Today’s Headlines

  • One Way Cuomo Could Pay for His Precious Thruway Toll Cut: Sticking It to NYC (Politico, NYT)
  • E.J. McMahon: Toll Giveaway = “Burning Cash to Curry Favor With Upstate Motorists” (Politico)
  • Repairs to Sandy-Damaged L Train Tunnel May Require Long-Term Closure (Gothamist, 2AS, NYT)
  • Parks Department Could Impose Cyclist Detour From Greenway Through Riverside Park (DNA)
  • Staffers Say Years of Dysfunction and Mismanagement Are Causing DDC “Brain Drain” (DNA)
  • News: Horse Carriage Deal Includes Restrictions on Central Park Pedicabs
  • More Coverage of DOT’s Meeker Avenue Plans (Bklyn Paper, DNA)
  • Gothamist and the Times Profile Richard Oates, Killed by Truck Driver on Delancey Street
  • Three Columbia Students Die in Bus Crash in Honduras (News)
  • Advance: Parking Is So Tight in St. George That Some Drivers Resort to Paying for It

More headlines at Streetsblog USA

  • BBnet3000

    The Greenway in Hudson River Park is totally inadequate, and the Parks Department’s solution is to redirect people cycling to an even LOWER capacity path that will still end up shared with people walking?

  • Mike

    I’ve often thought that stretch of the Hudson Greenway should adopt the same approach as the path along the water in Bay Ridge. This would involve moving the benches forward (towards the water) to create a barrier between cyclists and pedestrians. A painted bike lane behind the benches is not particularly tempting for pedestrians to wander into. I’m not sure what it would cost to move the benches, but it would absolutely be worth it.

  • Alexander Vucelic

    the obvious solution Is to dedicate One lane of West side highway & Hudson Parkway for cycling. Currently Peak Bike traffic on Greenway Is ~1,000 bikes/hour. Time to convert the West most Lane of the under utilized West Side Highway to a 14′ wide cycling route with jersey barriers. it’s technically simple, since the entire length has no crosssing traffic.

    A first step would be to implement a trial on weekends from April to October.

  • bolwerk

    I’d love to see the MSM reaction if transit users started demanding free service the way drivers demand free roads and parking. The indignant sanctimony would be awesome to behold.

  • A protected bike lane on Riverside Drive and connecting streets would also help. I bet a lot of bike commuters don’t actually need to go all the way down to the river, but choose to because sharing space with pedestrians is far safer than sharing it with cars.

  • vnm

    We finally got a nice hill-free route along the length of the West Side.
    http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/05/20/first-look-detour-no-more-on-the-hudson-river-greenway/

    Now they want to take it away again and force us back up the hill into the park again? We should be standing up for ourselves. NO!

    The problem is that the the pedestrians are locally concentrated and able to influence their local council member, while the cyclists are dispersed and therefore unable to influence elected officials to take action.

  • ZB

    This would be my preferred approach. Riverside drive is more appropriate for commuters below 168 anyways, at some point they need to climb up to Riverside and Riverside offers better capacity if a wide protected lane were intsalled. There does need to be easier and more obvious ways to get up to Riverside from 72 and up, it’s a maze of options that are not marked, and also a source for pedestrian conflict.

  • I think both are needed. Some people will want the ride along the water, especially those going all the way downtown. Others who only need to go a shorter distance might instead opt for staying up on Riverside.

    To me, this is a good example of pedestrians and cyclists having to fight over the scraps.

  • Alexander Vucelic

    why not frame the question – “which of these streets should cars be allowed to use ?” LOL

    of course; every Manhattan street should be safe for ALL bike riders