The Work That Needs to Be Done

By Sarah Goodyear
Jan 21, 2009

The first day of the Obama Administration is here at last. So it’s time to get down to work, right?

The Midwest High Speed Rail blog (we love their super-realistic slogan, "Improving Amtrak, Incrementally") has used some of the data collected by Transportation for America to put together a pretty nifty map showing rail projects ready to go within four months. Network member Gregor.us, meanwhile, has this to say about the allocation for rail projects in the provisional Obama stimulus plan: "Proposing to spend only 1.2% of the total 825 billion dollar package on rail is almost comical. In truth, it’s tragicomical."

Janette Sadik-Khan with Rep. James Oberstar at last fall’s announcement of the NACTO plan for the new transportation funding bill.

One organization that is pushing hard for improvements to the stimulus package is the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), whose president is NYC’s own Janette Sadik-Khan. In a letter sent to Obama last Friday, NACTO called upon the then president-elect to rethink his economic recovery plan "to better meet cities’ transportation needs by following these principles":

1. Meet the Public’s Call for More and Better Transit
2. Support the Nation’s Transit Systems During the Crisis Period
3. Prioritize Maintenance and Repair
4. Fund Large Cities Directly to Move Projects Faster
5. Incorporate Bureaucratic Streamlining Measures
6. Strengthen the Accountability Provision.

Download a PDF of the letter here. You can also download a PDF of NACTO’s full plan for the next US Transportation Bill, released last fall, here.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

It's crowded on that bridge. Photo: Clarence Eckerson Jr.

Queensboro Bridge Bike Numbers Soaring as DOT Stalls Separate Walking Path

By Kevin Duggan | Jun 7, 2023

If you don’t build it, they’ll still come.

The DOT is hoping that moving Fordham Road's bus lane off the curb will mean fewer scenes like this BX9 caught in traffic. Photo: Dave Colon

DOT Nixes Fordham Road Busway Due To ‘Community Concerns’

By Dave Colon | Jun 7, 2023

Fordham Road won't be getting a proposed busway after the Department of Transportation bowed to "community concerns" and opted for the potential changes to the corridor with the least benefit for bus riders.

Amy Cohen has begun her hunger strike for safety in Albany. Photo: Families for Safe Streets

‘Sammy’s Law’ Hunger Strike Begins at State Capitol

By Julianne Cuba | Jun 6, 2023

Two mothers whose children were killed by reckless drivers have begun a hunger strike that they'll continue until Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) brings to the floor a long-stalled bill that would allow New York City to set its own speed limits.

Families for Safe Streets members Amy Cohen and Fabiola Mendieta-Cuapio will start a hunger strike today.

Tuesday’s Headlines: Hunger Strike Edition

By Streetsblog Editorial Board | Jun 6, 2023

Two members of Families for Safe Streets will begin a hunger strike at the state Capitol to protest the state legislature's failure to pass a bill to allow New York City to set its own speed limits. Plus other news.

The intersection where Dolma Naadhum, 7, (inset) was killed by a driver on Feb. 17. File image

CB1 Members Demand Universal Daylighting After Drivers Kill Two Kids

By Kevin Duggan | Jun 6, 2023

The city must clear all intersections of parked cars that block visibility, demanded community board members in Astoria.

Fabiola Mendieta-Cuapio protested in front of Carl Heastie's office. (The Speaker was not there, but he is in the inset.) Photo: Gersh Kuntzman

Supporters of Sammy’s Law Remain Angry over Assembly Speaker’s Inaction on Speed Limit Reduction

By Gersh Kuntzman | Jun 5, 2023

Members of Families for Safe Streets rallied on Monday outside of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie's office to demand he pass a bill that would allow New York City to set its own speed limits, and expressed confusion as to why the speaker had reportedly stalled the widely supported legislation.