ACEC NY supports MOVE NY Faster. Safer. Fairer. - by Jay Simson

The American Council of Engineering Companies of New York supports the MOVE NY proposal. Designed to relieve congestion in New York City, this is a forward-looking plan that will produce an immediate economic benefit to the city, while supporting its projected long-term growth.

The MOVE NY proposal was created by Sam Schwartz, PE, principal and founder of Sam Schwartz Engineering D.P.C. In the 1970’s, Schwartz coined the term “gridlock,” and has been known as “Gridlock Sam” since. Schwartz conceived MOVE NY as part of a comprehensive solution to traffic problems. Reduced traffic levels will help to alleviate congestion on the major arteries into New York City from the boroughs and from New Jersey and Connecticut. The reductions in delays and improved reliability of travel time will be a benefit for business and make living and working in the region more sustainable. 

By introducing market-driven pricing for the most congested areas of the city while lowering tolls elsewhere, $1.3 billion a year can be raised to fund transportation and transit projects in New York. The funds generated will be used to maintain, improve and build new transportation systems, which in turn will increase ridership. Less traffic translates into reduced emissions. This plan will also enhance economic activity in New York City. Expanded transit services will facilitate commuting as well as trips to Manhattan for recreation and shopping. In addition, the plan has the potential to create approximately 30,000 annual recurring jobs that would stimulate all sectors of the state’s economy.

As an association representing the engineering designers of transportation systems in New York State and throughout the world, ACEC New York knows that funding infrastructure is essential and that solutions may not be easy to achieve. We believe through the examination and testing of creative methods, such as innovative pricing, the city, state and federal government can collaborate to find solutions to reduce congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, provide new transit services, support growth and maintain the region’s economic competitiveness and improve the quality of life. 

Supporters of MOVE NY include the New York Building Congress, the Regional Plan Association, and the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. For more information on the MOVE NY plan, visit iheartmoveny.org, or follow MOVE NY on Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr.

ACEC New York is a proactive coalition of 270 firms representing every discipline of engineering related to the built environment—civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, environmental, geotechnical—and affiliated companies. Our shared goals are to further the business interests of our membership, enhance the quality and safety of the environment we live and work in, and help ensure the vitality of our communities. For more information, visit www.acecny.org.

Jay Simson, CAE, is the president of ACEC New York, Albany, N.Y.