I'll support anything that lessens congestion, and speeds up the commute. However, any project, proposal or plan that comes to the island does not impede the small town feel of the District. It's a careful balance that has to be maintained, but I would first focus on bringing smoother roads to our district, speeding up the train, and cutting the ribbon on a South Shore Ferry.

I am very supportive of BRT and of bike sharing. I held meetings and released a report some years ago regarding improvement of bus service, including smart cards, paying before entering, and installing cameras on buses to photograph license plates and issue summonses to vehicles that park in bus lanes. I introduced two resolutions in 2006 (Res. 356 and Res. 355) advocating for the cameras to be installed, and legislation is pending in Albany. The recommendations for BRT service improvements should also be made to regular bus service, so that passengers can get on and off safely and the bus can move more quickly. I support bike sharing, and am glad it is used at Governor’s Island. The City Council staff has met with DOT on the topic, and I believe that liability issues are still a challenge. If a rider has an accident while using a city-sponsored bike-sharing bicycle, and brings suit, who is liable? I hope that we can work these issues out. I would like a bike-sharing program in my district.

I have been very excited by the Bus Rapid Transit concept and would definitely encourage the system be used in New York. It will reduce traffic and congestion in the streets, on subway platforms and mak travelling around the city easy and energy efficient. I think the bike share program is a good idea and would always encourage increased bicyling for transportation purposes.

As long as BRT is not seen as a replacement for improvements and upgrades in our current subway and bus system, I would be willing to consider enhanced BRT services. The bike share program, where hundreds of bicycles are bought for public, shared use, needs to be fully reviewed before City dollars are committed for its implementation.