Amidst a flurry of editorials, stern lectures from Congressional representatives (as well as State legislators), and staged protests from bus riders in front of Metro headquarters, the Metro Board of Directors came in yesterday with their game faces on and with the intent of passing the 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan.
If Metro was looking for delegates to help them get that federal New Starts funding for the Subway to the Sea and Regional Connector (their priority projects), they should probably look a lot harder – because the majority of the current crop of our county’s Congressional representatives aren’t too happy with some of the Board’s recent decisions.
As expected, the 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan moved virtually (and almost uncharacteristically) without a whimper through the Metro Planning and Programming Committee on Wednesday (the committee is comprised of six Metro Board members). This sets the stage for the big and final vote by the Metro Board of Directors at next Thursday’s Board meeting. If you ever had to bet that the Metro Board would vote on the LRTP, now would be a good time to do it. But before we move on to next week, there were a few things to highlight at the meeting – mainly how the San Gabriel Valley fared with a few lingering requests for the Gold Line Foothill Extension.
A response to Robert Sawyer's City Room article," Idealism and New York reality collide in the bike lane," in which he longs for a grittier city of yesterdecade, gelato- and cycle-free.
You’ve seen these four words tossed around quite a bit: Long Range Transportation Plan, or LRTP for short. It is the grand-daddy of transportation plans in Los Angeles County. It sets on paper what, how, and when transit projects can be funded – of which the Metro Board can change with a majority vote. This lone document has fueled more articles on this blog than any other transit topic or issue (federal funding will take the crown after a few more months). With the exception of the Bus Riders Union and bike advocates, probably no other group has agonized more over the details of the LRTP than the supporters of the Foothill Extension – and for good reason.
Opportunity Green is launching The Tour de OG; a 5 day, 4 night supported cycle tour raising awareness and generating a social media buzz for green business. Riders will travel 450 miles down the California coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles, to attend the 3rd annual Opportunity Green conference at UCLA.
Bike messengers reduce congestion, improve air quality, and guarantee same-day (and sometimes same-hour) delivery of our city's most essential cargo. Your chance to thank them is October 9th.
The Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority held a workshop on Tuesday to pursue partnerships with the private sector in an attempt to accelerate construction of the Foothill Extension. While the focus of the day was all business for Authority CEO Habib Balian and the many firms present, our focus was on the keynote speech delivered by Metro Chairman Ara Najarian – and what a speech it was.
At yesterday’s meeting, Metro staff reported that the county faces the prospect of losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government, starting in 2011, if they do not pursue any local rail projects for the New Starts program (at this point, the Metro Board had not formally recognized the Subway and Regional Connector as their choices). The comments that followed from the Board and staff were no less grim.
After a two month hiatus, the Metro Board of Directors is set to host another monthly board meeting. If you recall from the last public meeting in July, this meeting was supposed to be the day the Metro Board voted on the Long Range Transportation Plan – along with their plan to pursue federal funding for certain preferred projects as well. But like Board member Richard Katz remarked in July, “MTA never fails to miss an opportunity to delay,” the opportunity has been delayed once again. The discussion and vote has moved to their October meeting. However, that’s not the source of our recent frustrations and questions.
In collision tests, hood-mounted air bags are estimated to reduce injury by half in a vehicle-pedestrian accident. While ignored in America, the Dutch Federation of Cyclists is asking manufacturers to install them on every auto in an effort to decrease traffic fatalities in the Netherlands.
That seems to be the mantra for Los Angeles County when it comes to transportation.
We all know that Measure R was passed partly as a reactive (and somewhat proactive) effort to ease the everyday pain of being a commuter in Los Angeles. Of course, most major cities’ residents suffer the same fate every weekday to and from work as well – so why does our region deserve special attention?
The Dutch gift of 200 bicycles to NYC symbolizes a shared past marked by friendship, tolerance, and ingenuity, as well as hopes for a shared future of peaceful cycling and urban generosity.
by Ben Lane // The CO2 stats are generalized estimates, and the message about attempts to protect jobs is too oversimplistic, given other economic factors (e.g. efforts to protect company exec bonuses)
Though recent regulation of NYC's pedicab industry has been praised by officials, such as requirements for safety standards, insurance, registration, and driver conduct, a few aspects of the law hinder the growth potential of an otherwise benign and promising industry and put them on an unequal footing with comparable vehicles in Manhattan.
So the Bixi bike share pop-up spots have been showing up as scheduled, Union Square, and on Sunday on Avenue A outside Tompkins Square Park.
As they were cleaning up and picking up the bikes, however, some Bixi employees couldn't be bothered to
After the death of Pablo Pasarán in Queensbridge, Mexican food delivery cyclists discuss the dangers of their work in Queens, especially near the "Boulevard of Death." They are in greater danger than other cyclists in the area because they ride as fast as possible due to pressure from their employers and the desire to get more tips. A taxi driver blames the "fools" for taking unnecessary chances while riding. There are also quotes from Leah Todd of the Streets Memorial Project and Wiley Norvell of Transportation Alternatives.
Three articles in Friday’s editions of the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily News focused on the the Subway to the Sea and its federal funding status (status: unknown). Now we support the Subway to the Sea as much as your average West LA folk, so there’s no issue with the project itself. Mass transit options, whatever and wherever they are, are good. The whole county is in dire need of a legitimate public transit alternative to the congested freeways as well as freedom from the polluted air that comes with traffic snarls.
A cyclist waiting at a stop light prevents a line of cars from illegally using the bike lane to make a right turn on a red light. An irritated motorist takes matters into his own hands.
If you've ever had to go around a Poland Spring truck parked in a Manhattan bike lane, you know how annoying it can be. Depending on the driver, you might find the truck parked 'safely' outside the bike lane, or carelessly in it while curbside pa
This violation was observed on Monday, August 3rd. This Bartlett NY Dairy truck was caught in a pedestrian and cyclist only area of Broadway delivering to Starbucks on about 54th street.
This isn't the first time one of these distinctive tractor-t
From the lodownnyc blog :
TLD: What's the most pressing transportation issue in the district?
Gregory: Especially since downtown is becoming more of a 24/7 community, below Chinatown, Lower East Side, you have so many more people living there. Th
The collective optimization of individual driving routes by drivers using realtime traffic maps slows everyone down. That is, everyone picking the "fastest" route on the map results in overall slowdowns. Interestingly, the solution to this problem may be to remove some roads so that drivers have fewer options for route optimization.
The Metro Board of Directors’ monthly board meeting took place yesterday – and while the San Gabriel Valley residents, business community and elected officials showed up with enthusiasm, many ended up leaving half-way through the meeting with that feeling that’s the opposite of enthusiasm (pick any antonym).
In a recent Slate piece Tom Vanderbilt argues that America should embrace the roundabout—specifically the so-called “modern roundabout,” which gives drivers already circling the right of way.
Gristedes Supermarket on 8th Avenue has always had issues respecting the uptown bike lane which runs infront of the store. The lane is now separated and no vehicles are supposed to enter it at all. A user on mybikelane.com captured this photo of a tr
Well, my fourth bike was stolen this morning, out of our backyard, which has a seven foot stockade fence around it. I have never managed to hold onto a bike more than six months in an urban environment--the previous two times, they left the bike lock, as if to taunt me with its inadequacy. I think I'm done with bike commuting. I'd rather just hand out $100 bills to random people on the street; at least I wouldn't be rewarding theft.
This is the latest email from Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority CEO Habib Balian. Here he talks about this Thursday’s upcoming Measure R workshop, a few light-rail projects that are being pushed onto an accelerated timetable, and support for Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa’s transportation goals.
AKA : The Current State of Lower Manhattan Bike Lanes (late June 2009)
It's been a few months since we checked in on the state of NYC bike lanes (not limited to, but more specifically those in Manhattan below 59th street). Heres the post from when w
Of course, the preparation for the bridge is in anticipation of the arrival of the Gold Line Foothill Extension. We hope Councilman Harbicht agrees with us that a viable 21st century light-rail transportation system, combined with an iconic landmark, will put the San Gabriel Valley on the map and give it the distinction and recognition it deserves throughout Los Angeles County.
Over the past 2 months the city government, in cooperation with business groups and non-profits, has turned a corner of one of the busiest intersections in San Francisco into a public plaza. The 17th Street Plaza project took 72-hours to implement, and is carefully called a “reversible trial.”
These ZEBRA bicycle lane dividers, which they have in parts of Spain now, would really come in handy to keep cars out of bikers’ space. They’re designed by Curro Claret and made by Zicla, out of 100 percent recycled plastic (bonus!).
While "all passengers are subject to screening," every cyclist that boards the SI Ferry is required to have their bag searched every time by a bomb-sniffing dog or hired security guard before they are allowed to board, while other passengers are screened "randomly." Because cyclists and their luggage pose no more of a threat than pedestrian passengers and the MARSEC level is the lowest its been since 9/11, it is time for the DOT to adopt a more uniform policy based on reasonable suspicion.
This time from Lafayette Street. Here's the witness account from nyc.mybikelane.com :
I was on foot when I noticed a cyclist being punched by a motorist. The cyclist told the motorist that he shouldn't be in the bike lane, and the motorist got o
If you remember, the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority held an open bid for artists to submit designs for an iconic gateway structure over the 210 Freeway in Arcadia. Specifically, it will be a 739-foot railway bridge that will span the 210’s eastbound lanes near the Santa Anita Avenue exit.
The Senate is considering adding an additional $50 BILLION to highway expansion in the latest stimulus package.
If the new Democratic leadership wants to be 'green', they'll recognize that highways aren't the answer- transit and smart growth are the 21st century solutions.
To show that, I remixed of the 70's 'Crying Indian' PSA. Originally for showing that litter was bad for the environment, it's clear today that highways, through pollution and urban sprawl, do far more damage than any amount of personal litter.
For more on how to stop the highway expansion see:
www.streetsblog.org
www.t4america.org
This has been happening every day, for much of the day, for a couple years (they're even visible in Google maps street view). I believe the vehicles are owned by, or serve, the Park Central Hotel. I have emailed them twice to try to get them to stop but I have seen no response or action.
I will post more videos of this same group of vehicles idling to show how it is a constant problem. It is, of course, illegal, and destructive in countless ways.
This video was recorded the morning of 2/3/09.
Time lapse video of my roughly 2-mile walk to work through SF's Potrero Hill, Showplace Square and SoMa neighborhoods.
Music: Royksopp - Sing A Song
Higher res: http://www.vimeo.com/2354287
Community Design Group is an urban planning firm specializing in bicycle and pedestrian planning, placemaking and urban design, and community engagement. They work with communities of all sizes to develop people-centered, asset-based and sustainable approaches to mobility and place. Antonio Rosell, director and founder, says that the purpose of the firm's work is to support the creation of humane, interesting, thriving and sustainable environments that allow our communities to grow and prosper economically, socially, artistically and ethically.
High speed pass before sunrise. Kent Ave is a race track and is without any NYPD presence. 18 wheelers pass each other just like this moron passed us and another car
Green Spaces and SPN: Blogging Sustainability Pt.3
Green Spaces hosted Blogging Sustainability in Partnership with the Sustainable Practice Network on June 26th, 2008. Over 60 people showed up to hear the take from leaders in blogging, take a rooftop tour and have some organic wine provided by the Greene Grape in Fort Green Brooklyn.
