Kate Hinds

Top stories on TN:
NJ Governor Christie’s State of the State: No Transpo Talk, But He Worked In A Driving Metaphor (Link)
MTA, Unions May Be Talking for A While (Link)
Bike Share to the Alamo, Santa Claus Bike/Ped Trail, and Other Transit $$ (Link)
NY Gov. Cuomo Budget: MTA Not Gutted, $$ For Amtrak, Infrastructure Fund (Link)
$77 Million in Transpo Grants To Universities (Link)

Walking while wearing headphones (photo by Ian Muir via Flickr)

The number of headphone-wearing pedestrians seriously injured or killed near roadways and railways has tripled in six years. (Bloomberg News via Albany Times-Union)

NJ Gov. Chris Christie put the brakes on legislation that would have required teenage drivers to clock an additional six months of practice time before getting a license, while forcing their parents to take an orientation course about their new, young drivers.  (NJ.com)

Nigeria's government backed down on fuel price increases and reimposed fuel subsidies. (Christian Science Monitor)

Meanwhile, Chevron says an oil rig is still burning off the Nigerian coast. (Washington Post)

Still no contract, but talks continue between New York's MTA and the transit workers union. (WNYC)

The city of Golden, Colorado, is fighting a beltway. (New York Times)

Troy's transit center got a second chance, when members of the Troy City Council voted last night to approve a scaled-down version of the controversial project they blocked last month. (Detroit Free Press)

One reporter rode all 139 bus routes in Chicago's transit system. (WBEZ)

California bullet train promoters predict it will cost $171 billion to build new airports and roads if the trains aren't completed. But experts say that figure is greatly exaggerated. (Los Angeles Times)

Former mayor of Atlanta: mass transit brings freedom. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the busiest in the nation. They also have some of the dirtiest air, thanks to thousands of cargo trucks that pass through each day. (NPR)

The head of New York MTA's capital construction is on a charm offensive. (TXCHNOLOGIST)

The average age of a car in the U.S. hit an all-time high of 10.8 years in 2011. (Marketplace)

An opossum rode the D train in Brooklyn. (New York Times)

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (Governor's Office/Tim Larsen)

The two transportation references in New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's State of the State address involved a driving metaphor and a shout-out to people listening while behind the wheel.

"Now is not the time to put the brakes on New Jersey’s growth.  Now it is the time to put the foot down harder on the accelerator.  Now is not the time to turn back. Now is the time to make New Jersey greatness a reality again."

and:

"To everyone in this room, to everyone watching in their home or listening in their car, I have one simple message:  for the New Jersey Comeback to continue and grow, we must all come together."

Christie's State of the Union address focused on education, taxes, jobs, and crime. There were no lofty promises about infrastructure improvements or making commuters' lives easier -- or even fixing potholes. Although, to be fair, there were some images of shovels breaking ground in his recent video, "The Jersey Comeback has Begun."

By way of contrast, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed an infrastructure bank in his recent State of the State address and talked about the need for coordination between the state's various transportation entities -- although he also didn't actually utter the word "transit."

You can see the text of Christie's speech here.

Top stories on TN:
For California High Speed Rail, A Season of Woe (Link)
Mica Endorses Romney (Link)
Trucking Through the Port of Oakland (Link)
Boomtime for Ferry Boats (Link)
D.C. Metro Board Looks At $6 Fare for Peak Paper Tickets (Link)
Obama Administration Fast Tracks NE High Speed Rail Review (Link)
Why Don’t More Blacks Use DC’s Bike Share? (Link)

New Miami Marlins stadium in December 2011 (photo by Ghost of Fire via Flickr)

High-speed rail plans off to slow start: President Obama promised in his 2011 State of the Union address that he would connect 80% of Americans to high-speed rail in 25 years. But: "Virtually none of the projects has gotten off the ground, and the one that has is in trouble." (Washington Post)

