The Week’s Links

Ugandan Transportation Policy Light Years Ahead of New York City
The greater Kampala metropolitan area will flip the switch on its congestion charging system in February. The city “will raise revenue from vehicle owners who may want to drive to town
instead of using cheap buses. The introduction of a congestion fee will instill
discipline.” Idi Amin would be proud.

Finally, Attention to Livable Streets at the World Trade Center Site (NYT)
“We have to make this entire
site very pedestrian oriented and very people friendly,” said Janno
Lieber, the World Trade Center project director at Silverstein
Properties. “That means seating, plantings, art and smooth access to various uses
including retail and other services.”

Climate Change Emerging as Top New York Environmental Issue
New York temperatures rose an average of 1.13 degrees Fahrenheit from 1900 to
1999, and two projection models indicate increases from 5 to 9.5 degrees over
the next century, with implications for heat-related illnesses, coastal
flooding, wildlife losses and insurance costs.
Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer has already called global warming the most important
environmental issue facing this generation.

The Death of Another Cyclist on the Hudson River Greenway (Downtown Express)
Charles Komanoff: “The
mayor could turn this around. He could direct police to enforce traffic
laws against drivers’ too-close passing and other bullying that are the
biggest causes of fatal cycle crashes. He could muster his vaunted
backbone in support of congestion pricing and other traffic-busting
policies, and allocate some of the freed street space to cycling. Don’t
hold your breath. The mayor hasn’t even expressed any regret about Eric
Ng or Henry Nacht or the dozen other New Yorkers whose lives have been
taken this year while they rode bikes in his city.” 

Are We Reaching the Transportation Tipping Point? (Seattle Times)
In 1980, 64.4
percent of us drove to work alone; in 2000 it was 75.7 percent,
according to the Transportation Research Board’s recent Commuting in America survey. This
country already has more than 4 million miles of roads, enough, the
Earth Policy Institute calculates, to circle the Earth at the equator
157 times.

Los Angeles Auto Show Concept Cars (Yahoo)
If
you’re looking for a new generation of smaller, cleaner burning, more
energy efficient vehicles, you’ll have a hard time finding them here. If you want superficial style innovations and an SUV inspired by a
camouflage print backpack, then you’ve come to the right place.

Photo: Fouraspects, Flickr