CB6 Transportation Committee Meeting Thursday 2/21

This meeting has two key items on the agenda, both of which deserve support.  The PARK Smart program has been rolled out on commercial corridors in Park Slope with success.  My only complaint with the program is that the City should experiment with a more aggressive pricing to see if the benefits are greater.  Look, nobody likes to feed a meter.  As a society we've gotten so used to free parking in so many contexts that people don't appreciate that that space on the street belongs to all of us and it has value.  And if increasing the meter price on a congested commercial strip means a reduction in traffic and makes it easier to find a space when you really need one, I'm all for it.  The role of Muni-Meters is key in this.  The Muni-Meters make it possible to pay for parking conveniently with a credit card or coins; thus an increase in rates doesn't mean require a driver to carry around a pound of quarters.   Less controversial is the build out of the Brooklyn Greenway to Valentino Park.  Truly an excellent project that has already done much to open up the Brooklyn Waterfont to public recreational use . . . with much more to come in the future.

Presentation and discussion with representatives for the Department of Transportation on a proposal to implement the PARK Smart program along the Court and Smith Street corridors, between Atlantic Avenue and Sackett Street in Cobble Hill.   Update and presentation from representatives for the Department of Transportation on the department's Atlantic Basin/Red Hook Greenway project.

Long Island College Hospital    339 Hicks Street, Room A    (at Atlantic Avenue)    Brooklyn, NY 11201

6:30 PM

Looking for New Ways to Pay for Roads and Bridges - NYTimes.com

It absolutely boggles my mind that a reporter can put out an article
like this and fail to mention that increasing gas taxes to make up for
past inflation and indexing the tax to inflation going forward will
solve the problem for the foreseeable future.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/us/looking-for-new-ways-to-pay-for-roads-and-bridges.html

It's not brain surgery.

This Week: Mayoral Transit Forum, Brooklyn Greenway

Ha.  I intended to send this to myself to compose a different post focused on the CB6 meeting.  Time to change my email preferences before I embarass myself some day.  I'll put up a separate post on the Greenway/Park SMART stuff for CB6, which are both great initiatives.

This Week: Mayoral Transit Forum, Brooklyn Greenway

This week, community boards in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island hear proposals from DOT on key bike connections, a new Slow Zone, and parking meter reforms. To cap off the week, mayoral candidates are invited to talk transit on Friday. Here are the details:

• Tuesday: The MTA will present to Brooklyn Community Board 2′s transportation committee about a new bus route connecting Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In addition, DOT will discuss PARK Smart reforms on Smith Street, Court Street and Atlantic Avenue. 6:00 p.m.


• Tuesday: Staten Island Community Board 1′s Rosebank/Fort Wadsworth/Shore Acres area committee will hear a proposal from DOT on a proposed Slow Zone in the Rosebank area. 7:30 p.m.


• Wednesday: Manhattan Community Board 4′s transportation committee is scheduled to hear from DOT on crosstown bike lanes in West Midtown and design options for the plaza on Ninth Avenue in Chelsea. 6:30 p.m.


• Thursday: At Brooklyn Community Board 6′s transportation committee, DOT will present a plan to extend the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway from Van Brunt and Summit Streets to Valentino Park. The plan can be executed in 2013 even as work moves ahead on a long-term capital construction project. The agency will also discuss the PARK Smart program on Smith Street, Court Street, and Atlantic Avenue. 6:30 p.m.


• Friday: Advocacy organizations and unions are hosting a mayoral forum on the future of transit in NYC, addressing issues including outer borough transit needs, funding sources, Hurricane Sandy, and climate change. 6:00 p.m.

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

Typos courtesy of my iPhone

House Approves Federal Aid for Churches Damaged by Hurricane Sandy - NYTimes.com

This is, frankly, pandering crap. Jerry Nadler had the right of it:

"Representative Jerrold Nadler of Manhattan, the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, said: "This bill would direct federal taxpayer dollars to the reconstruction of houses of worship. The idea that taxpayer money can be used to build a religious sanctuary or an altar has consistently been held unconstitutional.""

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/nyregion/house-approves-federal-aid-for-churches-damaged-by-hurricane-sandy.html?ref=nyregion

Look, churches are great. But we already grant a massive subsidy to religious organizations, in the form of tax-free status.  And with the sequester looming, and all the very serious people screaming about deficits and refusing to fund any number of badly needed investments, this is not only unconstitutional but also irresponsible pandering. 

And I use the word pandering advisedly.  Many if not most of the people who will vote for this know full well it is unconstitutional.  It's shameless. 

Kudos to Rep. Nadler for not going the easy route and pointing out the reality. 

FBI Destroys Files On Former NY Times Publisher Because They Weren't THAT Big A Deal: Gothamist

"The FBI has destroyed the files it kept on former New York Times publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger because they didn't pass historical muster."

That doesn't sound at all convincing.  Really, that's insulting. 

http://gothamist.com/2013/02/17/fbi_destroys_files_on_ny_times_publ.php

Don’t Blink, or You’ll Miss Another Bank Bailout - NYTimes.com

The raiding of the Treasury continues.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/business/dont-blink-or-youll-miss-another-bank-bailout.html

The Federal Reserve is a highly conflicted organization. It's shareholders include … the major banks. 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve_System

The Educate a Cab Driver, Educate Thomas Friedman Campaign | Beat the Press

Tom Friedman is a vacuous imbecile.

Oh, and as someone who married rich (billionaire rich, GGP heiress) he
has a vested interest in keeping a variety of taxes on high wealth and
incomes low.

Dean Baker gives him the beating that professional courtesy prohibits
Paul Krugman from handing him.

http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/its-sunday-and-thomas-friedman-is-abusing-economics-again


Typos courtesy of my iPhone