Mass transit weasels on the Tappan Zee Bridge

If you've seen even a few posts on this blog, you'll know that I'm a big fan of Streetsblog, and read it every day. But any two people will have something to disagree with, and I'd be a sycophant if I didn't call them out when I think they're wrong. Today, Streetsblog was wrong, at least partly, when Noah Kazis fact-checked the Thruway Authority's fact-checking of various unsourced "myths" about the Tappan Zee Bridge.

I want to get a few things straight. First of all, real fact-checkers provide documentation, okay? For both sides - that someone has actually said the "wrong thing" or myth, and that it's wrong. Noah gets it right, with quotes from the Thruway's Anonymous Flunky, and with links to documentation, but the Flunky fails that one. Second, I was the first one to post a list of seven myths about the Tappan Zee Bridge project - now expanded into my website, thetappanzeebridgeisacancerinourmidst.com.

Now, let's fact-check the fact-checking of the fact-checkers. Unfortunately, this took a bit more time and energy than I expected, so I only was able to do one "myth." Hopefully I'll have a chance to do some more soon.

Flunky's Myth: Mass transit is not part of the new Tappan Zee Bridge.
Flunky's Fact: The new bridge will support mass transit including bus rapid transit and commuter rail -- even before Rockland and Westchester Counties begin plans for a full mass transit system that could connect with the bridge.

Noah's Real Fact: Mass transit is not part of the new Tappan Zee Bridge. The state is building the bridge so as not to actively block transit from being added later — though they’ve refused to verify even this — but there’s a world of difference between that and actually building something that can take you to work.
Noah's Real Fact: Neither Rockland nor Westchester County was ever supposed to build the mass transit system on their side of the bridge.

Cap'n's Opinion: "Mass transit" is a shitty word. Who's in favor of "mass" anything, other than maybe mass spectrometry?
Cap'n's Fact: "Mass transit" is part of any bridge a bus goes over. The current bridge includes "mass transit," and we can say with near certainty that the replacement would too.
Cap'n's Fact: Rapid transit - a rail or bus system that is time-competitive with driving - is not part of the current replacement plans (PDF).
Cap'n's Fact: "Support" and "transit" are both weasel words in this context - words that can be interpreted two ways, allowing someone to promise one thing and deliver another.

Cap'n's Opinion: Tri-State started the weaseling, asking people to "support transit on the bridge," leading these people to expect transit of a speed, quality and frequency comparable to Metro-North or even the New York City Subway, and by posting slides of dedicated bus lanes in dense urban environments. Streetfilms went further by promising the "quality of rail." The image is of a system that will get people out of their cars and spur transit-oriented development from Suffern to Port Chester, but the system as planned in 2009 (PDF) would be sprawl-oriented with large park-and-rides, and have as its centerpiece a pair of high-occupancy/toll lanes on the bridge, not even a true busway.

Cap'n's Opinion: The Anonymous Flunky is exploiting the same ambiguity as Tri-State, just taking it further. Tri-State opened the door, and the Thruway walked thru it.

Cap'n's Opinion: After years of talking about using state and Federal money to build Suffern-to-Port Chester transit, the Governor decides that it's now the responsibility of Rockland and Westchester counties - and announces it in a subclause of a polemical press release purporting to be relaying "facts"? Who the fuck voted for this guy?

Cap'n's Recommendation: We should all avoid leading people on with weasel words, and instead use words that, in context, unambiguously specify what is being planned or proposed. Tri-State and Streetfilms need to secure the moral high ground by not promising more than can reasonably be delivered, but the big liars here are the Anonymous Flunky and the Flunky's bosses, Governor Cuomo and Thruway Executive Director Madison.

For a bonus, Tri-State is absolutely spot-on in their well-documented takedown of the lies in a thoroughly bizarre anti-transit rant on the website of a pro-bridge-replacement front organization.