Streetsblog New York City

Today on the Streetsblog Network, Mobilizing the Region is talking about highway removal. Specifically, the proposed teardown or reinvention of the 40-year-old Aetna Viaduct in Hartford, CT, which has already outlived its projected lifespan. Now the Hartford Courant has become a proponent of the idea that getting rid of the road could transform Connecticut's capital city:

When ConnDOT initially proposed to repair and prop up the viaduct, civic groups, businesses, and neighborhood associations, led by Tri-State board member Toni Gold, urged the State and City to rethink the plans.  Four years later, ConnDOT, Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez and the advocates have secured federal and city funding to conduct an alternatives study that would analyze whether decking, boulevarding or diverting the current highway traffic is possible.

A teardown of the Viaduct, the newspaper wrote, could be “one of the greatest feats of civic activism in the city’s long history.”

The Aetna Viaduct, which divides some Hartford neighborhoods from the city center, wasn't on the list that Congress for the New Urbanism released last year of the 10 North American highways most in need of demolition. There are bound to be more worthy examples out there. If you have any targets in mind, let us know about them in the comments.

San Francisco Transit Oriented Design has a related post that looks at the history of highway construction in that city.

Plus: Sustainable Savannah on the continuing saga of the city's jaywalking crackdown; Tempe Bicycle Action Group warns of bike thefts (and shady bike sales) along the light rail line there; and Trains for America reports on high speed rail fever in Oklahoma.

Policy wonks across the capital are still poring over the 775-page bill released earlier today by Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the House transportation committee. But searching the legislation for the key topics being debated by transportation reformers reveals new details and raises new questions.

The most common phrase in the bill may well be three innocuous words: "to be supplied." This is in no small part thanks to the uncertain future of funding for Oberstar's $450 billion plan, a problem compounded by a White House preoccupied with health care and in no mood to raise the gas tax.

Still, the sheer number of sections left "to be supplied" in the legislation makes it difficult to consider individual portions of the bill in the context of the nation's overall transportation investment. For example, the section on performance targets for states receiving federal money to keep roads and bridges in good repair -- as opposed to building new projects -- leaves its minimum standards for structural adequacy blank.

The section that creates a program for the unique transportation needs of metropolitan areas has no blank areas, but it leaves major decisions in the hands of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and state DOTs.

The secretary is asked to look at certain performance areas when deciding on new projects, including traffic reduction, road safety, less dependence on single-vehicle trips, and access to public transit. But the task of setting actual goals in those areas, such as percentage-based reduction in local per-capita VMT, is left up to the state DOTs and local metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to decide alongside the federal government.

The tangible targets proposed by Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO), which include accountability measures that cannot be tweaked by individual states and localities, are nowhere to be found.

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If you don't care for DOT's new bike safety ads, here's something you'll really hate.

Damien Newtown out at Streetsblog LA pointed us to this flippant, counterproductive LADOT spot earlier today. While our own DOT implores street users to look out for each other, the agency's LA counterpart plays up the supremacy of the motorist by likening cyclists to insects. Writes Damien:

[F]or anyone that thinks that it's unfair to pull an LADOT advertisement from a couple of years ago to compare to the hard-hitting stuff being put out in NYC, components of the "Laws of Physics" advertisement campaign are still being circulated today. At Bike to Work Day, I received a yellow bracelet bearing the slogan "Ride right and stop at the light," a slogan which still confuses me. Are they telling me to ride correctly, or urging me to ride in the gutter? Is the bracelet an example of bad grammar or bad advice?

Like several New York readers, Damien wonders if the "Look" ads might unintentionally scare would-be cyclists off the roads. But relatively speaking, at least, NYC DOT's message holds up pretty well.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar's (D-MN) new federal bill, which he previewed last Wednesday despite pushback from the Obama administration, is officially out.

You can download the 775-page legislative text right here, thanks to Transportation for America. Streetsblog Capitol Hill is thumbing through it now to provide highlights later today.

This spring, Livable Streets Education worked with teacher Tim Devaney at De La Salle Academy in Manhattan to bring real world issues into the classroom and the classroom into the real world. This after school program allowed students to explore, observe and interact with the streets and public spaces around their school, and provided firsthand lessons in science, sustainability, civics and language arts. Watch as they learn -- and teach -- on the subjects of street safety, street beautification and air quality.

Get in touch to bring Livable Streets Education to your school, public event or other venue suitable for livable streets learning.

As a new non-partisan analysis of the House climate change bill -- proving that capping CO2 can save money for the poorest fifth of the nation -- continues to make waves on Capitol Hill, it's worth noting that the legislation could yield even greater savings by focusing on reducing transportation-based emissions.

In a report released Friday, the Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP) quantifies the benefits of setting tangible goals for reducing the carbon footprint of transportation, which currently accounts for about one-third of total U.S. emissions.

Using smart growth policies to reduce per-capita VMT by 10 percent below 2005 levels would achieve emissions reductions equivalent to taking 35 large coal plants off-line or taking 30 million cars off the road by 2030, according to the CCAP analysis.

The report, viewable in full here, offers some interesting examples of how smart-growth proposals can pay environmental dividends. For example, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the International Energy Agency -- hardly known as bastions of the environmental movement -- have found that emissions reductions of up to 14.5 percent can be achieved at a cost of less than $3 per ton of CO2 simply by encouraging carpooling, telecommuting and eco-driving.

Perhaps the most politically relevant conclusion in the CCAP report, however, deals with a topic very much on the minds of Congress these days: how to push regionally favored industries, from Rep. Collin Peterson's (D-MN) agriculture producers to Rep. Gene Green's (D-TX) oil refiners, to accept their share of the emissions-reduction burden.

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Today on the Streetsblog Network, we've got a post from The WashCycle about speeding, new red light cameras and a reduction in fatalities in Montgomery County, Maryland. Police there report that "a 2008 study of 11 camera locations found a 25 percent reduction in crashes on the roads where the speed cameras were located." Deaths have gone to 9 from 19 over a the same period last year. While the WashCycle cautions against reading too much into a relatively small amount of data, they also say the cameras have likely been effective. They also report on some novel citizen objections to the technology:

Photo by Michael Patrick via Flickr.

It is reasonable to assume that the cameras should get some credit -- if not the lion's share. As Prof. Steven Dutch puts it, "Correlation doesn't prove causation when there is no plausible link between two phenomena, or when there is some more plausible cause. But if there is a plausible link, then correlation is very strong evidence for causation."

I've heard several arguments against speed cameras; such as privacy issues, not being able to face your accuser, manipulation of the data or circumstances to increase violations and, thus, revenue. But this is a new one:

"'I am against the speed cameras. No. 1, I don't think they pick up one of the major hazards on our roadways in Montgomery County right now -- bicyclists,' resident Reardon Sullivan told the Montgomery County Council."

Really? Bicyclists? Not drunk drivers? Not inattentive drivers? Especially since we're talking about speed cameras (not red light cameras) -- and it is very difficult for cyclists to speed.

More from around the network: The National Journal asks the experts what difference an 18-month delay in the transpo bill would actually make; World Streets talks about scientific methods for reducing driving; and The Overhead Wire looks at transit-oriented development in a down economy.

The biggest event on the Streetsblog Calendar this week looks to be the Sierra Club's weekend "Green Transportation" conference. It's great to see the Sierra Club focusing on transportation, and hopefully livable streets advocates will not be daunted by the $50 food fee. Otherwise, this week is all about Brooklyn.

• Tuesday: The Future of Tillary Street — NYCDOT Public Meeting #2. Tillary Street plays a key role in the transportation network of downtown Brooklyn, providing linkages for pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists alike, and its intersection with Adams Street is the gateway to the Brooklyn Bridge. Tillary and portions of Adams are scheduled for reconstruction in 2012. Following up on a successful public workshop held in January, DOT will present conceptual corridor designs. 6:30 p.m.
• Wednesday: Transportation Alternatives Brooklyn Membership Party. Join TA for drink specials, tasty snacks, raffles with awesome giveaways, and livable streets camaraderie. Membership discounts will be offered, so if you haven't yet joined TA this will be a great chance to do so. 6:30 - 11 p.m. Related: The TA Brooklyn Committee holds its regular monthly meeting on Thursday.
  
• Thursday: Open House: Downtown Brooklyn Surface Transit Circulation Study. DOT is working with New York City Transit and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership to improve surface transit within downtown Brooklyn. This study will focus on making bus routes more effective and on improving local transportation for downtown residents, employees and visitors. The first "open house" will feature the initial results of the investigation into existing conditions will offer attendees a chance to provide input about travel patterns, needs, and issues. 5:30 - 8 p.m.
• Friday: Sierra Club Northeast Green Transportation Workshop. The Sierra Club Northeast Regional Activist Network is hosting a special workshop for new and experienced Sierra Club activists to map out the Club's vision for green transportation in the Northeastern United States. Check here for the full agenda of this three-day event.
  
• Sunday: There are three fun events today -- Summer Streets on Vanderbilt Ave, starting at noon; Recycle-a-Bicycle's Bike Maintenance 101 at 1 p.m.; and a TA Brooklyn ride to Coney Island in time to see the Brooklyn Cyclones take on the Hudson Valley Renegades. The ride begins at 3 p.m.

Keep an eye on the calendar for updated listings. Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.

