Small but significant step forward in the war on cars

More departments join DM Car Free Day drive: "Dubai Municipality will observe its second Car Free Day on Wednesday and the initiative will see more government employees swapping cars for public transport this time.
Around 2,500 officials and employees from the Dubai Municipality headquarters and its neighbouring offices of Dubai Land Department, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and etisalat are expected to take part in the environmental initiative in cooperation with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)."

Speak Up For Pedestrian, Cycling, Transit Improvements in NYC! | Mobilizing the Region

Speak Up For Pedestrian, Cycling, Transit Improvements in NYC! | Mobilizing the Region: "Three-plus years of pedestrian, cycling, and transit improvements in New York City have come under fire from some local media and politicians in recent weeks.

The data repeatedly shows that the kinds of green transportation projects rolled out by NYCDOT have made the city safer. But as Streetsblog documents, the NY Post‘s editorial board and columnists have been attacking complete streets redesigns."

Mubarak - 30 years of brutality so Americans can waste cheap oil in traffic

Egyptian Protests Extend to Streets of New York - NYTimes.com: "“I was 14 years old when he took office,” said Khaled Dawoud, 43, a journalist from the Upper East Side. “We deserve better.”

Mr. Dawoud said that he was filled with nationalistic pride by the sight of people taking to the streets of Cairo and said the fact that large numbers of ordinary citizens were defying Mr. Mubarak’s curfew was a victory in itself.

“We defeated an oppressive police machine,” he said, identifying himself rhetorically with the protesters. “We were not afraid of the bullets.”"

NYC Coalition for Transit Justice – Page 1

NYC Coalition for Transit Justice – Page 1: "We are NYC mass transit riders and workers who believe that everyone has the right to safe, reliable, accessible, & affordable public transportation."

Full Speed Ahead on Deepwater Drilling - NYTimes.com

Full Speed Ahead on Deepwater Drilling - NYTimes.com: "The ink is barely dry on the White House commission’s investigative report into the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico pointing to industrywide deficiencies, but signs are emerging every day that deepwater drilling is expanding around the world."

Albany Automobile Ugliness

Photo from @leahgolby on twitter http://yfrog.com/h33jauj

Tired of automobile ugliness? Fight for free public transit.

Sensible Plan: Make public transit fare-free in New York City

...This plan encourages drivers to use public transit, reducing pollution, congestion, car accidents and energy consumption. By unclogging traffic, life would much easier for those who must drive, saving them time and money. Everyone wins — even the drivers who are paying for an upgrade to their service.

Free Transit has the potential to transform New York City for the better. Instead of subsidizing Wall Street or condo developers, Free Transit invests in millions of transit riders, the backbone of our economy....

Go to Free Transit

Nation’s Transportation Policy Violates Civil Rights

From Flickr by Sonja Shield

Does Our Nation’s Transportation Policy Violate the Civil Rights Act? – AltTransport: Your Guide to Smarter Ways of Getting Around: "Manhattan (the city’s richest and whitest borough) is abundantly better connected to trains and buses than any of the other boroughs. In fact, when the Metropolitan Transit Association cut its buses and train lines, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens felt it the hardest.

Minorities and other low income groups, who overwhelmingly live in the outer boroughs, are far more affected by transit cuts and increasing highway spending than their largely white counterparts who live in wealthier neighborhoods.

And that’s a problem."

Streetsblog New York City » Good Gov Groups, Transit Advocates Call on Cuomo to Stop MTA Raids

Streetsblog New York City » Good Gov Groups, Transit Advocates Call on Cuomo to Stop MTA Raids: "Albany’s repeated plundering of the MTA’s dedicated funds has robbed transit riders of more than $140 million in the past year alone. With a $9 billion budget gap looming, straphangers could end up paying again very soon. An impossible fix, you ask? I know the subject is Albany and we’ve all been conditioned to think that change is hopeless, but as it happens, all it takes is one person, the governor of New York, to say enough is enough.

For as long as he’s in office, Andrew Cuomo can put a stop to the practice of raiding dedicated transit funds, without waiting for the state legislature to take action. Not only would this policy change be good for transit riders, advocates say in a new report, it would be consistent with principles of good government."

[Montreal] Board of Trade sold on public transit

Board of Trade sold on public transit: "For years, cities and environmentalists have been calling for better bus, metro and commuter train service.

Yesterday, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal joined the cause, publishing a study suggesting efficient transportation boosts productivity and wealth.

'The business community is resolutely behind public transit,' which is 'vital to Quebec's prosperity,' said Board of Trade chief executive Michel Leblanc.

Expenditures by public transit authorities help fill provincial and federal governments coffers, while productivity is boosted because transit users spend less time stuck in traffic, the study said. Employers benefit because they can choose from a wider selection of candidates and their workers can efficiently get to and from work."