Kate Hinds

An MV-1, parked outside NYC TLC headquarters (photo by Kate Hinds)

New York just approved a new vehicle for use in the city's taxi fleet -- a wheelchair-accessible, Indiana-made MV-1.  But riders will only have a few years to hail them before the city's non-accessible "Taxi of Tomorrow" becomes the only sanctioned model.

The vote, which happened at Thursday's Taxi and Limousine Commission meeting, came less than a week after the US Attorney's office weighed in on a lawsuit against the city and said that the lack of wheelchair-accessible cabs violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Disabled activists were on hand at the TLC meeting to testify in support of a rules change necessary to authorize the MV-1 -- and to talk about how difficult it is to hail a cab in the city. Jean Ryan with Disabled in Action said the lack of wheelchair-accessible cabs was frustrating.

Advocates for the disabled at the TLC hearing (photo by Kate Hinds)

"We can never see them, and the stickers are in the back," she said. "So they’ve passed us by the time we see that they’re accessible – if we ever see one. It’s like an Elvis sighting.”

City Council member Oliver Koppel was also there to support the rules change -- and to criticize New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who said yesterday that it was too difficult for people in wheelchairs to hail taxis on the street in the first place, and that able-bodied people would feel uncomfortable in a wheelchair-accessible cab because "their suspension is much worse."

“I think the mayor’s concerns are totally off the wall,” Koppell said. He added that “37 members of City Council believe we should have an all-accessible fleet. The US Justice Department believes it. The governor apparently believes it, and it’s long past time for this commission to move in that direction.”

Currently, 231 of New York City's 13,237 taxi cabs are wheelchair accessible.

The MV-1 will retail for about $40,000. It weighs about 5,000 pounds and gets between 13 and 15 miles per gallon, depending on whether the engine uses compressed natural gas or regular fuel. No word yet on how many NYC medallion owners might be tempted to purchase one. But even if drivers take the plunge, they'll only be able to pilot it for a few more years. In May, the city awarded Nissan the contract for the Taxi of Tomorrow. The NV200 will begin to hit the streets by late 2013 and the Nissan will be the only cab in town by 2018. But the NV200 is not wheelchair accessible.

Assembly Member Micah Kellner, wearing a yellow and black button that said "Separate Is Not Equal," said at the TLC meeting: “I don’t care what the Taxi of Tomorrow is, because I think at the end of the day the Justice Department is going to decide that for us.”

Another view of the MV-1 (photo by Kate Hinds)

Top stories on TN:

Patrick Foye is the new head of the Port Authority of NY and NJ, pending board approval. (Link)

Power, politics, and the Prospect Park West bike lane. (Link)

Millions of Americans drive over structurally deficient bridges every day. (Link)

(Photo: Karly Domb Sadof)

NY Governor Cuomo is expected to name Joe Lhota to head the MTA. (Wall Street Journal)

Amtrak is now making Wi-Fi available on other regional trains besides the Acela -- but with a catch: content filters block some legitimate subjects, like gay rights sites. (Greater Greater Washington)

Senator John McCain's proposed amendment to the transportation spending bill was tabled yesterday. (The Hill)

NYC is taking a closer look at the B110 bus, which is privately operated public bus that asks Jewish women to sit in the back. (NY Times)

Million dollar medallions: two NYC taxi cabs medallions were sold for $1 million apiece, the highest recorded sale since the city’s modern livery system began. (NY Times)

NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg says a lawsuit demanding that taxicabs be wheelchair-accessible is unrealistic and would inconvenience all passengers. (NY Daily News)

Portugal can't afford to finish building a high-speed rail line originally planned to go between Lisbon and Madrid. (Marketplace)

NJ Transit is partnering with Google over a 'tap and pay' system. (Star-Ledger)

One NYC artist tells the story of the Puerto Rican diaspora through a Schwinn bicycle. (NY Daily News)

A team of engineering and seismic experts said a controversial proposal to build Los Angeles's Westside subway extension under Beverly Hills High School is safer than an alternate route. (Los Angeles Times)

Tweet from Howie Wolf, NYC deputy mayor: New Q poll finds strong support for @MikeBloomberg bike policies -- 72% of NYers support bike share, 58% support bike lanes #bikenyc

The Brooklyn Bridge, currently being repaired after receiving a "poor" rating (photo by Kate Hinds)

In Los Angeles, an average of 396 drivers cross a deficient bridge every second. In New York, that number is 203 drivers per second. And those cities don't even have the highest percentage of worst bridges in the country.

