AMNY Subway Tracker

Take this with a grain of salt, but Vespa claims in a new study it financed, that more motorized scooters on the street could save New Yorkers 4.6 million hours per year sitting in traffic – or 100 hours a person.

The Piaggio Group, manufacturer of the Vespa, commissioned a study from former transportation commissioner “Gridlock” Sam Schwartz on how motorized scooters could cut down on traffic.

If 20% of Manhattan automobile traffic switched to scooters, Schwartz found:

* 4.6 million hours would be saved
* CO2 emissions would drop by 26,000 tons
* Fuel consumption would drop by 2.5 million gallons
* New Yorkers would save a collective $122 million
* Vespa executives would make more money! Mama mia!

The last item was facetious, of course, but you always got to be careful of sponsored studies.

Expect some kind of announcement today.

Read amNewYork's special on the Vespa.

-- Chuck Bennett

Streetsblog has an interesting list of issues Gov. Eliot Spitzer might want to examine to improve city transportation and livibility. Check it out.

-- Rolando Pujol

The big transit news of the day is pedal power. The city promised 200 more miles of dedicated bike paths and lanes. There is also controversial talk of helmet law.

“Bike accidents took the lives of 225 people in the city between 1996 and 2005, an average of almost 25 cyclists each year, according to a multiagency report released yesterday. In this context, the recent bike deaths are hardly an anomaly, but simply a reflection of the dangers of cycling in the nation's largest city.”

The quip of the day goes to the Parks commish.

"What do you call a bicyclist without a helmet," asked Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "An organ donor."

Still. a new study shows drivers give bicyclists with helmets less room. They think they are more experienced roadsters apparently.

To avoid traffic entirely, why not try mountain biking in the city?

-- Chuck Bennett amNY.com

It looks like Speaker Christine Quinn is going to lead the City Council in her first veto. The vote is scheduled for tomorrow. And it’s somewhat transportation related.

Bloomberg opposed a Council bill that would have prohibited gas stations from rising prices more than once every 24 hours. It also required gas stations to keep detailed records of their sales and deliveries for each year.

“To tell a business how many times a day they can change their prices is just not something that the city should be doing,” Bloomberg said in July.

The mayor's veto:

Download file

-- Chuck Bennett amNY.com

Rockland to Manhattan: The great dream for commuters from Rockland County: A one-seat ride into Manhattan. One proposal would send a train over a new Tappan Zee Bridge, but it seems a ferry ride offers the most likely solution. [The Journal News]

Pedal at your risk: A month after the death of cyclist Derek Lake, StreetsBlog checks in on the Houston Street mess (and points out that the street is part of the still-unimplemented city master bike plan). [StreetsBlog]

Talk about valuable ad space: MTA gets serious about ads on the back of MetroCards. [The New York Post]

-- Rolando Pujol

This isn’t subway news, but alternative transportation news is good enough. TIME’S UP!, the bicycle activist group best known for its Critical Mass protest rides and ongoing clash with the cops, may get kicked out of its 49. E. Houston Street headquarters. The group is asking the public for help, contact them at: savethetimesupspace@hotmail.com

-- Chuck Bennett

Photo courtesy TIME'S UP!

From hero to victim: A strange, sad twist in the case of two firefighters hurt by a cab: One had just helped save a man who had fallen on subway tracks. [New York Post]

The L as lifeline: With all that nasty L train news recently, here's a piece that'll tug the heart strings. [Daily News via Observer's The Real Estate]  And L is, of course, also for love.

Critical showdown: Next Friday is Critical Mass, so you'll have your monthly tussle between cyclists and cops. But with the NYPD floating the idea of a rule to require groups of 20 or more cyclists to get a permit, things could get interesting. [New York Post]

Take note on the R: A nicely told tale of a subway artist, who, if you ride the R in Manhattan and have a face full of character, may just present you with your portrait. [The Village Voice] 

-- Rolando Pujol

Photo: Charles Eckert

OT, Oy Vey: The transit strike cost the NYPD $10.4 million in overtime, lower than first thought. A City Council oversight hearing today is set to address walkout costs with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.  [amNewYork]

Milestone for victim: The bike-riding firefighter, left, who was struck by a private bus during the December transit walkout was finally released from the hospital today. [AP via amNewYork]

On-time almost every time: Metro-North trains set an on-time performance record in April — 99% of the commuter trains showed up when they were supposed to. [amNewYork]

Subway plot conviction: A Pakistani immigrant was convicted of planning to blow up the Herald Square subway station.  [AP via amNewYork] 

Train to the plane: A takeout on the politics behind the quest for a downtown-JFK rail link. [The New York Observer]

-- Rolando Pujol

Photo of Firefighter Matthew Long by  Howard Schnapp