September Reopening? More City Employers Postpone Their Return To The Office "Back in the spring when vaccines became widely available, Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York City business leaders were looking forward to a great reopening of offices in September. Some companies even started soft reopenings over the summer. But if there’s one thing this pandemic has taught us, it's flexibility. Our expectations about returning to normal have been postponed many times over the last 17 months because the COVID pandemic is so unpredictable." (Gothamist)
DOT begins construction on final stretch of Queens Blvd. bike lane "The Department of Transportation has begun construction on the long-delayed final 1.2 mile stretch of the Queens Boulevard bike lane in Forest Hills, the agency announced last week....Construction is expected to be completed by November." (Queens Eagle)
The Pandemic Gave New York City ‘Open Streets.’ Will They Survive? "34th Avenue in Queens has become the gold standard for an open street that puts people ahead of cars, but critics say it goes too far." (New York Times)
Rich People are Cool! New Map Shows More Money Means More Trees "An illuminating map created by Zhi Keng He of BetaNYC puts into stark relief how much tree cover New Yorkers get in their neighborhoods — and it’s clear that the wealthier the neighborhood, the more arboreal its landscape." (Streetsblog)
Cuomo’s departure leads Port Authority staffers to demand agency halt his LaGuardia AirTrain plan "Tuesday’s letter was penned by Port Authority staffers who, out of fear of retaliation, asked to remain anonymous until Cuomo’s resignation is finalized." (Daily News)
NJ Congressmen's Proposed Bill Would Penalize NYC for Congestion Pricing Plan "The legislation proposed by Gottheimer and southern New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican, would prohibit the federal Department of Transportation from giving certain transit-related grants to MTA projects in New York until New Jersey drivers receive exemptions from the congestion fee. It also would create a federal tax credit for New Jersey motorists to defray their costs if the plan is put into place." (NBC New York)