Transportation for America, an advocacy group fighting spending cuts to transportation, says in a new report that more than 18,000 high-traffic bridges are rated "structurally deficient."

In the New York metropolitan area, 17.5 million vehicles cross a deficient bridge every day. In the New Jersey portion of that metro area, 8,593,823 vehicles cross a deficient bridge every day.

This rating doesn't necessarily mean a bridge collapse is imminent. But it does mean that its "load carrying" elements are damaged or deteriorating, and a bridge that receives this rating will require frequent monitoring and significant maintenance to remain in service. Or, in a worse scenario, it will need to be taken out of service -- like Kentucky's Sherman Minton Bridge.

“The poor condition of our bridges is a problem that is not going away,” Andy Herrmann, president-elect of the American Society of Civil Engineers, “Most of the nation’s bridges were designed to last 50 years, and today, roughly a third are already 50 years or older.”

According to the report, Pittsburgh had the highest percentage of deficient bridges (30.4 percent) for a metro area with a population of over 2 million. Oklahoma City (19.8 percent) topped the chart for metro areas between 1-2 million, as did Tulsa (27.5 percent) for metro areas between 500,000-1 million.  You can download the full report here.

“Too many of New Jersey’s bridges are deteriorating and in desperate need of repair,” Senator Frank R. Lautenberg stated in a press release.  “Those in Washington who are undercutting transportation projects must stop, and work together to invest in infrastructure that will create jobs, make our communities safer and improve the economy for all.”

Everyone seems to agree that America's infrastructure is crumbling, but just how to pay for its repair is a politically divisive issue getting a lot of play in Washington these days. The Senate is considering a transportation appropriations bill this week, and the House and the Senate versions are far apart. Meanwhile,  President Obama's American Jobs Act -- which initially set aside $50 billion for infrastructure repair-- is being broken up into pieces by Democrats in an effort to get it to pass.

More about structurally deficient bridges from the Federal Highway Administration (pdf), below:

Top stories on TN:

Amtrak carried a record 30 million passengers. (Link)

Royals use bike share, too. (Link)

California is offering a ticket amnesty program. (Link)

A sculpture along a North Carolina trail, paid for by the state's transportation enhancement program (photo by Hagarjr via Flickr)

Private money for California's high-speed rail project looks unlikely, according to the California High-Speed Rail Authority -- at least until the line begins operating. (Los Angeles Times)

The Senate will vote today on a John McCain-sponsored amendment that would eliminate the beautification requirement spending in federal highway funding. (The Hill, Politico)

Maryland's two largest counties and Baltimore want the state to raise the gas tax to pay for transportation projects. (Baltimore Sun)

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel -- transit user and supporter of bike share programs -- is the "anti-Daley." (Atlantic Cities)

Subway swipe data shows where riders most often use senior discounts, unlimited passes and pay-per-ride MetroCards. Bonus: interactive map! (Wall Street Journal)

NYC wants to convert 21 on-street parking spaces into a "mini park" on one traffic-clogged Hell's Kitchen street. (DNA Info)

Drivers with expired registration will no longer be arrested in DC. (WAMU)

Transit advocate Gene Russianoff offers some advice for a new NY MTA head: slash borrowing, resurrect congestion pricing, and urge the governor to sign the lockbox bill. (NY Daily News)

If the bad economy is part of the reason Amtrak's attracting riders, what happens when there's a turnaround? (Marketplace)

"Green" policies don't benefit the lower middle class. (Slate)

Colorado will use police cars as pace cars to try to speed ski traffic along a highway. (Denver Post)

What would make London's bike share more popular? What if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (a.k.a. Prince William and Kate Middleton) used it?

