Jason Varone
Jason Varone battles the streets everyday during a 9 mile commute on his bicycle from downtown Brooklyn to the Upper East Side. In addition to his efforts on Streetsblog, he is an artist making work related to the environment and technology. Examples of his work can be found at www.varonearts.org.
Recent Posts
Finally, Market Rates for Manhattan Street Parking
| | 20 Comments
Arnold Diaz confronts some Avis employees on his "Shame Shame Shame" segment for Fox 5 News. He catches them apparently charging motorists $25 to park on a public street. This Avis branch is on the same block as the Beacon Theater, where employees have been taking up street parking during the day and selling the […]
Addicted To Oil: Ranking States’ Vulnerability
| | 3 Comments
A new NRDC report ranks U.S. states on their level of oil vulnerability measured by how heavily each state’s citizens are affected by increases in oil prices. States are also ranked on their implementation of solutions to reduce oil dependence. The report found that while oil dependence affects all states, some are hit harder economically […]
Rediscovering the Romance of the Bicycle in Paris
| | 2 Comments
Spiegel reports on Mayor Delanoe and his deputy Denis Baupin of the Green Party as they attempt to turn back the clock to a simpler age. On July 15th, Paris will introduce a citywide system of public bike rentals called Vélib, intended to give pedal power to the people: The high-tech idea is to […]
Permanent Pricing Gets Green Light in Sweden
| | 3 Comments
Stockholm has just completed its congestion pricing trial. Thanks to broad public support, parliament voted to make the fee permanent. Will New York be in the same position years from now? The Local (Sweden) reports: Sweden’s parliament on Wednesday voted in favour of a permanent road toll for Stockholm in a bid to reduce congestion, […]
94th Precinct to Cyclists: Obey Traffic Rules
| | 63 Comments
All of the bicycles parked on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg had these flyers stapled to them recently. The reverse side of the flyer has translations in Spanish & Polish. Thanks to Streetsblog tipster Laura for this one. She notes, "The 94th covers Greenpoint and most of Northside Williamsburg. Nothing in this statement about cracking down […]
Free Bike Helmets for Delivery Workers Today
| | 8 Comments
In anticipation of two new laws that take effect in July, DOT is handing out free helmets to commercial cyclists. One law requires businesses to provide helmets to employees who use bicycles as part of their work, and to make sure their workers wear them. Another law requires businesses to display this poster (pdf) in […]
Auto Insurer Creates Traffic Mayhem With Gasoline Give-Away
| | 4 Comments
Sean Roche of Newton Streets and Sidewalks sends along a good one: Allstate found that that drivers in Flint and Warren, Michigan were some of the "most improved" when it came to reducing the number of car crashes. The insurance company rewarded motorists in those towns with ten free gallons of gas. What was the […]
Open Thread: Congestion Pricing Stalled
| | 18 Comments
Vent your frustration with Albany here. Photo: Jason Varone
New York Made Music
| | 1 Comment
To accompany Clarence Eckerson’s StreetFilm, here are some images from the first annual Make Music New York event… Flickr Photos: ianqui, lisabeebe, miqflickr, dave00327. Also, Ethan Kent and Dave Surgan.
Toronto Cycling Activists Build Their Own Bike Network
| | 2 Comments
Fed up with city government, which is two years behind schedule implementing a 1,000 kilometer bicycle network, Toronto’s Other Urban Repair Squad have begun striping their own bike lanes — in hot pink. The Toronto Star reports (via ibiketoronto): The first time the group struck was on May 30. The gang spray-painted an illegal bike […]
StreetFilms: Make Music New York
| | No Comments
Make Music New York A Streetfilm by Clarence Eckerson, Jr. Running Time: 3 minutes 18 seconds Make Music New York is New York City’s version of the international Fête de la Musique, which took place yesterday in 340 cities around the world. Clarence Eckerson, the bicycling videographer of StreetFilms, endured two thunderstorms to bring you […]
Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff: Bike Commuter
| | No Comments
Adrianne Pasquarelli profiles New Yorkers who commute by bicycle for Crain’s New York. You have to subscribe to read the entire article, but here she introduces Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, cyclist: Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave bike commuting a boost with PlaNYC 2030, his administration’s blueprint for sustainability. It calls for 1,380 additional miles of bike […]