nymtc regional freight plan - New York Metropolitan Transportation ...
nymtc regional freight plan - New York Metropolitan Transportation ...
nymtc regional freight plan - New York Metropolitan Transportation ...
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A Freight Plan for the NYMTC Region<br />
The Policy package still has a minimal impact and the Rail package still has the largest<br />
impact. However, the differential between the Rail package and the other packages is not<br />
as great as it was when only commodity trucks were analyzed because the Rail package<br />
diverts some <strong>freight</strong> from truck to rail but has no impact on the larger universe of truck<br />
trips. Conversely, the Highway package still results in an increase in total truck VMT but<br />
now has a more significant impact on truck VHT relative to the Policy and Rail packages.<br />
This is because all trucks benefit from the highway improvements included in this package.<br />
Expanding the universe of vehicles further to include all vehicles (trucks, autos,<br />
buses, etc.) dilutes the merits of and distinctions between the alternative packages among<br />
a much greater pool of traffic, and does not generate a meaningful comparison. The<br />
analysis of user and system benefits below provides a better comparison of the impact on<br />
all travelers and vehicles.<br />
Tables 6.4 and 6.5 disaggregate the non-commodity truck trips into the same geographic<br />
subregions as previously presented for commodity truck trips in Tables 6.1 and 6.2.<br />
Because there are more than twice as many non-commodity truck trips as commodity<br />
truck trips, the percentage changes are much smaller. All of the changes are less than<br />
one percent at the sub<strong>regional</strong> level although some individual counties [Queens,<br />
Richmond, Fairfield (Connecticut), and Hudson (<strong>New</strong> Jersey)] would experience larger<br />
reductions in VHT, primarily in the Highway package. These areas reflect the localized<br />
impacts of the more significant physical improvements included in the Highway package.<br />
These include the Highbridge Interchange reconstruction, continuous service roads on the<br />
Cross Bronx and Staten Island Expressways, the Clearview Expressway extension to JFK,<br />
and the Goethals Bridge capacity expansion. Clearly, the most significant sub<strong>regional</strong><br />
improvement in non-<strong>freight</strong> truck VHT occurs in NYC in the Highway package. The<br />
impact of the Rail and Policy packages on non-<strong>freight</strong> trucks trips is minimal. The<br />
Highway package does result in an overall net increase in non-<strong>freight</strong> truck VMT of<br />
0.3 percent in the NYMTC region versus a 0.1 percent reduction in northern <strong>New</strong> Jersey.<br />
In conclusion, it is important to note that the benefits of the Rail package are most significant<br />
when only <strong>freight</strong> transportation is considered, while the benefits of the Highway package<br />
are most significant when all truck transportation is considered. Therefore, while the<br />
Rail package can be judged by its impact on <strong>freight</strong> transportation alone, the Highway<br />
package should be evaluated as part of a larger <strong>regional</strong> transportation strategy impacting<br />
all truck traffic.<br />
Cambridge Systematics, Inc. 6-6