Hoping to take transit to the Marlins game? Think again: Miami-Dade County officials have secured none of several promised transit improvements for the city's new $634 million, publicly funded stadium...which opens in April. "After more than a year of meetings between city and county officials and a transportation planner working for the Marlins, the transit blueprint remains little more than a wish list, hampered by lack of funding and the Marlins’ apparent unwillingness to help pay for improvements." (Miami Herald)

Ports in New York and New Jersey are starting to gain market share over West Coast ports. (Star-Ledger)

Transit agencies nationwide are trying to figure out how to widen seats in the face of a population that's growing ... sideways. (New York Times)

After years of rebuffing health concerns over airport scanners, the Transportation Security Administration plans to test airport security officers to see if they are being exposed to dangerous levels of radiation while working with the scanners. (Los Angeles Times)

One town in New York's Adirondack Mountains says it needs to build trails to encourage snowmobilers to visit local businesses. (Watertown Daily Times)

Talks continue between New York's MTA and the Transport Workers Union, after failing to reach an agreement before the current contract expired on Sunday night. (WNYC)

For the first time, the urban population in China has surpassed the rural population. (Marketplace)

A New Jersey woman gave birth on a PATH train. "They said they took the PATH because driving into Manhattan would have risked getting stuck in Lincoln Tunnel traffic." (Star-Ledger)

BMW is recalling almost a quarter of a million Mini Coopers worldwide because of a fault with an electric water pump. (BBC)

Connecticut's governor defends the New-Britain-to-Hartford busway -- and his view of an integrated transportation system. "People on the transit side think I'm spending too much on bridges… People on the road side think I'm spending too much on transit," Malloy said. "What I'm really trying to explain to everyone is that their system will do well individually only if the other systems do well." (Hartford Courant)

Top stories on TN:
PICS: Haiti’s Transportation Two Years After the Earthquake (Link)
NY MTA Completes Four-Night Shutdown For Repairs Along Stretch Of Busy Subway Line (Link)
Boston Launches App Challenge to Link Transit and Bike Share (Link)
California’s Diesel Decade (Link)
Bloomberg Not Budging on Bike Share, More Bike Lanes (Link)
Mica Praises Romney, Stops Short of Endorsement (Link)

FreshDirect ad on bus stop in NYC (photo by Yodster via Flickr)

The chief executive of California's bullet train project suddenly announced his resignation, just months before construction was supposed to begin. (Los Angeles Times)

Canada is annoyed that pro-environmental groups in the U.S. are delaying approval of a pipeline that would move Canadian oil. (NPR)

Access to rail is a big factor in NYC grocery delivery service FreshDirect's relocation plans. (Crain's New York)

Pennsylvania's governor will unveil his much-awaited plan for dealing with the state's transportation funding shortfall in his budget message Feb. 7 or sooner. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; h/t Stateline)

2011 milestone: for the first time ever, the roughly $2,800 dollars that a household spent at the pump was more than a year’s worth of car payments. (KQED)

Bike share GPS data will help plan NYC's bike lane network. (Streetsblog)

MTA work blitz: after shutting down one subway line this week, NYC's 7 train will be suspended for work for 11 weekends in a row. (Gothamist)

Top stories on TN:
Trying Out Staten Island's Bus Time (Link)
Montana To Parents, Kids: We Know It’s Winter — But You Can Still Walk & Bike To School (Link)
As Presidential Race Moves to South Carolina, Pothole Ads Do, Too (Link)
Amtrak: In 2012, We Want eTickets, Electric Locomotives, and Speedier Trains (Link)

Bicyclists in Beijing (photo by Superflow via Flickr)

Beijing will put 20,000 rental bikes on the street this year to ease congestion -- and open four new subway lines. (Xinhua)

Parts of Nigeria are under a curfew after protests against the ending of fuel subsidies grew violent. "Overnight, prices at the pump more than doubled...The costs of food and transportation also doubled."  (NPR)

Adding mass transit to the Tappan Zee Bridge would delay the project at least two years, says the head of the New York State DOT. (Journal News)

