Aaron Naparstek

Below is an interesting e-mail sent yesterday to Transportation Alternatives. T.A. forwarded it to Streetsblog and we all thought that it would make fodder for an interesting discussion. The letter's author gave Streetsblog permission to publish it. One of my questions is whether people think that this cyclist's approach is a productive way for New York City's urban environmental advocates to press their case?

Time Runs Out on NYC’s Last Mechanical Parking Meter (NYT) “Atlantic Yards” Approved in Five Minute PACB Meeting (AYR) Court Is Next For Atlantic Yards Plan (Sun) “Shoot Hoops, Not Guns”: the transformation of Flatbush begins (NLG) Coming Soon? Your ATM card or Cell Phone as a Metrocard? (News) Concern grows over emissions and pollution from … Continued

Photo: Metrolens

Following the news about the new sidewalk extensions and bike racks being installed in place of car parking space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Clarence Eckerson of Streetfilms sends along this short video looking at on-street bicycle parking in Portland, Oregon, that cyclists' Shangri-La. As Greg Raisman from Portland DOT says, "After we put it in, it was so successful that businesses two blocks away unanimously asked for another one..."

NoLandGrab is now reporting that Sheldon Silver is now expected to vote to approve Atlantic Yards today. 

This photo comes from a recent entry on MyBikeLane.com. Jessica writes:

In just the last ten days here in New York City a 7-year-old boy was killed in the crosswalk by a trucker trying to beat a red light in Brooklyn, a young woman on the Upper East Side and a Brooklyn Heights law professor were crushed to death by private sanitation trucks, and a 12-year-old boy was mowed down by a hit-and-run driver in Queens. The list goes on. Yet, none of these horrible killings of innocents on the streets of New York City merited even a mention from Mayor Bloomberg or any other high level city official. Apparently, in America's safest big city, this is just business as usual.

NY1 is reporting a rumor that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver will not vote to approve Forest City Ratner's Atlantic Yards development project at tomorrow's three-men-in-a-room meeting of the Public Authorities Control Board. (Amazingly, this one meeting constitutes the only legislative "debate" and vote that this massive project will ever see). NY1 reports:

A DOT press release today:

Silver Will Put Atlantic Yards on Hold Until ’07 (NY1) Shift in Financials Puts Pressure on Silver To Delay (NLG) The $456 Million Blog Scoop That Stalled Atlantic Yards? (AYR) New MTA Chief Actually Uses the Train (News) Long Planned, Transit Projects Get U.S. Help (NYT) Carbon Emissions up One-Quarter Since 1990: Study (Common Dreams) … Continued