Governor Cuomo’s announcement that the Canarsie tunnels can be fixed without closure of the L train could be welcome news for the 400,000 commuters who use the train daily. We hope more details are released about the specifics of the plan, its impacts on riders, its cost, and its long term implications for tunnel operations. We welcome new approaches at the MTA and have long-called for reform. Any potentially innovative ideas need to be carefully scrutinized and evaluated.

Over the last few years, smart transportation plans have been laid in concert with community and elected leaders that should still go into effect, including the transit way on 14th Street, which would serve as a model for improving bus travel throughout the city; experimentation with HOV restrictions on East River crossings; and accessibility and station circulation upgrades at 1st Ave, 6th Ave, Union Square, and Bedford Ave. Changes like these would improve the commutes of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors to our city and help our city address pressing transportation challenges.