Well, apparently, they have.

People magazine is reporting that a spokesperson for the couple said "the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge occasionally use the London cycle scheme bicycles to undertake private journeys around London."

London's bike share program began in July of 2010 and has proven to be enormously popular, with 7.7 million bicycle rides taken to date.

Apparently -- and, on behalf of TN, I apologize for missing this tidbit when it came out last spring -- the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, gave the royal couple a specially built tandem bicycle for a wedding present. (There's no word on whether the couple has actually ridden their tandem, or just grabs a Boris Bike from one of the 400 docking stations around town.)

You can see an animated video of it, below:

A truck hauling street signs is spotted on West 82nd Street on Tuesday morning.

(photo by Kate Hinds)

No, it wasn't piloted by an irate New Yorker fed up with having to following the city's often-confusing parking regulations.  It's a NYC Department of Transportation -operated truck that repairs street lights and puts up signs.  And it was parked on the Upper West Side earlier today.

Top stories on TN:

The US DOT handed out nearly $1 billion in transit grants. (Link)

Rep. Mica on FAA shutdown: been there, done that, don't want to do it again. (Link)

Orbitz was fined for deceptive ad practices. (Link)

(photo by Graeme Lawton via Flickr)

Last week's BlackBerry outage might be linked to a drop in traffic crashes. (Streetsblog)

The Senate approved a pipeline safety bill after a hold was dropped. (Los Angeles Times)

Could the Tappan Zee Bridge be High Lined? Probably not, but fun to imagine. (NY Times)

Electric cars are so popular with business travelers that Hertz is adding more to its fleet. (Marketplace)

How will Seattle replace its aging bridges? Not through a proposed $60 hike in car fees. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Real-time info is now available for every London bus stop. (Transit Wire)

A proposal to provide free transit service for San Francisco’s youth has some serious roadblocks -- namely a $13.2 million price tag and Clipper card incompatibility. (San Francisco Examiner)

NYC tries to coordinate street construction work via website. (NY Observer)

One plug to rule them all: automakers sign on to a single charging protocol. (Autopia)

Top stories on TN:

As car sharing grows, auto makers see an opportunity. (Link)

The Florida DOT may be thinking about alternatives to driving for the state’s aging population. (Link)

Chris Ward confirms he's leaving the Port Authority; lays out plan for Brooklyn waterfront. (Link)

East River ferry (photo by synergii1 via Flickr)

New York's new East River ferry service exceeds expectations, has double the riders originally projected. (New York Times)

Half of Calgary's downtown commuters take transit -- a city goal that was reached 13 years ahead of schedule. (Calgary Herald)

More on Joe Lhota, the potential next head of New York's MTA. (New York Daily News)

Looking back at the PATCO strike and how it changed labor relations in America. (The Takeaway)

Electric vehicle owners celebrated the first National Plug In Day. (Good)

Op-ed about Tappan Zee Bridge replacement: "Leaving out mass transit repeats past sins of omission."  (LoHud)

Top stories on TN:

Ray LaHood said he's a one-term transportation secretary. (Link)

GM will make a mini all-electric car. (Link)

Houston is getting a free downtown shuttle. (Link)

Atlanta (photo by J.C. Burns via Flickr)

Atlanta politicians overcame decades of distrust to finalize a massive, 10-county transportation project list. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The US attorney's office in Manhattan filed suit against NYC, saying the city's isn't complying with ADA requirements in the new taxi design. (NY Daily News)

Metro officially named the Dulles rail extension the Silver Line. And it will cost $107 million to operate in its first three years. (Washington Post)

A new bill would give local transit agencies flexibility -- specifically, the ability to use federal funding for operating costs, not just capital. (The Hill)

NY's MTA is renovating two subway stations in upper Manhattan. (DNA Info)

Trucking companies are struggling to find drivers. (NPR)

US DOT Secretary Ray LaHood

Well, electronically. The U.S. Department of Transportation secretary will be making the case for the American Jobs Act at the National Press Club today at 1pm (ET), and the Press Club will be webcasting his speech.

