Weinshall Watch
Streetsblog Basics
Weinshall Upheld a “Cars-First Status Quo,” T.A. Says
Transportation Alternatives has come out with its statement on the resignation of DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall along with a brief to-do list for the next commissioner. Executive Director Paul White isn't pulling punches. From T.A.:
January 30, 2007
Weinshall Resignation Letter to Staff
It's not as exciting as former DOT Bike Program Director Andrew Vesselenovitch's mass e-mailed resignation letter, but here is Commissioner Weinshall's:
January 30, 2007
NYC DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall Resigns
Commissioner Iris Weinshall is leaving New York City's Department of Transportation for a job as Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning, Construction and Management at the City University of New York. The Department of Transportation press office says that Weinshall will stay on for another ten weeks. Her last day on the job will be Friday, April 13. Here are press releases from Weinshall and Mayor Michael Bloomberg:
January 29, 2007
Breaking: DOT Commissioner Weinshall Gets a New Job
It looks like Streetsblog's Weinshall Watch may be over. City University of New York just announced that New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall has been appointed as Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning, Construction and Management. There has been no resignation announcement from the Department of Transportation. And there is no word as to when Weinshall plans to leave the Department of Transportation. All we know now is that New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall has a new job. The press release:
January 29, 2007
New York City 2030. London Today.
On Thursday, as New York City's highest ranking transportation officials argued before City Council that the city's increasing traffic congestion and automobile dependence is "an indication of the vitality and the growth of the city of New York," London's Mayor Ken Livingstone was in Davos, Switzerland announcing that he aims "to make London the world's leading center for research and financial development on climate change." Livingstone said:
January 29, 2007
Pedestrian Interference
Left to right: New York City Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner/Senior Policy Advisor David Woloch, Commissioner Iris Weinshall, a procurement and technical servicea aide and City Councilmembers John Liu and Gale Brewer.
January 26, 2007
Streetfilms: “We’re New York, We Can Lead”
Transportation Alternatives held press conference on the steps of City Hall yesterday in support of Intro 199, a bill introduced in the City Council by Councilmember Gale Brewer that calls for better information-gathering about the city's traffic and aims to "reduce the proportion of driving to the central business districts and increase the proportion of walking, biking and the use of mass transit."
January 26, 2007
The Traffic is the Mitigation
mitigate, verb[Latin stem of mitigare, from mitis, mild, gentle]1. Make milder in manner or attitude, make less hostile, mollify.2. Give relief from pain. Lessen the suffering caused by an evil or difficulty.3. Make less oppressive. Make more humane, more bearable.
November 20, 2006
DOT to Neighborhood: Your School’s in the Way of Our Highway
There is a palpable schizophrenia in the Bloomberg Administration these days when it comes to Livable Streets issues. On the one hand, the Administration is developing some 200 miles of new bike lanes, initiating a long-term sustainability project and, for the first time, talking openly about reducing automobile use. On the other hand, very little seems to have changed in the day-to-day operations of the government agencies responsible for our streets and public spaces. They continue to plan for cars and traffic at the expense of people and places.
November 9, 2006