Latest news with #TransportationAlternatives
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
NYC DOT under fire after bike lane revisions cause gridlock for drivers trying to avoid congestion tolls
The NYC Department of Transportation has put the screws to drivers who are trying to avoid congestion pricing tolls by entering Manhattan via the Queensborough Bridge, critics told The Post. The agency helped spur relentless massive gridlock last month by removing a key left-turn lane along East 62nd Street heading northbound on First Avenue — to create a seven-foot-wide safety buffer area abutting the 62nd Street bike lane. 'It makes me feel like the New York City Department of Transportation is deliberately trying to ruin the only toll-free route into Manhattan from Queens,' said Dylan Yen, 24, an Upper East Side tech consultant and U.S. Coast Guard member who regularly commutes between boroughs by taking the bridge. 'They're deliberately trying to make it as difficult as possible so that people will either pay the congestion toll or, more cynically, they make it so bad that we as a neighborhood decide that we need congestion pricing.' Northbound travelers such as Yen avoid the controversial $9 toll for Manhattan drivers below East 60th Street by using the bridge's upper level exit, leading to East 61st Street. Exiting the lower level leaves drivers off at East 59th Street where they have to pay the piper. Yen continued: 'This is manufactured congestion to cater to the whims of Transportation Alternatives,' referring to the powerful anti-car group that critics say has incestuous relationship with DOT, indirectly lobbies for Uber and Lyft and wields a lot of power with lefty officials. The revisions leave only one lane operating during certain hours for both drivers needing to turn left to onto First Avenue or continue east onto the FDR Drive. The road's right lane is supposed to be open to traffic except Sundays and overnights the rest of the week, midnight to 7 a.m. when parking is allowed. However, it's routinely blocked during business hours by trucks making deliveries, residents said. Previously, the strip had a lane dedicated for left turns, a center lane for thru-traffic to the FDR Drive and a right lane with 'No Standing' zones regulations in affect most hours beyond Sunday. The DOT insists its plan was always to eliminate the left lane and create a safety buffer for bikers since the 62nd Street bike lane was installed in 2021 under then-Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration. That part of the project was put on hold for years because outdoor dining sheds were blocking the right lane until Mayor Eric Adams instituted new rules phasing out many of the blighted structures, officials claimed. Bridge users aren't buying the excuse. Michael, a 34-year-old Upper East Side resident who works at a Queens tech company, said his average commute time is now 75 minutes, compared to 25 minutes before the traffic patterns changed. He said the traffic now routinely backs up onto bridge's upper level and is especially bad on Sundays when the right lane on East 62nd Street allows parking — adding it's deplorable that drivers are being charged the congestion toll for 'creeping 300 feet into the zone' to exit and enter on the lower-level. 'On Sundays, it's backed up to the middle of the bridge,' he said. 'They don't give a s—t! The DOT does not give a s—t! It's an open targeting of drivers.' Traffic congestion near the Manhattan side of the bridge has historically been a problem, but it's now nonstop, said Sebastian, who lives on East 62nd Street near First Avenue. 'The traffic is 24 hours [a day], he said. 'It's a safety concern for pedestrians.' Linda Santangelo, 61, of the Upper East Side, said she doesn't drive but is now forced dealing with the honking horns and car fumes the extra traffic congestion has brought to the neighborhood. 'I was surprised by the gridlock going on [because of the traffic changes], ' Santangelo said. 'And I do a see a lot of extra traffic on the Upper East Side because of this. It's gridlock everywhere!' Councilwoman Julie Menin, a Manhattan Democrat who represents the Upper East Side-Lenox Hill areas near the bridge, told The Post her office has fielded plenty of complaints from local residents about the changes causing 'added congestion.' 'DOT should review this location to determine whether this intersection should be reverted to a configuration that better supports traffic flow and continues to make our streets safer for pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists,' said Menin. DOT spokesman Vincent Barone said the bike lane project was put in place by the de Blasio administration 'to create safer crosstown connections for cyclists and pedestrians while also preserving the same number of vehicular travel lanes during rush hours in a historically congested area near the bridge.' 'These corridors were chosen for safety upgrades in part because they were the locations of hundreds of injuries and multiple pedestrian fatalities — and if there are any delays due to drivers dangerously and illegally parking in travel lanes, we will work with our sister agencies on enforcement,' he said.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
NYPD begins massive crackdown on unlawful e-bike riders