New MTA head Joe Lhota says he'll continue to pursue a smartcard system for NYC transit. (New York Times)

Traffic deaths in Florida dropped to a 33-year low in 2011, although the state's population doubled in that span. (AP via Miami Herald)

Some airlines are suing the DOT over its requirement that advertisements include all taxes and fees in ticket prices for flights. (The Hill)

Sales of diesel-powered cars in the U.S. rose  27.4 percent in 2011 while hybrid sales dropped 2.2 percent. (AutoBlogGreen)

Capital Bikeshare has posted data files with individual (but anonymous) trip data. (Greater Greater Washington)

DC's Metro would have to condemn many more properties than originally thought in order to build the Purple Line. (Washington Post)

Volkswagen unveils the E-Bugster -- an electric Beetle concept car -- in Detroit. (Gizmag)

(Photo: Amtrak Locomotive (cc) by Flickr User Slideshow Bruce)

Amtrak will begin the groundwork for faster trains in New Jersey, building electric locomotives, and extending electronic ticketing to all trains in 2012.

The rail company released a list of  major projects (pdf) it hopes to begin, continue, or complete in 2012.

Amtrak also will roll out an e-ticketing system this year that will allow passengers to receive tickets via email, and then display them on their smartphones in the form of barcodes -- which conductors can then scan.  The rail provider said it would also continue to work on modernizing its 30-year-old reservation system.

Many of the new projects  focus on the Northeast -- the most heavily-traveled rail corridor in the country -- and also the region that House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee head John Mica says represents the best hope for high-speed rail.

In New York, Amtrak will be moving forward on a study for the Gateway Tunnel -- a replacement option for the now-canceled ARC trans-Hudson tunnel. Amtrak had initially requested $50 million for the study but was granted $15 million by the Senate.

Amtrak will also begin working on upgrading a portion of track in New Jersey to allow trains to travel at 160 miles per hour (a 25-mph increase over current speeds), and will continue upgrading track switches at the western entrance to New York's Penn Station to minimize congestion.

The first of 70 new electric locomotives will also be built in 2012, and will be put into operation on both the Northeast Corridor (Boston to Washington) and the Keystone Corridor (Philadelphia to Harrisburg.) In the spring of 2012, Amtrak says it will release a plan on how it will meet the forecasted growth in ridership nationwide.

Amtrak set an all-time ridership record of over 30 million passengers for FY 2011 -- the eighth ridership record in the last nine years. Congress cut its funding to $1.42 billion for FY2012, or $64 million less than Amtrak received in FY 2011.

Top stories on TN:
A Whole New York City Borough Gets Real-time Bus Information (Link)
Lhota: Don’t Hate on the MTA (Link)
NY Gov Cuomo to NY Pols: I Don’t Have To Ask Your Permission To Build the Convention Center, But Let’s Work Together (Link)
Senator Dianne Feinstein Wants To Save CA High Speed Rail — As Republican Assemblywoman Tries to Kill It (Link)

BART train (photo by Keoki Seu via Flickr)

The deal to extend BART to Silicon Valley is finally clearing its last major hurdle after a six-decade struggle -- and is likely to win $900 million in federal support. (San Francisco Examiner, Mercury News)

Status update: I'm driving right now! Mercedes-Benz USA is bringing Facebook to its cars. (Reuters)

Because it's become so popular, organizers have made some changes to New York's 5 Boro Bike Tour. (New York Times)

Transit riders in Edmonton will have their train tickets scanned for explosives. (Vancouver Sun)

Metro's proposed fare increase is infuriating riders. (Washington Post)

What happens when the NYC subway closes for repairs: workers work, and riders swear. (New York Times)

The new head of NY's MTA hates peeling paint. (NY Daily News)

Tweet of the day, by @lhrtobos: I like this kid's technique: "I WANT A SEAT!!!!!" Seat granted. I'm trying that tomorrow. #mbta

New York City -- which has put street ratings online (in the winsomely named Daily Pothole) and promised real-time snow plow data -- has now added street closure information to its toolbox.

