WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Board of Legislators. November 10, 2008: The County Board unanimously approved legislation prohibiting motor vehicles from idling more than three minutes in Westchester County in order to improve local air quality and reduce greenhouse gases.

“Tackling climate change is about more than complex treaties and trading systems,” said County Legislator Tom Abinanti (D, I, WF-Greenburgh), Environment & Energy Committee Chair and the sponsor of the legislation. “We also need simple yet effective local actions to chip away at our carbon footprint.”  

WPCNR THE TAPPAN ZEE NEWS. October 14, 2008: The Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Enivironmental Review “team” will hold a public information meeting two weeks from today on October 28  at 4:30 P.M. and 7 PM at White Plains High School to brief the public on their final decision of how the Tappan Zee Bridge will be replaced. The public will be informed by a presentation on the state decision to build a new Tappan Zee Bridge with a dedicated Bus Rapid Transit  line plus commuter rail from Rockland County to Grand Central, with the Bus system  across Westchester incorporated into the Cross Weschester Expressway through White Plains.

Questions, comments and concerns will be answered.  Local residents and officials have until December 1 to submit comments.

The issues of how any Bus Rapid Transit System will be structurally incorporated into I-287  which courses through White Plains and other Westchester communities (Tarrytown, Elmsford, Rye, Port Chester) have not been addressed by the Department of Transportation publicly.

 At lower right is the 333 Westchester Ave former Kraft Foods property. At lower center is the North Street interchange, planned to go under a new Westchester Avenue Superramp. For Southenders coming up North Street they have to cross the Expressway and take a left into White Plains to access I-287 Eastbound via the SuperRamp upper left of picture.

Any Bus Rapid Transit System could possibly include construction of new bus stations, eastbound and westbound dedicated lanes, and inserting them into the extensive Department of Transportation construction now ongoing at Exit 8 in White Plains are worth considering as the environmental impact statement – the next stage of the $16 Billion project goes forward.

WPCNR THE TRAVELING NEWS. By John F. Bailey. September 26: The New York State Department of Transportation recommended today  New York replace the aging Tappan Zee Bridge,  with a new  bridge that could support a commuter rail line and bus line  to span the Hudson River at a cost in 2012 dollars of $16 Billion for bridge, bus/commuter equipment and infrastructure, and rail. 

The Envelope, Please, Astrid! And the Winner of the 8-Years in the Making DOT Tappan Zee Study Is  Alternative 4-C -- $16 Billion New Bridge, supporting commuter cars, Bus Rapid Transit and eventually Commuter Rail from Suffern to Tarrytown and Manhattan!

 Astrid Glynn, Chair of the New York State Department of Transportation flanked by Westchester and Rockland County Executives, Andrew Spano and Scott Vanderhoef, announced the decision five years in development, saying that the next step would  be a series of meetings across both counties to explain the new bridge concept and how it would work.

The Transmilenio (Bus Rapid Transit system) in Bogota, Columbia. The system which moves 75% of the city's commuters with frequent buses running in two directions with stations inbetween the lanes, uses about three lanes of convention automobile lanes. This shows how a successful Bus Rapid Transit System works in a multi-lane highway right of way. How such Bus Rapid Transit would work in the I-287 right of way has never been shown by the DOT to date. It will be designed according to the news conference.

She said design of the system and its effect on the Cross Westchester Expressway (new construction, station stops, place of the bus lanes, presumably),  corridor would be  discussed as part of that process. No meaty details were provided.  No proposals viewed by the public to date have not indicated specific locations for Rapid Bus Transit along I-287, nor how approaches to the bridge on both sides of the Hudson would effect the towns of Nyack, Tarrytown and Irvington.  Dates for the community meetings were not announced.

The DOT's Ms. Glynn and Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef made clear, would not start the bridge for four years (2012) and would go forward  next with developing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement by 2010, at which time when the EIS is approved, design of the new structure would begin, with construction expected to start by 2012.

No time was given when the bridge would be completed. The prospect of how the bridge would be paid for would be studied with the DOT’s financial advisor, which at the present time is Merrill-Lynch, but Glynn indicated that relationship would be watched as would the Wall Street situation.

Scott VanderHoef, the Rockland County Executive said a public private relationship with financial support from Washington was hoped for as a financial feasibility and funding search would be conducted by the DOT next.

 The cost of the project was set by Ms. Glynn as being $6.4 Billion for the new bridge, (indicated inclusive), $2.9 Billion for equipment, construction of Cross counties Bus Rapid Transit System and $6.7 Billion for the Commuter Rail from Suffern  across the new Tappan Zee Bridge to Tarrytown to connect with the Metro North Hudson Line. Total: $16 Billion.

