Urban Planners Propose Big Changes To Regional Life and Transit

Dozens of urban planners from the Regional Plan Association have drafted their first major proposal for improving mass transit and livability in the metropolitan area in more than 20 years. The group consulted with experts and policy makers, and also solicited feedback from focus groups across the New York and New Jersey region.

WNYC's Beenish Ahmed told Jami Floyd that some of the ideas may seem far fetched, but the group has turned proposals into a reality before. The plan released in 1996 included recommendations for the 2nd Avenue Subway line and East Side Access, which connects the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminal.

"Both of those projects took years to get off the ground and billions of dollars, but they did get done," Ahmed said. "So that might mean some of the proposals in the current report aren't as pie-in-the-sky as they seem."

The RPA's 380 page report includes ideas for turning the New Jersey Meadowlands into a national park, shutting down the subways for a few hours every night to make track repairs, and creating a transit system that merges Metro- North, Long Island Rail Road, and NJ Transit.