Latest news with #TransportationAlternatives
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Willmar OKs gap funding for part of $1.2M Lakeland Drive off-street path
Jun. 10---- The unanimously approved tapping the city's Community Investment Fund to temporarily finance improvements of an off-street path along Lakeland Drive from U.S. Highway 12 to Civic Center Drive Northeast. City engineer Jared Voge of Bolton & Menk informed the council that the project received two grants — an Active Transportation grant in the amount of $204,380 and a Transportation Alternatives grant in the amount of $895,620. The estimated construction cost of the bike and pedestrian trail is $979,900 and the total estimated cost including administration, contingencies and engineering is $1.2 million, according to information from Voge. "By being proactive in their pursuit of funding, the city of Willmar has secured funding for approximately 80% of the total project costs associated with a high-priority connection within its bike and pedestrian network," Voge said in an email to the West Central Tribune. Voge told the council on June 2 that approximately $979,900 of the project costs are eligible for reimbursement from the grants and recommended accepting the full Active Transportation grant and $775,520 of the Transportation Alternatives grant. The city will fund $245,000 of the project costs. The Community Investment Fund will temporarily finance the $775,520 portion of the costs until the Transportation Alternatives grant becomes available in 2028. The was established by the in 2018 and provides grant funding for the construction of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure projects that will improve transportation options and reduce vehicle miles traveled, according to information included in a resolution approved by the council at the Dec. 12, 2024, meeting. During this funding cycle, the had $12.5 million in state funding to award to selected projects in Greater Minnesota to address safety concerns, equity and engage the community in project development. The makes available federal funding for non-motorized infrastructure to applicants across Greater Minnesota and had $12.45 million to award to selected projects, according to information included in the resolution approved Dec. 12, 2024. The resolutions state that the existing bike and pedestrian infrastructure in Willmar is fragmented, creating safety risk for users and discouraging alternative transportation modes. The existing infrastructure also includes several barriers to accessibility — as identified in Willmar's 2020 Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan — that will be addressed by the Lakeland Drive path project. The resolutions also state that the Lakeland Drive path project will expand multi-modal access to critical employment centers downtown and to the and The Active Transportation grant is scheduled for funding in 2026 and projects must be completed in 2026. The Transportation Alternatives grant will not be available until 2028, but can be used to reimburse the city for construction of the path, according to Voge. The approval to temporarily fund the project using the Community Investment Fund was needed in order to inform the funding agencies that the grants will be accepted, according to Voge. He also explained that there will be additional agreements and other items that come before the City Council throughout the process of accepting the grants. Councilors Audrey Nelsen and Tom Gilbertson voiced concerns during the June 2 discussion that the Transportation Alternatives grant is federal funding and asked if there is a potential that the funding would not be disbursed. "If you're alluding to this uncertainty right now at the federal level, all I can say is that the project has been awarded the funding," Voge said. " ... I can't definitively tell you with 100% certainty that something at the federal level is not going to happen to claw the money back." He explained that there have been delays on other projects, but not removal of awarded funding through a federally authorized grant program.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
NYC DOT under fire after bike lane revisions cause gridlock for drivers trying to avoid congestion tolls
The NYC Department of Transportation has put the screws to drivers who are trying to avoid congestion pricing tolls by entering Manhattan via the Queensborough Bridge, critics told The Post. The agency helped spur relentless massive gridlock last month by removing a key left-turn lane along East 62nd Street heading northbound on First Avenue — to create a seven-foot-wide safety buffer area abutting the 62nd Street bike lane. 'It makes me feel like the New York City Department of Transportation is deliberately trying to ruin the only toll-free route into Manhattan from Queens,' said Dylan Yen, 24, an Upper East Side tech consultant and U.S. Coast Guard member who regularly commutes between boroughs by taking the bridge. 