With just weeks to go before the congestion pricing deadline, city Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan was the guest at the Feb. 27 On/Off the Record Breakfast held at the Commerce Bank flagship location on 42nd Street and Madison Avenue.
From the changes made to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan by the Traffic Mitigation Commission to what is being done to court the Legislature, congestion pricing was the main topic of discussion. But also on the agenda were considerations of ferries, bicycles and pedestrian malls as Sadik-Khan spoke on the topic of “Congestion Pricing and the Future of City Transportation.”

Q: What is your assessment of where things stand with congestion pricing at this point?
A: Well, I’m cautiously optimistic that it’s going to pass.

Q: What do you think is necessary to get the Legislature to do that?
A: Well, I think we need to get out of the business of defending and prolonging our congestion crisis. There have been many studies done, most notably by the New York City Partnership, showing that congestion costs this city $13 billion a year. I think if you take a look at what the costs of congestion are, it’s really a safety issue. We’re talking about the safety of our streets, the safety of our environment, the safety of our civic life and I think that people are starting to understand that it’s just not working, we are really stuck in gridlock. And I think that the more people understand that, the better. It’s almost like the Barack Obama of transportation initiatives: the more people learn about it, the more people seem to like it.

Q: The Traffic Mitigation Commission came back with a modified version of the mayor’s plan. What is your take on the changes that were made?
A: The commission plan made the mayor’s plan better. It reflected the meetings we had across the region, in the city. We listened to what the public had to say about it, what elected officials and community organizers had to say about it, and as a result I think the plan is stronger than the original plan that was proposed.

Q: Do you think we’re likely to see more changes to the plan?
A: I don’t have a crystal ball. I don’t really know what Albany’s going to do with the plan. I think there has been a lot of good movement. You know, we’re at an unusual turning point for transportation in New York City, and we have the opportunity, I think it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to do something really positive for New York and deal with the traffic congestion we have and bring congestion relief to the city. Those conversations are going on; a way to funding that program, that’s part of the terms of the debate that’s going on. And Governor Spitzer created a new account in the state budget for those congestion pricing revenues. I believe that we’re making headway up there and there will be a lot of conversations between now and March 31, when the vote is taken on the plan.
Q: Are there any more changes you would make to the plan at this point?
A: I was very impressed with the Congestion Mitigation Commission plan that was adopted and voted on and it was really an incredible experience to go through because you had people from all different walks of life and from all different political backgrounds who worked and wrestled collaboratively with it, who went to all the public hearings and feel very strongly that the plan is the best possible plan to reduce vehicle miles traveled by 6.8 percent, and get the equivalent environmental improvements associated with that and come up with money for the MTA’s capital program. I think it’s a real win-win for New York.

Q: If the Legislature votes to approve the congestion pricing on March 31, do you think it is realistic that we will actually see the cameras and the borders in place by March 31, 2009?
A: Well, there are several members of my staff in this room with circles under their eyes, actually that’s probably everybody on my staff, but in some ways it’s like an alternative universe because we are running as if we’re moving forward with the legislative approval on March 31, and we need to do that in order to have the program in place and ready to go in a straightforward way.

Q: Ferries are part of PlaNYC, and Christine Quinn has come out strongly in favor of a system. Do you think that ferries would be integrated into the system so that it could be one Metrocard swipe?
A: Well, that would be an ideal goal. When you go to different parts of the world, you see they have a single fare media that lets you go on subways, busses, ferries. Virtually everything in Hong Kong you use them, even to pay for school lunches. We’re not quite there, but I think there is a lot of opportunity and the technology is there, so the mayor’s put a big premium on technology and bringing new technology to New York City and bringing them to the streets of New York is certainly a high priority.

Q: You are a bicycle fan. Bicycle lanes are being expanded in the city. How do you see bicycles being further integrated into the city transportation system?
A: Well you know, we’ve got a great opportunity here. A lot of the things that haven’t been talked about in terms of congestion pricing are the fact that we will have more space to play with on the streets of New York. With the reduction of 110,000 less cars we are able to build out our public spaces and public plazas and that’s one area we’re spending a lot of time on and so too we’re spending a lot of time thinking what we can do to promote low-impact, very cost effective ways of getting around. 56 percent of the trips in New York City are three miles or less, 21 percent are a mile or less and we’re a flat, compact city, so it’s a very natural mode of transportation. I think it’s been difficult because I think in a sense that bikes have been the poor stepchild in our transport network and have not been seen as an equal player.

Q: You have traveled to several places around the world on the job. What are some things you have seen other cities doing when it comes to transportation which you think should be brought to New York?
A: Congestion pricing. Cities around the globe understand they have to look at their transportation systems differently. As a transportation commissioner it is about getting from Point A to Point B, but it is much more than that. If you take a look at the fact that DOT has jurisdiction over 6,000 miles of streets, so when you look at it from that perspective there’s a lot that we can do in that regard and that’s what cities around the world are starting to do and are starting to say, “Look, let’s look at this a little differently.” And so they’re starting to address that automobiles have taken over a lot of the cities and they need to perhaps throttle that back and make investments that make sense going forward. So, we’re taking a look at our streetscapes differently, kind of in line with what you’re seeing in Copenhagen and Paris and Sydney and Hong Kong, all over the planet because they’re taking a look, and they’re calming down their streets, building out the pedestrian plazas in areas and they’re making it attractive for people to walk around. And so that reclaiming of the street space and sort of redefining the public realm. What is it like to be on the streets of New York? Do you feel like you’re in your living room? So we’re moving in that regard. We’re making those kinds of investments, making more areas for parks and pedestrians, putting additional street footage out there, attractive amenities, that’s the kind of thing we’re in the process of doing right now because I think that defines quality cities and to a large degree improves the economic development opportunities, because companies want to move to places where it’s easy to get around, where it’s attractive to get around. So we should make those spaces where people gather in as attractive as they can be.