According to the NPC's website: "LaHood will also discuss Congress's struggles over the 2012 federal budget and how it has affected transportation programs such as the Federal Aviation Administration, which was partially shut down this summer. Congress averted another possible shutdown of the FAA in a last-minute deal to avert another round of furloughs by approving funding until January. Spending for federal highway programs was approved through the end of March. LaHood had warned that a lapse in funding for programs that fund roads, bridges, and transit projects would cost nearly a million workers their jobs over the next year and almost $1 billion in highway funding after the first 10 days alone. The Obama administration’s view is that transportation investments create jobs and lay the foundation for future economic growth."

You can watch the lunch here, starting at 12:50.

Top stories on TN:

NY's governor is zeroing in on a "surprising" choice to run the MTA. (Link)

A new website maps crashes at NYC intersections. (Link)

An infrastructure bank will likely return as a political weapon. (Link)

GM to bicyclists: We're sorry we offended you. (Link)

Detroit bus (photo by Matt Picio via Flickr)

Detroit has cut a third of its bus service over the last five years; now suburban bus lines are facing "colossal cuts." (Detroit Free Press)

Alexandria's City Council voted unanimously to join Capital Bikeshare. (Washington Post)

NJ Transit customers gave the agency the lowest rating ever for "handling of service disruptions." (The Star-Ledger)

An Amtrak train blew a red signal and crashed into another train in Oakland, injuring 16. (AP via San Francisco Chronicle)

Today's Brian Lehrer Show: car sharing and rental cars. Discuss. (WNYC)

(image courtesy of Bike Portland)

General Motors is pulling an ad campaign that urged college students to "stop pedaling...start driving."

The car company probably thought it would spend the day talking about its first all-electric vehicle. Instead, it's spending the day apologizing.

The ad, which appeared in college newspapers across the country, shows an embarrassed guy on a bicycle next to a good-looking woman in a car -- the inference being that bicyclists should grow up already and buy a car. Bike Portland wrote about it Tuesday after being tipped off by a UCLA professor, who was outraged to see the ad in the school newspaper. It quickly went viral.

“The content of the ad was developed with college students and was meant to be a bit cheeky and humorous and not meant to offend anybody,”  Tom Henderson, a GM spokesman, told the Los Angeles Times, which reported Wednesday that the company would kill the ad.

GM's Twitter feed and Facebook page were inundated with complaints, and the company has spent much of the day apologizing via social media:

A screen shot of GM's Twitter feed

The Columbus Avenue bike lane (photo by Kate Hinds)

Bicycling has increased by 56% since a protected bike lane was installed on Columbus Avenue a year ago. And car crashes have dropped by 34%.

But that didn't stop members of Manhattan's Community Board 7 from hammering the New York City Department of Transportation, which was on hand to present preliminary data about the mile-long Upper West Side lane at a transportation committee meeting.

A screen shot of the NYC DOT's Columbus Avenue six-month bike lane data (photo by Kate Hinds)

The year-old bike lane  was approved last June by the full community board despite failing in committee. It's the only protected on-street lane on the Upper West Side.

The DOT attended the meeting at the committee's request, but it was clear that it wasn't the agency's idea. Ryan Russo, a deputy DOT commissioner, said "this is a preliminary analysis. Six months of data is generally too soon. The board asked us to come here, the board asked us to say what the data is saying, but it really takes a full year from when the project's completed -- a minimum of a full year -- to say how are things truly going."

As soon as the DOT was done presenting its data, Ulma Jones, a member of CB7's transportation committee, offered up a "laundry list" of issues, including complaints about new configurations for metered parking on sidestreets, traffic congestion, and bike riders going the wrong way in the lane. Others expressed incredulity that the numbers of bicyclists had increased -- especially in a lane that doesn't connect with the rest of the city's biking network.

But others were delighted with the redesign. CB7 committee member and cycling advocate Tila Duhaime hailed the lower incidence of speeding cars on the redesigned street. "It's fewer than one in ten?" she asked. "That's phenomenal." George Beane, an area resident and a member of the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District, said the DOT had worked to make loading zones more accessible to local businesses. "I think it's so much safer, it's economical, and it's healthy, and I think the DOT has should be commended. They've done a wonderful job. I appreciate it."

The DOT is preparing to implement a large bike share system, and a number of the city's community boards have recently voted to build or extend protected bike lanes.  So when one committee member last night asked the DOT if the Columbus Avenue lane might be extended north and south, the response was basically 'get in line.'

"We would be thrilled if the board would ask us to extend it, but again, we actually have a full plate," said the DOT''s Naomi Iwasaki. She said the DOT is working on bike lanes on First, Second, Eighth and Ninth Avenues, as well as lanes in other boroughs.

New York City Council Member Gale Brewer -- who said the bike lane is now "part of our DNA" -- presented results of a local survey that showed bikers felt the lane was a huge safety improvement. But pedestrians who took part in the anecdotal survey were split, and motorists felt the lane did not enhance their safety at all.

CB7 chair Mel Wymore offered some perspective on the phone the day after the meeting. “Bike lanes, dog runs, food trucks, all go to the same topic: sharing of public space," he said. "No matter how you slice it there’s a lot of opinions.” But Wymore said that moving forward, he'd be looking to extend the Columbus Avenue lane -- especially since neighboring Community Board 4 voted to extend their protected bike lanes  north to 59th Street. "We’re hopeful that we can have this connect to the whole network.”

(photo by Jackie Yamanaka/Yellowstone Public Radio)

Traffic: it's different in Montana than in other parts of the country. TN correspondent Jackie Yamanaka reported that she experienced a "small bison jam" this weekend while visiting Yellowstone National Park.

New York's Tappan Zee Bridge got expedited approval from the feds, but construction is years away. (Link)

(photo by Dino Abatzidis via Flickr)

A House committee will hold a hearing on President Obama's infrastructure bank proposal today. (The Hill)

The UAW reached a tentative deal with Chrysler. (Detroit Free Press)

New York is considering a new roof light system for taxis. (DNA Info, New York Times)

The Federal Aviation Administration said it's allowing some NYC sightseeing helicopters to use airspace that's supposed to be off-limits to local air traffic. (WNYC)

DC's Metro is trying to figure out ways to make parking easier for for riders -- and is also encouraging riders to bike to stations by building bike corrals. (Washington Examiner)

A Michigan town is losing more than half its streetlights as part of a settlement over an unpaid electric bill. (Detroit Free Press, Michigan Messenger)

Transportation Alternatives has compiled a list of NYC's most dangerous intersections for pedestrians and bikers. (New York Daily News)

Reimagining urban flight: an environmental designer creates 'urban fly lines.' (The Takeaway)

The Tappan Zee Bridge (photo by Joseph A. via Flickr)

UPDATED The White House announced Tuesday that it will expedite permitting and environmental reviews for a new Tappan Zee Bridge, potentially the largest infrastructure job-creator in the U.S.

The White House also expedited the permitting and review processes for 13 other infrastructure projects, including new rail lines in Baltimore and Los Angeles, a housing project in Denver, and a wind power facility in Vermont.

The Tappan Zee Bridge connects New York's Rockland and Westchester Counties, and 135,000 vehicles cross it each weekday. It's over 55 years old and is in constant need of major and costly repairs.

An expedited federal review is supposed to move construction along faster by coordinating the permitting process. But the final bridge design has yet to be announced, and the White House says "the project is an ambitious one and construction will not begin for several years."

The Tappan Zee Bridge currently has no special transit capacity.  Initial plans included rail lines and bus rapid transit, but the future of transit on the bridge is unclear.

Five options for a new span are currently under review, including a "no build" alternative. Several of the options include bus rapid transit. Rail capacity looks unlikely, although it could be added later.