WPCNR THE PARKING NEWS. August 7, 2008:  The Department of Parking released to WPCNR details of the George Fuller Company-supervised repairs to he City Center Parking Garage joints completed in June, the same day the department announced installation of new lighting.

City Center Garage  shown below the Trump Tower left and One City Place (center tower) Got a Clean Bill of Health Wednesday from Deputy Commissioner of Parking, John Larson who detailed the repairs made to the welding plates at the City Center Garage, completed in June.

WPCNR TAXI STAND. By John F. Bailey. July 30, 2008: Paul Wood, Executive Officer for the Mayor told WPCNR tonight the city will not recognize District  Council 9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades as the negotiating representative of the White Plains independent cab owners. He said the city would not negotiate taxi work rules and fees and assorted issues with the union.  The District Council 9 of the IUPAT announced a majority of the 400 White Plains drivers had joined the union Wednesday after a membership drive last week.

Paul Wood said the city is looking at a metered cab system. This is a typical Pulsar Cab Meter, costing from $259 to $329 to install. It also has credit card acceptance accessories. Mr. Wood said it was to be determined whether the city would pay to install  meters or whether cab drivers would have to pay for them themselves or the cab companies. To furnish all 400 cabs would cost the city approximately $130,000, using this model. No model meter has been selected by the city. This is a typical best-selling meter available at http://www.andystoplites.com/pages/pulsar-taximeters.html, provided as an informational supplement by WPCNR

 “We negotiated for a year with Mr.  Mario Alfonso, whom we thought represented the drivers, and we are through negotiating,” Wood told WPCNR Thursday afternoon. “The Taxi Advisory Committee will be issuing its recommendations in a press conference in about a month with its recommendations for White Plains taxi service.”

WPCNR TAXI STAND. By John F. Bailey. July 30, 2008: Mike Carriere  of the District 9 International Union of Painters and Allied Trades announced to WPCNR Tuesday that his signup of White Plains taxi drivers for union membership “went well, had a nice turnout,” and the union was “pretty close” to signing up the majority of the 400 licensed White Plains cabbies.  He officially declared his union the negotiating agent for his drivers with the City of White Plains Taxi Commission.

Melissa Lopez, spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office,  told WPCNR Wednesday morning the city did not officially recognize the IUPAT union as the official negotiator at this time. Asked if the city would recognize the union when approached with appropriate credentials, she said she would have to check further with city officials.

WPCNR TAXI STAND. July 29, 2008: Paul Wood, the city’s Executive Officer, issued data from the Department of Public Safety today that disputes the extent of gypsy cab (medallion-less cars for hire) forays into White Plains. Wood said the taxi driver spokesperson, Mario Alfonso  “definitely exaggerates the issue.”

Wood reports that the number of  misdemeanor  or arrests and impounds for unlicensed cabs impounded by The Department of Public Safety has been very low. In 2005,  he said the number was 5; 2006, 3; 2007, 7, and to date in 2008, 3.

WPCNR TAXI STAND. July 21, 2008: The Mayor's Office released a statement addressing issues brought to the attention by the union organization meeting held Saturday morning in Delfino Park reported on by WPCNR. Melissa Lopez of the Mayor's Office issued a statement today saying the Taxi Advisory Committee  criticised Saturday for delay in addressing taxi drivers' issue would be issuing a report shortly. Significant in the statement is an indication that fares would be increased if taxi ambience and protocols were upgraded on part of the drivers.

Here is the statement from Melissa Lopez of  the Mayor's Office:

WPCNR TAXI STAND. By John F. Bailey. July 19, 2008 UPDATED July 20, 2008 10:35 AM:  Mario Alfonso, White Plains cabbie since 1986,  unofficial spokesperson for the White Plains cab drivers, told WPCNR Saturday  the key demands  White Plains cabbies wanted from the City of White Plains, were a 25% increase in fares, an increase in the $1 gasoline surcharge, more “taxi stands” about the city, and the ability to have pedestrians “hail” cabs.

Asked why the city doesn't take over taxis and run the cab system on a franchise basis, setting vehicle rates, appearances and standards itself, Alfonso said the city does not want the liability issues that come with a city franchise operation.

Cab Jam: The issues were made clear before about fifty  White Plains cabbies attending an International Union of Painters and Allied Trades union-organizing rally today in Delfino Park. 

The meeting was organized by the unofficial leader of the cabbies, Mario Alfonso, of White Plains and featured Michael Carriere of District Council No. 9 who outlined the benefits of the White Plains independent cabbies to join the union. Number one benefit, he said was the health benefit package at union rates, and number two, the services of the IUPAT legal staff in negotiations and  grievances with the city for individual cabbies and the cabbie workforce en masse, with union spokespeople to lobby and negotiate  for their needs with the City of White Plains.

