It was summer, it was hot and you had better things to do than reading about transportation. Still you missed some major moves. Here are the ones we watched:
Pedestrians
- Corey Johnson sent a letter to DOT asking for better pedestrian protection on the proposed 10th Avenue bike lane . DOT has agreed to change the traffic signals on 10th Avenue to comply with the 25mph during the day and night.
Transit
- It’s official: the M42 is the slowest in the city – Yes, we know ! read on
- MTA published their action plan in may and has already implanted route changes in Staten Island.
Long Distance Buses
- Fuji jitneys has lost its permit for the bus stops located at 327 West 42nd Street and 301 WEst 40th street. DOT followed CB4 recommendations that their permit be terminated. A very good news for the community.
Bicycles
- Dock-less Citibike debuted in the Bronx – Their biggest proponent? Mayor De Blasio who does not want to sacrifice even One parking space!
- Pedal -assist bikes were legalized . Citibike and ride share system are happy but delivery bicyclists are not : they all use throttle bikes which are still illegal. New York Times
- A tourist was killed on the Central Park West bike lane . Tragic but not surprising: the ” bike lane ” is only a line painted on the ground. A waste of paint if you ask me . At least it will prompt DOT in doing the right thing and put a protected bike lane around the park.
- 26th and 29th street protected crosstown bike lanes are near completion .
- New York State DOT is working on a traffic study for the Greenway and the West Side Highway initiated by a CHEKPEDS’ letter to Senator Brad Hoylman last year. A meeting was organized by the Senator’s office with NYS DOT to review the progress to date with the affected community boards. Nothing tangible yet.
- Citibike will add more stations within the existing network . You can request stations near you here
Congestion
- City council passed two legislations to limit the number fo Uber, Lyft etc cars ( unless they offer service for the disabled riders) and to increase the minimum wage of drivers to match the rest of the city . New York times
- Bruce Schaller, a former NYC deputy commissioner, publish a report showing the massive congestion caused by Uber and Lyft, etc. Read the article in Citylab and read the report
Parking
- New York city announced new parking rates to encourage more turn over. As a result the cost of placards to the rest of the citizens will reach $ 1.5 billion a year. Who will have the balls to tackle this baby?
It was a very busy summer indeed.