This Week’s Got It All: Bikes, Buses, and Public Plazas

There’s a hearing underway this morning in James Vacca’s Transportation Committee about three bills that would add more red tape for bike projects. Yes, while expensive, taxpayer-financed parking boondoggles go belly up and the transit system teeters on a mountain of debt, the City Council is busy considering whether to pass the second law in two years that would further complicate DOT’s existing practice of presenting every bike project to the local community board. Funny how council members never considered bills like this during the days when DOT was carving out more left-turn bays for cars and ignoring opportunities to improve bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

We’ll have a report for you later today. And maybe, just maybe, so will Marcia Kramer and the team at CBS2. Here’s what’s happening the rest of the week:

  • Monday: Manhattan Community Board 5 discusses a resolution supporting automated cameras to enforce the speed limit.
  • Tuesday: NYC DOT has been working with businesses in New Lots on a public plaza for the triangle between Ashford Street, Livonia Avenue, and New Lots Avenue in Brooklyn. The agency will present the plaza design to Community Board 5’s Transportation Committee. 6:00 p.m.
  • Also Tuesday: The most important bus project under development in the city right now is Select Bus Service on the Nostrand Avenue corridor. NYC DOT will present the latest proposal to Brooklyn Community Board 9. 7:00 p.m.
  • Thursday: Test out how NYC bike-share will work at the demo station in Union Square, from noon to 6:30 p.m.
  • Sunday: Another bike-share preview at Atlantic Antic in Brooklyn. The demo station will be at Atlantic and Nevins from noon to 4 p.m.

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