http://www.streetsblog.org Covering the New York City Streets Renaissance Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:52:30 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en First Lady Michelle Obama took to the mikes this afternoon to kick off a national campaign to combat childhood obesity, emphasizing new initiatives to promote biking and walking alongside a strong focus on healthier food options in schools. Michelle Obama visited "Sesame Street" last ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/09/first-lady-launches-childhood-obesity-push-with-nod-to-biking-walking/ Yesterday we highlighted a Bob Mionske column that eloquently lays out inherent biases common in U.S. traffic codes and proposes measures we can take to start correcting them. One of them is strict liability, which generally assigns responsibility for a collision to the operator of the vehicle ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/09/strict-liability-civil-law-for-civil-streets/ Image: U.S. PIRG Now that the Obama administration has awarded $8 billion in high-speed rail grants to more than two dozen states, with $2.5 billion more coming soon, why not keep thinking big when it comes to bullet-train expansion? That's the ethos of a new report ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/09/new-report-maps-a-high-speed-rail-link-for-every-major-u-s-city/ So it's come to this. With transit revenues plummeting to the point where the MTA has to deal with a $400 million shortfall on top of an austerity plan that already calls for deep cuts in service, Governor Paterson yesterday proposed shifting the burden of the MTA payroll tax to ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/09/govs-proposed-nyc-tax-hike-a-testament-to-your-local-pols-new-yorkers/ We turn to the Streetsblog Network for a little inspiration this morning, courtesy of Robin Chase -- author of the blog Network Musings and former CEO of Zipcar. Chase shares a story from a friend in India, Vinay Jayaswal, who believes that meaningful change on the most overwhelming issues can, ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/09/individuals-can-make-a-difference-a-view-from-india/ Paterson Wants to Shift Transit Tax Burden From 'Burbs at City's Expense (SAS, Crain's, WNYC, NY1) Haberman: What Are Dems to Do With "Slasher Senator" Monserrate? Sampson Won't Say (Post) John Liu Says Disabled Placards Are Ripe ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/09/todays-headlines-825/ A two-block pedestrian plaza is coming to Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill, replacing an underused service road between Grand Avenue and Emerson Place. Last Friday, the local business improvement district unveiled eight potential ideas for the site (check out the BID's Flickr stream to see them all) and asked viewers ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/08/what-should-happen-at-myrtle-avenues-new-plaza-the-public-weighs-in/ Despite Senate Democratic efforts to move quickly on a new jobs bill that includes infrastructure investment and takes steps towards solving the nation's transportation financing dilemma, Congress has just two more weeks of work until time runs out on the latest short-term extension of the five-year-old law governing federal transport ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/08/a-vow-to-bring-republicans-to-the-table-for-a-new-transport-bill/ In the second installment of his two-part "traffic injustice" series (here's part one), cycling attorney Bob Mionske covers a lot of ground. While much of it will lead Streetsblog readers to nod in knowing agreement, what struck us is the way Mionske exposes how a transportation system so dominated by ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/08/bob-mionske-vulnerable-user-laws-a-first-step-toward-true-traffic-justice/ Don't count out Boston just yet, but it looks like Minneapolis may be the first American city out of the gate with a public bicycle system of 1,000 bikes or more. Last week, the non-profit Nice Ride Minnesota selected the Public Bike System Company (the same firm behind Montreal's Bixi) ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/08/sponsors-sold-on-health-economic-benefits-of-minneapolis-bike-share/ Today on the Streetsblog Network, Connecticut Smart Growth asks for a reconsideration of the cul-de-sac. As the post notes, a couple of important studies in recent years have highlighted how this iconic type of suburban development causes unsafe and costly traffic problems. Now governments in several parts of the country ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/08/the-end-of-the-road-for-cul-de-sacs/ Another East Side community board discusses Select Bus Service this week. The same night, you've got a chance to advocate for a more cohesive East Coast Greenway.  Wednesday: The East Coast Greenway is missing a critical link through the Meadowlands. Catch NJTransit's 190 bus and come support a connection ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/08/this-week-east-coast-greenway-east-side-sbs-and-evs/ Sounds Familiar: CompStat Critique Says Not All Crimes Make the Cut (NYT 1, 2) Rumor Mill at Full Tilt Over Supposed Paterson "Bombshell" (TBI via Gothamist) Bloomberg Says MTA Retirees Should Also Lose MetroCard Privileges (SAS) ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/08/todays-headlines-824/ Mayor Bloomberg is expected to announce his verdict on Times Square's new pedestrian spaces very soon. Will the changes be permanent? This morning Bloomberg told radio host John Gambling that we'll find out sometime next week. In the meantime, it seems like the media has decided to ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/05/times-square-then-and-now-a-streetfilms-retrospective/ The Weekly Carnage is a Friday round-up of motor vehicle mayhem across the five boroughs and beyond. For more on the origins and purpose of this column, please read About the Weekly Carnage. Karen Schmeer. Photo: Garret SavageFatal Crashes (2 Killed This ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/05/the-weekly-carnage-99/ Fewer cars means more walking and healthier kids. Image: jeweledlion via Flickr. Could reducing traffic near children's homes help America combat its obesity epidemic? A new study conducted by UC Berkeley professor Michael Jerrett strongly suggests the answer is yes. ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/05/study-fewer-cars-on-the-street-healthier-kids/ Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's office is beginning an inquiry into the collision that killed Karen Schmeer last Friday, and expects to review all circumstances leading up the crash, according to a spokesperson. Witnesses cited by the Daily News say cops pursued three men suspected of petty theft at an Upper West Side ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/05/da-begins-inquiry-into-nypd-involved-pedestrian-fatality/ Today on the Streetsblog Network, a post from Aaron Renn on New Geography about the anti-urban bias in transportation spending. Renn points out that when it comes to the amount of taxes they contribute and the amount of funds they get back from the government, the nation's cities all too ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/05/how-urban-areas-get-stiffed-on-transportation-spending/ Cy Vance Won't Charge Former Top Cop Howard Safir for Leaving the Scene (News, City Room) Post Pins Blame for MTA Budget Woes on "Bean Counters," Not Legislators Use Stim Funds to Pay for Transit Service? MTA ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/05/todays-headlines-823/ Senate Democratic leaders appeared this morning to tout their commitment to passing a job-creation bill by the end of next week -- but the substance of their jobs measure, including the fate of pivotal transportation provisions, remains up in the air. Senate Majority Leader ... http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/02/04/senate-dems-to-call-up-jobs-bill-monday%e2%80%a6-with-transport-details-tba/