WPCNR BUMPER TO BUMPER. Traffic News & Comment By John F. Bailey. June 22, 2008: At a recent meeting of the Old Oak Ridge Neighborhood Association, that “Oak Ridge Boys” got to hear City Traffic Commissioner Tom Soyk and Mayor Joseph Delfino on what the future holds in store for White Plains. What they learned according a citizen present at the meeting was there’s more diabolic construction to come. The flollowing does not represent either Mr. Soyk's nor Mayor Delfino's views of the project. They simply showed the plans. Has the DOT got plans for us? You bet they have.

 Department of Transportation plans for finishing their scorched earth twisted concrete construction at the always-fun Exit 8 interchange from Dr. DOT Demento – a gas-wasting, aggravation levitating approaching proportions of the old Bruckner Traffic Circle in The Bronx (remember?) – were showcased by Mr. Soyk and they do not look good, gasoline-mindful drivers! At lower right is the 333 Westchester Ave former Kraft Foods property. At lower center is the North Street interchange, planned to go under a new Westchester Avenue Superramp. For Southenders coming up North Street they have to cross the Expressway and take a left into White Plains to access I-287 Eastbound via the SuperRamp upper left of picture.

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Westchester County Department of Communications. June 11, 2008: The Westchester County Department of Transportation is conducting a study to determine whether a high capacity rapid transit system could run along one of the county’s major commercial strips extending from White Plains at the north end to Yonkers and the New York City subway in the Bronx.  BRT would offer many of the advantages of rail transit but at a lower cost.

“With gas well over $4 a gallon, improving transit service is critical to giving people more feasible travel options,” said County Executive Andy Spano.  (Pictured above is a Bus Rapid Transit System station in Bogota, Columbia)

WPCNR TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE NEWS. June 5, 2008: The Project Director of the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor Project, charged with the evaluation and recommendation of the best solution to replace the aging Tappan Zee Bridge, told WPCNR today that a decision on the best transit alternatives to replace the 49 year-old bridge (undergoing repairs as needed) will be delayed “for weeks.”

Mr. Anderson (shown here at a February 2008 meeting, said his people were checking figures going over alternatives and their data and were not as far along as they had hoped in coming to a final recommendation (on transit mode selected for the bridge makeover – commuter rail, bus rapid transit, light rail). He gave no reason for the delay. He said no decision had been made.

WPCNR THE PARKING NEWS. From City Hall. May 28, 2008: Melissa Lopez of the Mayor's Office has issued a statement on the Parking Policy in effect Monday. Here is that statement:

1. We do not have an exact count at this time of parking tickets given on Memorial Day, during the parade.  The Parking departments enforcement efforts during this parade were the same as all other parades.  We did not issue tickets to parade participants , but  as usual  we did issue tickets to the general public who  did not have enough money in meters to pay for their parking. 

This parade  was not treated any differently  than any other parade during the course of the year.  The City has to provide services during all of these special events  throughout the year and the services must be paid for.  We have voided any tickets that were issued to Veterans who might have been issued a ticket while they were parade participants.

2. The City Center  Garage is open and has been open  this past weekend as well. The repairs to the selected decks are going forward and we hope to have all repairs completed by  the end of this week or beginning of next week .

WPCNR THE PARKING VIEWS. By John F. Bailey. May 28, 2008: It was a beautiful Memorial Day, a great parade, a moving Memorial Ceremony at the White Plains Rural Cemetery Monday. 

If you came to White Plains to see the parade, though, and did not know White Plains parking regulations are enforced even on holidays, it cost you a $15 Parking ticket – aggressively, ruthlessly, sadistically enforced by the WP Parking Enforcement Officers.  

Even though the long parade prevented the memorial ceremonies from beginning until 11:40 AM – no slack, no tardy parker was spared – except perhaps parkers at the American Legion Hall on Mitchell Place after lunch, but we do not know that.  WPCNR has a call into City Hall to get an exact count of how many tickets were distributed during parade hours into the early afternoon. I wait with baited breath.

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WPCNR THE PARKING NEWS. By John F. Bailey. May 23, 2008:  Separations, cracks in the caulks or welds connecting and supporting two concrete ramps  in the City Center garage on City Place were discovered by a Department of Parking employee Wednesday,  according to Commissioner of Parking, Albert Moroni.  Moroni  said the city closed off two ramps in the garage to vehicular traffic. However, all six levels of the garage remain open for parking,  and are safe Moroni said.