A weekly roundup of good deeds, missteps, heroic feats and epic failures in the tri-state region and beyond.
WINNERS
Ithaca, NY — According to a recent Census report, Ithaca has the second lowest rate of private vehicle commuting in the nation, only behind the New York City area.
CT Transit bus riders — Connecticut bus riders will be able to track their buses’ location and arrival time through GPS technology by April of next year.
Metro-North New Haven Line riders — New Haven Line’s on time performance has improved and ridership is on track beat last year’s record-setting numbers.
Hillsborough County, FL — Hillsborough County–home to Tampa, the state’s third most populous city–may become the latest of several Florida counties to adopt a mobility fee, which encourages dense development rather than sprawl.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti –Mayor Garcetti launched a citywide Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2025.
LOSERS
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton — Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Bratton still won’t rule out gutting Times Square’s pedestrian plaza as one way to handle the area’s “petty quality of life crimes.”
Camden, NJ — The City of Camden Planning Board unanimously approved final plans for Subaru of America’s new U.S. headquarters, which prioritize personal vehicles over other transportation modes and fail to adhere to the city’s Complete Streets and sustainability ordinances.
Citi Bikes thieves — More Citi Bikes have been stolen so far in 2015 than all of 2014.
The planet — In the first half of 2015, U.S. motorists drove 1.54 trillion miles, breaking the record of 1.5 trillion set in the first half of 2007.
