Category: commuters

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Commute by train? Here’s how much NJ Transit wants to hike your Ridgewood Commute

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By Carla Astudillo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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on May 21, 2015 at 10:50 AM, updated May 21, 2015 at 10:52 AM

Just in time for the final public hearings on Thursday, we created an easy-to-use calculator where you can find out just by how much your fare will go up — if NJ Transit’s 9 percent fare hikes are enacted.

NJ Transit only made available the proposed fare increases for commuters going toNew York Penn Station, Hoboken and Newark Penn Station. That’s why the calculator only includes prices going to these three destinations.

The interactive will let you know just how much a one-way, round-trip, reduced and monthly passes would cost, as well as how much more you’d pay a year if you buy the monthly pass.

FROM

Ridgewood

TO

New York Penn Station 

                Current     Proposed          Change
One way          $9.25        $9.75                 +5.4%
Reduced          $4.25        $4.65                 +9.4%
Round Trip   $18.50     $19.50                  +5.4%
Monthly        $273.00   $298.00               +9.2%
If you buy monthly passes for your commute, you currently pay $3,276 annually. With the hike, you’ll pay $3,576 — as in $300 more.

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/05/commute_by_train_heres_how_much_nj_transit_wants_to_hike_your_fare_by_station.html

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Playing Favorites: Baroni going to Ireland to work on marriage equality referendum

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Bill Baroni received approval from a federal judge to travel to Dublin, Ireland today through next Tuesday to help pass a marriage equality referendum.

The Bergen Record has the story on the indicted former deputy director for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey here. (PolitickerNJ Staff)

Baroni going to Ireland to work on marriage equality referendum | New Jersey News, Politics, Opinion, and Analysis

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Amtrak to Resume New York to Philly Service This Morning

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A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT AND CEO JOE BOARDMAN REGARDING RESTORATION OF SERVICE ON THE NORTHEAST CORRIDOR

by Joe Boardman May 17, 2015

At Amtrak, the safety of our passengers and crew remains our number one priority. Since the tragic derailment, Amtrak staff and crew have been working around the clock to repair the infrastructure necessary to restore service for all the passengers who travel along the Northeast Corridor. Our repairs have been made with the utmost care and emphasis on safety, including complete compliance with Federal Railroad Administration directives.

Effective with departures from Philadelphia at 5:53 a.m. (Train 110) and New York City at 5:30 a.m. (Train 111) on Monday, May 18, Amtrak will restore normal service on the Northeast Corridor.

Although service along the Northeast Corridor will begin again tomorrow, the derailment of Northeast Regional Train 188 is a tragedy that we at Amtrak will continue to mourn and are dedicated to learning from.

Thank you for your support of America’s Railroad.

Joe Boardman
Amtrak President and CEO

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Amtrak Train Possibly Hit Before Wreck

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Photo
An image provided by the SEPTA line shows the shattered windshield of one of its trains, which was struck by an unknown object shortly before the Amtrak derailment.

Amtrak Train Possibly Hit Before Wreck

By DAVE PHILIPPS and EMMA G. FITZSIMMONSMAY 15, 2015

PHILADELPHIA — The Amtrak train that derailed Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring more than 200, may have been struck by an object before it careened off the tracks, an assistant conductor on the train told investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board.

At a news conference on Friday, Robert L. Sumwalt, the safety board official who is leading the investigation, said an assistant conductor had reported that she believed she heard a radio transmission in which an engineer on a regional line said his train had been struck by a projectile and the engineer on the Amtrak train replied that his had been struck, too.

Mr. Sumwalt said that investigators had found a fist-size circular area of impact on the left side of the Amtrak train’s windshield and that they had asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to analyze it. He said that the F.B.I. had been called in because it has the forensics expertise needed for the investigation, but that it had not yet begun its analysis.

He said that investigators had also interviewed the engineer and found him “extremely cooperative,” and that the engineer had said he was not fatigued or ill at the time of the accident. But he could not remember anything about the derailment.

Investigators asked the engineer, Brandon Bostian, whether he recalled any projectiles, and he said he did not.

