The co-chair of a committee tasked with improving New York's ability to withstand storms like Hurricane Sandy says now is the time to make improvements.

Appearing on NY1's Road to City Hall, Judith Rodin discussed some of the suggestions released by the NYS 2100 commission earlier this month.

They include creating a rapid transit system for buses, because they would be less vulnerable to flooding than trains.

The commission also suggests creating regional stockpiles of emergency parts and supplies to repair transit systems faster.

Rodin said many of the recommendations have been talked about for years, but never put into action.

"This is the moment, and if we squander it, we really do so at our peril," she said. "We have great collaboration and cooperation. The two governors. The mayor. We have Republicans and Democrats together who advocated for this money to come into the region. And now we have to rebuild smarter. We can't build the same way anymore."

The commission also suggests studying the possibility of storm barriers in New York Harbor.