Today’s Headlines

The “free-market” McCain advisers ignore the trillion-dollar carbon-auto subsidy. That is disingenuous. But many “environmentalists” also ignore it. That is worse.

As I mentioned, the MTA had a massive, once in a generation windfall of excess real estate transfer tax revenues. It’s gone, and lots and lots of money was borrowed on top of it.

It’s a generational war. Our generation, and those after, have lost without fighting back.

The NYT piece blames rising energy prices on increased demand abroad, oil-futures investors, and exporting countries without mentioning the 10-ton gorilla in the room: peak oil. The root cause of rising energy prices is geological in nature. Worldwide crude oil production is at the top of a bell curve indicating that our supply is half gone (the U.S. reached its domestic peak in 1970). The other half will be far more expensive to get at, hence rising prices, and eventually shortages. See theoildrum.com.

Daily News piece:

Jim N and all- I e-mailed the writer and urged her always to drive cautiously. She replied to me, and said she does.

I always cringe just a little bit at the phrase “no brainer”, not only does it tend to cutoff subsequent debate and input but it can be turned around on the writer very easily.

That said, there are indeed many complex interoperability issues between the railroads. All of these systems are the spawn of private railroad, Jersey Central, New York Central, Pennsylvanie, New York and New Haven. Each of those private operators ran their own action with regards to engineering and real estate investments, all had active freight operations. Each of these systems operates different electric power stations that operate on different cycles and deliver power in many different modes. For example, the shoe runs atop the third rail on LIRR and below the third rail on Metro North. New Haven trains run off of pantagraph power and over AMTRAK rail. Siemens and Bombardier are capable of making equipment that could run through the different systems howeverm, it is a real heavy lift. As important are the institutional obstructions. LIRR can’t even add a third track to the main line and MN trains running through NJT territory have a long schlep through Seacaucus.

Yeah, the technical issues can be overcome, all it takes is money, after all we put a man on the moon. The institutional arrangements can be made but a lot of political leaders will have to drop their own NIMBY, BANANA and CAVE weapons. Interoperability takes a lot of trust between institutions and constituencies. Besides money, the main shortage to do this sort of stuff, especially in Commuter Rail territory where almost all the voters already own cars, besides money, is trust.

Any systems you know running with those bi-sexual shoes Jason? Beyond that the power systems are very expensive and clearly equipment able to swing both ways between AC, DC and different cycle power grids require redundant onboard systems complicated and expensive to maintain and operate.

Look at the LIRR dual mode diesel-electric fleet performance. MN did much better with their dual modes but still, very expensive and relatively poor performance. Still, it is safe to assume that the technology, like all technology will improve.

My belief though is that what drives European interoperability of commuter rails is the prevalence of parliamentary governments with dominant city political power in all of Europe. What balkanizes our systems is Federalism and having every city surrounded like Custer by competing, jealous and self-interested suburbs. What could bring Port Authority, NJT and MTA together? Two governors, two senates, two assemblys, countless county, village and town governments, each with their own agenda and constituency. They each have independent funding mechanisms and entirely distinct governance approaches.

Put them together in a single institution and the technical and service issues will follow. Until that is done the technical and service issues remain an insurmountable obstacle.

Wow this really has turned into name-calling. And the anti-CP types keep repeating the same lame excuses and not listening to the valid responses. Anti-progress NIMBY types; I bet they are all active on the CB’s.

For all of you bleeding heart liberals calling this a regressive tax tell me this: how many of your poor, sick and other needy types are actually driving into the city? And if they are driving in either they can afford to pay for a garage, or are double-parking or parking illegally. We don’t need them here.

Are there no hospitals outside Manhattan? Hasn’t every study shown that people who drive to Manhattan are in fact wealthier that the general population?

And this whole fairness issue of the NJ’ers is repeating the same thing even though Janette Sadik-Khan and Rohit Aggarwala responded to this. If you really want to do something work for the re-installation of the commuter tax.

Lockboxes and such are the best we can do to assure that the funds go to transit. With the crooks (oops I mean politicians) in Albany you never know: and Susan I will take a $354 million Trojan Horse any day of the week.

I hope Christine Quinn and any other politicina reading this looks beyond the small-minded and repetitive CP-opponents.