City Council

Two years after the City Council passed the Bicycle Access to Garages law, which set aside space for bike parking in commercial garages, legislators are turning their attention back to the issue. In response to low demand for the garage spaces, a bill sponsored by Queens rep Karen Koslowitz would loosen up some of the design requirements for the bike parking spaces while maintaining the total amount of bike parking required.

Amended versions of two bills adding requirements to the Department of Transportation's public review process passed the City Council's transportation committee unanimously this afternoon. The bills, which mainly codify current practices, would require DOT to consult with other city agencies and compile data on safety and traffic patterns for all major projects. "It is crucial that all the stakeholders are not only fully involved but also fully informed about what is happening in their communities," said committee chair James Vacca.

Yesterday the City Council passed Lew Fidler's Intro 412 -- the bill mandating community board notification about the installation of bike lanes -- setting the stage for some showboating from Fidler, Speaker Christine Quinn and Transportation Committee Chair James Vacca.

A City Council committee took the first step toward bringing residential parking permits to New York City neighborhoods this afternoon. Details haven't been worked out yet, but committee members signaled their desire to move forward on a system that would restrict a portion of curbside parking space to use by local residents.

James Vacca is redefining the role of the City Council Transportation Committee.

The City Council Transportation Committee held hearings on three bills today, each of which would add more requirements to the Department of Transportation's review process for street redesigns, especially bike lanes.

New York City's bike-share plans are poised to make a big leap this week, with the city expected to select the winner of the contract to operate the system very soon, according to Transportation Nation. The announcement will come after top City Council leaders have signaled that they back bike-share.

Though Mayor Bloomberg has ruled out the possibility of implementing a car-free Central Park trial this year, opting for further data collection instead, public support for the proposal continues to grow. At a meeting of the Manhattan Borough Board yesterday, the car-free trial picked up support from still more community boards and new City Council members.

To borrow from the Wall Street Journal's Jason Gay, this NY1 segment starring City Council Transportation Chair James Vacca seems to come straight out of the "shrill and embarrassing" early 2011 phase of NYC bike coverage.