“He was specifically asked that question, and he did not recall anything of that sort,” Mr. Sumwalt said. “But then again, he reported that he does not have any recollection of anything past North Philadelphia.”

The assistant conductor, however, who was working in the cafe car, heard Mr. Bostian talking to an engineer on the Septa regional rail line who said his train had been “hit by a rock or shot at,” according to Mr. Sumwalt. She said she thought she heard Mr. Bostian reply that his train had also been struck.

“Right after she recalled hearing this conversation between her engineer and the Septa engineer, she said she felt a rumbling, and her train leaned over and her car went over on its side,” Mr. Sumwalt said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/16/us/amtrak-train-may-have-been-struck-before-it-derailed-officials-say.html?_r=0

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AMTRAK TRAIN DERAILS KILLING 6 PEOPLE; INVESTIGATION BEGINS

APTOPIX Amtrak Crash

May 13, 7:37 AM EDT

BY GEOFF MULVIHILL
ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Daylight on Wednesday revealed the destruction and devastation caused by an Amtrak train derailment in Philadelphia that left at least six people dead and injured dozens more, several critically.

Some survivors had to scramble through the windows of toppled cars to escape. One of the seven cars was completely mangled.

The accident has closed the nation’s busiest rail corridor between New York and Washington as federal investigators begin sifting through the twisted remains to determine what went wrong.

Train 188, a Northeast Regional, left Washington, D.C. and was headed to New York when it derailed shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday. Amtrak said the train was carrying 238 passengers and five crew members.

Mayor Michael Nutter, who confirmed five deaths, said the scene was horrific and not all the people on the train had been accounted for.

Temple University Hospital’s Dr. Herbert Cushing said Wednesday a person died there overnight from a chest injury

“It is an absolute disastrous mess,” Nutter said. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”

He said all seven train cars, including the engine, were in “various stages of disarray.” He said there were cars that were “completely overturned, on their side, ripped apart.”

More than 140 people went to hospitals to be evaluated or treated.

https://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_AMTRAK_CRASH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-05-12-21-52-06

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Commuters could soon sit on NJ Transit board, but wouldn’t be able to vote

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A bill that would add two members to NJ Transit’s Board of Directors advanced to the state senate for a future vote.

(Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on May 11, 2015 at 12:52 PM, updated May 11, 2015 at 12:54 PM

A bill that would add two commuters to NJ Transit’s board is rolling down the tracks toward a vote.

The bill, proposed by state Senators Nicholas Sacco, D-Bergen, and Raymond Lesnaik, D-Union, was unanimously cleared by the five members of the senate Transportation Committee Monday morning and will go to the full senate for a vote.

The bill would add two non-voting commuter members to NJ Transit’s eight member board of directors.

“It’s difficult to get public input into decisions that affect people’s lives by people who take public transportation to get to work,” Lesniak said. “By having two public members, who will be able to make a motion, to have it voted on, we will be doing better by giving (the board) more public input.”

Lesniak used the upcoming NJ Transit fare increase public hearings as an example of why riders need representation on the board. Some of them are at inconvenient locations or times for commuters to attend and voice their opinion.

The idea was supported by founders of the state’s newest commuter commuter group, the New Jersey Commuter Action Coalition. They questioned why the proposed members wouldn’t have a vote.

“If these individuals are allowed to attend meetings in their entirety and engage with the rest of the group to truly exchange ideas, I think it is a great start,” said Michael Phelan, NJCAN co-founder. “If they will sit there and observe and be asked to leave so that the adults can talk for real after the meeting, then it’s not good. Why wouldn’t these members of the public be as capable of absorbing facts and voting as those who are on the board?”

Phelan suggested that bill should require that the two commuter board members take the next two available voting seats, as they become available, and that those seats continue to be held by commuters going forward.

https://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2015/05/commuters_could_soon_sit_on_nj_transit_board_but_wouldnt_be_able_to_vote.html

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Reform still an issue at troubled Port Authority

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Posted: May 03, 2015 11:37 AM EDTUpdated: May 03, 2015 11:38 AM EDT
By DAVID PORTER and MEGHAN BARR

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – The indictments against two former allies of Gov. Chris Christie and the guilty plea of a third, all stemming from the George Washington Bridge lane closing scandal, and the still-looming investigation involving the former chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have underlined the need for reform at the agency.

David Samson wasn’t mentioned in the indictment that charged a former Port Authority official and a former Christie aide with several wire fraud and conspiracy counts on Friday, meaning the separate investigation stemming from his time as chairman could yield further embarrassment for the bistate authority.

But despite the scandals, its leadership is optimistic about the future.

Port Authority Chairman John Degnan, who is leading the agency through the turmoil, said there’s an opportunity to learn from the indictments, “if there’s anything we missed that we should do.”

“In the seeds of disaster were the potential for reform. I view the indictments as another step in the healing process, reformation process,” Degnan, who was appointed by Christie last year after Samson resigned, told The Associated Press last week.

After the release of the indictments Friday and the guilty plea of David Wildstein, a former Port Authority official and Christie ally who said he orchestrated the lane closings with the help of former Port Authority official Bill Baroni and former Christie deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly, Degnan stressed that the agency’s new whistleblower policy is “one of the most aggressive in the country.”

Degnan said it supports employees who come forward if they see any potential violations, a policy he said could have avoided the lane-closing scandal since some employees likely were afraid to report the actions of superiors.

Degnan also said he understands the public’s frustration with the fact that both governors vetoed reform bills in their respective states in late December in favor of adopting a lengthy internal reform proposal. But he questioned the necessity of the reform legislation.

https://www.njherald.com/story/28963871/reform-still-an-issue-at-troubled-port-authority

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NJ Transit rail riders’ wish list unlikely to get out of the station

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MAY 3, 2015, 10:59 PM    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, MAY 3, 2015, 11:09 PM
BY CHRISTOPHER MAAG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

More buses. More trains. Big improvements, like a new tunnel under the Hudson River, and small ones, like better Internet connections. Getting home in time to tuck the kids into bed.

That’s what commuters say a proposed 9 percent jump in NJ Transit fares should help fund.

Oh, and spare riders the middle seat on trains.

“I loathe the middle seat. Who doesn’t?” said Tara Allerton, 41, an advertising executive and frequent NJ Transit commuter who wants more double-decker trains between New York City and her home in Ridgewood “to spend more time at home with my family.”

But NJ Transit officials say that the money — and some service cuts — are needed to close the agency’s $60 million budget gap.

Most transit riders said they understand that NJ Transit is not considering any service improvements, a fact confirmed by Nancy Snyder, an NJ Transit spokeswoman. Instead the proposed fare increase — the first one since a 2010 fare increase of 25 percent — is intended only to pay for basic operating expenses. But that alone won’t be enough. Late-night service cuts will be felt on the Pascack Valley and Montclair-Boonton rail lines.

“It’s a fare hike to keep the lights on, but it’s worse than that because there are service cuts,” said Janna Cherwitz, New Jersey policy analyst for Tri-State Transportation Campaign, which advocates for better mass transit.

Commuters will get their say this month, in a series of 10 hearings and public information sessions held at sites throughout the state, including Secaucus, Hackensack and Paterson. And it’s likely NJ Transit officials could get an earful.

Officials already know the agency has a problem with the on-time performance of its buses, and they know how riders feel about it. Only 69 percent of NJ Transit’s buses left on time during the first three months of 2015, according to a report presented to the agency’s customer service committee late last month. The agency received 3,459 complaints in March, according to the report. The most common problems included delayed and canceled trips, missed connections and no-show buses.

Train riders fare much better. During the 12 months that ended in March, 94 percent of trains left on time, according to NJ Transit.

Meanwhile, ridership continues to grow, increasing by 2.3 percent over the last year to 271.3 million passenger trips, a record, according to the agency’s latest financial report.

That has only increased the cries for better service, it seems.

“If they’re going to ask for more money, they should give us more trains,” said Randy Pernicone, who commutes from River Edge to his job in Manhattan as a finance executive for Anthem Insurance. “It’s frustrating.”

Michael McDaid of Ho-Ho-Kus echoed that sentiment.

“I would like to see more trains in the evenings and weekends,” said the 42-year-old, who rides the train to his job in Hoboken. “I guess they’re not really talking about that. But still, it would be nice.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/nj-transit-rail-riders-wish-list-unlikely-to-get-out-of-the-station-1.1324711

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NJ TRANSIT MOBILE TICKETING NOW AVAILABLE TO ALL BUS CUSTOMERS

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NJ TRANSIT MOBILE TICKETING NOW AVAILABLE TO ALL BUS CUSTOMERS

Monthly Pass Purchase Available April 28 via MyTix on all bus routes

April 27, 2015

NEWARK, NJ — As part of an ongoing effort to improve the overall customer experience, NJ TRANSIT today announced the expansion of its MyTixmobile ticketing app to all intrastate bus routes in New Jersey.  Beginning tomorrow, April 28th, customers will be able to utilize their mobile device to purchase and display monthly intrastate and intra-commuter bus passes for all NJ TRANSIT routes on their mobile devices. The feature is already available on all rail lines and on South Jersey bus routes and routes serving Port Authority Bus Terminal, Lower Manhattan and GeorgeWashington Bridge.

“The feedback from our customers regarding MyTix mobile ticketing has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman Jamie Fox. “We’re pleased to expand its availability statewide and provide another amenity to make travelling more convenient for our customers.”

“Time and again we have heard from our customers that they love the ease and convenience of MyTix mobile ticketing,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim.  “This expansion of the mobile ticketing app gives all of our bus customers the ability to treat their smart phones as both a ticket vending machine and a monthly bus pass all in one.”

MyTix is available for free download on any web-enabled iOS or Android device, via the App Store or Google Play.  To purchase monthly bus passes via MyTix, customers must first install the app and then create an account, which will securely save customers’ profile information and purchase history for ease of use.  Bus monthly passes self-activate at midnight on the first day of the calendar month for which they are valid and remain active throughout the entire month.  Customers then simply display the monthly pass on their mobile device to the bus operator when boarding the bus.

NJ TRANSIT first introduced MyTix in April 2013 as a pilot program for rail customers on the Pascack Valley Line, as well as between Penn Station New York and the Meadowlands Rail Station for special events, to test the functionality of the app and determine the feasibility of expanding it to other rail lines.  In September 2013, NJ TRANSIT expanded MyTix to the Main/Bergen County and Port Jervis lines, followed in October by the Montclair-Boonton and Morris & Essex lines, and in November to the North Jersey Coast and Raritan Valley lines.  The rail system-wide rollout was completed in December 2013 with the inclusion of the Northeast Corridor and Atlantic City Rail Line.  In September 2014, MyTix was first introduced to bus customers in South Jersey on 59 bus routes, serving communities throughout South Jersey, as well as Philadelphia.   In January of this year,MyTix was expanded further to routes serving Port Authority Bus Terminal, Lower Manhattan and George Washington Bridge.

Many improvements made to the agency’s MyTix app were the direct result of valuable feedback from customers using the app during the gradual rollout. Since its 2013 introduction, MyTix has already become very popular among NJ TRANSIT customers.  To date, customers have established more than 468,000 accounts through MyTix and purchased more than 5.46 million tickets.

For more information on MyTix, visit njtransit.com and go to “Ticket Options,” then click on “MyTix” from the drop-down menu.

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NJ TRANSIT SET TO BEGIN PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE PROPOSED 9% FARE INCREASE

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Public comment encouraged at locations across the system
April 20, 2015

NEWARK, NJ —Throughout the past five years, NJ TRANSIT held the line on fare increases while maintaining high quality services and implementing new customer amenities including MyTix, Departurevision, and MyBus Now.

However, costs such as contract services – Access Link, the organization’s paratransit service, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and private carriers – and healthcare and benefits, general liability insurance, workers’ compensation and pensions have steadily risen. As a result, NJ TRANSIT has been left with a significant budget gap.

Although NJ TRANSIT has identified more than $40 million in reductions in overtime, fuel savings, energy and vehicle parts efficiencies, the agency still faces an approximate $60 million budget gap for the 2016 fiscal year. To close the gap, fare and service adjustments are being proposed.

NJ TRANSIT will hold nine scheduled public hearings and one information session beginning Saturday, May 16, 2015 to allow the public the opportunity to learn more about the proposed fare increases and service changes and offer comments before the plan is considered by the Board of Directors on July 8, 2015.

