Bill Thompson

Political Party:
Democratic Party

http://www.thompson2009.com/

Candidate Submitted Biography:

Born and raised in New York City, Bill Thompson is the son of a New York City public school teacher and a New York State Supreme Court Judge. It wasn’t public service that led Bill to understand the challenges New Yorkers face; it was the challenges New Yorkers face that led Bill to public service.

A product of our public schools, Bill has spent over two decades serving the people of New York. At every step of the way--as an aide to a Congressman, as the youngest Deputy Borough President in our city’s history, as Brooklyn’s representative to the school board, as President of the Board of Education and as our City’s Comptroller, Bill has been a champion for the hard-working New Yorkers who are the backbone of our city’s success.

A proven leader who has worked aggressively to strengthen the city’s finances, uncover waste and abuse, and safeguard the city’s finances, Bill Thompson was elected City Comptroller in 2001 and overwhelmingly re-elected in 2005. As the city’s chief financial officer, he manages a staff of more than 700 highly skilled professionals with a budget of $68 million. His work impacts every aspect of the city’s operations, including the budget, public financing and the delivery of city services.

Mayor Survey: Bill Thompson

Question 1:
What are New York City's most pressing transportation needs? As mayor, how would you address these needs?

First, we need to keep our irreplaceable transit system in a state of good repair and upgrade it when it isn’t. Two major reports I released as Comptroller illustrate a systematic decrease in City and State transit support. The result: two proposed fare hikes in 18 months and a 2010-2014 MTA capital program that is $10 billion short.

As Mayor, I will reverse this trend by working to find new sources of funding through measures such as my weight-based automobile registration fee increase.

Second, we need to improve and enhance transit service. One tactic: Use cost-effective Bus Rapid Transit or BRT features like pre-payment to help move buses more quickly.

Third, we need to make transportation in New York City accessible for all New Yorkers. Too many New Yorkers cannot use the City’s yellow-taxi and livery cabs because they do not accommodate wheelchairs.

Many neighborhoods are also poorly served by transit. In 2006 and again this year, I urged the MTA to broaden the use of CityTicket on the commuter railroads. As Mayor, I will use my influence at the MTA to make this a reality.

Finally, I will significantly increase City oversight of MTA and Port Authority decision-making and make sure that the State Department of Transportation also is more responsive to City needs. My MTA Board members will be subway and bus riders, more representative of the City’s population and more willing to fight for better service and smarter use of our fares and tax dollars.


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Question 2:
A growing number of studies find that passive exercise, through walking and biking, is associated with significant health benefits. Would your administration make increasing walking and biking a public health priority?

Absolutely. New York City is fortunate because, in many neighborhoods, it is still possible to pick up groceries, pick up a take-out meal, or go to a hardware store with a quick walk or bike ride rather than by car. Other cities live and die by the car; we do not.

But we have lost that in some neighborhoods. To change this, we need to plan with pedestrians and bicyclists in mind all the time, not just when it’s convenient.

Overall, we have not done well by our commercial strips and small businesses, so essential to our economic well-being and our sense of community. Too many find rents impossible to meet and deliveries too expensive.

To preserve small businesses and the community they help foster, we need a multi-faceted approach that ultimately reduces traffic. Transportation policy is a central element. We must increase transportation alternatives, because a City that works is a City where many different transportation alternatives are available in many different neighborhoods. We must also significantly step up the examination of transportation needs in underserved communities, so we can create better options for current automobile users. Finally, we must implement a variety of measures to reduce automobile speed, so New Yorkers feel safe taking that stroll or bike ride.


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Question 3:
Each year, approximately 300 people are killed and thousands of people are injured by automobiles in New York City. What would your administration do to reduce these numbers? In particular, what role should the NYPD play as the primary agency charged with keeping New Yorkers safe?

I believe that smart engineering, better public-safety education, and more consistent enforcement could bring the death and injury rate down significantly – and I will make this a priority from my first day in office.

In engineering, my transportation department’s first priority will be safety, not traffic speed. By using crosswalk bulbs, neck-downs, and other engineering techniques that are common in many cities but still innovative in New York, we can reduce the risk that pedestrians will be hit by a negligent driver. We can protect bicyclists and pedestrians with well designed bike lanes as well; both would benefit from public education campaigns that get the message to drivers and bikers about the City’s speed limits and other road rules.

In the end, consistent enforcement is key. We’ve seen how better policing has helped reduce New York’s homicide rate over the past two decades. But New York City drivers believe they can get away with speeding and other moving violations with impunity. That will end in my administration, led by an NYPD with a directive to track dangerous moving violations (and to release this information publicly), reduce them, and show significant improvement through a reduction in vehicular deaths and injuries.


