By DAVID W. CHEN – New York Times
Imagine narrow European-style roadways shared by pedestrians, cyclists and cars, all traveling at low speeds. Sidewalks made of recycled rubber in different colors under sleek energy-efficient lamps. Mini-islands jutting into the street, topped by trees and landscaping, designed to further slow traffic and add a dash of green.
This is what New York City streets could look like, according to the Bloomberg administration, which has issued the city’s first street design manual in an effort to make over the utilitarian 1970s-style streetscape that dominates the city.
The Department of Transportation will begin reviewing development plans to see whether they align with the 232-page manual’s guidelines, and promises that projects with these features will win approval quickly.
“Lots of things have changed in 40 years, but this part of our infrastructure hasn’t,” said Janette Sadik-Khan, the city’s transportation commissioner. “If we’re going to be a world-class city, we need guidelines that lay out the operating instructions of how we get there.”
The manual, to be released on Wednesday, culminates nearly two years of work involving more than a dozen agencies led by the Department of Transportation. By offering “a single framework and playbook,” as Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg says in the introduction, the manual promises to simplify the design process and reduce the costs for city agencies, urban planners, developers and community groups.
Urban planners say that the document is long overdue, and that it promises to be as much a map to the future as it is a handbook for the present: getting people to think about streets as not just thoroughfares for cars, but as public spaces incorporating safety, aesthetics, environmental and community concerns.
Continue reading “In the Future, the City’s Streets Are to Behave”

I’ve head about this program there where police set-up a speed trap in front of a school, and when they pull over drivers, the motorist has to go before a journey of juniors and example why s/he was speeding.
This is what my friend who told me about it said:
A group of young kids plus a police officer, and I assume a teacher or other chaperone, stands on the sidewalk near a school. The police pull over speeders. Instead of giving them regular speeding tickets, they’re forced to explain to the group of kids why they were speeding in front of the school. I don’t remember whether the kids deliberated and decided whether or not to give the drivers real or fake tickets. Perhaps they made them take literature on why speeding is bad. Since they’re small kids, I’m guessing they probably weren’t outside for too long. I may also be misremembering, but I seem to recall that many of the drivers sent to kiddie court were parents of kids at the school. I would think that this would be much more effective than doing it somewhere away from the school, because they will be reminded of the experience every time they see these kids again at the school.
Continue reading “German kiddie traffic court”

[I always liked rooting for the home team and here are some friends of ours racing and raising money for a cause.]

 
A cycling team of four cyclists and 12 crew members will race nonstop for 3,000 miles across the United States in the world’s toughest bicycle race the Race Across America (RAAM). The race begins on June 20, 2009 in Oceanside, Calif. and ends in Annapolis, Maryland. The objective is to complete this coast-to-coast race in the fastest time the goal is 7 days!
 
The team’s endeavor, however, goes beyond completing this rigorous race. All Wheels 4 Fibromyalgia is partnering with the National Fibromyalgia Association, and select sponsors in a shared ambition to raise awareness of fibromyalgia, a complex pain disorder that affects an estimated 10 million women, men and children in the U.S.
 
All Wheels 4 Fibromyalgia will be raising funds to support fibromyalgia research and community-based education programs for individuals affected by the disorder. The team’s goal is to raise $50,000 by June 20. You can help them in their quest by making a tax-deductible donation in any amount to the National Fibromyalgia Association.
 
Thank you to our sponsors
 

 

 

 

 
 

 
 

 


Continue reading “All Wheels 4 Fibromyalgia RAAM”