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The Unofficial Word: Vacca to Head Transportation Committee
Politicker's Azi Paybarah has the scoop on which City Council members Speaker Christine Quinn will likely choose for the most high-profile committee chairmanships. The assignments have yet to be made official, but it looks like the transportation committee, as rumored, will go to Jimmy Vacca, who represents the most suburban part of the Bronx.
January 8, 2010
Gerson Bill Mandating Review of Transpo Projects Is Now Law
New York City's 2009 legislative session didn't end without a parting gift from outgoing Lower Manhattan rep Alan Gerson. A new law that passed City Council unanimously before the end of the term mandates that any significant changes to the streetscape be subject to comment by both the local council representative and the community board. Though the comments are not binding, the law seems primed to slow down the process of re-designing streets at a time when projects to enhance bus service and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists are top priorities in New York City, and hundreds of New Yorkers are still dying every year on city streets. Mayor Bloomberg signed the bill into law on December 28.
January 7, 2010
Who Will Be NYC’s Next Transpo Committee Chair?
Now that Michael Bloomberg, Bill de Blasio, John Liu, and the City Council have been sworn in, attention turns to speaker Christine Quinn's choices to head legislative committees. For New Yorkers who care about street safety and sustainable transportation, the big question is who will run the City Council transportation committee.
January 4, 2010
City Council’s “Grace Period” Sparks Parking Agent Assault. What’s Next?
Before it's even signed into law, the City Council's inane parking meter "grace period" is already making the job of traffic law enforcement that much harder. Last week a Bronx TEA agent was allegedly assaulted by a 23-year-old motorist named George Collazo, who was under the impression that the new rule had already taken effect. The Daily News reports:
December 7, 2009
Council Members: If Only There Was Some Way to Deter Reckless Driving
Yesterday the City Council held a hearing on street safety for older New Yorkers. The hearing came while the deaths of Lillian and Peter Sabados, an elderly Staten Island couple run down by Allmir Lekperic on Thanksgiving eve, are still fresh in people's minds. But when it comes to keeping drivers like Lekperic from harming others, The Staten Island Advance reports, some of the borough's council reps seem to think they've exhausted their options:
December 4, 2009
Which Anonymous Council Members Want JSK Gone?
During his re-re-election campaign, Mayor Bloomberg said he planned to make room for new blood in his administration should he win a third term. It's no surprise that City Hall News named Janette Sadik-Khan as one department head some have targeted for replacement, but while City Council members are often all too eager to complain about the DOT commish and her runaway safety improvements, this particular story cites but one disgruntled, unnamed source:
November 23, 2009
City Council Parking Giveaway Will Bring More Gridlock
New Yorkers could spend a third of a million more hours a
year stuck in traffic if the “grace period” for parking violations voted
by the City Council this week becomes law.
November 19, 2009
First Post-Election Business for City Council: Making Traffic Worse
Looks like the City Council is ready to assert itself in the wake of Michael Bloomberg's underwhelming re-election to a third term. They've chosen to draw a line in the sand, apparently, by creating more congestion on New York City's streets.
November 16, 2009
Council Raises Unattended Idling Fines. Will NYPD Enforce?
The City Council on Wednesday approved a bill that could prevent future disasters like last January's Chinatown tragedy, which claimed the lives of preschoolers Hayley Ng and Diego Martinez.
October 29, 2009
Tomorrow: Packed Agenda for Council Transpo Committee as Liu Eyes Exit
The City Council Transportation Committee will consider a slate of bills Thursday. Several of them should be of particular interest to livable streets advocates. Here's a rundown.
October 7, 2009