The Tappan Zee redesign started out as a joint project between the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the New York State Thruway, but is now being  The MTA's name was absent from the press release issued by Governor Cuomo today, and no MTA officials attended his two publicly stated meetings about the bridge (8/4/11, 5/20/11).

According to DOT officials, the project has been scaled back from its initial vision. Initially part of  30-mile long transportation corridor with costs potentially exceeding $21 billion, sources say the project has been re-scoped to focus solely on the bridge.  It's currently estimated to cost $5.2 billion.

The cost of running a rail line over a new Tappan Zee Bridge had been estimated to cost $6.7 billion.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo heralded the White House announcement in a press release today, saying "the Tappan Zee project has the potential to generate more jobs than any other infrastructure project in the nation."

The DOT said the bridge "will deliver at least 33,000 job years through the duration of construction activities." But just when hiring will begin is unknown. There is no timeline for construction available yet, but the DOT said New York hopes to begin bidding the project out in August of 2012.

The governor said the bridge has an accident rate double the rest of the New York Thruway system, and also has serious vulnerabilities to extreme events such as severe storms, ship collision and earthquakes. And keeping it in good condition is both costly and unending: according to a February 2011 Wall Street Journal article, the state spent $146.8 million over the last five years on repairs, and has budgeted $148.8 million between 2010 and 2012 just to fix the Tappan Zee's deck.

The DOT said the state has indicated financing for the new bridge will primarily comes from issuing bonds secured through toll revenues. A detailed funding plan was not available. Calls to Governor Cuomo's office today were not returned.

PHOTO. Autumn comes to a bike lane pedestrian island at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and 82nd Street. 

Top stores on TN:

The ARC tunnel dispute fueled rancor between NJ Governor Christie and the Obama Administration. (Link)

GM signs car share agreement. (Link)

LIRR train (photo by Adam E. Moreira via Wikimedia Commons)

One New York politician wants the Long Island Rail Road to institute a bill of rights for passengers. (WNYC)

Jobs bill update: a procedural vote will come tonight. (Washington Post)

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are working on a Plan B: merge a corporate repatriation tax holiday to an infrastructure bank proposal. (Politico)

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo wants speedy federal approval for a new Tappan Zee bridge. (Capitol Confidential)

Maryland leaders debate applying sales tax to gas purchases to boost funds for that state's infrastructure. (AP via Washington Post)

The future of Ann Arbor's transit system could include streetcars or monorail. (AnnArbor.com)

The NYC subway map did away with Charlton Street. (New York Times)

A project aimed at untangling an Amtrak, Metra, and freight train logjam broke ground yesterday on Chicago’s South Side. (WBEZ)

Should California allow hybrids with no passengers back into the carpool lane? Research says yes. (KQED)

Outgoing NY MTA head Jay Walder toured the top of the Verrazano Bridge. (NY Post)

How to store your bike in your apartment? Turn it into a bookshelf. (Apartment Therapy)

Top stories on TN:

Accident investigations: what happens during Houston highway shutdowns. (Link)

Montana rolls out a statewide program to crack down on drunk drivers. (Link)

A Manhattan gas station (photo by Kate Hinds)

Maryland gets the green light to continue planning for the Purple Line --  a 16-mile light rail line that would link two Metro lines, connect all three MARC commuter rail lines, and link to Amtrak and local bus services. (WAMU)

NY's MTA will run less trains on "minor holidays," which it says will save the agency $200,000 a year. (New York Post)

There are 17 fewer gas stations in Manhattan today than there were two years ago. (Crain's New York)

NY MTA board member Nancy Shevell married Paul McCartney. (ABC News)

Bus ridership in Sioux Falls is up -- and the mayor says it's due, in part, to big city transplants. "They are used to using public transit. It is the wave of the future. We are still a city and state that loves our trucks and cars, but reality is setting in," he said. "Public transportation is going to be a central need for our future." (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)

Los Angeles traffic policy turns some side streets into pedestrian nightmares. (Los Angeles Times)

Chicago Tribune op-ed: absenteeism is the reason your buses are late.

This week in the New York Times Complaint Box: electric delivery bikes.