For Rita Asen, a retired social worker who broke her hip two years ago and walks gingerly with a cane, crossing West End Avenue is not quite as challenging as braving the rapids of the Colorado River. On the other hand, the Colorado River doesn't have careening cars and deliverymen rushing about on bikes.

"You have to be very careful," said Mrs. Asen, who has lived for more than three decades in Lincoln-Amsterdam House on West End Avenue near 65th Street. "You just don't know when the light is going to change and you can be stranded in the street."

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?

Tuesday night's rainy weather could not deter the dozens of people who turned out for the Bay Ridge Community Council's (BRCC) "Safe Living for Seniors" event at St. John's Episcopal Church. Ellen Lauer, the 'Senior Issues Chair' for the BRCC organized the informative event, which touched on many issues and concerns that not only seniors, but all Bay Ridge citizens face. Did you know that every 2 seconds, an identity is stolen?

Segundo Musse doesn't walk too much anymore. "I got hit by a car and broke both my legs," he said surveying the scene along Manhattan Avenue in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn. "I used to be quick on my feet. Now, I'm slow and I'm only getting slower."

Musse, age 67, is one of 1.25 million New York City residents over 60. Like many others his age, he has seen his mobility diminish over time. "If I need to go somewhere, I take the bus," he said. "It's a pain to get around, but with the senior pass it's cheap enough and it's better for me than walking or the subway."

Good morning Chairman Liu and members of the Transportation Committee. My name is Amy Pfeiffer, I am the Program Director for Safe Routes for Seniors, a joint project of Transportation Alternatives and the New York State Department of Health. Transportation Alternatives is New York City's advocates for biking, walking and safe and livable streets.

Thank you for convening this hearing.

A new study by Transportation Alternatives, New York City’s advocates for walking and street safety, shows that NYC’s senior citizens are being killed and injured in disproportionate numbers because they don’t have enough time to cross the street.

Says Amy Pfeiffer, Director of Transportation Alternatives’ Safe Routes for Seniors program:

Transportation Alternatives applauds Mayor Bloomberg's pledge in today's State of the City address to bring "traffic engineering improvements to 25 high-accident areas [that are] especially problematic for seniors."

Two dozen neighborhoods where senior citizens on foot have been killed or seriously injured by cars will be getting safety upgrades, officials told the Daily News.

This year, five neighborhoods will benefit from the program, which includes longer red lights for cars to give pedestrians more time to cross the street.

An additional 20 neighborhoods will be evaluated, starting next year, to determine what changes should be made, Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said.

Mayor Bloomberg delivered his seventh State of the City Address yesterday morning at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The speech had several nuggets of news and info related to livable streets issues.

Touting the good news from 2007, the Mayor noted that New York City's streets are getting safer: