City Council

Due to popular demand, here's a quick rundown of yesterday's transportation committee hearing in City Council on the Bikes in Buildings Bill. More details to follow.

On Monday afternoon the City Council's transportation committee will take up the Bikes in Buildings Bill, which addresses a major obstacle to bike commuting. The legislation would give people who work in commercial buildings the right to bring their bikes inside the workplace, if they have the consent of their employer. Transportation Alternatives director Paul White calls it "one of the easiest ways to enable much greener travel in New York City." The bill's prospects look promising: Bloomberg reports that it enjoys the active support of the mayor, and most of the City Council is expected to sign on.

The Bikes in Buildings Bill is back on the table. Yesterday City Council member David Yassky re-introduced the legislation, co-sponsored by Council member Gale Brewer, and a transportation committee hearing is scheduled for December 8. The new bill, Intro 871, stipulates that building managers and landlords must allow tenants to bring bikes inside office buildings.

Joining other public officials in the war on parking enforcement, Queens City Council Member John Liu wants to keep drivers sane by changing the rule that permits them to park by a broken meter for one hour. Instead, Liu says, motorists should be allowed to defer to time limits set by street signs.

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.

The City Council has voted 30-20 to approve the home rule message sending congestion pricing to the state legislature. Noah Budnick of Transportation Alternatives gave us the full roll call, after the jump.

The Committee on State and Federal Legislation has voted in favor of the congestion pricing home rule message. Tonight, the full City Council will decide whether the state legislature can vote on the real bill. Transportation Alternatives' Noah Budnick is on the scene and providing us with updates. The Daily Politics is getting the news out pretty quickly too. Here's the roll call:

From the Daily Politics: