East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station
January 26, 2012
On Tuesday, Mayor Bloomberg made the extremely premature move of requesting bids for the construction of the East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station (MTS). Our community has made it clear that we do not want the MTS or the health risks it would create in the neighborhood. Rather than listen to the people, the Mayor has decided to try to move forward and hope the opposition subsides, but it won’t.
For years, the city has been using incomplete or out of date data in the development of this project. For example, the city has budgeted $125 million for the construction of the MTS, when the most recent estimates show that it will cost upwards of $190 million. Additionally, the Department of Sanitation has been using decade-old statistics in their planning which fails to take into account the vast changes that have occurred in the ecosystem. Many fishermen have reported catching fish like the Atlantic Striped Bass, Fluke, and Bluefish in the area, but none of the fish appear anywhere in the DOS’s plan.
The Mayor cannot be allowed to use his influence and ram this project through. If he does, New Yorkers will lose out on the transparent process they deserve. I have joined together with Council Member Jessica Lappin in submitting a Freedom of Information (FOIL) request to obtain all the data and information that exists about this project. Now the city will not be able to hide behind its false numbers.
You can read our request below:
New Accessible Taxi Tax Credit Will Help Get Accessible Cabs on the Road
January 3, 2012
Statement from Assembly Member Micah Kellner regarding Governor Cuomo signing the accessible taxi tax credit into law.
Victory for Wheelchair Users in Federal Lawsuit Against NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission
January 3, 2012
Statement from Assembly Member Micah Kellner on Judge Geroge B. Daniels’ decision in the case Noel V. TLC
Taxi Agreement Is Something We Can All Hail
January 3, 2012
Statement from Assembly Member Micah Kellner on the new taxi and livery agreement.
Kellner to Cuomo: Veto ‘Livery Street Hail Bill’
December 19, 2011
Today, I sent Governor Cuomo a letter outlining my opposition to the controversial ‘Livery Street Hail Bill’ and requesting that he veto it.
The bill, which passed the Legislature in June, would add 30,000 new livery vehicles that would be able to pick up street hails in the outer boroughs of New York City. Mayor Bloomberg has contends that the goal of this legislation is to expand access, but the bill fails to require any of the new vehicles to be accessible to wheelchair users and other people with disabilities. If we are going to radically change our city’s transportation system, we must embrace a plan that provides access to all people, including those with disabilities.
I commend Governor Cuomo for drawing a line in the sand and refusing to sign the bill until it provides meaningful access to people with disabilities. When the Legislature returns in January, I will work very closely with him to develop a plan that expands service to all New Yorkers, whether they are on two feet or four wheels.
You can read my letter below:
Frack No!
November 30, 2011
Today I submitted testimony at the Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) hearing in opposition to hydrofracking. Our water is just too precious to take a chance with. If you have not yet submitted your comments, there is still time to do so. Make sure to visit the DEC’s website here and have your voice heard!
You can read my testimony below:
Testimony before the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission
October 20, 2011
Good morning, Chairman Yassky and Members of the Commission. I want to thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
My name is Micah Kellner. I am the Member of the New York State Assembly representing the 65th District, which includes the Upper East Side, Yorkville and Roosevelt Island. But today I am here as an avid connoisseur of a quality taxi ride and more importantly as an advocate for people with disabilities.
As you are aware less than 2% of the yellow taxi fleet is wheelchair accessible. I have spent a lot of time trying to push, prod, cajole, entice and even legislate the other 98% of the industry into using wheelchair accessible vehicles. What I hear in response is the constant refrain that, ‘the current accessible vehicles that are available just can’t hack it (No pun intended) as a 24/7 New York City yellow cab.’ This morning, the Taxi and Limousine Commission has the opportunity to change this by adopting a new rule that amends the specification of a wheelchair accessible taxi.
With this rules change, the TLC will open the door for a new—American manufactured—vehicle called the MV-1 made by Vehicle Production Group (VPG). The MV-1 is based on the principle of universal design and exceeds the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This gives all people, whether they have a disability or not, the opportunity to catch a ride. It has a retractable 1,200-pound capacity wheelchair ramp, a spacious 36-inch wide entryway, more than 190 cubic feet of interior space. And the MV-1 is ADA compliant right off the assembly line.
What really puts this vehicle over the top is the fact that riders in wheelchairs will no longer be forced to sit in the trunk of a cab like second class citizens. The MV-1 gives them the unique experience of being able to ride shotgun and get the same view of the Big Apple as their able-bodied friends. Plus, it is safe and durable. VPG built this vehicle to specifically handle the tough streets of New York City; and I’m told it has a really strong suspension. The MV-1 meets all the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standards, as well as the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Many taxi owners are already willing to incorporate these vehicles into their fleets and they have been given plenty of reasons to do so. Governor Cuomo has indicated that he will sign my taxi tax credit, which gives owners a $10,000 tax rebate as an incentive to purchase wheelchair accessible vehicles like the MV-1.
I believe the MV-1’s has proven itself worthy of becoming a New York City taxicab. The adoption of this rules change will give this new accessible vehicle the opportunity to become the industry standard, thus giving a whole community of riders, currently left on the curb, an opportunity to hail a taxicab.
Thank you.
Justice Dept. to TLC: Make Taxis Accessible
October 14, 2011
I am thrilled that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has heeded my call that every taxi needs to be wheelchair accessible. As a person with a disability, I find it unfortunate that in the most progressive city in the world, the civil rights of people with disabilities are not being enforced.
On March 29th, I initiated a DOJ investigation which centered on whether or not the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) has been willfully disregarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The City responded by stating that taxi officials were developing a program that meets ADA guidelines through a system that dispatches accessible taxis for people with disabilities, but this program is for too reminiscent of the City’s pilot dispatch program which I proved to be ineffective in my 2009 report, Stranded. Clearly, the DOJ agrees with me.
In this most recent filing, the DOJ agrees with what I have been trying to legislate — within a short period of time every taxi needs to be wheelchair accessible. My legislation, A.4406, which has already passed the Assembly, best meets this requirement and I hope that both the City and State will embrace it.
You can read about this in today’s Wall Street Journal here.
Time for Accessible Taxis to Roll
October 3, 2011
The New York Daily News Editorial Board has endorsed something that I have long been fighting for: Accessible Taxis. You can read today’s editorial below.
New York’s Taxis Need to be Accessible
September 26, 2011
I’m grateful Governor Cuomo has recognized that making the taxi and livery fleet accessible to wheelchair users is not an impossible feat. The Assembly has already taken the first step by passing my legislation, A.4406, which will make every new taxi accessible starting in 2014. Additionally, two U.S. companies are currently building purpose-built wheelchair accessible taxis, one of which, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission has already approved. There is even a tax credit I sponsored, A.966-B, waiting to be signed by the Governor that would incentivize the purchase of these vehicles.
While I would like to eventually see every taxi be accessible, I’ve proposed a plan, the Access-for-All Taxi and Livery Plan (A4ATL), which modifies the current bill and will increase the number of accessible taxis and liveries from roughly 300 to 3,000 over the next three years. I hope the Governor will use this as a template and build upon it so that wheelchair users have a real opportunity to use this iconic mode of transportation.
VPG MV-1 Accessible Taxi
- Via @MicahKellner + @MMViverito NYPD, never sensitive to Trans NYers, but if these allegations true its beyond the pale http://t.co/UGWWI9Tn
10 hours ago from ÜberSocial for BlackBerry
