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T.A. Press Release: Double Hit and Run in Fresh Meadows Preventable, April 9, 2004
Come to the Volunteer Mailing Party, Wednesday, April 14th at 6 pm at the T.A. Office (115 West 30th, #1207)! Free beer, pizza, soda, snacks and scintillating conversation. T.A. Brooklyn Committee Meeting Rescheduled Help make Prospect Park car-free and Brooklyn streets safer for cycling and walking. April 12 at 7pm. Ozzie’s - 249 5th Avenue between Carroll and Garfield in Park Slope.
T.A. In the News Latest
T.A. News Time on your hands? Eager to
make a difference? T.A. needs folks who are retired, work part-time or
between jobs to help our top-notch advocacy staff make the city a better place for bicyclists,
pedestrians and transit riders. Valet Bike Parking Volunteers Needed Volunteer to provide valet bike parking at events throughout the year. Register online to express your interest in this opportunity. T.A. still has two open internships:
- Advocacy
(work with T.A. program staff) Please visit transalt.org/intern for more information. Donations Wish List Help cycling and walking and get a tax deduction. Donate to T.A. We need: -Pentium II or better
PCs Contact Matt: info@transalt.org
Do Your Part for Safer Streets! Report: Potholes
and Hazards: Sidewalk
obstructions: Mayor’s Quality of Life Hotline at 888-677-LIFE/
Read more about T.A.'s work to reduce street hazards at transalt.org/haz Report Dangerous Cabs: 212-221-TAXI or report them online.
Read more about T.A.'s work to make cabs safer for pedestrians and cyclists at transalt.org/cabs The T.A. Bulletin is a bi-weekly publication of Transportation Alternatives. The Bulletin has 26,000 subscribers. Transportation Alternatives is a 5,000-member NYC-area non-profit citizens group working for better bicycling, walking and public transit, and fewer cars. We work for safer, calmer neighborhood streets and car-free parks. Join T.A. today!
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T.A. Gives Mayor Bloomberg "B" Grade for Cycling Efforts
T.A. awarded a strong "B" grade to Mayor Bloomberg for his efforts to create the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway. We gave a generous C+ to "Overall Cycling Conditions" and a C- to "Cycling Safety." The only A grade that we awarded was for the MTA/NYC Transit’s continuation of its "common sense" policy of allowing bikes on subways at all times.
A comprehensive five year study by a team of Oakland, California doctors has found that children living on blocks with speed humps have a 53% to 60% lower chance of being injured or killed by motorists. This result is no surprise to T.A. For many years, we have strenuously advocated for more speed humps in New York City, especially around schools.
http://nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html Sample Letter Dear Mayor Bloomberg, Please install more speed humps, raised crosswalks and raised intersections in New York City. There is now conclusive evidence that speed humps reduce a child’s chance of being injured or killed by a motor vehicle by as much as 60%. I urge you and your staff to read "A Matched Case-Control Study Evaluating the Effectiveness of Speed Humps in Reducing Child Pedestrian Injuries," which is featured in the April 2004 "American Journal of Public Health." See www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/94/4/646 for the study. Please send a copy of your message to T.A. at info@transalt.org.
On April 5th, Transportation
Alternatives announced strong support for the City Department of
Transportation's planned safety improvements to the westernmost and easternmost
sections of Queens Boulevard in Queens. The DOT has announced that it will give
pedestrians more time to cross the street, rationalize and simplify traffic
patterns at complex intersections, slow traffic along the Boulevard and its side
streets and give pedestrians added walking space on the 3.5-mile stretch of the
boulevard, from Van Dam Street to the Long Island Expressway, and the 1-mile
segment from Union Turnpike to Hillside Avenue.
Crosswalk Law I was interested in the response to Kathyrn M. in the latest T.A. Bulletin, regarding the right of pedestrians to cross safely in crosswalks.