The NYPD has begun a massive crackdown on e-bike riders caught speeding and violating traffic laws, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Friday. Since the operation began on April 28, cops have handed out 916 criminal court summonses against wayward e-bikers — nearly double the amount that was given out all last year, the NYPD said. 'We are cracking down on e-bikes largely because we have gotten so many community complaints,' Tisch said during an appearance on Fox 5's 'Good Day NY' Friday. 'Every New York has had the experience of jumping out of the way or getting their kids out of the way of these e-bike riders.' The enforcement was first reported on StreetsBlog NYC. Biking advocates say that the draconian crackdown was done without any public notice and that pedal bike riders are being swept up in this unprecedented dragnet. Cops began by focusing on heavily traveled bike routes like Second Ave. in Manhattan and Flatbush Ave. in downtown Brooklyn, Tisch said in an op-ed released Thursday. 'We are cracking down and doing enforcement on the basic rules of the road — going too fast, running lights, going the wrong way,' Tisch explained. 'Bikes are an important transportation method, but it doesn't work without meaningful enforcement so they follow the basic safety rules.' Instead of the traditional traffic ticket, the e-bike riders caught violating vehicle traffic laws are being given a criminal court summons. Bicycling advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, which has said the NYPD is unfairly targeting cyclists 'where the punishment in no way equals the crime,' slammed the move on Friday. 'It's alarming that a policy change that was snuck in without public notice has already escalated to become a massive crackdown,' said Ben Furnas, the group's executive director.' Giving criminal summonses to hundreds of cyclists every week does nothing to make our streets safer. Drivers are still getting tickets for the same offenses, despite putting pedestrians at much more risk than cyclists ever could. This policy is an egregious overreach, and we call on elected officials to demand the NYPD reverse it immediately.' Tisch said the NYPD switched to criminal court summonses because the traffic tickets — which can lead to one losing their driver's license if they're ignored — just weren't effective on e-bike riders. 'They were nonsense and meaningless to e-bike riders, so we are now giving them criminal summonses for the reckless driving of e-bikes,' she said.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mississippi reveals 2025 TAP funding recipients
CLEVELAND, Miss. (WJTV) – Mississippi Transportation Commission Chairman Willie Simmons hosted a check presentation ceremony in Cleveland on May 8 to announce the 2025 Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funding recipients. The TAP utilizes federal funds that contribute up to 80% of the total eligible project cost. The Mississippi Transportation Commission invites eligible project sponsors to apply for funding approval of a Transportation Alternatives (TA) project. Buc-ee's unveils grand opening plans for first Mississippi location Descriptions of each project include: City of Vicksburg – $453,000 for construction of a concrete walking trail and installation of additional lighting in the new Riverfront Park. City of Belzoni – $415,000 for construction of an asphalt walking trail in the existing City Park. City of Drew – $104,000 for construction of an asphalt walking trail in the downtown area of Drew. City of Moorhead – $114,000 for the removal and replacement of the existing sidewalk with a new sidewalk along Washington St. to connect Moorhead Central School to the West Delta Ave. intersection. City of Rosedale – $638,000 for additional lighting along State Route 1 next to a sidewalk built in a previous TA project. City of Shelby – $266,000 for rehabilitation of the existing walking trail, installation of additional lighting and off-street parking. Delta State University – $633,000 for construction of a new sidewalk and installation of additional lighting along a section of Statesman Park Blvd. Silver City/Humphreys County Board of Supervisors – $141,000 for construction of a new sidewalk along Front St. Louise/Humphreys County Board of Supervisors – $169,000 for the construction of a new sidewalk along Old Highway 49. Sunflower County Consolidated School District – $454,000 for the construction a new sidewalk along BB King Rd. to connect Gentry High School to residential areas along with additional landscaping and BB King Historical Trivia Markers. Town of Boyle – $476,000 for the extension of an existing asphalt walking trail, installation of lighting, adding off-street parking, and rehabilitating an existing train crossing bridge into a pedestrian bridge. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
Advocates want speed-limiting devices installed in repeat offenders' cars
MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) – Advocates are rallying on the steps of City Hall on Monday to call for more restrictions for people accused of speeding repeatedly. New York State Sen. Andrew Gounardes is sponsoring the Stop Super Speeders Bill, which would require speed-limiting devices to be installed in the cars of people found to be the worst of the worst offenders. The legislation follows a horrifying crash that killed a 34-year-old mother and her two daughters in a Brooklyn intersection. More Local News Miriam Yarimi, 32, was charged with manslaughter in connection with the crash. She allegedly has 29 red light and school zone speeding tickets, city councilmembers said. The top 10 super speeders in New York City got an average of 323 tickets, according to data from the nonprofit Transportation Alternatives. The worst driver had 563 tickets, which would average to one ticket every 16 hours, the group said. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State At least 75% of drivers with a suspended license choose to drive anyway, according to Transportation Alternatives. To learn about Transportation Alternatives' study, click here. The rally will be held at 9:30 a.m. Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kalispell Council to vote on grant for shared-use path along U.S. 93
Apr. 7—The shabby dirt path forged by people walking along U.S. 93 between Logan Health Medical Center with downtown Kalispell may be getting a facelift. City Council on Monday will decide whether to apply for a state grant to fund construction of a shared use path on the east side of U.S. 93. (Sunset Boulevard) going from Wyoming Street, up along the Buffalo Hill Golf Course to Mission Street. Council meets at 7 p.m., April 7 in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E. The existing section "lacks any connectivity (other than a dirt path), offers poor site distances, has numerous access intersections and access points with limited control and has traffic speeds of 35 [miles per hour] and higher," read a city memo from Development Services Director Jarod Nygren. "When combined, these conditions make walking or biking this heavily traveled route unsafe and impractical, limiting connectivity between two major employment centers in the community," continued the memo. Upgrading the walkway is part of a larger project to build out the shared-use path further north to Bountiful Drive. The entire project, though, would cost around $2.68 million, and the Montana Department of Transportation's Transportation Alternatives grant could only cover building the southern portion, which is an estimated $648,000. If Council wanted to build the entire path in one go, they would have to throw in roughly $1.2 million, which Nygren said has not been placed in the budget. Council could wait until another round of grant funding pops up to pay for the rest of the project, he said. Kalispell has used the grant program in the past for trails along U.S. 93 and Four Mile Drive. The city hired KLJ Engineering to prepare the path designs. The firm recommended following the existing horizontal and vertical alignments of Sunset Boulevard, adding a 30-inch curb and gutter, a 6-foot boulevard and a 10-foot paved path along the northeasterly side of the road. DEVELOPERS of the Timberwolf Ridge subdivision are requesting final plat approval for phase one of the development. The entire development would see the construction of up to 400 apartment units across six buildings at 605 Stillwater Road at the intersection with Timberwolf Parkway. Phase one contains around 9 acres, which includes three lots, a stormwater facility and public road areas, according to a city memo. Council approved the preliminary plat in March 2023 and the development has since met all necessary conditions of approval and infrastructure has been installed and accepted or bonded for, according to city staff. COUNCIL IS also expected to vote on authorizing a grant application that would connect the resident-owned neighborhood Morning Star Community with the city's wastewater system. The community has been using private septic systems installed in 1973 and are nearing the end of their useful lifetimes, according to a city memo. NeighborWorks Montana, on behalf of Morning Star, is requesting permission from Council to apply for a $100,000 state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation grant that would fund building the needed infrastructure to tap into the city sewer. "If awarded, these funds will significantly reduce the financial burden on residents by assisting with the replacement of aging water and sewer systems," read a letter to Council from Daniel Maiden, the cooperative housing director for Neighborworks Montana. COUNCIL IS also expected to vote on adopting a hazard mitigation plan developed by Montana Disaster and Emergency Services. The 2024 Western Montana Region Hazard Mitigation Plan is meant "to identify and reduce long-term risks from disasters or natural events" across Montana, according to city officials. The Flathead County portion of the plan began being developed in 2022 and was approved by the state and the Federal Emergency Management Agency earlier this year/ Council will also vote on a request by Renaissance Senior Care to expand its assisted living facility. The senior care facility that sits off Liberty Street needs a conditional use permit to expand from 13 to 15 beds. The expansion was recommended to Council by the Planning Commission in March. Immanuel Living is requesting that the city authorize the issuance of a conduit bond package of up to $100 million to refinance existing debt for which the city issued a conduit bond and borrow additional funds for further capital improvements, according to a city memo. Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@
