MTA Chief Executive Elliot "Lee" Sander hawked fliers recently announcing the start of public hearings this week for his plan to hike fares, even after his first attempt to explain himself last summer was met with jeers.City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan recently rode a bike in Transportation Alternatives' Tour de Bronx, a nod to her interest in cycling. In their relatively short tenures, both transportation czars have drawn acclaim from watchdog groups for prioritizing face time with the public and progressive policies. It's an approach that will be particularly useful to Sander, as the battle over the fare hike gets under way.amNewYork reached out to transportation observers, and found that the new leaders - both in office less than a year - are winning praise for bold outreach and imaginative approaches to longtime problems. Here's a review of their accomplishments -- and the challenges observers say the agencies face.Elliot "Lee" SanderCrowds of people scuttled to and from the shuttle train at Grand Central Station. But a man in a fine, dark suit, surrounded by a flurry of reporters, blocked their way. He was MTA Chief Executive Elliot "Lee" Sander, passing out fliers in July that explained why he wanted to raise fares. Some huffed and one man told Sander in vulgar terms that he didn't approve. Sander did it again on Friday.These exchanges sum up the chief accolades and criticisms of Sander: He tries to keep MTA policy transparent, advocates say, but is pushing a fare hike that is simply too much too soon. Sander's priorities in his almost yearlong tenure including providing better customer service and keeping a list of major construction projects on track.So far, he has offered improvements such as a possible transit text-message service, the Straphangers Campaign's Gene Russianoff said. The MTA was also more responsive than usual following the subway floods, the transit watchdog said."This time he appointed a panel," Russianoff said. "They produced a report that was pretty frank ... and they created an agenda."Other advocacy groups, such as the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, have noticed changes."They've laid out the numbers more clearly and more openly than other administration. That's sort of a comment on the transparency of their budget," said campaign executive director Kate Slevin.Sander's selection of Howard Roberts to run New York City Transit has also received praise. Observers applaud Roberts' rider report cards and subsequent service improvements.Yet perhaps Slevin and Russianoff's biggest criticism of Sander is the fare hike that raise the base fare to $2.25. Russianoff and legislators have spearheaded a campaign asking Sander to hold off to see if new sources of funds become available.In his defense, Sander has said he's already asked the state for millions of dollars and delaying a hike would be costly and jeopardize projects. He wouldn't compare himself to past MTA administrations, saying, "I prefer to look forward rather than back," but said the MTA is on track with an ambitious agenda.Janette Sadik-KhanJanette Sadik-Khan has been running the city Department of Transportation for only six months, but has moved swifter than a bike messenger to get things done, agency watchdogs said.The avid biker has won the praises of Transportation Alternatives and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign with her programs to increase bicycle racks and the introduction of bike lanes that are shielded from traffic."In the past, the DOT has been very car-centric, and now bicyclists and transit riders are now the primary concerns of the DOT," said Transportation Alternatives director Paul Steely White. "She's brought in some of the leading pedestrian and transit professionals that we're aware of."Hires such as Jon Orcutt as as her senior policy advisor and Bruce Schaller as deputy commissioner of planning and sustainability have been well received. So has the open door Sadik-Khan keeps to advocacy groups."It's completely different relationship," Slevin said. "You can't compare."Advocacy groups leave room for even more improvement, like speeding up the department's plans to improve sluggish bus service. They also want the agency to create steeper street parking rates and work with other agencies to crack down on government employees' parking permit abuses.Sadik-Khan agrees that parking needs to be addressed and noted in a recent interview that the agency is holding workshops to study neighborhood parking needs.She sees the DOT as "perhaps upping its game and addressing the needs of all users in the system, whether you are a pedestrian or a biker or a motorist."