The proposed service and fare changes would take effect in September 2015 and on October 1, 2015, respectively. The proposed fare adjustment would be an average of 9 percent for the majority of NJ TRANSIT customers.

Beginning on Monday, April 20th, customers may log on to www.njtransit.com for additional information regarding the budget and service adjustment plan.

To ensure an inclusive public comment process, NJ TRANSIT has scheduled nine public hearings and one information session at locations across the state from May 16 through May 21.  The hearings and information session will be held in the evenings and on Saturday to encourage participation.

In addition to appearing in person, members of the public also may submit comments via mail to: PUBLIC HEARING OFFICE – FARE PROPOSAL COMMENTS, ONE PENN PLAZA EAST, NEWARK, NJ 07105; online at www.njtransit.com or dropped off at Customer Service Offices. The online public comment period will be extended until 11:59 p.m., Thursday, May 21.

PUBLIC HEARINGS & INFORMATION SESSIONSSaturday, May 16, 2015                                                 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

NEW BRUNSWICK (INFORMATION SESSION)

New Brunswick Public Library – Carl T. Valenti Community Rm.,

60 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ

Monday, May 18, 2015                                                    5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

ATLANTIC CITY

Atlantic City Rail Terminal – Lobby

One Atlantic City Expressway, Atlantic City, NJ

FREEHOLD

Monmouth County Agricultural Building

4000 Kozloski Road, Freehold, NJ

Tuesday, May 19, 2015                                                   5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

SECAUCUS

Frank R. Lautenberg Station at Secaucus Junction

County Road & County Avenue, Secaucus, NJ

CAMDEN

Camden City Hall – Council Chambers (2nd Fl.)

520 Market Street, Camden, NJ

Wednesday, May 20, 2015                                               5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

NEWARK

NJ TRANSIT Headquarters – Board Room

One Penn Plaza East, Newark, NJ

HACKENSACK

Learning Center, 4th Floor

One Bergen County Plaza, Hackensack, NJ

Thursday, May 21, 2015                                                   5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

TRENTON

Trenton Transit Center

72 South Clinton Avenue, Trenton, NJ

MORRISTOWN

Morristown Town Hall – Senior Community Center (3rd Fl.)

200 South Street, Morristown, NJ

PATERSON

Paterson Museum – Thomas Rogers Building

2 Market Street, Paterson NJ

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NJ Transit fares could be hiked as much as 9 percent, state report says

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By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Email the author
on April 14, 2015 at 12:33 PM, updated April 15, 2015 at 7:31 AM

Commuters could be hit with an NJ Transit fare increase that might reach 9 percent in fiscal year 2016, based on budget documents for the coming year.

NJ Transit’s budget documents said revenue from fares would increase by 8.8 percent, from the $928.6 million earned in fiscal year 2015 to $1.01 billion in 2016, according to an Office of Legislative Services’ review of NJ Transit’s financials.

“It is not clear whether this increase in fare box revenue reflects a possible fare increase or whether this represents estimated (ridership) growth before the impacts of a possible fare increase,” said the OLS analysis.

But that growth is unlikely to come from ridership. Total NJ Transit ridership only grew by two percent between Jan. 2014 and Jan. 2015 to 270 million passenger trips, according to the last agency ridership report. That is the highest ridership since fiscal year 2009.

NJ Transit Executive Director Veronique Hakim said if the agency decides to raise fares, a package of increases and service reductions would be announced by the end of the month. Hakim also said she wants to limit a fare hike to a single digit increase after fares raised by 22 percent in 2010.

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/04/nj_transit_fares_could_be_hiked_as_much_as_9_percent_state_report_says.html

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Facing shortfall, NJ Transit considers fare hike

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Maddie Hanna, Inquirer Trenton Bureau
Last updated: Friday, April 3, 2015, 1:07 AM
Posted: Thursday, April 2, 2015, 7:03 PM

New Jersey’s transit agency is considering a fare hike to fill a revenue shortfall, its director told lawmakers Thursday.

