of post) "Let’s accept the obvious:  the hearing was a partisan charade. Senator Lautenberg is deluding himself if he actually believes the practices he oversaw, participated in and encouraged during his time as a commissioner with the Port Authority are not relevant in explaining the Port Authority inherited by Governors Cuomo and Christie."

For his part, Lautenberg sent out a statement saying "Mr. Baroni engaged in distraction, deception and diversion.  I am very disappointed that the Port Authority continues to operate behind a veil of secrecy."

Lautenberg has requested that the GAO examine interstate tolling authorities. Meanwhile, late this afternoon, word was released that a joint New York-New Jersey hearing on the Port Authority -- scheduled for this Friday on Staten Island -- is being postponed.

Read below for a partial transcript of a piece of this morning's exchange. You can watch a archived video of Wednesday's hearing here.

Here's a transcript of part of this morning's exchange:

Lautenberg: The question is: did the size of the increase strike those of you who make decisions at the Port Authority as being fair? I mean, that’s a substantial -- 50% increase to cross the bridge. That’s a lot of money.

Baroni: Senator, thank you for the question, and I know that the conversation we heard, some of my colleagues talking about much it is. But as I described before, Senator, that if you are a cash-paying, non-EZPass using, rush hour driving truck, you are causing the most challenges physically to our crossings.  For every fully-loaded tractor-trailer that goes across our bridges, it (causes) 10,000 times the damage to our bridges as one car. But one of the reason we built all of the discounts in, Senator, is to be able to -- those folks who are commuting, who have an EZ Pass, or drive in off-peak, and, Senator, respectfully I understand the concerns that people have about paying tolls across the Hudson. It is something that commuters as you mentioned, Senator, each and every day – but respectfully, Senator, you only started paying tolls recently. For years, Senator, as former commissioner of my agency, you received free EZ Pass. Year after year – in fact, I have a copy of your free EZ Pass. I’ve got letters from ‘01 --

Lautenberg: how often was it used? Do you know?

Baroni: yeah, actually. ’01, ’02, ’03

Lautenberg: what? how many times?

Baroni: I can tell you. In...

Lautenberg: I’m not going to permit you to continue with this silliness.

Baroni: Well, Senator, you took 284 trips for free in the last two years you had the pass.

Lautenberg: I want you to answer this question. (Baroni. Sure!) Is this fair? Is this toll increase fair to the public at large?

Baroni: I think, Senator, for those--

Lautenberg: talk about the individual cars (crosstalk) I want to keep you on track. So. Let's go.

Baroni: Senator, it's impossible..certainly, Senator. It is impossible to argue fairness in tolls if you don’t pay them.

After that testy exchange, Baroni talked about the Port Authority's discount toll programs and how many vehicles use EZPass (81%) -- but  Senator Lautenberg was doing the slow burn.

Lautenberg: To pull out that little thing that I got after serving after in the Port Authority for four years -- I don't even think about using it, Mr. Baroni.

Baroni: of course not, because we took it away.

Lautenberg: Well, what happened, what happens, it was there, that's what they did, that's what I took and I'm not going to defend it. That's a silly thing to bring into this. I want to discuss your direction of this grand agency and where the money is gone, and why the increases were so large. What - what - is that fair play in your view? Why did the administration that we have in office now cancel $6 billion dollars worth of money that we raised through this place to build a tunnel and get 22,000 cars a day off the road? Do you want to talk about those things?

Christie's office sent out the following statement:

"As we learned today, Senator Lautenberg himself perpetuated some of the very dysfunction that only now, under Governors Christie and Cuomo, is being reversed through reforms and intensive audits.  A few counterpoints raised by Deputy Executive Director Baroni:

→ Senator Lautenberg, a wealthy businessman who was a commissioner of the Port Authority from March 1978 to December 1982, received free annual passage at Hudson River crossings and parking privileges at all NY/NJ airports for 24 years.  Mr. Baroni pointed out that in the final two years of his free EZ Pass, the Senator made no less than 284 free toll crossings.