Jill Fehrenbacher, Editor, Inhabitat.com
Jill Fehrenbacher edits Inhabitat www.inhabitat.com, and is a freelance designer and student at Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning. She created Inhabitat in the Spring of 2005 as a way to catalog her endless search for new ways to improve the world through forward-thinking, high-tech, and environmentally conscious design. Educated at Brown University, where she received a B.A. in Art Semiotics, and Central St. Martins, where she received an M.A. in Design Studies, she currently resides in New York City, which so far has been good for her obsession with rooftop gardens and vegan junk food restaurants.
Ken Rother, President/COO of Treehugger
Ken, President and COO, is responsible for bringing the vision and strategy of TreeHugger to life. Ken has been involved in the Internet since the early 90's when he co-founded Mountain Lake Software in Toronto Canada. Mountain Lake helped some of Canada's largest financial institutions take their first steps onto the WWW. Ken has held various roles including VP of operations responsible for all deliverables of their internet consulting division and later as divisional CIO introduced process altering technology to their globalization business. His interest in the environment dates back to his first summer job leading low impact canoe trips in northern Quebec.
Aaron Naparstek, Editor-in-chief Streetsblog.org
Aaron Naparstek works for the Open Planning Project where he is editor-in-chief of StreetsBlog.org. Aaron is a journalist, author and community organizer working on urban environmental issues in NYC. He is the author of Honku: The Zen Antidote for Road Rage, a book of humorous haiku poetry inspired by the unique brand of motorist sociopathy observed from his apartment window. Naparstek lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two sons. He is a founder of the Park Slope Neighbors community group and an organizer of the Grand Army Plaza Coalition.
Green Spaces and SPN: Blogging Sustainability Pt.2
Green Spaces hosted Blogging Sustainability in Partnership with the Sustainable Practice Network on June 26th, 2008. Over 60 people showed up to hear the take from leaders in blogging, take a rooftop tour and have some organic wine provided by the Greene Grape in Fort Green Brooklyn.
Jill Fehrenbacher, Editor, Inhabitat.com
Jill Fehrenbacher edits Inhabitat www.inhabitat.com, and is a freelance designer and student at Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning. She created Inhabitat in the Spring of 2005 as a way to catalog her endless search for new ways to improve the world through forward-thinking, high-tech, and environmentally conscious design. Educated at Brown University, where she received a B.A. in Art Semiotics, and Central St. Martins, where she received an M.A. in Design Studies, she currently resides in New York City, which so far has been good for her obsession with rooftop gardens and vegan junk food restaurants.
Ken Rother, President/COO of Treehugger
Ken, President and COO, is responsible for bringing the vision and strategy of TreeHugger to life. Ken has been involved in the Internet since the early 90's when he co-founded Mountain Lake Software in Toronto Canada. Mountain Lake helped some of Canada's largest financial institutions take their first steps onto the WWW. Ken has held various roles including VP of operations responsible for all deliverables of their internet consulting division and later as divisional CIO introduced process altering technology to their globalization business. His interest in the environment dates back to his first summer job leading low impact canoe trips in northern Quebec.
Aaron Naparstek, Editor-in-chief Streetsblog.org
Aaron Naparstek works for the Open Planning Project where he is editor-in-chief of StreetsBlog.org. Aaron is a journalist, author and community organizer working on urban environmental issues in NYC. He is the author of Honku: The Zen Antidote for Road Rage, a book of humorous haiku poetry inspired by the unique brand of motorist sociopathy observed from his apartment window. Naparstek lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two sons. He is a founder of the Park Slope Neighbors community group and an organizer of the Grand Army Plaza Coalition.
Green Spaces and SPN: Blogging Sustainability Pt.1
Green Spaces hosted Blogging Sustainability in Partnership with the Sustainable Practice Network on June 26th, 2008. Over 60 people showed up to hear the take from leaders in blogging, take a rooftop tour and have some organic wine provided by the Greene Grape in Fort Green Brooklyn.