NJ Transit officials said they expected to propose a fare increase by the end of April, in light of a $60 million gap in next year’s operating budget.

Testifying before the Senate Budget Committee, executive director Veronique Hakim did not specify how much the agency might raise fares.

But given the size of its last fare increase in 2010 – which averaged 22 percent – “any proposal we put on the table would have to be substantially less than that to be palatable,” Hakim said.

A proposed fare hike would be subject to “robust” public comment, she said.

A spokesman for the agency, William Smith, said later Thursday that the agency “would attempt to keep any increase in the single digits.”

Read more at https://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20150403_Facing_shortfall__NJ_Transit_considers_fare_hike.html#hpSHmBOXRu95sMrh.99

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Reverse commuter shuttle service ending

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Reverse commuter shuttle service ending

March 19, 2015    Last updated: Thursday, March 19, 2015, 12:31 AM
By Lianna Albrizio
STAFF WRITER |
Pascack Valley Community Life

A shuttle bus that offered a free reverse commute to passengers to and from the Ridgewood Train Station to their jobs at corporate buildings in Woodcliff Lake, Park Ridge and Montvale will cease operation.

Montvale Councilwoman Leah LaMonica, who was instrumental in finding funding for the three-year-running bus, said at the meeting that the county was “unwilling” to get another grant to keep the wheels on the service in motion. Alicia D’Alessandro, director of communications to the office of Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco III, confirmed the shuttle’s eventual discontinuation.

“While a final decision hasn’t been made, it is likely that the operation of the shuttle will cease later this spring,” she said in a phone interview after the meeting.

The handicapped-accessible, 16-seat shuttle was funded via a $150,000 three-year environmental grant from NJ Transit in March 2012. The bus provided a reverse commute for passengers to and from the Ridgewood Train Station in Garber Square as early as 7:15 a.m. to as late as 6:30 p.m. LaMonica had worked with former state Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk to provide transportation for commuters to the tri-boro area, which the councilwoman previously said had been underserviced for years.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/shuttle-bus-service-to-corporate-buildings-to-cease-1.1291636

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After 40 years of Renovations : Push to Replace Port Authority Bus Terminal

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After 40 years of Renovations : Push to Replace Port Authority Bus Terminal

New depot is estimated to cost up to $11 billion

By
ANDREW TANGEL
Updated March 17, 2015 12:47 p.m. ET

When the Port Authority Bus Terminal opened in 1950, it helped New York City funnel a growing number of buses carrying commuters into Manhattan’s West Side.

Today, the terminal west of Times Square is a major chokepoint for bus traffic from New Jersey suburbs. Commuters complain of delays, crowding and a dreary environment.

Like Penn Station about 10 blocks to the south, the terminal is also the butt of jokes. Last summer, the comedian John Oliver declared it “the single worst place on Planet Earth” and joked that even cockroaches are trying to escape.

Now the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has preliminary estimates for how much it could cost to replace its eponymous terminal: $8 billion to $11 billion, a potential price tag rivaling that of a project to dig new passenger rail tunnels under the Hudson River.

The terminal is expected to take the spotlight at the Port Authority’s board meeting on Thursday, highlighting how the agency is trying to refocus on regional transportation in the wake of the September 2013 scandal involving lane-closures at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, N.J.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-push-to-fix-port-authority-bus-terminal-1426547679

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New York Sponsor of Port Authority Reform Bill Rejects a New Jersey Compromise

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New York Sponsor of Port Authority Reform Bill Rejects a New Jersey Compromise

ALBANY — A legislative sponsor of an effort to overhaul the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said on Monday that a possible compromise bill suggested by a leading New Jersey Republican would not be acceptable in New York, all but dooming its chances as currently imagined.

The sponsor, Assemblyman James F. Brennan, a Democrat from Brooklyn, said that the compromise bill, proposed by Senator Thomas H. Kean Jr., did not include several elements that he felt were necessary, including independent oversight of large capital projects, requirements to disclose the compensation of top officers and an obligation on the part of the chief executive to certify that financial statements are “true and accurate.” (McKinley/The New York Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/03/nyregion/new-york-sponsor-of-port-authority-reform-bill-rejects-a-new-jersey-compromise.html?_r=0