Called NYC Street Closures, it pulls information from a variety of city agencies, including the Department of Transportation (which handles work permits for groups like large contractors and Con Ed) and the Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management. It's searchable by date and location, and a tab on the bottom allows readers to toggle between event closures and construction closures.

“We all know how frustrating it can be to wake up and find your street has been unexpectedly blocked off for a street fair, a parade, or any other event,” said Council Member Garodnick, the author of the bill that created this online tool, in a press release. “The least we can do is make sure that New Yorkers know in advance what is happening out there.  This online tool will give all of us a chance to find the events when we want them, and to avoid them when we don't.”

One caveat: the map shows planned closures. So if  work or an event has been cancelled due to weather, the map will still show the street as closed.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo just sent a letter to state political leaders urging cooperation for his convention center plan, which he wants to build in Queens. The convention center -- with its proposed express subway link --  featured prominently in his State of the State address.

"While I may have the legal authority to proceed unilaterally," he writes, "I choose to only proceed in full public view and with support of the legislature in a spirit of cooperation."

Cuomo also said: "Transportation to the site is an issue that needs to be addressed and we have been discussing the feasibility of MTA service from Manhattan to Aqueduct, with Genting paying the cost of such service." (our italics)

The full text of the letter is below.

GOVERNOR CUOMO SENDS LETTER TO LEGISLATIVE LEADERS REGARDING PROPOSAL TO BUILD THE CONVENTION CENTER AT AQUEDUCT

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver regarding the proposal to build the convention center complex at the Aqueduct site.
The letter is below:

Dear Majority Leader Skelos and Speaker Silver:

In my State of the State message last week, I spoke about a comprehensive program to foster economic development across the state. As the state’s resources are limited, our task will be to leverage private sector activity without significant funding from the state; no small challenge. Two projects I discussed were development of a convention center complex at the Aqueduct site in Southeastern Queens and the redevelopment of the Javits Center. As you will recall Genting New York LLC was granted in September 2010, the only franchise in New York City to operate a video lottery terminal (VLT) facility under a 30 year lease on 67 acres at Aqueduct. Genting has proceeded with the project, which from all perspectives, has gone exceedingly well.

In the past selection of gaming operators, race track issues, VLT designations have raised serious ethical and legal issues for the state. To be sure, the state’s current gaming arrangements are varied and controversial. I look forward to the opportunity to bring a logic and strategy to gaming operations in the state over the next two years through development of casino legislation and regulations.

In the interim, any transaction that the state makes with Genting or any modifications to the current state agreement will be submitted to the legislature for full review and action before becoming binding. Given the past history, while I may have the legal authority to proceed unilaterally, I choose to only proceed in full public view and with support of the legislature in a spirit of cooperation.

Genting has proposed further development of the site which includes the creation of a destination location of international potential. The destination location will include gaming, hotel rooms, entertainment, exhibition and convention center facilities. The economic impact of the project would be enormous, estimated to create thousands of construction and private sector jobs. The state investment would be minimal with potentially the greatest number of jobs produced in the state in many, many years. As you know, in each of the VLT racinos across the state, the state has, through legislation, negotiated a revenue sharing agreement and such an agreement would need to be negotiated here. Importantly, the new agreement would be binding only upon the new VLT terminal revenue which would be granted to the Aqueduct facility; while the terms and conditions of our original agreement remain in place. Hence, there is only the possibility of additional revenue for the state as our current revenue stream would be untouched.

While the discussions are preliminary and conceptual, at this point the first phase would include construction of 1,000 hotel rooms, theater and entertainment components, approximately 3 million square feet of convention and exhibition space, expansion of VLT gaming space and a parking facility. Importantly, Genting has the exclusive lease on all the land anticipated to be used in phase one and is the only legislatively approved VLT operator in New York City.

The second phase would require additional land beyond the 67 acres currently under lease to Genting. The Port Authority controls an adjoining 22 acres which Genting is considering for an additional 2,000 hotel rooms and approximately a half million more square feet of convention and meeting space.

