City Council
Streetsblog Basics
Bike-Friendly Zoning Amendment Clears City Council
Yesterday the City Council approved a zoning change that mandates secure bike parking in new construction, putting the rule into effect. The amendment will help cyclists avoid the risks of locking up on-street by requiring new apartment buildings and offices to provide space for people to put their rides. (Check out this table from the Department of City Planning [PDF] for details.)
April 23, 2009
Action Alert: Hearing Tomorrow on Bike Parking Zoning Amendment
Tomorrow morning the City Council Zoning Subcommittee will hold a public hearing on a proposed zoning amendment to require bike parking in new construction (not to be confused with the Bikes in Buildings Bill, which would improve access to existing workplaces). The hearing will be held at 9:30 at 250 Broadway, between Park Place and Murray Street, in the 16th Floor conference room.
March 30, 2009
Council Bill Would Raise Fine for Unattended Idling Vehicles
Following two incidents in which four pedestrians were killed, a bill proposed by Queens City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley would raise the fine for leaving an idling, unattended vehicle to $250, up from the current, negligible fee of $5.
March 26, 2009
Bike-Friendly Zoning Advances to City Council. Bike Access Bill Next?
On Wednesday, the City Planning Commission approved a zoning amendment to require bicycle parking in new construction. The City Council now has a 50-day window to vote on and finalize the measure.
March 6, 2009
CB 12 Committee Says “No” to Parking Permits for All Teachers
As we reported last week, Maria Baez and a handful of other City Council members want to issue free parking permits to every public school teacher in New York City. As the system presently employs some 95,000 full-time teachers, in addition to 18,000 part-time teachers and paraprofessionals, Intro 894 would encourage hundreds of thousands of car trips per year just as the city is making efforts to reduce driving by government employees by reining in parking placard issues.
February 3, 2009
Rally Wednesday for Tougher Idling Regs Near Schools
Last week's Chinatown disaster has prompted a good bit of discussion about idling vehicles. As it happens, two bills are wending their way through the City Council that would tighten idling restrictions and foster improved enforcement.
January 27, 2009
City Council Hard at Work on Pro-Parking Bills
Transit-riding New Yorkers, take heart. In these tough times, your City Council members are at this moment pushing a slew of bills that will make your lives easier. All you have to do is trade your MetroCard for a set of car keys.
January 27, 2009
Stringer, Squadron, and Silver Call for Safer Chinatown Streets
In response to the crash that killed two young children on a Chinatown sidewalk yesterday, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and State Senator Daniel Squadron have released a nine-point plan to improve safety on the neighborhood's streets. From Stringer's press release:
January 23, 2009
Council Committee Gives Short Shrift to Deterring Traffic Violence
It sounds as if yesterday's City Council Public Safety Committee hearing on Resolution 145, which calls on state lawmakers "to address the legal loopholes that allow dangerous and
deadly drivers to drive under the influence of drugs or to drive with a
suspended or revoked license," could have gone better.
January 14, 2009