Jill Fehrenbacher, Editor, Inhabitat.com
Jill Fehrenbacher edits Inhabitat www.inhabitat.com, and is a freelance designer and student at Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning. She created Inhabitat in the Spring of 2005 as a way to catalog her endless search for new ways to improve the world through forward-thinking, high-tech, and environmentally conscious design. Educated at Brown University, where she received a B.A. in Art Semiotics, and Central St. Martins, where she received an M.A. in Design Studies, she currently resides in New York City, which so far has been good for her obsession with rooftop gardens and vegan junk food restaurants.
Ken Rother, President/COO of Treehugger
Ken, President and COO, is responsible for bringing the vision and strategy of TreeHugger to life. Ken has been involved in the Internet since the early 90's when he co-founded Mountain Lake Software in Toronto Canada. Mountain Lake helped some of Canada's largest financial institutions take their first steps onto the WWW. Ken has held various roles including VP of operations responsible for all deliverables of their internet consulting division and later as divisional CIO introduced process altering technology to their globalization business. His interest in the environment dates back to his first summer job leading low impact canoe trips in northern Quebec.
Aaron Naparstek, Editor-in-chief Streetsblog.org
Aaron Naparstek works for the Open Planning Project where he is editor-in-chief of StreetsBlog.org. Aaron is a journalist, author and community organizer working on urban environmental issues in NYC. He is the author of Honku: The Zen Antidote for Road Rage, a book of humorous haiku poetry inspired by the unique brand of motorist sociopathy observed from his apartment window. Naparstek lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two sons. He is a founder of the Park Slope Neighbors community group and an organizer of the Grand Army Plaza Coalition.
7 miles of NYC streets, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, is closed to traffic and freed for use by everyday New Yorkers and visitors. We loved it!
This clip is in front of the south façade of Grand Central, which is usually only accessible to cars. Everyone was so thrilled to be able to take in the iconic view and see the Vanderbilt statue up close for the first time!
7 miles of NYC streets, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, is closed to traffic and freed for use by everyday New Yorkers and visitors. We loved it!
This is a stretch through Astor Place and south down Lafayette St. Listen for Kate Mikuliak from Councilmember Rosie Mendez's office saying hi to me as she rode past in the first 0:15! Everyone was out in the streets!
Here's a 3 minute short video of the Aug 9th "Summer Streets" in NYC which closed 7 miles of roads to cars and opened them to pedestrians and bikes etc
Blogging Sustainability
Moderator: Bonnie Hulkower, Treehugge
Panelists:
Jill Fehrenbacher, Editor-in-chief Inhabitat.com
Ken Rother, President/COO Treehugger
Aaron Naparstek, Editor-in-chief Streetsblog.org
Date & Time:
Thursday June 26, 2008, 6-8pm
Location: Green Spaces
33 Flatbush Ave (corner Flatbush & Livingston)
Brooklyn
Mass Transit - take B, Q, and R to Dekalb Ave, or the 4, 5 to Nevins Street, or A, C to Hoyt Shermerhorn St.
Please RSVP events@sustainabilitypractice.net
For more information, or to join SPN, visit www.sustainabilitypractice.net
Blogging has become an influential form of information gathering, particularly in the green world. New media forums, websites, and blogs have played a major role in furthering the message of sustainability. In doing so, they have helped move sustainability to the mainstream, often covering issues before the traditional media gets to them. Websites vary from magazine offshoots to personal advice to the musings of corporate executives. What these websites often share is an informal and interactive readership.
On these websites writers are often more easily criticized and held accountable, and commentators evoke a wide range of perspectives. Yet, fact-checking is not mandatory, and people may seek out like-minded "communities of interest" and echo chambers, which can foster a narrower perspective.
How do today's citizens inform themselves? What are the effects of the shift away from one-to-many media formats?