Genting is prepared to work with the relevant labor unions and execute a project labor agreement. They will also work with the local communities and local governments on zoning, and meet or exceed all state MWBE requirements.

Transportation to the site is an issue that needs to be addressed and we have been discussing the feasibility of MTA service from Manhattan to Aqueduct, with Genting paying the cost of such service.

There is also an issue as to how this racino expansion at Aqueduct would affect operations at the nearby Belmont race track.

The Aqueduct project is linked to the Javits Center redevelopment as the New York Metropolitan area needs a convention site and if we do not plan to develop one as an alternative to Javits, then Javits would need to continue to operate. As I stated in my State of the State message, the Javits Convention Center is too small to be a competitive exhibition facility, and redevelopment of the current Javits site has exciting possibilities for the West Side of Manhattan and beyond. I also believe the redevelopment of Javits will render significant economic benefit to the State of New York which is essential during these challenging fiscal times.

I will also ask the legislature to consider passing language authorizing a Constitutional Amendment to allow casino gaming in the State of New York. That referendum would be at best two years from now – if ever – and should be considered as a separate issue from these current proposals. We would hope that the Aqueduct project could be finalized within one year on an expedited time frame.

Opponents to the project point out that many conventions centers lose money. That is a true point. Most governments weigh the issue of building a convention center with public money as a “loss leader” for the net economic gain of additional tourism dollars, etc. That is a debatable proposition. However, that is not the case here. The state is not building anything. We are not spending public money on a convention center. Genting, a private entity, will take the risk of economic success. I have never been a casino or racino proponent, but we are here now and the question is how to best maximize the economics and protect our citizens.

As you know, we are working aggressively to attract business investment to New York State. It would be ironic to say the least if New York did not seize an opportunity of this scale when presented with it.

The bottom line is that this is a low risk, high reward business opportunity for the state. The Genting organization already controls the land under phase one and already is the only legislatively approved operator for VLTs in New York City. Our only “cost” is noneconomic: the issuance of additional gaming machines at a preexisting gaming facility. The reward is approximately 10,000 construction jobs, 10,000 permanent jobs and $4 billion investment in the state. This investment would be one of the largest in the state’s history at no cost to the state.

A new convention center also frees the Javits site for redevelopment. I think the merits are clear.

I would appreciate your respective staff’s attention to engage in these conversations on a joint basis to see if they can be brought to fruition.

I also think it would be advisable for us to meet together with Genting officials in the coming weeks to discuss the proposal in person.

Thank you.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

###

Top stories on TN:
Joe Lhota, The MTA’s Rider/Chairman, Uninimously Confirmed (Link)
Transit Advocates: Where’s the Money for a Direct Train to New Convention Center? (Link)
Severe Weather Events Continue to Cost US: Big $$ to Alabama, Vermont, NY, NJ (Link)
New York’s Night Riders Unhappy with Subway Sleep (Link)
Rick Santorum, as Senator, Preached the Gospel of Transit (Link)

Ray LaHood (center; blue tie) at the Detroit Auto Show (photo courtesy of US DOT/Fast Lane)

NJ Governor Christie says he and NY Governor Cuomo are ready to work together on the Port Authority: "It's my time to get my arms around this agency now." (NorthJersey.com)

DOT Secretary Ray LaHood kicks off the Detroit Auto Show; defends government bailout of automakers. (Detroit Free Press)

And: automakers are flooding the auto show with new hybrids, but with gas prices below $4 a gallon, consumers are not buying them. (New York Times)

Chinatown bus company Double Happyness -- under federal orders to stop operating after being deemed an "'imminent hazard' to public safety"--has continued to sell tickets, violating a cease and desist order that was issued last week. (DNA Info)

Canceling the ARC tunnel last year cost NJ Transit nearly $300 million, according to an audit. (The Record)

DC's Metro is proposing a 5% fare increase. (WAMU)

Detroit's light rail project may yet live again, just .. shorter. (Transport Politic)

Want a state road for free? A Nevada transportation official said Monday that there has been "zero interest" in his agency's offer to give counties and cities 903 miles of state-owned and maintained roads. (Las Vegas Review Journal)

After sailing through two committee hearings, Joseph Lhota was unanimously confirmed by the New York State Senate to be chairman and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Monday.

