Gale Brewer

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer wants to prioritize buses, bikes, and pedestrians on Manhattan's 14th Street when the L train shuts down for 18 months beginning in January 2019. Brewer signed onto Transportation Alternatives' "PeopleWay" campaign yesterday after meeting with campaign organizers.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer is calling on DOT to study making 14th Street a bus-only thoroughfare while L train service is disrupted during Sandy-related repairs.

By a count of 28 in favor and 13 opposed, Manhattan Community Board 7 voted last night to endorse DOT’s plan for a protected bike lane along Amsterdam Avenue from 72nd Street to 110th Street. The vote affirmed a safety project that Upper West Siders have worked toward for several years, but the meeting itself devolved into farce, with some board members making a last-minute attempt to stop the redesign despite the long public process, endorsements from major elected officials, and the large crowd who turned out to support it.

On Wednesday, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer spoke in support of legislation that would create a "bicycle safety task force." The language of the bill, introduced by Council Member Rosie Mendez at Brewer's request, says the task force would make recommendations for improving bike infrastructure. But in testimony to the council transportation committee, Brewer suggested the panel would also provide a venue for people to gripe about cyclists.

Since the de Blasio administration attempted to cap for-hire cars this summer, the debate over Manhattan traffic has gotten louder, but not more productive. Uber claimed it definitely wasn't the problem. Some council members wondered if bike lanes were slowing down cars. Amid all the noise, something important got lost.

We're gonna devote a post to reprinting this newly-released statement from Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer in its entirety, because it's that good:

For years, the City Planning Commission approved special permits that let developers in Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea get around limits on parking construction in the Manhattan core. Recently, the city implemented a new formula that reformers hoped would curtail these permits. But Community Board 4, Council Member Corey Johnson, and Borough President Gale Brewer say the city's math is flawed, resulting in too much new parking. They're asking the Department of City Planning to come up with a better measuring stick.