The Oil Drum

For those not familiar, Randy Cohen writes an advice column for the NY Times magazine on day-to-day ethical issues that people face, like what to do when some local fifth graders destroy your neighborhood organic garden or if you should not order food delivery in dangerous weather conditions.

The Open Planning Project’s Executive Director Mark Gorton recently interviewed Mr. Cohen on the ethics of urban automobility for Streetfilms. The result has been condensed here into a 9 minute talk that touches on a multitude of topics ranging from Congestion Pricing to Parking Policy in NYC. While this focuses on NYC, the discussion could apply to many of urban centers and the conflicts between different users of public space.

As always, TOD:Local is looking for local stories of interest to post here and on the main page. Please send in your articles - complete with video, photos and html is preferred.

In New York City, one of the heights of futility is sitting in traffic, no matter if you are in a car, a bus or a taxi. But this week, there is some hope that the tide is turning in reducing traffic congestion through basic incentives that make mass transit more attractive and driving or taxi riding more expensive. While they have not been touted as the start of a cohesive plan to turn the tide against traffic, they may in retrospect be seen as an opening act in taming NYC traffic.

As Enrique Penalosa stated at the Borough President's Transportation Forum, "Transportation policy today means how to reduce car use".

Congestion pricing is often thought of as the single best way to reduce the use of automobilies and create better incentives for mass transit and other means of transport. However last night at a transportation forum hosted by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and City Councilmember Dan Garodnick it seemed that the debate over congestion pricing was fairly done in Manhattan. BP Stringer called it an "applause line" in Manhattan. But he added that it was something that was very much feared and opposed in the outer boroughs, particularly by powerful interests in Brooklyn and Queens.

And so the stalemate over congestion pricing continues and even if Bloomberg were to vigorously fight for it, he might find his efforts go down in flames much like his West Side Stadium effort. This leaves the balance of the debate to the outerboroughs. What's their plan to reduce traffic congestion? or more to the point, What would they need as a sweetener to make congestion pricing worthwhile?

Tonight, I will be serving on a panel discussion prior to the Transportation Alternatives film "Contested Streets". I previously wrote about my impressions of the film here.

Screening of Contested Streets: Breaking NYC Gridlock.

Time: 8pm Panel Discussion, Followed by the one hour film.

Location: Solar1, East 23rd Street at the East River

Contested Streets explores the history and culture of New York City streets from pre-automobile times to the present. This examination allows for an understanding of how the city - though the most well served by mass transit in the United States - has slowly relinquished what was a rich, multi-dimensional conception of the street as public space to a mindset that prioritizes the rapid movement of cars and trucks over all other functions.

Many folks in the sustainable development, alternative transportation, environmental and Jane Jacobs Urbanist camps have been arguing for a range of incremental steps to put New York back on the right track after decades of car oriented development plans. And lately, while there has been little fanfare or public recognition of this, little things have been happening around the city, but this might be just a taste of what's to come if an article in the New York Observer is correct that the Administration is thinking of taking a more ambitious long range plan that puts all of these ideas into a complete package of sustainable development policy.

hat tip Streetsblog

But there hasn't been much said or reported on any city action on this issue to relieve congestion in the Manhattan CBD...until now.

A man intentionally ran over five people in North Bellmore, with an S.U.V. after a fight last night, the Nassau County police said. The driver fled the scene of the accident, at 2800 Pacific Ave. But the police later located the vehicle they believed was involved in the accident in Garden City and took the driver in for questioning. The victims were taken to Nassau University Medical Center, the police said. One was in critical condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

So basically, everything involving a car including intentional actions gets called an "accident". WHY?

A truly car free Central Park is severely in doubt after a last minute manuever by the Bloomberg Administration to completely water down the idea and preserve Central Park as what the City DOT calls "A vital transportation link" in Manhattan.

Transportation Alternatives has responded in kind:

Tomorrow, Tuesday May 9th, at 9:30 am T.A. and Elected Officials will hold a press conference on the steps of City Hall. We need you to be there to help win a car-free summer in Central Park and car-free summer afternoons in Prospect Park.

This afternoon, Mayor Bloomberg announced a reduction in car hours in Central and Prospect Parks. As of Monday June 5, 2006, vehicles will no longer be allowed to use Central Park's East Drive north of 72nd Street in the morning or the West Drive in the afternoon, or Prospect Park's West Drive in the morning.

Any reduction of car hours in these two parks is a step in the right direction. But this plan is a bit like a smoking ban that would only be in effect from nine am to noon. It improves the parks for relatively few users.

But the most fascinating piece to me was that the NYC Commissioner of Transportation, Iris Weinshall, is married to Chuck Schumer. Chuck complains about high gas prices and his wife has systematically resisted almost all efforts to contain NYC's automobile traffic congestion and favor biking and pedestrian options.

Earth to Chuck, Earth to Chuck: Call your wife and ask her what she's doing to lower demand for gas...

Staten Island is mostly known as being the forgotten borough, the safe, quiet suburbs in the midst of urban chaos. But today, it is taking center stage mostly because of automobile death and destruction. First, there was an incident of Cop vs. Cop Road Rage:

A retired hero Port Authority cop from New Springville, out with his wife to pick up Chinese food, was shot dead last night, hit at least eight times in a barrage of 17 bullets fired by an ex-NYPD detective who snapped in a fit of road rage because the victim had been driving too slow, cops said.

It seems the shooter was drunk, with two equally deadly weapons: A car and a gun.