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Question 4:
The Partnership for New York City estimates that traffic congestion is to blame for $13 billion a year in losses to the New York Metropolitan Region's economy. What relationship do you see between the regional economy and traffic congestion? Which, if any, policies do you support to mitigate traffic congestion throughout the five boroughs?

While in office and on the campaign trail, I’ve talked to countless business leaders who tell me that traffic is a business killer. Congestion adds to delivery costs, makes it hard to get supplies to construction sites, and can discourage local commerce.

The battle to reduce congestion must continue, but more strategically and wisely. I supported the mayor’s congestion pricing plan, but on the condition that certain modifications were implemented to make it more equitable and workable.

As Mayor, I will lead the fight to reduce congestion as a necessary element of our economic recovery and to improve our quality of life. Among other proposals, I will support:

* Use of time-based tolls on MTA facilities;
* Introduction of neighborhood parking permit programs to discourage park-and-commute traffic;
* A weight-based vehicle registration fee to discourage the purchase of automobiles, especially over-sized models, in the City;
* Increase of BRT and other initiatives to increase transit use by underserved communities, including moves to increase accessibility for wheelchair users and other persons who are mobility-impaired;
* A comprehensive plan to reduce truck traffic – the fastest growing segment on our roads – with a Cross-Harbor Tunnel and other initiatives.


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Question 5:
The City recently released plans for Bus Rapid Transit and expressed interest in bringing a bike share program to New York City. As Mayor, would you promote the continuation and/or expansion of these public transit initiatives?

I strongly support a speedy expansion of a New York Bus Rapid Transit network, including on Manhattan’s First and Second avenues.

I am particularly impressed by the thoughtful proposals of the Pratt Center for Sustainable Development, which would open up new neighborhood-to-work corridors throughout the City, especially for economically disadvantaged communities. I will use these as an important guide for the implementation of BRT.

At the same time, BRT may be a useful way to respond to population growth in other communities poorly served by the current transportation network. I also see BRT as a wise use of stimulus funding if additional federal money is allocated.

I will look at all ideas to increase bicycle ridership, including a bike share program.


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Question 6:
In an effort to increase the safety, enjoyment and health of New Yorkers walking, running, skating or riding a bike in Central and Prospect Parks, car traffic has been gradually restricted on the loop drives within these parks. What do you think of these changes? Do you have an opinion on the idea of completely closing these loop drives (not crosstown transverses) to cars and reserving them strictly for recreational users? What effect do you think such an action would have on the people in surrounding neighborhoods?

Parks should be parks, not roadways. Obviously, Central and Prospect parks were never designed with the automobile in mind.

Gradual reductions in the time traffic is allowed in our parks makes sense, but we should also look into a pilot program that ends all vehicular traffic on the loop drives.

For nearby residents – and for all New Yorkers and tourists – this will make these two New York City gems safer and far more pleasant. I understand that some people believe that traffic might increase on nearby streets, so my Department of Transportation will work to mitigate possible effects before and after the loops are closed during the pilot program. However, the gradual changes have not caused disruptions, and many studies show that overall traffic actually decreases when road capacity is reduced.


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Question 7:
According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles' most currently available data, in 2007 speeding was a contributing factor in over 3,000 motor vehicle crashes in New York City. Furthermore, the same data showed that the top human contributing factor to the 264 fatal crashes in New York City during 2007 was also speeding. Given these figures, what measures (eg. speed cameras, if any, do you support to redress this problem? Finally, do you believe that New York City's current speed limits are safe?

Speed kills, as countless safety ad campaigns have pointed out for years. Currently, speeders get a free pass on New York City’s streets, as Transportation Alternative’s study, Executive Order, amply illustrates. Your report offers an extensive blueprint for reducing automobile crashes, injuries, and deaths and an ambitious but achievable timeline for doing this.

As Mayor, I will ensure that speeders no longer get a free pass on our City’s streets. Among other initiatives, my administration will:

* Support the innovative use of technology, including speed cameras (and decoy cameras) to penalize speeders;
* Conduct public-education campaigns targeting all drivers, including those in New Jersey and the New York suburbs;
* Promote street designs that will encourage drivers to drive more slowly and safely; and
* Make the enforcement of speeding rules a major priority for the NYPD and, as appropriate, its traffic agents.


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Submitted by Bill Thompson on Tue, 08/18/2009 - 11:40.
Submitted by Bill Thompson on Thu, 08/13/2009 - 12:37.