→ At the height of his hypocritical moments today, Senator Lautenberg became enraged when Mr. Baroni pointed out that one of Sen. Lautenberg’s 2002 campaign staffers in charge of “U.S. Senate Candidate Visibility” was hired at the Port Authority after the campaign as a “principal energy specialist.”

While Mr. Baroni told the Senator he was available to talk all day and present evidence about PA tolls and operations, the hearing ended abruptly with Senator Lautenberg visibly angry over the turn of events.  Repeatedly, Senator Lautenberg tried to stop Mr. Baroni from providing answers that didn’t fit the hearing game plan or that held inconvenient truths.

→ “I’m not going to permit you to continue with this silliness,” Senator Lautenberg said as he cut off Mr. Baroni’s discussion of EZ Pass discounts available to motorists and the Senator’s free privileges.  “Certainly Senator,” Mr. Baroni replied, “it is impossible to argue fairness in tolls when you don’t pay them.”

→ Let’s accept the obvious:  the hearing was a partisan charade. Senator Lautenberg is deluding himself if he actually believes the practices he oversaw, participated in and encouraged during his time as a commissioner with the Port Authority are not relevant in explaining the Port Authority inherited by Governors Cuomo and Christie.

→ The toll hikes at the NY/NJ crossings were the last thing the Governors wanted to see happen.  But by 2010, the agency was mired in a fiscal crisis years in the making that required the reduced toll hikes the two Governors finally had to approve.  And the undisputed fact of history is that only since Governor Christie took office have reforms been enacted, payroll numbers and costs beenreduced and independent audits – warts and all – been ordered.  Sure, hold a hearing, ask all the relevant and necessary questions you like, but Senator Lautenberg should have spared us the hypocrisy and fake outrage.

 

And

Here's Senator Lautenberg's statement:

PORT AUTHORITY’S BARONI CALLS $12 TOLLS “FAIR”

LAUTENBERG PRESSES PORT AUTHORITY ON ALLEGATIONS OF PATRONAGE AND MISLEADING THE PUBLIC

BARONI ENGAGES IN “DISTRACTION, DECEPTION AND DIVERSION” AT HEARING

WASHINGTON – At a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Surface Transportation subcommittee hearing today, Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg pressed Port Authority Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni on the Port Authority’s recent toll hikes and allegations of patronage and mismanagement.

During his testimony, Mr. Baroni stated that $12 tolls on drivers are “fair” and repeatedly refused to answer questions about when Governor Christie became aware of proposed toll increases.

In contrast to Mr. Baroni, witnesses from AAA and the American Trucking Associations were very clear about their strong opposition to the toll hikes, the burden they put on families and businesses, and the lack of opportunity for public input about the toll increases.

“We called this hearing to help New Jersey drivers understand the reasons behind these massive toll increases and what steps the Port Authority is going to take to fix their serious problems,” said Sen. Lautenberg. “Instead, Mr. Baroni engaged in distraction, deception and diversion. I am very disappointed that the Port Authority continues to operate behind a veil of secrecy. Despite this stonewalling, I will continue to stand up for New Jersey commuters and businesses.”

Top stories on TN:
Space Shuttle Discovery Flies to Washington DC (link)
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(photo by Ben Sheldon via flickr)

Almost everything about the House’s transportation bill seems uncertain except this: all the changes to transit funding that Republicans originally proposed have been squashed. (Politico)

Meanwhile, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chair John Mica and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are engaged in a snipefest ("get a life"/"I have a life") over Mica's GSA hearings. (The Hill)

The Senate will hold a hearing this morning on a bill giving the federal transportation secretary power to roll back excessive toll hikes by agencies that receive federal funds. (The Star-Ledger)

The mayor of Los Angeles wants county voters to approve an indefinite extension of a half-cent sales tax used for transit projects. (Los Angeles Times)

New Jersey, Connecticut and suburban New York politicians aren't exactly receptive to NYC mayoral hopeful Scott Stringer's commuter tax proposal. (Nyack News and Views, WSHU)

Bike share programs: successful, but not profitable. "Since its start in September 2010, Capital Bikeshare has taken in $2.47 million and spent $2.54 million on operating expenses." (US News & World Report)

San Francisco's transit agency voted in favor of a pilot program that gives low-income kids free Muni rides -- but first, San Francisco's regional transportation partners must agree to help pay for it. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Massachusetts is at the forefront of speedy bridge replacement. And "speedy" refers to days, not years. (New York Times)

Product recalls, the tsunami, and bland car design have hampered automaker Toyota. (NPR)

Shhh, I'm commuting here! Quiet cars are on the increase on train lines nationwide. (USA Today)

The cities with the highest "walk scores" are liberal -- making one writer wonder: why don't conservative cities like to walk? (Slate)

Want more bikers? Build more bike lanes. (Good)

A movie is being made about Oscar Grant, a 22-year old shot and killed by a BART police officer at the Fruitvale station in Oakland. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Bike advocates want to bring more bike lanes to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. (Next American City)

Atlanta's proposed transit hub -- a "mega terminal" downtown -- gets traction. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

More than 1.7 million New Yorkers were living in poverty in 2010 – marking the biggest increase the city has experienced in five years, according to a new report. (WNYC)

Two weeks after TN's story about New Yorkers' lack of bus etiquette, riders still haven't learned how to properly exit a city bus. (New York Times)

The House will vote tomorrow on whether to extend transportation funding another three months -- but President Obama has already threatened to veto it over language mandating approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

The bill would authorize transportation funding through September 30 -- three months longer than the current funding authorization -- but it ties the extension to constructing the pipeline.

The White House said in a strongly worded statement Tuesday "because this bill circumvents a longstanding and proven process for determining whether cross-border pipelines are in the national interest by mandating the permitting of the Keystone XL pipeline before a new route has been submitted and assessed, the President’s senior advisors would recommend that he veto this legislation."

Top stories on TN:
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CicLAvia (photo by Bart van Bolhuis via twitter)

Bike share is coming to Los Angeles: initial plans are to add 400 stations and 4,000 bicycles over the next 18 to 24 months. Mayor Villaraigosa: "Angelenos are aching for a day without a car." (Los Angeles Times; LAist)

And the mayor made the announcement at CicLAvia -- an annual event in Los Angeles that closes 10 miles of road to cars and lets bikers and pedestrians rule. (Los Angeles Times)

Wall Street Journal op-ed: transit is a drain -- what America needs is more roads.

Counterpoint: embrace user fees and infrastructure banks, because when it comes to roads, there's no such thing as a free lunch. (Bloomberg)

Despite the latest round of recriminations over the ARC Tunnel, the project got off to a rocky start -- and trouble acquiring land was just one of the problems. (The Record)

San Francisco will vote tomorrow on whether to become the first transit system in the country to offer free rides to youth. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Tom Vanderbilt talks about his Slate series on walking on NPR.

And it's good for your mental health: a recent study shows that "walking was an effective intervention for depression." (BBC)

Pedestrian traffic managers are reducing gridlock on the Holland Tunnel approach in lower Manhattan. (New York Times)

Crain's New York op-ed: New Yorkers should support Sam Schwartz's traffic congestion plan -- just not the bike-tolling part.

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Some abandoned bikes in the U.K. are getting a second life in Africa. (The Guardian)

LA's bike share probably can't come a moment too soon for The Californians, an SNL skit about driving-obsessed locals.

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Pedestrians perambulating (photo by Kate Hinds)

House Republicans will take another crack at forcing approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline on legislation extending federal transportation funding for another 90 days. (The Hill)

The formal plan to build a California bullet train was approved by the state rail agency; it now must go to the state legislature. (Los Angeles Times)

New York Times editorial: When it came to cancelling the ARC Tunnel, NJ Governor Christie's "cost-cutting talk was political bluster."

The new Bart-to-San Jose extension broke ground. (Mercury News)

And: Tuscon broke ground on a streetcar line. (KVOA)

Detroit's first budget proposal following a consent agreement with the state doesn't spare transit. (Detroit Free Press)

Tom Vanderbilt's four-part series on walking concludes today in Slate with a look at how to get Americans walking again. But: "There is not a single dollar in the U.S. federal transportation budget dedicated strictly to walking."

Rhode Island state lawmakers continue to review state funding for public transit in the hopes of finding ways to avoid future service cuts. (AP via Boston Globe)

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