Community Boards

Last month, DOT striped buffered bike lanes on Vernon Boulevard (right), part of a package of safety improvements for the north-south corridor that parallels the western Queens waterfront [PDF]. Bike facilities are scarce in this part of the city, and the addition of the new lanes, which eliminated a lane of parking along parts of the route, has not come without opposition from the local community boards, CB1 and CB2. But as Transportation Alternatives' Queens Committee Chair Mike Heffron reports, residents also organized to voice support for the project.

Ian Dutton, vice-chair of Manhattan CB2's transportation committee, tells Streetsblog the idea of piloting a variable-rate parking program in Greenwich Village met with approval at last week's DOT-sponsored strategy session. The program, which DOT is calling "Peak Rate Parking," would increase meter prices during peak hours, boosting turnover and reducing traffic caused by cars cruising for spots.

More livable streets news out of Manhattan's Community Board 2. This Thursday, at the request of DOT, CB2 will hold a public strategy session to consider how variable-rate parking might work in the district. If participants determine that such a program would benefit the neighborhood, said CB2's Ian Dutton, DOT has pledged to implement a six-month pilot program starting in September.

The cycle track will replace the current buffered bike lane on Eighth Avenue.

A typical street plan in DOT's proposal for Eighth Avenue.

From Transportation Alternatives: 

From Transportation Alternatives' Queens Committee Chair Mike Heffron:

Here's how space is divvied up on Kent Avenue today...

Congestion pricing may be dead for the moment, but livable streets advocates can't afford to let that sap our strength or motivation. There are plenty of changes to be made that need grassroots support -- and not one iota of approval from Albany -- to reach fruition. One of those measures will face a crucial test later today.