Bill de Blasio
Streetsblog Basics
De Blasio Talks Vision Zero on WNYC
WNYC's Brian Lehrer started off his Friday "Ask the Mayor" segment with Bill de Blasio by taking questions about Vision Zero. No earthshaking news came up, but it's always interesting to hear how the mayor conveys messages about street safety and urban mobility to the public.
May 27, 2016
De Blasio Advances Queens Boulevard Redesign Despite CB 4 Shenanigans
Mayor de Blasio has instructed NYC DOT to move forward with the redesign of Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst following a contentious meeting of Queens Community Board 4 last night, in which the chairman hastily pushed through a vote against the bike lane portion of the project.
May 11, 2016
De Blasio’s Budget Has No Funding Increase for Street Safety Projects
Mayor de Blasio released his executive budget yesterday, and it does not include the increases for street safety projects that the City Council recommended earlier this month, says Transportation Alternatives. Without more funding for street redesigns, TA says, the administration won't be able to improve safety at the pace needed to attain the mayor's stated goal of eliminating traffic deaths by 2024.
April 27, 2016
City Council Proposes Vision Zero Funding Increase — Will de Blasio Agree?
The City Council is proposing a significant increase in funding for street safety projects. Now it's up to Mayor de Blasio to decide whether to devote more resources to get the city closer to his Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths by 2024.
April 5, 2016
Years After Death of Ariel Russo, NYPD Chases Still Injuring and Killing People
Last week Franklin Reyes was sentenced to three to nine years in prison for the death of 4-year-old Ariel Russo.
February 22, 2016
BQX Streetcar Doesn’t Make Any More Sense Now Than It Did Yesterday
Today Mayor de Blasio rolled out the full court press for his Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar proposal, known as BQX. A story in the Times compared the street-running BQX to Jersey's Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, which runs mostly on exclusive rail rights-of-way. The City Hall press shop sent out waves of endorsements from various elected officials, advocates, business executives, developers, and civic honchos. The morning culminated with a press conference in Red Hook where the mayor made his case for the project.
February 16, 2016
4 Reasons a $2.5 Billion Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar Doesn’t Add Up
Later today, Mayor de Blasio is going to deliver his State of the City speech, and one centerpiece is expected to be a new streetcar running from Sunset Park to Astoria along the Brooklyn-Queens waterfront. It's an idea that's surfaced repeatedly in one form or another as developers have transformed sections of the waterfront into new residential neighborhoods. As alluring as it may be to picture modern rail on the streets of Brooklyn and Queens, there are good reasons it's gone nowhere.
February 4, 2016
On Queens Boulevard, de Blasio Lays Out 2016 Street Safety Agenda
Mayor Bill de Blasio outlined his 2016 street safety agenda to the City Hall press corps this morning, after DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg led a short walk by a redesigned section of Queens Boulevard. Police Commissioner Bill Bratton was a no-show for the second year running.
January 19, 2016
De Blasio Gives DOT Permission to Put Safety Above Community Board Whims
When DOT allows community boards to veto street safety projects, streets aren't as safe for walking and biking as they could be.
December 16, 2015