Disincentives to drive? Many questions raised by Atlantic Yards Watch before meeting tonight on arena transportation plan

There's a big meeting tonight at 6 pm at Borough Hall for the public to respond to the belated release about the Barclays Center Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan, and Atlantic Yards Watch points out many questions to raise about fitting an arena into a residential area.

How much will we learn from Forest City Ratner consultant Sam Schwartz and associated government agencies? Unclear. But some questions might be answered earlier in the day at the Atlantic Yards District Service Cabinet meeting at 9:30 am at Borough Hall; I hope to have at least a preliminary report up by the afternoon.

Disincentives to drive?

The biggest questions regard disincentives to drive, which have not been mentioned so far in official plans: will Forest City, and the involved city and state agencies support an arena parking tax surcharge? will they support residential permit parking? how will they otherwise restrict arena patrons from parking on streets near the arena?

AY Watch notes:

Robust TDM plans include both incentives and disincentives to discourage driving and parking... Disincentives such as Residential Parking Permits and an arena parking surcharge can only be implemented with the assistance of the City and State.
The parameters of the TDM, as laid out in the Memorandum of Environmental Commitments, are carefully worded in a way that limits FCRC's ongoing responsibility to provide meaningful relief from the large volume of traffic generated by a 19,000 seat venue. Before the opening of the arena, FCRC is required to "implement incentives to reduce traffic demand associated with the operation of the Project to reduce the overall number of vehicles coming to the arena for a Nets game within one-half mile of the arena by 30% of the initially projected demand." (Italics added.) As we discuss further below, the plan's goal isn't actually to reduce the number of arena patrons driving, but the number of patrons driving within a certain radius and at certain times to the arena.

The questions

AYW lists several questions and issues, which are expanded on in their post:

1. Does the TDM program apply to all arena events at all times of day?
2. Setting of real performance goals.
3. Parking controlled by FCRC.
4. Protection of local streets.
5. On-going monitoring and enforcement.
6. Stronger data collection.
7. Effective transit incentives.
8. Utilization of shuttle and other buses.
9. Bicycle incentives.
10. Cross-marketing plan.