Location: Let's talk about the Summer Streets program. Has it gone as good as you would have hoped?

Location: Let's talk about the Summer Streets program. Has it gone as good as you would have hoped?

A New York State Assembly committee last Tuesday killed legislation that would have allowed New York City to install one of Europe's most lucrative forms of photo enforcement. Bus lane enforcement cameras automatically mail a $115 ticket to the owner of any vehicle that momentarily strays into a special lane designated "Bus Only" (view legislation). Despite the potential to issue thousands of citations, Assembly Transportation Committee members voted 14-11 against the proposal, effectively ending its chance for passage in the current session.

A New York State Assembly committee last Tuesday killed legislation that would have allowed New York City to install one of Europe's most lucrative forms of photo enforcement. Bus lane enforcement cameras automatically mail a $115 ticket to the owner of any vehicle that momentarily strays into a special lane designated "Bus Only" (view legislation). Despite the potential to issue thousands of citations, Assembly Transportation Committee members voted 14-11 against the proposal, effectively ending its chance for passage in the current session.

For the past few years, Lower Hudson Valley residents have been hearing a lot about Bus Rapid Transit as the state figures out what to do with the Tappan Zee Bridge, and what kind of mass transportation will be used to connect Rockland and Westchester.

After eight years of study, the state expects to make its recommendations next month. We'll know if it supports a new bridge or rebuilding the 52-year-old span.

The year 2007 may prove to be one of the most important years in the storied history of New York City's development. In a future timeline of urban advances, it might be printed in as big a font and as bold a type as 1811--when the grid system was adopted--or 1904--when the I.R.T. subway opened. The text adjacent to 2007 could say something like "the start of livable streets," or "the bike boom begins," or "congestion pricing kicks off." It may turn out that all of those descriptions may suit 2007. The real question is, in hindsight, will they?

I confess, I've always preferred the subway, believing it gets me there faster. My wife, on the other hand, often chooses the bus. She likes to see where she is going. (Some women have told me they're afraid of the subway, considering it dangerous -- perhaps remembering the sad shape of the system in the 1970s and early '80s.) The bus has seemed to me cumbersome, easily stuck in traffic, and further slowed by too many people boarding it at too many stops. Also, in the past the bus was a belcher of the most noxious fumes, a prime polluter of the city.

The key to making bus commutes faster and more reliable is Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

New York City's bus system is the slowest in the nation; the system's average speed is 7.5 mph. Despite service that is frequently delayed by heavy traffic, 2.5 million New Yorkers board a bus each day. Measures like free transfers with the subway system have steadily boosted ridership over the past decade.