Noah Kazis

New York has launched a new online platform, called Change By Us, meant to support local activism across the city. The first topic being tackled: How to make New York City greener.

Jim Walden and the bike lane opponents have failed in another effort to reshuffle the court's schedule to gain a legal advantage in their fight against the Prospect Park West lawsuit.

Could the state legislature get in on the costly, congestion-inducing parking minimum game? And could they do it at the site of Brooklyn's biggest transit hub? Under a proposal by Assembly Member James Brennan, that's exactly what would happen.

Last week we covered DOT's proposed safety improvements for the north side of Brooklyn Bridge Park, where sidewalk extensions, bike lanes, and planted medians will all be used to help pedestrians and cyclists safely reach the waterfront. DOT is also turning its attention to improving access to the southern entrance to the park, presenting a plan to Community Board 6 tomorrow evening [PDF]. The proposal reclaims some significant tracts of asphalt, giving pedestrians and cyclists more room on a critical segment of the evolving Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway.

The Department of City Planning's commitment to rezoning the city along more transit-oriented lines is a critical component of its sustainability agenda. Allowing more people to live and work next to transit means more people will ride transit and fewer will drive.

More headlines at Streetsblog Capitol Hill

Legislation beefing up the state's distracted driving laws passed the state legislature at the end of what was a fairly productive session on transportation issues last month. If signed into law, the bill should help prevent some of the 10,000 crashes caused by distracted driving each year in New York state. What passed the legislature is slightly weaker, however, than the distracted driving bill put forward by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

After a grim day, it's nice to be able to head into the holiday weekend with some good news.

The July 4 weekend is upon us and with it, the height of summer. If Manhattan's community boards had their way, summertime would mean a trial closure of Central Park's loop drive to cars.