Traffic
Streetsblog Basics
What Inauguration Day Means for DC Streets
As many as four million people are expected to descend on the National Mall today for the inauguration of Barack Obama as the nation's 44th President. Contending with that mass of humanity has left officials with no choice but to implement temporary policies to get people in and out of the city as efficiently as possible. All of which has been great fodder for DC's thriving livable streets blog scene. Some are hoping today will prove to be what Obama might call a teachable moment, showing residents what downtown Washington feels like with fewer cars and more freedom for pedestrians, cyclists, and buses.
January 20, 2009
New DOT Measuring Stick Highlights Need for Transit and Bike Investment
Yesterday NYCDOT released the first Sustainable Streets Index [PDF], a scorecard to measure how well New York is progressing "towards achieving more sustainable mobility." This is the fruit of Local Law 23 (a.k.a. Intro 199), which passed earlier this year after former DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall helped scuttle it at the end of her tenure.
December 16, 2008
Kheel Planners: MTA Austerity a Recipe for Gridlock Hell
New Yorkers can expect more misery on the streets as well as underground if the MTA has to follow through on the austerity measures it unveiled yesterday. The transportation analysts behind the Kheel Plan -- the congestion pricing variant that balances higher driver fees with free transit -- calculate that the likely combination of service cuts and higher fares and tolls will put tens of thousands more cars on the road:
November 21, 2008
DOT to Present Ideas for Brooklyn’s Most Notorious Intersection
The confluence of Flatbush, Atlantic, and Fourth Avenues is a traffic nightmare of epic proportions right smack next to a huge transit hub and shopping center. (We hear some sort of arena and housing complex might get built there too.) Crossing the street here is an unwelcome adventure for thousands of pedestrians every day, and biking is out of the question for the vast majority of cyclists.
October 21, 2008
TSTC Issues Lincoln Tunnel Emancipation Proclamation
When it comes to reducing traffic in New York City, improving transit performance over river crossings is a no-brainer. Faster buses lure people out of their cars and take traffic off the streets, which is why the Tri-State Transportation Campaign is advocating for a New Jersey-bound express bus lane through the Lincoln Tunnel.
September 17, 2008
Time for Legislators to Commit to Better NJ-NYC Transit Access
"Access to the Region's Core" is the rather wonky name given to the long-awaited second commuter rail tunnel between New Jersey and Midtown Manhattan. ARC, which would boost transit capacity and reduce car traffic into New York, is now entering a critical phase. In April, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign reported that local funds must be in place by October in order for the feds to release their matching grant, without which the project will languish indefinitely. Now TSTC is urging New Yorkers and New Jerseyans to contact their elected officials in support of ARC through an email advocacy campaign.
September 15, 2008
Who Loves Traffic? Dan and the Highway Lobby
U.S. PIRG has picked a winner in its "21st Century Transportation" video contest, and it's this irony-soaked entry. Meet "Dan," a guy who just can't get enough stop-and-go time on the highway. He loves sitting in traffic, and the last thing he wants to see is adequately funded transit giving people an attractive alternative to car commuting.
August 21, 2008
How to Fix Off-Street Parking Policy, Before It’s Too Late
The proliferation of off-street parking is pushing New York toward higher rates of car ownership and substantially more traffic. To avert a scenario where the city becomes less transit-oriented and more beholden to car owners, a coalition of planning and environmental groups is calling for the reform of off-street parking policies.
August 20, 2008
Planners and Green Groups Call for Off-Street Parking Reform
Yesterday, several planning and environmental organizations joined Transportation Alternatives on the steps of City Hall to tout the release of "Suburbanizing the City" [PDF], the new report that critiques New York City's off-street parking policies. The coalition is similar -- but not identical -- to the array of groups that pushed for congestion pricing earlier this year. Their testimony highlighted the range of benefits that off-street parking reform would deliver, from mitigating tailpipe emissions to reducing housing costs.
August 18, 2008
Report: NYC’s Off-Street Parking Policy Will Set Off a Traffic Explosion
Adjacent blocks in Park Slope, one built before parking requirements took effect, and one built after.
August 18, 2008