This panel will examine how websites such as www.streetsblog.com, www.Inhabitat.com, www.Treehugger.com, and others further the message of sustainability. Panelists will discuss how new media can reach out to untapped audiences, and how to spread the message further.
Bios:
Jill Fehrenbacher, Editor-in-chief, Inhabitat.com
Jill Fehrenbacher edits Inhabitat and is a freelance designer and student at Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning. She created Inhabitat in the Spring of 2005 as a way to catalog her endless search for new ways to improve the world through forward-thinking, high-tech, and environmentally conscious design. Educated at Brown University, where she received a B.A. in Art Semiotics, and Central St. Martins, where she received an M.A. in Design Studies, she currently resides in New York City, which so far has been good for her obsession with rooftop gardens and vegan junk food restaurants.
Ken Rother, President/COO of Treehugger
Ken, President and COO, is responsible for bringing the vision and strategy of TreeHugger to life. Ken has been involved in the Internet since the early 90's when he co-founded Mountain Lake Software in Toronto Canada. Mountain Lake helped some of Canada's largest financial institutions take their first steps onto the WWW. Ken has held various roles including VP of operations responsible for all deliverables of their internet consulting division and later as divisional CIO introduced process altering technology to their globalization business. His interest in the environment dates back to his first summer job leading low impact canoe trips in northern Quebec.
Aaron Naparstek, Editor-in-chief Streetsblog.org
Aaron Naparstek works for the Open Planning Project where he is editor-in-chief of StreetsBlog.org. Aaron is a journalist, author and community organizer working on urban environmental issues in NYC. He is the author of Honku: The Zen Antidote for Road Rage, a book of humorous haiku poetry inspired by the unique brand of motorist sociopathy observed from his apartment window. Naparstek lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two sons. He is a founder of the Park Slope Neighbors community group and an organizer of the Grand Army Plaza Coalition.
The Sustainability Practice Network (SPN) is a NYC-based forum and list server for professionals, academics and students working with corporate responsibility and sustainability issues to build a community based on learning, discussion, information and idea exchange. SPN supports the growth of sustainability practice and bridges disciplines to advance sustainable development by drawing on the knowledge and expertise of its members.
Green Spaces Green Spaces is a hub for leading green entrepreneurs, providing networking programs, infrastructure and a community to launch their business.
This message was sent from Jennie Nevin to feinberg@design21sdn.com. It was sent from: Green Spaces, 33 Flatbush Ave Floor 5, Brooklyn, NY 11217. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.
The Great Commuter Challenge is a race between 3 modes of transportation: the bicycle, the car, and walking/transit. Three local celebrities raced along one Twin Cities route, running typical errands on the way to to the finish line. The outcome is certain keep you on the edge of your seat!
Watch watch the action right here and root for one of three contestants:
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak - Bike
Roadguy (aka Star Tribune reporter Jim Foti) - Car
Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter - Walking & Transit
Green Wheels NEC members noticed sidewalks were overgrown in Arcata, California, making it difficult to walk. So they headed out to do something about it...
More at www.green-wheels.org
Volunteers are Chris Rall, Chad Johnson, Sara Dykman, Aaron Antrim and Adam Jamin
Radar gun session demonstrates routine speeding by motor vehicles on 65th St. Transverse in New York's Central Park during morning rush hour. the speed limit here is 30 MPH, and the traffic sign the back of which is visible on the left reads: CAUTION-SLOW-LANE NARROWS TO 11'0."
An account and discussion of the fatal crash that occurred here in December 2006 is found here:
http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/08/22/central-park-66th-street-transverse-is-unsafe/
Pictures and excerpts from the police investigation of the fatal accident are found here:
http://flickr.com/photos/11992136@N08/sets/72157601595007852/
New York Department of Transportation and Police Department have been advised of this dangerous condition. Will steps be taken remove the hazard presented by the routine speeding next to this hazardous pinch point before another bicyclists is injured or killed?
