CB 10 Scales Back Adam Clayton Powell Safety Improvements [Updated]
Responding to the local community board, NYC DOT has shrunk its proposal for safety improvements on Harlem’s deadly Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard. The revised plan only covers half the distance initially proposed. And even with that concession, the board has yet to approve the plan to expand the road's medians and slow speeding traffic.
June 20, 2012
At Transpo Hearing, Council Members Ask for More Select Bus Service
The New York City Council has learned to stop worrying and love the bus lane. In a transportation hearing held this morning on the topic of outer borough transit, not a single person, whether on the council or testifying before it, had a bad word to say about NYC's Select Bus Service program, which has consistently increased speeds and ridership where implemented. In a span of just a few years, SBS appears to have become a permanent and popular part of New York City's transit toolkit -- and one that will continue to expand.
June 19, 2012
With Support From Local Businesses, Corona Ped Plaza Will Debut in July
The crowded streets of Corona, Queens will receive a welcome infusion of public space this July, thanks to the New York City Department of Transportation's plaza program. With wide-ranging community support, DOT will close a block of service road between National Street and 104th Street to traffic and fill it with plants, tables, chairs and bike racks [PDF].
June 18, 2012
If DCP Won’t Scrap Downtown BK Minimums, Is Broader Parking Reform Dead?
The proposed reduction of parking minimums in Downtown Brooklyn, though seriously insufficient, is good news for housing affordability and environmental sustainability in New York City. But it's terrible news for those hoping to see broader reforms of New York City's parking requirements. If the Department of City Planning felt so politically constrained that it could only halve parking requirements for market-rate units in Downtown Brooklyn, it's hard to see any meaningful change happening in the rest of the city -- unless residents and activists get serious about advocating for real parking reform.
June 5, 2012
Midtown Bike Lanes to Be Interpersed With Sharrows, Will End at Eighth Ave.
DOT has proposed painting four new pairs of crosstown bike lanes through the heart of Midtown, an exciting statement and a necessary move in preparation for the launch of bike-share. The lanes would be tightly spaced, located on 39th and 40th Streets, 43rd and 44th, 48th and 51st, and 54th and 55th.
June 5, 2012
DCP Proposal Will Cut Downtown Brooklyn Parking Minimums in Half
Downtown Brooklyn's mandatory parking minimums would be cut in half for new development and eliminated outright for affordable housing under a plan from the Department of City Planning. The change is significant -- the first rollback of the costly and car-ownership inducing requirements under the Bloomberg administration -- but doesn't go far enough. Even by DCP's own roundabout admission, the reduced parking minimums will still create an unnecessarily large supply of parking.
June 4, 2012
Grassroots Coalition Crafts Action Plan for Lower East Side Cycling
After a year and a half of grassroots activism, last week the Lower East Side's Local Spokes coalition released a wide-ranging action plan to improve cycling in the neighborhood [PDF]. The plan includes both actions that Local Spokes member organizations plan to undertake, like developing a bicycle safety curriculum for area residents and organizing businesses to provide bike parking, and those they intend to lobby the city for, such as more bike-share stations and better bike parking in NYCHA buildings.
June 4, 2012