IRUM
The Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc.
A New York Not-for-Profit Corporation
The Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc (IRUM) was incorporated as a New York not-for-profit corporation in February 1997 to study and promote the enhanced livability and increased economic competitiveness of New York City and other dense urban areas through a program of innovative transport reforms. Key programs being advanced by IRUM are shown below. For more information about IRUM click here.

Opinion, NY Daily News (March 1, 2022)
A better route for the redesign of Penn Station

Comments on Manhattan Central Business District Tolling Program (September 23, 2021)

Opinion, NY Daily News (April 11, 2021)
Build down for a better Penn: There’s no need for expansion, just make Amtrak-less station more efficient and connect to Grand Central

Opinion, NY Daily News (February 21, 2021)
A job for Engineer Pete: How Secretary Buttigieg should fix the Hudson tunnel

Opinion, NY Daily News (February 20, 2021)
Defending AOC is defending NYC

Letter to US Department of Transportation (February 12, 2021)
Letter regarding two IRUM initiatives

Letter to NYC Department of Transportation (February 11, 2021)
Request your careful consideration and endorsement of a proposal that we began more than two decades ago—vision42

Letter to the Editor, NY Daily News (December 20, 2020)
Let’s Rethink our Infrastructure

Comments on draft of scoping document for the preparation of an EIS for the proposed Empire Station Complex Project (August 14, 2020)
Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Empire Station Complex Project

Letter to Governors Andrew Cuomo and Phil Murphy (May 26, 2020)
Stimulating the NY-NJ-CT region�s economy by advancing cost-effective transport strategies

Letter to the Editor, New York Times (March 6, 2020)
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day in NYC with a Car-free 42nd Street

vision42 presentation to IRUM Working Group (December 1, 2019)

Comments on proposed LaGuardia Airport Access Improvement Project Environmental Study (June 13, 2019)

LAGURDIAEXPRESS—Rail Connection between LGA and Grand Central Terminal-Penn Station (June 5, 2019)
Prepared by Alexander Garvin, President and CEO Alex Garvin & Associates

Statement at City Council Hearing on the BQX � Brooklyn Queens Connector (May 30, 2019)

Letter to East Side Access review team (April 29, 2019)

Statement at Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer Hearing on Manhattan Congestion Pricing Plan (March 21, 2019)

Letter to MTA regarding East Side Access (February 8, 2019)
IRUM urges the MTA to convene a panel of independent experts to consider the merits of changing course on the LIRR Deep Cavern project.

Presentation to Mary Kay Murphy, Director of Planning and Development Department at PANYNJ (January 18, 2019)
Regional Rail Should Be a Top Transportation Priority for the Port Authority of NY and NJ.

Statement at MTA Fare Hearing (November 27, 2018)
IRUM urges MTA to halt proposed fare hikes for its bus, subway and commuter rail lines.
M.T.A. is on track to decide on a fair hike - The Villager

Crain's New York Business: Letter to the Editor (November 2, 2018)
Getting to JFK, George Haikalis (PDF)

Press Release (September 21, 2018)
Transit Advocates urge NJ Governor Phil Murphy to Route New Hudson Tunnels by way of Hoboken, and halt plans for a new Hackensack River Bridge.

A better way to connect N.Y. & N.J.: Why spend $25 billion on Gateway when we can do the job for closer to $6 billion? (January, 2018)
Daily News Opinion by George Haikalis, Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc.

IRUM Comments at Gateway Program Development Corporation meeting of Board of Trustees (September, 2017)
Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc.

IRUM Comments on Hudson Tunnel DEIS (August, 2017)
Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc.

Presentation for the Association of the Bar of NYC (June, 2017)
Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc.

NY Daily News: Letter to the Editor (Inter-Airport shuttle) (March, 2017)
Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc.

An Update of vision42 Modeling and Technical Studies (January, 2017)
Update of vision42 Benefits, Costs and Fiscal Impacts prepared by Urbanomics, Inc.
Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc.

IRUM Comments on Hudson Tunnel Scoping Document (November 30, 2016)
Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc.

Statement at meeting of NYMTC (September 17, 2016)
Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc.

Position of IRUM on Reforming transportation planning for the NY-NJ-CT metropolitan area (August 23, 2016)
Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc.

Statement at Meeting of the Metropolitan Area Planning Forum (June 9, 2016)
Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc.

Routing the new Hudson River tunnels via Hoboken
Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc.

Comparison of river-to-river light rail vs 10th Avenue subway station for 42nd street
Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc.

Statement at Public Hearing: April 4, 2016
NY City Council hearing on Carfree Day

Statement at Public Hearing: September 21, 2015
NY City Council hearing on Citywide Ferry System

Statement at Public Hearing: September 17, 2015
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer Hearing on Manhattan Congestion

Exhibition: November 17, 2014 - January 5, 2015
The Durst Organization & chashama present the 4 semi-finalists for international design competition of proposals for a river-to-river auto-free light rail boulevard on Manhattan�s 42nd Street.

Statement at August 16, 2011 PANYNJ Public Hearing on Toll and Fare Hikes.

Press Release: December 22, 2009
Fire Safety Experts Urge U.S. Homeland Security Secretary to Halt Construction of Deep Cavern Railway Stations in Manhattan

Preliminary Analysis of Benefits and Costs of Constructing and Maintaining Midday Car Storage Facilities for the LIRR (November, 2007)

Current Projects:


JFK Airport Express: Building World Class Airport Ground Access for New York City. A Study of the Reactivation of Long Island Railroad Rockaway Beach Branch. Prepared by Capstone students at NYU�s Wagner School of Public Service. May 8, 2013


Price Matters: Free Transit Citywide with Road Pricing for the Manhattan Central Business District.



This study, funded by renowned labor mediator Theodore Kheel's foundation Nurturing New York's Nature, Inc (NNYN), 
was initiated by IRUM in February 2007. The completed report,  

A Bolder Plan: Balancing Free Transit and Congestion Pricing in New York City (January 2008), is available here.


Earlier research results of the study were presented at the regular monthly meeting of Auto-Free New York on Tuesday, June 26, 2007. To see the presentation, click here for PowerPoint or PDF version.

Congestion Pricing: Statement at March 24, 2008 NYC Council Hearing.



PlaNYC 2030: Statement at June 8, 2007 NYS Assembly Hearing on NYC�s Sustainability Proposal.



Making the Connection: Moving Forward on Regional Rail. 



Auto-Free New York: Exploring the upper limits of "devehicularization" in our nation's largest city.



vision42: Light Rail Transit in a River-to-River Crosstown Boulevard.



LIRR East Side Access: Bringing the Long Island Rail Road to existing trackage in Grand Central.



Liberty Loop: Low Cost Key to Downtown Revival.



Making Tracks on 2nd Avenue: The Case for Light Rail Transit on Manhattan's East Side.













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Other Transportation Advocacy Groups:


Regional Rail Working Group: A Consortium of Transit Advocacy Organizations.



Village Crosstown Trolley Coalition: Making Tracks Through the Village.





Earlier studies related to current IRUM initiatives:


Analyzing the Potential for Commuter Train Run-Through Service at New York Penn Station August, 2014

Prepared by Amtrak Northeast Corridor Infrastructure Investment and Development and Amtrak Operations Research Groups




Access to the Region’s Core: Summary Report November, 2003




JFK One-Seat Feasibility Study MTA February, 2001




Access to the Region’s Core: Milestone Summary Report May, 1999




People Powered Personal Rapid Transit George Haikalis and George Bliss, November, 1996

International Conference on PRT and Other Emerging Transportation Systems, Minneapolis, MN, USA




SupraCar George Haikalis, 1968

Highway Research Board, Washington, D.C.



Apple Corridor The Committee for better Transit, June 4, 1996




Brooklyn-Queens Rail Link The Committee for better Transit, June, 1994




Network Northeast George Haikalis, November 8, 1993




Planning a Nationwide High Speed Rail Freight and Passenger Network George Haikalis, October, 1992




NYC Dept. of Transportation's Flawed Analysis of Closing Central Park Drives to Traffic George Haikalis, August, 1992




Greenwich Village Traffic Calming Study Michael Robert King, Columbia University, May, 1992




Transportation in the NY-NJ-CT Metropolitan Area at the Turn of the Century and the Millennium

James T.B. Tripp, Environmental Defense Fund and George Haikalis, March 19, 1992




Is Westway the Bestway? Memo evaluating one of the projects in "Maintaining Mobility" the Tri-State Region's Transportation Plan, July 28, 1978




Towards an "American National Railroad" Tri-State Regional Planning Commission, June 1971




Inter-Airport Shuttle Tri-State Transportation Commission, June 1971




Improved Access to Manhattan�s East Side - Suburban Railroad Passengers: Tri-State Transportation Commission, June 1970








The Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc. is tax exempt as an organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is also Registered with the New York State Attorney General pursuant to Article 7-A of the Executive Law and Section 8-1.4 of the Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (EPTL). A copy of its latest annual financial report filed pursuant to Article 7-A of the Executive Law may be obtained, upon request, from IRUM, P.O. Box 409, New York, NY 10014, or from the New York State Attorney General's Charities Bureau, Attn: FOIL Officer, 120 Broadway, New York, New York 10271.