Work Spotted at Future Gowanus Social Club

By all accounts these guys responsibly operate a positive business at
the Green Building. I hope that will also be the case with this
ancillary venue.  Interesting concept.

BigBelly Solar-Powered Recycling Bins Headed To Times Square: Gothamist

Baby steps. But steps in the right direction.

The Times Square Alliance received a $250,000 grant from the Alcoa
Foundation to buy the BigBellies. Times Square Alliance President Tim
Tompkins said, "Sometimes in Times Square, we nurture habits that are,
shall we say, a bit less wholesome. Today it's all about helping a
habit that helps the planet—recycling."
Mayor Bloomberg had previously announced that he wanted to double the
NYC recycling rate to 30% and today he reiterated, "By year's end, our
Administration will put 1,000 new recycling containers on streets in
all five boroughs. Making recycling easier for New Yorkers will build
on our work to make our entire system of solid waste management less
polluting, more energy-efficient, and more sustainable, both
economically and environmentally."

Not important in the great scheme of things, but the graphics on these cans are pretty awful.

13 skeletons are found in Black Death pit under Farringdon - and there could be 50,000 more - London - News - London Evening Standard

Unexpected ancillary benefits to infrastructure project: furthering knowledge!

These are not the first skeletons found on the Crossrail projects, with archaeologists already uncovering more than 300 at a known burial ground at Liverpool Street in London that dates from the 1500s to 1700s. That burial ground was located near the Bedlam Hospital.

Archaeologists also hope to find Roman artefacts as they dig deeper at the Farringdon site.

Once the archaeologists have finished their work, Crossrail excavators will dig the shaft down to around 65ft (19.8m) with the site to be used to support tunnelling works.

I like this project even more now.

Judge Rules SUNY Board Acted Illegally on LICH Closing | Cobble Hill Blog

While its great to see the Judge keeping these people honest (and
shameful of the trustees to act in this sneaky, underhanded manner)
this is just a bump in the road for the SUNY Downstate scheme.

http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/8216

Weekend Subway Service Advisories « Second Ave. Sagas

Weekend work - regular service at Brooklyn F/G stations. Except I still don't know what's going on at the Bergen Street station with the southerly exit from the Coney Island bound platform. 

From 9:45 p.m. Friday, March 15 to 5 a.m. Monday, March 18, Queens-bound F trains are rerouted via the M line from 47th-50th Sts to Queens Plaza due to station work at Lexington Avenue-63rd Street for SAS

http://secondavenuesagas.com/2013/03/15/weekend-work-impacting-11-subway-lines-7/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SecondAveSagas+%28Second+Ave.+Sagas+%7C+Blogging+the+NYC+Subways%29

Typos courtesy of my iPhone

Everyday Externalities - Krugman

Want clean air and sustainable development patterns?  Price driving properly, and invest in rail. 

Via Mark Thoma, a new paper in Vox on the effects of increased rail service, making clever use of natural experiments created by changes in German ownership and regulation. The results aren't that surprising — more frequent rail service sharply reduces pollution and other costs associated with driving — but it's good to have this kind of solid work to back our intuition.

And can I say that this is a subject that really deserves a lot more attention? Mea culpa; I haven't written much for a while on these issues, focusing mainly on the economic crisis, which is for the moment on the front burner. But we know, as surely as we know anything in economics, that there are huge market failures here — that every time an individual chooses to drive during rush hour, he or she is imposing huge costs on other drivers, people who breathe the air, and more.

Ideally, the right answer is to get the incentives right, and charge large fees for driving in congestion. Short of that, there are huge second-best payoffs to mass transit; if you did the accounting properly, Amtrak's northeast corridor service (which makes money even without taking this into account) is a huge social boon, and projects like the Hudson rail tunnel should be total no-brainers.

His follow-up post on conservatives objections is also worth your time.  If it were up to these people our streets would still be flowing with shit.  Because freedom, you commie!

BK Gateway Vision Panel is This Saturday | Mobilizing the Region

Good people, good event. I'll sadly be working this weekend and can't attend. I hope you can!

Last chance to register! The BK Gateway Vision Elected Official Panel is this Saturday, March 16. Space is filling up so RSVP now to Ryan Lynch (rlynch@tstc.org).

Tri-State Transportation Campaign — in collaboration with the Office of New York City Council Member Letitia James, the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, the Park Slope Civic Council, the Boerum Hill Association and Transportation Alternatives — will be hosting a panel discussion on the BK Gateway Vision Plan on Saturday, March 16 at the YWCA, 30 Third Avenue in Brooklyn. The event will take place from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm. Registration for the event will begin at 10:15 a.m. Light refreshments will be served.