Two Staten Island Republicans want to throw a wrench in the city's bike lane boom by requiring environmental review for all new lanes. Experts explain why that's a bad idea.
Streetsblog's Noah Kazis decided to give the Staten Island Council members the benefit of the doubt, and brought the idea to legal and planning experts. Here's what he found:
"'No bike lane would fail an environmental review,' said Michael King, a principal at the transportation planning firm Nelson\Nygaard.
There will always be a positive environmental impact, he explained, something that the city often has to demonstrate anyway to receive federal funding. Environmental review would add another layer of expense and red tape, setting a threshold that King has never had to meet for the bike projects he's worked on in a dozen cities around the country and the world."
Thanks to Noah Kazis
Read the full story: Enviro Law Experts: Review For Bike Lanes a Waste of Taxpayer Money
How New York’s L Train Shutdown Will Boost Cycling
When the line shuts down for repairs next year, an uptick in cycling is expected. Infrastructure improvements will make this shift easier and could promote biking well into the future.
Staten Island Express Bus Relaunches
Express buses in Staten Island started their new routes August 19 with fewer routes and fewer stops and faster travel the MTA hopes.
'Homeowner-Friendly' Zoning Changes Proposed in Staten Island
Proposed zoning changes would allow residents to build "as-of-right" in Staten Island's "natural" districts.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority