This Week: Transpo Budget Hearing, Car-Free Central Park

We just have a couple of events on the calendar for this holiday-shortened week, but they’re important ones. The City Council’s ongoing budget hearings turn to transportation, including financing for the DOT, MTA and TLC. Budgets are about priorities, and the hearing should reveal just what the transportation priorities of the City Council are.

  • Wednesday: Manhattan CB 8’s transportation committee discusses making Central Park car-free for a summertime trial period. Safety changes at the eastern end of 96th Street are also on the agenda. While the improvements are simple and common-sense measures, like striping high-visibility crosswalks to help people cross FDR service roads and get to the waterfront esplanade, they are encountering a surprising amount of resistance from some members of the board. 6:30 p.m.
  • Thursday: The City Council Finance and Transportation Committees hold a joint hearing on the city’s transportation budget, including finances for the DOT, MTA, and TLC. 10:00 a.m.

Keep an eye on the calendar for updated listings. Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

As Local Governments Innovate, State DOT Still Focused on Roads

|
This map shows many of the projects in the region’s transportation improvement program, revealing the priorities of the area’s transportation agencies for the next five years. The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) has released a draft of its transportation improvement program, or TIP [PDF], providing a window into the investment priorities of the region’s […]

T.A.: Car-Free Central Park Would Ease Neighborhood Congestion

|
A study released this week by Transportation Alternatives undercuts the claim that closing Central Park’s loop drive to cars would increase traffic on the streets of Harlem. To the contrary, findings indicate that loop entrances on 110th street at Malcolm X and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevards "act as traffic magnets," drawing vehicles onto neighborhood streets […]

Public Hearing: West Side Transportation Issues

|
Do you have thoughts about improving the bicycle, pedestrian and transportation environment on the Upper West Side? In conjunction with Councilmember Gale Brewer, the Department of Transportation would like to hear your thoughts, concerns and ideas regarding transportation issues from West 55th to 86th Streets (PDF). From the DOT:The New York City Department of Transportation is […]