John Liu: Halting Bike Access Bill Not a Political Move

bikes_buildings_rally.jpgDoes anyone believe that John Liu’s position on bicycle access to buildings has remained consistent since last September?

We’ve got an update about the petition drive urging Council member John Liu to hold a vote on the Bicycle Access Bill in his committee: It’s got people fired up. From Crain’s Insider:

A cycling advocacy group has been flooded with e-faxes pushing Councilman John Liu to schedule a committee vote on a bill allowing bicycles in some office buildings. Transportation Alternatives has received more than 800 messages in four days. "We’ve never had anything like it, not even at the height of the congestion pricing drama," a TA spokesman says. The group is delivering the messages to Liu, who questions whether the bill would improve bicycle access. Bill sponsor David Yassky is running against Liu for city comptroller, but Liu says that has nothing to do with his position. He previously backed a stronger bike access bill that, unlike this one, lacked mayoral support.

Our calls to Liu’s office have yet to be returned, so we can’t expand on his rationale that the bill won’t improve bike access to office buildings. At this point, Liu doesn’t really need to explain himself. The fact that the committee chair with jurisdiction won’t move a bill supported by the mayor, 29 other Council members, and the city’s best-known advocates for cycling speaks volumes.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Take Action: Tell John Liu to Support the Bicycle Access Bill

|
Last September, John Liu stood on the steps of City Hall to support bicycle access to buildings. Will he follow through on that commitment? This email alert from Transportation Alternatives just hit our inbox. The Bicycle Access Bill (Intro 871, sponsored by David Yassky), is scheduled for a City Council committee hearing tomorrow and possibly […]

John Liu Stalls Bicycle Access Bill in Committee

|
A few months ago, John Liu was all for bikes in buildings. After months of negotiations and fine-tuning, the Bicycle Access Bill was expected to come up for a vote in the City Council this afternoon. Despite the support of Mayor Bloomberg and 29 co-sponsors, that’s not going to happen. For many thousands of cyclists, […]

Movement on Bicycle Access Bill: New Version Appears in City Council

|
A new version of the Bicycle Access Bill has been placed on legislators’ desks at City Hall, indicating that votes in the Transportation Committee and the full City Council are likely later this month, according to multiple sources tracking the bill’s progress. The revised bill, which would require building managers to provide bicycle access to […]

Bicycle Access Bill Clears City Council Transpo Committee

|
Bicycle Access Bill sponsor David Yassky, who first introduced his legislation in 2006, speaks at a press event earlier today. As anticipated, this morning the City Council transportation committee voted in favor of Intro 871, the Bicycle Access Bill. The tally was 9-0 with one absence, sending the bill to the full floor for the […]