Transportation Alternatives

The New York City Department of City Planning is encouraging people to drive to work.

A new report from Transportation Alternatives comparing carbon emissions for NYC transportation modes finds that drivers account for 60 percent of the city's transportation-related CO2, while accounting for just 31 percent of all commuting trips.

The five-year Amtrak authorization that Congress passed last week includes a nice inter-modal touch. It states in no uncertain terms that funding can be spent on making trains accessible for bikes:

The Prospect Park Youth Advocates get some well-earned star treatment in this Streetfilm from Robin Urban Smith. They spent the summer gathering data and collecting signatures for a car-free park, culminating last week with a rally at City Hall. Now we see what it takes to mount a 10,000-letter petition drive: resourcefulness, persistence, and the self-possession to wear a leaf costume with aplomb. Bravo to Farah, Oswald, Selena, and Michael.

With the fallout from Wall Street taking a toll on city coffers, Mayor Bloomberg has a lot of tough calls to make. The "Bikes in Buildings" bill [PDF] is not one of them. It's a lay-up -- a simple rule change that promises big gains for bike commuting. The bill, also known as Intro 38, would require commercial landlords to allow tenants to bring bikes inside buildings. No storage requirements attached.

Tomorrow morning, Transportation Alternatives will hold a City Hall rally in support of the "Bikes in Buildings Bill." The bill, introduced in 2006 by Council Member David Yassky, would require owners or managers of "any building" to make "reasonable provisions" for bike access. The bill is intended to supplement a still-pending Department of City Planning rule that would require bike parking facilities in new commercial buildings.

A couple of days ago we relayed the remarkable story of Colin Beavan's close call with a careless motorist, which ended with the parties shaking hands. Yesterday, No Impact Man encountered another inattentive driver -- one State Senator Jeff Klein -- but this time there were no heartwarming epiphanies.