Residents of both suburban communities and outer boroughs face a variety of hurdles when they need to get from point A to point B. They face infrequent transit service, with multi-seat trips, and sometimes multiple fares. Increasing traffic has made traveling by bus less reliable. The time and cost and unreliability of these options sometimes makes traveling by personal car or for-hire-vehicles a more rational choice.

Meanwhile, suburban leaders and transit agencies are grappling with the effects of these choices. This includes escalating traffic and rising costs to operate transit systems with declining ridership. At the same time, for-hire vehicles are providing new mobility options for last mile trips to commuter rail stations, reducing the need for suburban residents to own cars, and reducing demand for parking near stations.

A breakout panel at the 2018 RPA Assembly will hear from the voices from communities affected by transit deserts and the experts who are working on the innovative and unconventional solutions that are revolutionizing what is feasible in these areas.

Some of our featured speakers include:

John Andoh, Dutchess County Public Transit

Mr. Andoh will explore the status quo for transit riders in the northern reaches of the region.

Tabitha Decker, Transit Center

Ms. Decker will report on the status quo of outer-borough transit and the need for multimodal solutions to address this issues that New Yorkers in transit deserts face.

Jason Post, Uber Technologies, Inc.

Mr. Post will shed light on the potential of ride-sharing and how it will play a role in suburban and outer borough life.

Eric Rothman, HR&A

Mr. Rothman will contribute his expertise in transportation planning, transit-oriented development, and economic development to the panel.

Lucas Sanchez, New York Communities for Change

Mr. Sanchez will provide the perspective of mid to lower income transit riders and how limited and costly transit effects their lives.

Overall, RPA has done extensive work and research which discusses solutions to suburban and outer borough transit challenges:

Expand suburban transit options with affordable, on-demand service

Combine three commuter rail systems into one network

Build new subway lines to underserved areas of the city

To learn more about this year’s Assembly, click here.