Top stories on TN:
Exploring Grand Central’s Secrets, With the Author of Hugo Cabret (Link)
California Budget Supports Bullet Train, Would Create New Transportation Agency (Link)
Houston Starts Small As It Tries Out First-Ever Bike Share (Link)

A Christian Lacroix-designed tram in Montpellier, France (photo courtesy of Montpellier Agglomération Officiel)

Transit advocates are expressing doubt over the capacity to run an express subway train from midtown Manhattan to a proposed new convention center in Queens. (WNYC)

Montpellier, France, is installing "what may be Europe’s sexiest tram system." (New York Times)

Nigerian unions have launched a nationwide strike over soaring fuel costs. (BBC)

Taking parking lots seriously as public spaces: "Lots don’t need to be dead zones." (New York Times)

One-way streets are in the crosshairs of some city planners. (National Post)

The Detroit Auto Show is happening this week. (Detroit Free Press; coverage)

Legislation being drawn up in Atlanta could play a key role in determining the fate of the state's $6.14 billion transportation referendum scheduled for this summer. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

To market more cars to Americans, Volkswagen is getting less German. (NPR)

Los Angeles Times pro-high-speed rail editorial: "The point is, you can take the long view or the short view toward the bullet train. The expert panels are taking a short view; we prefer the long."

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey wants to start construction of a new Central Terminal Building at La Guardia Airport in 2014. (Wall Street Journal)

Police are ticketing passengers for subway infractions like propping up feet on a seat, blocking the doors, or taking up more than one seat. (New York Times)

Transit advocates haven't given up hope yet for a bus lane over the new Tappan Zee Bridge. (Journal News)

"Let's do a bicycle ride!" Ron Paul wants to prove he's healthy enough to be president. (Politico)

Before the "L," Chicago ran on cable cars. (WBEZ)

Reminder: New York City's first-ever subway line work shutdown begins tonight. (TN)

Top stories on TN:
Getting Around the Bay in 2012 Just Got Harder and More Expensive (Link)
Now He Can Say It: Walder Calls NY’s Infrastructure “Terrible” (Link)
Filling in the Blanks Of New York’s Infrastructure Plan (Link)

Buenos Aires subway (photo by posterboy2007 via Flickr)

GM is reinforcing the Volt battery with extra steel. (Detroit Free Press)

The company behind a proposal to build a new convention center in Queens said it will work with New York's MTA to fund uninterrupted subway service between Midtown Manhattan and the proposed convention center. (Wall Street Journal)

Buenos Aires is doubling subway fares after Argentina handed control of the system to the city--and decreased subsidies. (Bloomberg News via San Francisco Chronicle)

The feds have given final approval for a $1.7 billion transit line along Crenshaw Boulevard in Los Angeles. (AP via Sacramento Bee)

Freakonomics quorum: can Amtrak ever be profitable? Discuss. (Link)

RadioBoston kicks around solutions to prevent Boston's transit service from being slashed. Two words: congestion pricing. Other ideas: quasi-privatization, automatizing trains, and implementing zone fares. Read the comments section for even more. (WBUR)

NY Senator Charles Schumer wants the commuter tax credit back. (Staten Island Advance)

Yet another rescuer tries to save Seattle's historic Kalakala ferry. But: "It may have looked cool, but it was hard to maneuver and kept running into things." (NPR)

Ron Paul video from 2009: "By subsidizing highways and destroying mass transit, we ended up with this monstrosity."(Streetsblog)

Jay Walder greeting passengers in Hong Kong (photo courtesy of MTR)

Jay Walder, who abruptly resigned from New York's MTA last year to run Hong Kong's well-funded rail system, told reporters on his first day at his new job that New York's transit system was cash-strapped and crumbling when he took over in 2009.