We've published a couple of items lately on how noise from motorcycles and booming car stereo systems continue to diminish quality of life in Inwood and Washington Heights -- not that these problems are by any means unique to Upper Manhattan. The Queens-based NoiseOFF website has compiled a fascinating case against the manufacturers of car audio equipment, much of it drawn directly from product advertising, in which companies use slogans like "Turn it down? I don't think so." and "Be Loud. Be Obnoxious." to market their wares, mostly to young men with a misguided longing for attention and "respect" (I speak from experience here).

For insight into the twisted psychology of boom car ownership, and the perverse ways it is exploited by the car audio industry, get a load of this long-form ad from Pioneer (also featured on NoiseOFF), entitled "Disturb." Think that guy on the block cares that he's rattling windows and setting off car alarms? Hardly. More likely it's his reason for living.

As their committee's leaders butted heads with the Obama administration, a group of Republicans on the House transportation panel proposed to fill the $7 billion hole in the nation's highway trust fund with unobligated money from the economic stimulus law.

The bill, offered yesterday by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and eight co-sponsors, has almost zero chance of passing in the Democratic-controlled Congress. But its appearance suggests that lawmakers whose sympathies generally lie with Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN), the House's transportation chief -- who is determined to pass a new federal bill this year -- are likely to be diverted by the immediate task of filling the trust fund by August.

In his endorsement of the Diaz-Balart bill, Rep. Tim Johnson (R-IL) underscored the bipartisan appeal of Oberstar's quest for a new bill. Johnson lamented the business in his home district that would be lost if the Obama administration won its fight for a transportation funding patch:

As a member of the Transportation Committee as well as the Highway and Transit Subcommittee, I have been gearing up for the reauthorization for many months. Elected officials from throughout the District have spent time and energy preparing their plans and projects with me and my staff in anticipation of this important reauthorization. Now the administration is telling them to shelve it all.

The result of this ill-conceived decision will be the loss of jobs, critical infrastructure and economic development in [my] district and throughout the nation.

Let's forget for the moment that House Republicans voted against the stimulus en masse, which casts a dim light on their bid to take advantage of available economic recovery cash for highways. Here's why the Diaz-Balart proposal could have a significant political downside.

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This week brought urban history lessons to StreetsWiki from Livable Streets members coast to coast.

Joe Bencharsky penned a neighborhood profile of Potrero Hill, San Francisco, where his family has lived for three generations. Says Joe:

Partly because of street and freeway configuration, partly because of topography, The Hill is an out of the way community even though it has close proximity to some of the most active parts of The City. There are only a few streets that circumvent the freeways that allow traffic through to The Hill via somewhat circuitous routes.

Meanwhile in New York, Susan Donovan contributed a fascinating entry on the history of Madison Avenue Bus Lanes -- a rare remnant of the Koch administration's largely unrealized 1980 congestion reduction plan.

Elsewhere this week, the new Echo Park and Silverlake Livable Streets chapter of Los Angeles County announces a ride spotlighting roads prioritized in a proposed bike plan; the South Bronx Livable Streets group publicizes a Harlem River rezoning City Council hearing on June 23; and there are new Livable Streets groups for Detroit residents and folding bike users.

Streetsblog San Francisco reports that speculation continues over the future of city transit head Nat Ford. Rumors have been swirling from some time that Ford might return to New York -- where he started his career as a train conductor some 30 years ago -- to succeed Lee Sander as MTA CEO. And talk of Ford's possible departure from San Francisco won't let up, writes Bryan Goebel:

First he was rumored to have been considered for a job in the Obama administration. Then, it was the executive director opening at the LA MTA, a position insiders say he was interviewed for but didn't get. And even now, despite a pledge he made in an interview with Streetsblog that his "career goal" is "to focus on the San Francisco MTA," rumors persist within the MTA and at City Hall that MTA Chief Nat Ford continues to look elsewhere.

As late as this week, a spokesperson told Streetsblog SF that Ford "is not looking," and remains "committed to the SFMTA." We'll let you know if our west coast colleagues hear otherwise.

The Weekly Carnage is a Friday round-up of motor vehicle mayhem across the metro region. For more on the origins and purpose of this column, please read About the Weekly Carnage.

Fatal Crashes (8 Killed This Week, 20 Killed This Year*, 4 Drivers Charged**)

• Manhattan, Queens: Toddler Injured, Harlem Man Killed in Separate Hit-and-Runs (News, Post)
  
• Bronx: Tow Truck Driver Hit on Cross Bronx Expressway; Charges Pending (Newsday) 
• Holtsville, LI: Man Crashes on LIE, Fatally Struck While Carrying Son to Shoulder (Newsday)
• Syosset, LI: Teenager Dead in Single-Car Crash; Teen Driver Injured (Newsday)
• Brentwood, LI: DWI Charged in Collision That Killed 98-Year-Old WWII Vet (Newsday)
• Newark: Pedestrian Decapitated in Hit-and-Run (NJ.com) 
• Orange, CT: Two Teens Killed in Collision With Police Officer (CT Post)

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