Charles Komanoff
Recent Posts
Biking in NYC Is Up… But How Much?
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The first time I counted bicycles in traffic was in 1988. There were rumors that Mayor Ed Koch was going to reinstate the Midtown bike ban that a judge had set aside the previous summer. As president of Transportation Alternatives, I dispatched a team of volunteers to Midtown avenues with clipboards and stopwatches. Our finding […]
Security Overkill Strikes Again
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Maybe it was the NYPD’s revenge for the disgracing of rookie cop (and detective’s son) Patrick Pogan, now on trial for his brutal takedown two years ago of Critical Mass cyclist Christopher Long. Or perhaps it was just the latest manifestation of the post-9/11 security state, in which everything — parked bikes, basic mobility, even […]
Extreme Weather Wreaks Havoc on Palisades Bike Mecca
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Work crews will soon start clearing dozens of downed trees from Henry Hudson Drive, the New Jersey road whose spectacular vistas and challenging hills have made it a prime destination for New York-area cyclists. If all goes well, it may re-open as early as next month. But the scale of the devastation along the eight-mile […]
In Any Language, the Cost of Congestion Comes Through Loud and Clear
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An analysis using the Balanced Transportation Analyzer shows how much time individual drivers steal from fellow drivers by choosing to drive into the New York City CBD. It’s not often that you get to see your work set off a Eureka moment for someone else — particularly when that someone is from a different culture. […]
To Thwart Terror Trial Traffic Snarls, Curb Placard Abuse
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The pending trial of alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed has thrown lower Manhattan into a tizzy, for good reasons. Foremost, of course, is the dread of revisiting the horrors of that day, mingled with fears of new attacks linked to the trial. But there are also concerns that the NYPD’s aggressive countermeasures will impede […]
With Congestion Pricing, Saving Time Trumps Reducing Pollution
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A prime target of the early environmental movement was car tailpipes. And for good reason. Put a human in a garage with a running auto in the old days, and he or she would pass out within minutes and be dead in an hour. Run a few million vehicles daily in New York or Los […]
The Climate Pitfalls of Denmark’s Electric Car Parking Perk
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Outside of China, only two cities of more than a million people are known to have a bicycling mode-share over 30 percent: Amsterdam and Copenhagen. As Rutgers urban expert John Pucher has documented, cycling’s vibrantly high percentage of urban trips throughout Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany was not the product of amorphous cultural factors. Rather, […]
To Snap Drivers Awake, State DOT May Sacrifice Cyclist Safety
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Miles and miles of bike-friendly Westchester County roads may soon be scarred by a "safety enhancement" that could make cycling treacherous. A rumble strip threw NYPD Sergeant Richard Wilt off his bike and into the pavement. Photo: Joe Larese/Journal News The New York State Department of Transportation is considering gouging pavement ridges into road shoulders […]
City Council Parking Giveaway Will Bring More Gridlock
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New Yorkers could spend a third of a million more hours a year stuck in traffic if the “grace period” for parking violations voted by the City Council this week becomes law. Photo: @10/Flickr That’s what the Balanced Transportation Analyzer traffic-pricing model calculates, based on an assumed 10 percent drop in issuance of parking tickets. While […]
Taxi Surcharges and Congestion Pricing — They Go Great Together
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The surcharge on NYC medallion taxi fares that took effect this month is a bit like a bases-loaded groundout that scores a run but kills a big inning: It does some good, but a ringing base hit could have done a lot more. Congestion pricing paired with a significant taxi surcharge would speed cab trips […]
Off-Peak Discounts for NYC Transit: An Intriguing Idea
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Photo: cunningsue/Flickr Discounting off-peak transit service could be a boon to New York City’s transportation and quality of life, so long as revenues can be found to make up for the likely farebox shortfall. MTA chief Jay Walder floated the idea of off-peak discounts in an interview in today’s New York Times. While Walder didn’t […]
Wanted: Crowd-Sourced Transportation Analysis
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My recent post refuting David Owen’s attack on congestion pricing ignited a long, rich thread. Here’s one comment, from "Jonathan," that struck a nerve: [A] cordon-pricing plan … which doesn’t charge center-city residents could result in an increase in those residents’ automobile use. If the streets are free of outer-borough traffic, more of my Manhattan […]