Tri-State Transport Agency Regional Plan Group Backs

NEW YORK — The Regional Plan Association has endorsed the efforts of the Metropolitan Regional Council through its chairman, Mayor Robert F. Wagner, to establish a Tri-State Transportation Agency representing the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the City of New York and the Metropolitan Regional Council.

"The Regional Council's proposal, already approved in principle by Governor Abraham A. Ribicoff, is generally in line with the recommendation made last year by Regional Plan Association for a similar commission," said Walter D. Binger, chairman of RPA’s Committee on Metropolitan Transportation, adding, "Implementation of a Tri-State Transportation Agency could be carried out by enlarging the membership and scope of the Bi-State Transportation Agency set up by New Jersey and New York last year. Or the Bi-State Agency, which while in being is not yet in operation, could be replaced by the newly proposed Tri-State body."

"In addition to the essential emergency measures needed to keep the commuter railroads running," Mr. Binger said, "our Association last year strongly recommended that a comprehensive metropolitan transportation study be undertaken. In order to do this, application should be made soon through the state highway departments for transportation planning funds still available under the Federal-Aid Highway Act. Similar studies which used these funds are now under way in other metropolitan areas including Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit and Pittsburgh."

"Our metropolitan region," Mr. Binger said, "is lagging behind in taking advantage of these federal funds now available to underwrite an official comprehensive transportation study of all the inter-related forms of transport which operate in the region. The U.S. Bureau of Public Roads which administers the planning with the interstate and defense highway systems, recognizes that highways can be properly planned only if in relation to other forms of transportation including rapid transit."

"Regional Plan Association believes that immediate action is needed on two fronts. Move ahead with practical measures to bolster the rail commuter lines. Start at once with the belated effort to plan long-range improvements of the region's existing and future transportation system. We see no reason, for example, why New York and Newark must lag behind Philadelphia and Camden which last year set up the $3 million Penn-Jersey Transportation Study. Such studies take several years to complete. Our Tri-State Region should not let the many fire alarms of the rail commuter crisis distract us from beginning here a long-range program for transportation planning."

"Many of the region's problems are within a single state, but many cross the boundaries of two or even the three states of the region. Regional Plan Association last year recommended that each of the governors appoint identical small commissions which would be empowered to act alone or in concert depending on the issue involved. Governor Ribicoff has written the Association that he was prepared to appoint his commission as soon as Governors Rockefeller and Meyner expressed their willingness to do the same. All three governors have indicated great interest and have had the matter under serious study. Now it is hoped that they will act by forming a Tri-State Transportation Agency."