The project advances New York State’s nation-leading agenda to combat climate change by reducing congestion, which reduces vehicle emissions and takes more traffic off local streets, and through the addition of a new managed-use lane that will serve high-occupancy vehicles, including occupied taxis, occupied for-hire vehicles (FHVs), and buses.
—Gov. Kathy Hochul’s spokesperson Glenn Blain said in a statement.
A friend (hi Dan) sent me a Gothamist report wherein Comptroller Brad Lander laments how much of New York City’s Federal cash infusion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is immediately planned to be spent on highway-widening projects. We know these projects are a money sink and decrease equity and mobility across the region. In particular, the article mentions Van Wyck Expressway, which bisects Brooklyn and Queens but is maintained by the State and Port Authority.
The Governor’s spokesperson says literally nothing in that statement. It’s a single sentence that describes an agenda that’s “nation-leading”1 by putting buses last. Okay, let’s quickly annotate it.
…nation-leading agenda to combat climate change by reducing congestion…
These two ideas are probably correlated but not necessarily causality related. The way to combat climate change would be to promote and fund more transit, walking, and biking options, not by widening the highway. Also, I think this statement is likely referring to reducing traffic/idling on and around the Van Wyck and feeder roads. We know that widening the highwereay will increase overall congestion as more drivers choose to be the traffic they think they’re in.
…which reduces vehicle emissions and takes more traffic off local streets…
The word “which” is doing a lot of work here. It’s a big maybe and I could argue the counterfactual is true: increasing congestion increases vehicle emissions…which is what this plan would do. Also, taking “traffic off local streets” is only an effective outcome if we define what we mean by it. Are we trying to pull people away from local businesses?
…and through the addition of a new managed-use lane that will serve high-occupancy vehicles, including occupied taxis, occupied for-hire vehicles (FHVs), and buses.
Without enforcement, it will also just be another lane that NYSDOT can say is a HOV on paper. If it’s a bus lane, let it be a bus lane.
In short, if we don’t tell the truth and manicure every statement so that it’s the least offensive, we’ll get what we pay for. Billions in new spending on capacity projects that only offend people without power—punishing the “wrong” people and enriching the “right” ones.
Says who? If I have to hear these empty and evocative platitudes ever again. World-class my arse.