i feel congested
i didn't really have much of an opinion, good or bad, of michael bloomberg until yesterday's announcement that he is supporting the implementation of congestion pricing in lower manhattan. that really takes balls, even in a city where over half people who live in have autos. he is going to be going up against some heavy hitters like the nyc parking lots lobby and lots and lots of angry nyc drivers from the outer boroughs. yikes. there's only one thing worse than an irate new yorker, an irate new yorker in a car.
this will not be an easy fight. folks from the queens and staten island are not going to like this one bit. he is attemtping to offset this anticipated resistance, by offering expanded bus service to those areas. i wish him luck.
it's nice that a republican is able to make such a potentially controversial stand for something in the name of rationality, responsibility and forward-thinkingness as opposed to the tired cash injections for rich folks and their businesses in the way of tax cuts.
he made a speech yesterday, at earth day, here in new york, discussing the future of new york city and what challenges the city is on course to face, including the projected addition of 1 million souls to the city by 2030. could you imagine 1 million more cars on the road every day, or even a quarter of that? cars take up a lot of room and they keep getting bigger, at least in my neighborhood anyway. quaalcom stadium in san diego has 19,500 parking spaces, multiply that number by about 13 and you get the idea of how much room that is. that's enough cars to fill up greenpoint.
in his speech, he was quoted as saying "i'd like to suggest that we face up to those challenges, not tomorrow, not in the future, not when it's too late, but right now. i will not spend my last 984 days in office pretending that all is fine and leaving these challenges to the next mayor."
kudos mayor bloomberg.
more related goodies:
dope jams halloween - gallery
deviled eggs, holograms, clowns! what a hoot!
bicycle parking in new york city
we are losing valuable parking spaces for our bikes.
new york city gallery - gallery
this is new york
yo, i can do that too
new yorkers are the most sheepish bunch of folks i've encountered.
irvin coffee - gallery
ladies and gentlemen, irvin coffee.
homeland security loves artists
no, really.
contemporary williamsburg architecture - gallery
there is so much construction happening in williamsburg, you get dizzy just looking at all the new buildings.