'They're deliberately trying to make it as difficult as possible so that people will either pay the congestion toll or, more cynically, they make it so bad that we as a neighborhood decide that we need congestion pricing.' Northbound travelers such as Yen avoid the controversial $9 toll for Manhattan drivers below East 60th Street by using the bridge's upper level exit, leading to East 61st Street. Exiting the lower level leaves drivers off at East 59th Street where they have to pay the piper. Yen continued: 'This is manufactured congestion to cater to the whims of Transportation Alternatives,' referring to the powerful anti-car group that critics say has incestuous relationship with DOT, indirectly lobbies for Uber and Lyft and wields a lot of power with lefty officials. The revisions leave only one lane operating during certain hours for both drivers needing to turn left to onto First Avenue or continue east onto the FDR Drive. The road's right lane is supposed to be open to traffic except Sundays and overnights the rest of the week, midnight to 7 a.m. when parking is allowed. However, it's routinely blocked during business hours by trucks making deliveries, residents said. Previously, the strip had a lane dedicated for left turns, a center lane for thru-traffic to the FDR Drive and a right lane with 'No Standing' zones regulations in affect most hours beyond Sunday. The DOT insists its plan was always to eliminate the left lane and create a safety buffer for bikers since the 62nd Street bike lane was installed in 2021 under then-Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration. That part of the project was put on hold for years because outdoor dining sheds were blocking the right lane until Mayor Eric Adams instituted new rules phasing out many of the blighted structures, officials claimed. Bridge users aren't buying the excuse. Michael, a 34-year-old Upper East Side resident who works at a Queens tech company, said his average commute time is now 75 minutes, compared to 25 minutes before the traffic patterns changed. He said the traffic now routinely backs up onto bridge's upper level and is especially bad on Sundays when the right lane on East 62nd Street allows parking — adding it's deplorable that drivers are being charged the congestion toll for 'creeping 300 feet into the zone' to exit and enter on the lower-level. 'On Sundays, it's backed up to the middle of the bridge,' he said. 'They don't give a s—t! The DOT does not give a s—t! It's an open targeting of drivers.' Traffic congestion near the Manhattan side of the bridge has historically been a problem, but it's now nonstop, said Sebastian, who lives on East 62nd Street near First Avenue. 'The traffic is 24 hours [a day], he said. 'It's a safety concern for pedestrians.' Linda Santangelo, 61, of the Upper East Side, said she doesn't drive but is now forced dealing with the honking horns and car fumes the extra traffic congestion has brought to the neighborhood. 'I was surprised by the gridlock going on [because of the traffic changes], ' Santangelo said. 'And I do a see a lot of extra traffic on the Upper East Side because of this. It's gridlock everywhere!' Councilwoman Julie Menin, a Manhattan Democrat who represents the Upper East Side-Lenox Hill areas near the bridge, told The Post her office has fielded plenty of complaints from local residents about the changes causing 'added congestion.' 'DOT should review this location to determine whether this intersection should be reverted to a configuration that better supports traffic flow and continues to make our streets safer for pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists,' said Menin. DOT spokesman Vincent Barone said the bike lane project was put in place by the de Blasio administration 'to create safer crosstown connections for cyclists and pedestrians while also preserving the same number of vehicular travel lanes during rush hours in a historically congested area near the bridge.' 'These corridors were chosen for safety upgrades in part because they were the locations of hundreds of injuries and multiple pedestrian fatalities — and if there are any delays due to drivers dangerously and illegally parking in travel lanes, we will work with our sister agencies on enforcement,' he said.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
NYPD begins massive crackdown on unlawful e-bike riders
The NYPD has begun a massive crackdown on e-bike riders caught speeding and violating traffic laws, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Friday. Since the operation began on April 28, cops have handed out 916 criminal court summonses against wayward e-bikers — nearly double the amount that was given out all last year, the NYPD said. 'We are cracking down on e-bikes largely because we have gotten so many community complaints,' Tisch said during an appearance on Fox 5's 'Good Day NY' Friday. 'Every New York has had the experience of jumping out of the way or getting their kids out of the way of these e-bike riders.' The enforcement was first reported on StreetsBlog NYC. Biking advocates say that the draconian crackdown was done without any public notice and that pedal bike riders are being swept up in this unprecedented dragnet. Cops began by focusing on heavily traveled bike routes like Second Ave. in Manhattan and Flatbush Ave. in downtown Brooklyn, Tisch said in an op-ed released Thursday. 