What Planet Is DOT Living On?
Last week, Henry Melcher at the Architect’s Newspaper ran a thoughtful piece about the state of NYC DOT’s bike program that got buried almost immediately by comments from Bill Bratton and Mayor de Blasio about the Times Square plazas.
August 27, 2015
Gale Brewer Is Having None of This Cars-Back-in-Times-Square Business
We're gonna devote a post to reprinting this newly-released statement from Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer in its entirety, because it's that good:
August 24, 2015
When DOT Refuses to Acknowledge That Its Streets Have a Design Problem
Today on the Streetsblog Network, Mary Newsom at the Naked City has a classic story about a dangerous street in desperate need of a design overhaul, and a DOT that's only willing to try out tiny, cosmetic changes.
August 24, 2015
De Blasio Has Yet to Say Traffic Is More Dangerous Than Painted Breasts
Mayor de Blasio had a chance today to quell the uproar over his suggestion that the city may rip out the Times Square pedestrian plazas. Instead he equivocated and didn't take the idea off the table:
August 21, 2015
The Politics of Road Pricing: Andrew Cuomo vs. Actual Polls
Andrew Cuomo styles himself as a guy who gets stuff done. That's what muscling through the Tappan Zee Bridge double-span boondoggle and the multi-billion dollar LaGuardia renovation is all about. But when reporters ask Cuomo about funding transit by putting a price on NYC's free bridges, he likes to portray himself as a helpless bystander, stymied by politics.
August 10, 2015
An Experiment in Driver-Cyclist Interaction, Powered By Christmas Lights
When you're on a bike getting passed by motorists going 20 or 30 mph faster than you, it can feel like one act of deliberate aggression after another. And in many cases there is real, seething hostility and complete disregard for other people's safety at work. But a lot of the time, people drive fast because that's the message the street design is sending, and they don't know any better.
August 10, 2015
How Parking Permits Can Improve the Politics of Walkable Development
Residential parking permits are often referred to as "hunting licenses" because while they grant permit holders the privilege of parking on the street, there's usually no limit to how many permits can be issued. If there are more permits in a neighborhood than available on-street parking spaces, there's still going to be a parking crunch and permit holders will still circle streets hunting for a spot.
August 3, 2015