"New York, when I arrived there, was in a financial crisis," he said on Tuesday. "The system simply did not have enough money to continue to operate. The assets were not being renewed. And the infrastructure was in terrible condition."

He went on to say: "What I did was to be able to right that financial basis and to be able to put the system back on firm financial footing."

Walder presided over some of the most severe cuts to the city's transit system in a generation, ending dozens of bus lines, shutting down two train lines, ending weekend bus service in some areas, and making trains noticeably less frequent. He also eliminated 3,500 jobs.

But the system now is also facing some -- how to put this gently -- financial complexities. There's a $10 billion budget shortfall in the agency's long-term capital construction plan. Governor Cuomo just signed an MTA payroll tax reduction into law -- with no concrete plan in place on how to replace those lost funds. And the MTA and its main union have cancelled a bargaining session only ten days before their labor contract is to expire.

But Mayor Bloomberg praised Walder's management Thursday, and said the MTA has started to make some improvements. He also said the agency is in good hands with Joseph Lhota, Jay Walder's successor.

Lhota's confirmation hearing is coming up Monday in Albany.

To hear Jay Walder's comments to the Hong Kong media, go here.

The former head of the MTA told reporters on the first day of his new job that New York's transit system was cash-strapped and crumbling when he took it over three years ago.

The Tappan Zee Bridge (photo by Joseph A. via Flickr)

How much of his prepared remarks did New York Governor Cuomo skip over in yesterday's State of the State?

A lot. But he got in plenty of time for a whimsical PowerPoint presentation.

TN's Andrea Bernstein talks about the governor's speech and his $15 billion infrastructure plan on today's Brian Lehrer Show. "He so rarely says the word 'transit," she said. "He talked about roads, he talked about bridges, he talked about the energy highway, he talked about The Tappan Zee Bridge. But again, it's very revealing about what he's thinking and what's going through his mind."

(But what exactly is an "energy highway?" It's unclear -- but in theory, it will bring power from Western New York to downstate residents. Although Cuomo likened the transformative power of this idea to the Eisenhower interstate system, Brian said it's "more like the Taconic than Interstate 90.")

Brian and Andrea also discuss the news that former MTA head Jay Walder told Hong Kong press that New York's transit system was cash-strapped and falling apart when he took over in 2009. Listen below!

Top stories on TN:
New York Governor Cuomo Proposes $15 Billion Infrastructure Plan (Link)
In Cuomo’s Speech, No Mention of the Word “Transit” (Link)
NY MTA Contract Talks With Transit Workers Union Delayed (Link)
New Jerseyans on Toll Hikes: We Don’t Care Why They’re Being Raised, We Just Care That We Have To Spend More Money (Link)
This Traffic Light Senses Bikes, Promotes Road Harmony (Link)
New South Florida Rail Connection to Miami International Airport Almost Done (Link)

NYC subway platform (photo by Kate Hinds)

U.S. automakers had double-digit growth in sales in 2011. (New York Times, NPR)

Jay Walder, the former head of New York's MTA, says at a press conference in Hong Kong that NYC's "assets were not renewed and the infrastructures were in terrible condition." (The Standard)

He also said he put the city's transit agency on "firm financial footing." (New York Times)

Gibson Crutcher Dunn -- the law firm that sued New York City over a Brooklyn bike lane -- is also defending Chevron in Ecuador, which was slapped with an $18 billion fine for environmental damage. (New Yorker; subscription; update)

JFK airport security workers make $8 an hour, and get neither get sick days nor health insurance. (Village Voice)

US DOT head Ray LaHood is touting the FAA's 2011 accomplishments. (Fast Lane)

Facing complaints about light-rail construction disrupting St. Paul businesses, the government will spend $1.2 million on a marketing campaign to entice shoppers to visit the beleaguered area (Minneapolis Star Tribune). (Note: for more on the Central Corridor construction, listen to the TN documentary "Back of the Bus.")

