ABSTRACT

Transportation decision-making is rarely connected to other aspects of urban planning. In fact, different aspects of transportation are run by different agencies – some of a city’s roads are subject to the jurisdictions of the city itself and others to state or national control; buses are operated by one agency and commuter trains by another; taxis are regulated by a different government agency altogether. Different parts of the transportation system are allocated to the national government, to the state government, to the city, to many different specialized public corporations and agencies, and to the private sector. The two most important actors on transportation issues are the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The highways are run by the New York and New Jersey State Departments of Transportation. And the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission licenses the city’s taxis.