Transportation
March 27, 2008
Columbia Street: Still a Bumpy Ride
The seemingly never-ending construction on Columbia Street continues to seem never-ending. The finish line is finally maybe in sight, though: A city construction worker manning the repaving of the street says they're hoping to have the stretch completed by this summer, and after that work's going to begin on side streets (this is already happening between Degraw and the water). From the looks of it, progress has been made since we last checked in on the thoroughfare this summer. The work on the west side of the street appears complete, so all that's left is the reconstruction of east side from around Congress to Degraw. The revamp is crazy overdue. The multi-million dollar, city-helmed project, which was supposed to be complete this fall, has been a hardship for the strip's many mom-and-pops for far too long.
Columbia Street Revamp: Potholes in My Lawn [Brownstoner]
Columbia Street Faces Fading Prospects [Brownstoner]
March 18, 2008
Push to Make DeKalb Avenue More Bicycle-Friendly
Per Streetsblog, the DOT is cooking up some changes for DeKalb Avenue that are meant to calm traffic on the thoroughfare and make it more friendly to bicyclists. The department wants to install a dedicated bike lane on DeKalb that stretches from Bed-Stuy to Fort Greene. The DOT, which is currently seeking community input for its plan, is also looking to undertake other initiatives such as improving intersection safety via more lane markings and enforcing time-limited parking during certain hours. Work on the 2.6-mile stretch could begin as early as May of this year. City stats say that seven out of ten households in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Bed-Stuy are car-free and many lack convenient subway access, making them ideal neighborhoods to target in terms of introducing more bicycle-friendly features. The plan will be presented to Community Board 2 tonight.
DeKalb Avenue Could Become a More Complete Street [Streetsblog]
PDF: DeKalb Avenue Project [DOT]
March 13, 2008
Mayor Rolls Out Resident Parking Permit Proposal
Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg held a press conference in Boerum Hill to announce that a residential parking permit plan will be included in congestion pricing legislation. The proposal will be contingent on the larger congestion pricing law being passed, and right now it looks like Community Boards will have a big say in the program and be able to propose zone boundaries; Councilmembers, borough presidents, and the Department of Transportation are also going to have input. Although there are a lot more details about the program to come, one of its most interesting facets is that the specific times it's enforced could include small windows—a couple of hours during weekday mornings, for instance. The specifics are going to vary from zone to zone, and the mayor said it might involve a nominal yearly fee to cover administrative costs. "Congestion Pricing is vital to the future of New York City and a Residential Parking Permit program will help to ensure that neighborhoods are not overrun with commuters looking for parking before they get on a subway to enter the pricing zone," said DOT Commissioner Sadik-Khan at the press conference. "The Residential Parking Permit program will give parking priority to local residents while also balancing the need for some visitor and commercial parking."
Details of the Mayor’s Residential Parking Permit Proposal [Streetsblog]
Park It Here or Don't: Residential Permit Plan Announced [Curbed]
Residential Parking Permit Program [nyc.gov]
Pols, DOT: Parking Permit Program For Many 'Hoods [Brownstoner]
Photo by debcha.