Comments on: Today’s Headlines

By: Jason A

Jason A — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:17:36 +0000

re: Greenpoint Woman Struck and Killed by Van

While the DOT is striping bike lanes on northern Manhattan, it’s clear McGuinness Blvd is what needs a serious road diet. That stretch of road is overrun with speeding lunatics and NASCAR wannabes – it’s appalling. The lone comment on that article freely admits doing 40 mph on McGuinness, and 40 is definitely a low estimate for how fast cars rocket down that road.

By: Urbanis

Urbanis — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:50:32 +0000

Which once again proves that technical problems are relatively easy to fix, it’s the people problems that are intractable.

By: Max Rockatansky

Max Rockatansky — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:49:58 +0000

Article in Good Magazine about Amtrak

http://www.goodmagazine.com/section/Features/train_in_vain

By: Max Rockatansky

Max Rockatansky — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:07:33 +0000

LL- You’re right, I’m sure lower gas prices is the #1 wish across the US. Although I think that bill would come payable sooner than 35 years! Perhaps this is a tipping point, there was a great article in the New Yorker about the town of Samso, Denmark switching to alternative energy. The hardest part was getting the key community members to sign onto the project, after that it was simply implementing existing technology. You never know, things can change.

By: Eric McClure

Eric McClure — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:43:10 +0000

Actually, it would’ve been greener for the All-Stars to take the D or the 4. And even with a 15-inning game, it would’ve been safe for them to take the subway back downtown afterwards, unlike when the prior Yankee Stadium All-Star Game was played in 1977.

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:13:56 +0000

(Bush’s willful ignorance, once again, astounds.)

It’s general. Everyone wishes for lower gas prices, so we can be in an even worse position 35 years from now.

By: Max Rockatansky

Max Rockatansky — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:45:14 +0000

Larry – people have already figured out to drive less, so that’s hardly a leadership position. Bush’s point was that there will be more oil in the future and that our policies shouldn’t change (except to expand drilling). He’s simply defending oil company profitability. As failed as the policies of the past may be, we are living in the present and the time to affect change is now. Bush’s willful ignorance, once again, astounds.

By: Urbanis

Urbanis — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:42:25 +0000

I would guess that most commuter cyclists riding in unprotected bike lanes on city streets with lots of starting, stopping, and weaving are going closer to 10 mph.

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:33:21 +0000

You missed a good one on Gotham Gazzette, which may end up the last source with original content on state and local government if newspapers continue to decline.

http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/transportation/20080716/16/2582/

“In the first three months of this year, scooter sales nationwide rose 24 percent, and according to the Motorcycle Industry Council, a national trade association, scooter sales in New York City, Long Island, and northern New Jersey grew 310 percent from 1996 to 2005.”

“With that rise in popularity, scooter riders, or ‘scooterists,’ are becoming a more vocal constituency, adding their concerns to the debate over street space, parking and rights to the road that has long served as the proving ground for transportation decisions in New York City. “

“Naturally, that increase in volume brings boosters and bashers. Many claim that the personal conveyances, which can go 70 to 100 miles on a single gallon of gas, are a long overdue addition to New York City streets, while others point to the dangers to riders, pedestrians and cyclists.”

An interesting takeaway from the article: how scooters are regulated depends on speed. If they can go over 30 mph, they are not allowed in bike lanes, and are considered motorcycles.

This seems to be a justification for some differential rules for bikes. I think one can assume the maximum speed of a bicycle is 18 mph, unless ridden by someone wearing spandex. The latter can take the lane.

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:27:50 +0000

Bush’s point is that with high gas prices, people will figure things out for themselves.

But that just shows how great the failure of leadership was during the past 35 years, when politicians could have responded to low oil prices by raising taxes and investing the proceeds, stimulating conservation and alternatives. Instead, older generations partied on, and left us with a huge national debt and a massive environmental/economic/national security problem in energy.

By: Max Rockatansky

Max Rockatansky — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:58:28 +0000

“It seems like it makes sense to me to say to the world at we’re going to use, you know, new technologies to explore for oil and gas in the United States … to send a clear message that the supplies of oil will increase,” he said.

Hell of a job Bushie.

By: Josh

Josh — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:43:12 +0000

Re. Politico article “Bush Won’t Ask Americans to Conserve Gas”:

More “leadership” from our Fearless Leader.