This week's sudden drop in temperature cracked rails on DC's Metro. (Washington Post)

West Windsor, NJ, is now a transit village. (The Times/NJ.com)

Maryland's department of planning created a smart growth web tool, GamePlanMaryland. "Choose...the direction for our transportation program — more roads, more transit, what combination? Then click the mouse ... and see if the future you’ve plotted will achieve the priorities you established."

The Brian Lehrer Show kicks off a month-long look at the airline industry today. (WNYC)

NYC's former taxi commissioner weighs in on a the recent taxi deal to improve service for the disabled -- and says it's "well-intentioned...[but will] in all likelihood rarely be used by the target ridership." (New York Times)

(Photo by William Hartz via Flickr)

How do New Jerseyans feel about the New Year's toll hike on the Turnpike and Garden State Parkway?

Notsogood.

"I don't think the commuters really care how you want to characterize it," said Star-Ledger reporter Mike Frassinelli on WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show. "A lot more money is coming out of their pockets. You can call it a tax hike, you can call it a toll hike. They just know more money is coming out of their pockets and they're not really happy with it."

Wednesday's Brian Lehrer Show devoted the last segment of its show to talking about the impact upon drivers.  (You can listen to the segment below.)

Callers were generally unsupportive of the hike -- like Joe in Madison, who said he worked for the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey. He called the toll hike  a tax on small businesses. "It makes it harder for us to do business, and to provide the arts to the community."

One topic on the segment: what Brian called "the political blame game:" NJ Governor Chris Christie is blaming the toll hikes on his predecessor, Jon Corzine -- a statement that is factually correct.

The toll increases were initially planned as a way to help fund the now-canceled trans-Hudson ARC tunnel. Earlier this year, the NJ Turnpike Authority voted to redirect that toll revenue to the state's transportation trust fund.

This week NJ Senator Frank Lautenberg -- an ARC supporter --blasted the governor for allowing the toll hike to go through. "It's shameful that New Jersey commuters are paying more without getting more in return," he said in a statement. "The governor was quick to cancel the badly needed tunnel, but flat-out refused to cancel the associated toll increase."

You can listen to the segment below.

Top stories on TN:
Romney: I’d Stop Funding Amtrak, and Have Big Bird With Ads (Link)
Chicago, New York to Make Snow Plow Locations Live During Storms (Link)
Coach Bus Files Chapter 11 (Link)
And: have you seen "New York’s Lost Subways" yet? What are you waiting for!

Billboard on the Bay Bridge (photo by Colin Mutchler/LoudSauce.com)

Expert panel: California's high-speed rail plan isn't financially feasible, and the state must delay borrowing billions for it. (Los Angeles Times)

Boston would raise subway fares by up to 70 cents and dramatically cull bus routes, eliminate ferries, and end weekend commuter rail trains under a plan unveiled Tuesday to help erase a projected $161 million deficit. (Boston Globe)

Work has begun on BART's Oakland Airport connector (Oakland Tribune). (And learn more about the battle over the airport connector in our documentary, Back of the Bus.)

Honolulu's $5.3 billion commuter rail line will break ground in March -- unless a judge halts it. (New York Times)

The Transport Politic has a map of transit projects underway in 2012.

Pay the toll, or spend the extra time? Two reporters test-drive whether it makes sense to pay the new tolls on the NJ Turnpike -- or spend more time on free side roads. (New York Times)

Two retirees are suing the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for canceling their lifetime free passes over its bi-state bridges and tunnels. (Star-Ledger)

In San Francisco nearly 2 in 3 trips in the city are made by car -- but transportation officials want to get the number to 1 in 2 trips before the decade is over. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Chicago's street parking rates are increasing. (WBEZ)

Gondolas: the transit wave of the future? (Toronto Star)

The 2012 presidential elections will decide the fate of transit projects nationwide. (City Limits)

Thanks for paying taxes, San Francisco! Learn the story behind the billboard on the Bay Bridge. (SFist)