"No one has done more to preserve, protect and defend gridlock in New York City than Assemblyman David Gantt (D- Rochester), and Tuesday he made sure that bus riders are condemned to commuting at a crawl," the Daily News said earlier this week after Gantt, the chair of the Assembly's Transportation Committee, effectively killed a bill allowing enforcement cameras for city bus lanes, at least for this legislative session.

The year 2007 may prove to be one of the most important years in the storied history of New York City's development. In a future timeline of urban advances, it might be printed in as big a font and as bold a type as 1811--when the grid system was adopted--or 1904--when the I.R.T. subway opened. The text adjacent to 2007 could say something like "the start of livable streets," or "the bike boom begins," or "congestion pricing kicks off." It may turn out that all of those descriptions may suit 2007. The real question is, in hindsight, will they?

Transportation Alternatives, a 5000 member bicycle, pedestrian, and mass transit advocacy organization, strongly supports a "no more diesel buses" policy in NYC; an immediate, expedited shift to a compressed natural gas bus fleet; and a full-length Second Avenue Subway.

Transportation Alternatives, a 5000 member bicycle, pedestrian, and mass transit advocacy organization based in New York City, formally congratulates the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its proposal to remove sulfur from diesel and to clean up the country's trucks and buses.

It is no secret that New York City has massive pollution problems. Diesel's toxic particles along with nitrogen oxide emissions are, without a doubt, the most serious air pollution threat facing most Americans, including millions of New Yorkers.

The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007

Dear Mayor Bloomberg: