Amtrak's Ambitious Plan for Northeast Corridor

I don't have much to add to what Yonah Freemark has written at The Transport Politic on Amtrak's proposal for true high speed rail on the Northeast Corridor, except that if it were up to me, the Obama administration would be pushing hard for a major infrastructure stimulus package.

As I've written in the past, the stimulus the administration has sought so far was at least a trillion short of what the country needs . . . and needs directed into infrastructure projects.  This proposal shouldn't be a 30-year plan . . . it should be a ten year plan and it deserves massive federal funding.

TORNADO WATCH!

Be careful out there people.  Just spoke to my neighbor this morning, they suffered over $100K damage to their building.  Ouch.

TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 686


NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK

1100 AM EDT TUE SEP 28 2010



TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM EDT FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS



NEW YORK COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE



ALBANY, BRONX, BROOME,

CHENANGO, COLUMBIA, DELAWARE,

DUTCHESS, GREENE, KINGS,

MADISON, MONTGOMERY, NASSAU,

NEW YORK, ONEIDA, ORANGE,

OTSEGO, PUTNAM, QUEENS,

RENSSELAER, RICHMOND, ROCKLAND,

SCHENECTADY, SCHOHARIE, SULLIVAN,

ULSTER, WESTCHESTER

New Van Service Along Old B71 Route

TLC Commissioner David Yassky came to the CB6 Transportation Committee to introduce this service on the night of the tornadoes.  It is very much a work in progress.  We all wish to have the B71 back.  In the meantime, Council Member Brad Lander sent out this note to mark the start of the new service - and to ask for your feedback.  So tell him (and tell me in comments, for that matter) - how is it?  Your feedback will help make the best of a difficult situation.  Brad's note to constituents is below:

Today is the first day of the new "Group Ride Vehicle Pilot Program" that the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission (NYC TLC) has launched to provide shared ride van service along the former B71 route bus route.


As I am sure you know, the B71 bus route, which ran along Union Street and Eastern Parkway, was eliminated by the MTA in June, over the vehement objections of neighborhood residents, as well as myself and my colleagues. This new "group ride" service will never be a full replacement for the B71 bus service, as it does not meet the needs of disabled commuters and does not take MetroCards or allow transfers. I plan to keep fighting for the restoration of the B71 and other essential bus routes.

Nonetheless, given that the MTA has eliminated the route, I am grateful to the TLC for offering this new service in Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, the Columbia Waterfront District and Park Slope.

The vans will charge a flat fare of $2 per ride. Vehicles will be clearly marked with the words "GROUP RIDE VEHICLE" on their exterior, and will have unique identifying decals in several locations, so be sure to check for these markers before you get on board.

The new vans will make the following stops, although riders may also request to be dropped off at locations along the route that are not among the specified stops.

This is a pilot program, so we are eager to hear your feedback. Please contact my office at 718-499-1090 or lander@council.nyc.gov to let us know your experiences, opinions and ideas regarding this new program.

My colleagues and I will continue to fight for restoration of more complete MTA service throughout Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, the Columbia Waterfront District and Park Slope, but in the meantime I hope you will find the Group Ride Vehicle Pilot Program useful.

Lawyer, Blogger, Civic Activist, Roadie

Helping out Mia on a job and gaining an even greater appreciation for her hard work and dedication.  This enormous tent will hold an audience of 2,000 twice a day for 10 days.  It's been amazing to see it go up over just a couple of days.  Hanging that backdrop was a huge pain in the . . . neck.

Fresh New Look, Same Crappy Awesome Blog

It's been over three years since I started typing, with wildly varying frequency, some thoughts into this blog. I decided to spruce the place up a bit. The dark wood paneling and orange shag carpet were getting a bit dated and frankly, rather depressing.

I'm going to be somewhat indisposed for the next month, so posting should be no more sporadic than it has been for the past year or so. But I'm hoping to actually put a bit more time into writing over the next few weeks. There's a lot of policy issues at the federal state and local level that I'd like to address. As you might guess, a lot of it centers around infrastructure spending.

We've got 10% unemployment, tremendous borrowing capacity and near endless public works projects around the country that are crying out to be done. National High Speed Rail. Aging, ineffective sewer systems and power grids. Not to mention aging intra-city highways that could be replaced by tunneled alternatives (see, e.g, Gowanus Expressway, BQE) that would revitalize surrounding communities.

With the flight to quality in the markets today, US Bonds are in high demand. We always seem to be able to justify spending hundreds of billions on overseas military adventures. I'd like to see $1 Trillion invested in rebuilding our national infrastructure and putting Americans back to work.

Don't even get me started on the gibbering imbeciles preaching austerity - typically the same clowns who never met a war spending proposal or a tax cut for the rich they didn't like. That path leads to certain disaster. My plan might not solve all our problems, but at least we'll have something tangible for our money.

UPDATE: Calculated Risk, one of the best economics blogs out there, juxtaposes columns from Professor Paul Krugman and Professional Charlatan Alan Greenspan. Greenspan, who has been reliably wrong about everything for over thirty years and is one of the three people most responsible for the economic disaster in America, is of course preaching austerity. Of course the WSJ Op-Ed pages have never been fit to so much as line a bird cage or pick up your dog's poop with, so it is no surprise they would give him a soapbox. Greenspan should be pilloried and pelted with rotten produce for what he's done, yet he has no shame.

The Krugman column deserves your full read.

And because I can, here are some otters to cleanse the palate (h/t Naked Capitalism):

Biking Rules!, Brooklyn Greenway and more at CGNA 6/14

For our last regular Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association meeting before the summer break we're covering a hot topic: bicycles.

As NYC has embraced more complete streets and livable streets initiatives, biking has made a comeback and is on the rise throughout the five boroughs. This welcome resurgence has not been without some friction: many people (drivers, bikers, pedestrians) are not aware of the rules of the road. When I was campaigning last year I recognized a lot of confusion (and occasional resentment) as the City took greater steps to share our streets among users. More than anything, people could use a primer on just what the rules are.

Are bikes allowed to ride on the sidewalk? (No!)

Are bikes allowed to ride in the street? (Yes!)

Can I double park my car in this bike lane? (No!)

How can I get a bike rack installed at X location?

On Monday night we'll have a representative from Transportation Alternatives on hand to talk about Biking Rules!, their educational program to educate all users, particularly cyclists, on the rules of the road.

And while we're talking about biking, we'll have a representative from the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative to talk about the latest developments with the Greenway, a locally created, now federally funded (thanks Congresswoman Velazquez!) 14-mile bike and pedestrian facility for the Brooklyn waterfront.

We may also have a representative from DOT to talk about the new bike lanes you may have noticed in the neighborhood and now along Prospect Park West.

All told, lots of good stuff on bikes. And I get to chair the meeting this month, while our President Maria Pagano recuperates from ankle surgery. Jeff Gillooly was worth every penny! In all seriousness, wish Maria a very swift recovery - we need her back on her feet soon with all that's going on in Carroll Gardens.

CGNA General Meeting

Monday, June 14, 2010
7:00PM-9:00PM
Hannah Senesh Community Day School
342 Smith St between First and Second Places

Late Reminder: Gowanus Canal Session TONIGHT

May 11, 2010
7:00 - 9:00pm
PS 32, 317 Hoyt Street (at Union)

Katia has more details posted at Pardon Me For Asking.