Start out going East on Duane St towards Church St 0.2
Turn right onto Church St 1.5
Entrance near intersection of Chambers St and Church St 2.0

Take the E train from World Trade Center station heading Uptown 5.0
Pass Canal Street 2.4
Pass Spring Street 1.4
Pass W 4 Street - Washington Sq 1.8
Pass 14 Street 2.2
Pass 23 Street 1.9
Pass 34 Street - Penn Station 2.1
Pass 42 Street 1.8
Pass 50 Street 1.8
Pass 7 Avenue 1.3
Get off at 5 Avenue
1.9
Exit near intersection of E 53rd St and Madison Ave 2.0

Start out going South on Madison Ave towards E 52nd St 2.3

Total travel 3.35 miles
32 mins

I believe that at present, that is only the case if non-monetary costs (air pollution, the value of excess space used for pavement) is considered.

If, however, one were to go back to the era when our current transportation/land use pattern was put in place, the better off drivers were definately subsidized by the worse off (but aspirational) non-drivers. That shows what 50 years of subsidies can do.

Note the transit turnaround a couple of decades after the flow of subsidies reversed.

Back a few months ago at the JCC in Manhattan there was a great livable streets pow wow with Janette Sadik Khan, Jan Gehl, Paul Steely White and others. It was hinted then that there would be a series of major initiatives announced on Earth Day 2008 -- not least, the result of Jan Gehl's recommendations.

But yesterday: nothing. What's going on?

''We realize Pennsylvania needs more money to maintain and protect its transportation infrastructure, but tolling Interstate 80 is not the right solution,'' said Maria Culp, the Central Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce president.

Any option other than charging a fee to the users of the highway (or raising the gas tax) will represent a subsidy from those who don't drive to those who do. The exact opposite of what our country should be doing right now given our precarious energy and climate situations.

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2008/04/prospect_park_r.php

As noted the other day, if the park drive was closed to traffic in general, the portion near the rink could be used for parallel parking, eliminating this cost.

The Wall Street Journal, not some nutjob site, is talking about hoarding food.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120881517227532621.html

A well known commentator is saying the unsustainable U.S. consumption binge is over.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/printpage/?url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/04/the_great_shopping_spree.html

And perhaps Streetsbloggers might find this comparison between the pre-collapse former Soviet Union and the United States interesting. I don't think his cynicism about U.S. national politics is reasonable. As for New York State, however...

http://www.energybulletin.net/23259.html