With Memorial Day weekend days away, here are some late-spring happenings in New York politics to think about during your holiday getaways—along with some concrete actions you can take before you go!
Local pols on board for streetscape changes ahead of congestion pricing?
Upper West Side electeds co-signed a letter asking the Department of Transportation to speed up the introduction of daylighting, i.e. clearing the lines of sight at intersections to reduce traffic violence. Hoboken did it and hasn't had a pedestrian death since, but NYC has opted out of the state law forbidding parking within 20 feet of an intersection.
Borough President Mark Levine and Councilwoman Carmen De La Rosa proposed residential parking permits to prioritize access for locals, a system already instituted in cities “from London to Montreal, Philadelphia to Los Angeles”; alternative uses for parking spots were discussed in The Times (but, par for the car-centric course, drivers were the only regular folks interviewed).
⇨ ACT: Sign a petition from Transportation Alternatives telling the to city do what it can to prepare for congestion pricing, including increasing bus speeds and street safety.
New research on why change is slow—and how we might be able to speed it up
Who participates in local zoning hearings? New research confirms what we suspected: “older, male, longtime residents, voters in local elections, and homeowners are significantly more likely to participate [and] overwhelmingly (and to a much greater degree than the general public) oppose new housing construction…”
…but maybe AI can help us envision a more dynamic urban future. Researchers found that showing people “AI-generated images of American cities that depend less on cars and more on public transport and cycling garners more support” for the policies. [Study]
⇨ ACT: Send a letter to your councilperson in support of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity—legalizing a little more housing in every neighborhood—so that the usual suspects don’t dominate the public feedback the council hears. (Thanks to Open New York for the template!)
Electoral Consequences for Lack of NY HEAT Act support
I wrote in my last email that the biggest pro-climate proposal considered in Albany last month—which would end subsidies for expanding gas hookups we need to phase out—failed. But now there are consequences for lawmakers unsupportive of the NY HEAT act, with advocates launching independent expenditures targeting them.
⇨ ACT:Donate to the effort, spearheaded by our friends at the Spring Street Climate Fund.