General Election Day, Tuesday, November 5th, 2013, is almost upon us, when voters around New York City (NYC) will take to the polls to select their next Mayor. The candidates on the ballot will include: Bill de Blasio (Democratic Party nominee & NYC Public Advocate); Adolfo Carrion (Independence Party nominee & former Bronx Borough President); Jack Hidary (Independent & entrepreneur); and Joe Lhota (Republic Party nominee & past Metropolitan Transportation Authority - MTA Chair).

Primary day, Tuesday, September 10, 2013, is almost upon us, when voters around New York City (NYC) will take to the polls for the Republican and Democratic parties to select their nominees for Mayor. The University Transportation Research Center (UTRC), for Region 2 (NY, NJ & Puerto Rico), held a NYC Mayoral Candidates’ Transportation Forum at Baruch College on June 19th, moderated by Distinguished Lecturer and former NYC Taxi & Limousine Commissioner Matthew W. Daus, Esq.

This study examined alternatives for improving the efficiency of the pneumatic system that has been used for collecting residential municipal solid waste on Roosevelt Island, New York since 1975. Alternatives included a basic equipment upgrade; expansion to include separate recyclables streams (metal/glass/plastic; paper); and a further expansion of the system to include commercial and litter-bin waste. These three scenarios (plus the No-Action alternative, representing a continuation of the status-quo system) were compared to conventional truck collection.

This study explored possibilities for using existing transportation infrastructure for the cost-effective installation of pneumatic waste-collection technology in Manhattan. If shown to be economically and operationally feasible, reducing the number of trucks used on the island’s densely encumbered streets could offer significant environmental, public-health, and quality-of-life benefits.

Two large questions informed the research for this article: first, how and why did the mid‐20th century shift from private to public ownership, financing and operation of passenger railways affect the subsequent financing and development of high speed rail? Second, does high speed rail create opportunities for the return of the private sector to a significant role in passenger rail transport, such as financing and operating new lines?