'We are cracking down and doing enforcement on the basic rules of the road — going too fast, running lights, going the wrong way,' Tisch explained. 'Bikes are an important transportation method, but it doesn't work without meaningful enforcement so they follow the basic safety rules.' Instead of the traditional traffic ticket, the e-bike riders caught violating vehicle traffic laws are being given a criminal court summons. Bicycling advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, which has said the NYPD is unfairly targeting cyclists 'where the punishment in no way equals the crime,' slammed the move on Friday. 'It's alarming that a policy change that was snuck in without public notice has already escalated to become a massive crackdown,' said Ben Furnas, the group's executive director.' Giving criminal summonses to hundreds of cyclists every week does nothing to make our streets safer. Drivers are still getting tickets for the same offenses, despite putting pedestrians at much more risk than cyclists ever could. This policy is an egregious overreach, and we call on elected officials to demand the NYPD reverse it immediately.' Tisch said the NYPD switched to criminal court summonses because the traffic tickets — which can lead to one losing their driver's license if they're ignored — just weren't effective on e-bike riders. 'They were nonsense and meaningless to e-bike riders, so we are now giving them criminal summonses for the reckless driving of e-bikes,' she said.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mississippi reveals 2025 TAP funding recipients
CLEVELAND, Miss. (WJTV) – Mississippi Transportation Commission Chairman Willie Simmons hosted a check presentation ceremony in Cleveland on May 8 to announce the 2025 Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funding recipients. The TAP utilizes federal funds that contribute up to 80% of the total eligible project cost. The Mississippi Transportation Commission invites eligible project sponsors to apply for funding approval of a Transportation Alternatives (TA) project. Buc-ee's unveils grand opening plans for first Mississippi location Descriptions of each project include: City of Vicksburg – $453,000 for construction of a concrete walking trail and installation of additional lighting in the new Riverfront Park. City of Belzoni – $415,000 for construction of an asphalt walking trail in the existing City Park. City of Drew – $104,000 for construction of an asphalt walking trail in the downtown area of Drew. City of Moorhead – $114,000 for the removal and replacement of the existing sidewalk with a new sidewalk along Washington St. to connect Moorhead Central School to the West Delta Ave. intersection. City of Rosedale – $638,000 for additional lighting along State Route 1 next to a sidewalk built in a previous TA project. City of Shelby – $266,000 for rehabilitation of the existing walking trail, installation of additional lighting and off-street parking. Delta State University – $633,000 for construction of a new sidewalk and installation of additional lighting along a section of Statesman Park Blvd. Silver City/Humphreys County Board of Supervisors – $141,000 for construction of a new sidewalk along Front St. Louise/Humphreys County Board of Supervisors – $169,000 for the construction of a new sidewalk along Old Highway 49. Sunflower County Consolidated School District – $454,000 for the construction a new sidewalk along BB King Rd. to connect Gentry High School to residential areas along with additional landscaping and BB King Historical Trivia Markers. Town of Boyle – $476,000 for the extension of an existing asphalt walking trail, installation of lighting, adding off-street parking, and rehabilitating an existing train crossing bridge into a pedestrian bridge. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
Advocates want speed-limiting devices installed in repeat offenders' cars
MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) – Advocates are rallying on the steps of City Hall on Monday to call for more restrictions for people accused of speeding repeatedly. New York State Sen. Andrew Gounardes is sponsoring the Stop Super Speeders Bill, which would require speed-limiting devices to be installed in the cars of people found to be the worst of the worst offenders. The legislation follows a horrifying crash that killed a 34-year-old mother and her two daughters in a Brooklyn intersection. More Local News Miriam Yarimi, 32, was charged with manslaughter in connection with the crash. She allegedly has 29 red light and school zone speeding tickets, city councilmembers said. The top 10 super speeders in New York City got an average of 323 tickets, according to data from the nonprofit Transportation Alternatives. The worst driver had 563 tickets, which would average to one ticket every 16 hours, the group said. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State At least 75% of drivers with a suspended license choose to drive anyway, according to Transportation Alternatives. To learn about Transportation Alternatives' study, click here. The rally will be held at 9:30 a.m. Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