Can you clarify further? Best, T.A. Response: Steven,The text of the Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL) and the rulings of the courts are completely different things. You should not assign too much importance to the plain language of the VTL because it is completely superceded by case law. The situation is similar to how courts interpret the content of the U.S. Constitution differently during different eras. What seems to be plain language to the non-lawyer is held to have strikingly different meanings during different eras and by different courts. This is also true in the NY State criminal courts. As the Daily News, T.A. and the group Right of Way have documented now for years, very few motorists are prosecuted for failing to yield the right of way and killing or injuring pedestrians in crosswalks. Indeed, the courts prosecute only a small portion of sober motorists who kill and injure pedestrians in any situation. There is legislation to make it easier for prosecutors to try and convict killer drivers currently before the state legislature. It appears very unlikely that this legislation will pass that body. The State Vehicle and Traffic Laws are online at Unfortunately, to our knowledge, there is no organized compendium of the case law on this issue.
I use this bridge daily to bike to work. I have had deep concerns for a long time about safety issues on the bridge: non-existent/inadequate lighting at night, especially at each end of the bridge; and no safety barriers between the car side of the bridge and the bike path, at those emergency access points to the car lanes (I assume for police vehicles to enter onto the bike path from the car lane). These seem like accidents waiting to happen, bicyclists crashing into each other in the darkened on/off ramps of the path, or accidentally hitting debris or otherwise swerving into the car lanes (instant death) at these access points. I always thought there wasn't any money to address these safety concerns -- but then I read about this fence?! Aye yi yi. What is this, New York City? Submitted Anonymously T.A. Response: The lack of lighting on the Queensboro Bridge is a long standing problem that the NYC Department of Transportation has committed to repair numerous times. I suggest writing to the agency commissioner and asking her to fix this dangerous condition:Commissioner Iris Weinshall In addition, the Department of Transportation could easily install swinging gates at the ramps between the roadway and the bicycling and walking path to provide cyclists and pedestrians with a modicum of safety. You should request this in your letter to the commissioner.
The Mayor correctly rails against City workers misusing city parking permits. It is about time someone stood firm on this. But the worst of all parking issues is being skirted as if it is a "third rail." That is police misuse of parking spaces in this city. If I remember well, way back in the '70s, all police personnel were allowed to use the public transit system without paying. This was done to encourage them to use the public transit system. For what gain? Well, it was said their presence would help deter crime. Good idea it was. These officers instead drive to work everyday. They usurp local parking spaces while neighborhood car owners are left to face the prime chore of finding parking elsewhere everyday. Parking around police facilities should be for police vehicles only, not personal police personnel vehicles. These officers are civil servants. They chose to be police officers. Their work is no more important than that of, say, the fireman, the doctor, the teacher or the poor home health aide who cares for the sick and frail who makes it possible for us to leave the sick home and work. But who has the ---- to confront the issue? Submitted Anonymously
Not everyone that has an accident with a pedestrian resulting in death is due to aggressive driving. Personally I am the victim of an accident. I say victim because I was backing up, an elderly woman came out of nowhere and I knocked her down. Unfortunately as a result of her age and medical history, she died of a head injury. The police department ruled it an accident but as a result of media pressure against "aggressive" drivers the DA has charged me with reckless manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and assault in the 2nd degree. I have no prior criminal record and was not under the influence of any alcohol or illegal substance. Also I have a small child and am a single mother. Because of other aggressive drivers my accident has been turned into an endless nightmare. It has been 15 months today since the accident and I cannot get closure for the tragic accident which has left me traumatized because I am being hounded like a heartless criminal that I'm not. Unfortunately I have learned that not everyone who has this type of an accident is a heartless individual or "aggressive" driver who deserves to be put in prison. Jennifer B.
Do you have any information about why Park Avenue above Grand Central Station in Manhattan does not have walk signals? I work at 48th Street and Park Avenue and must cross Park Avenue every day. Because of the way the lights work, I get halfway across the street and can't tell when the light has changed. There is no light on the far side of the street at all so I have to look behind me to see if it's still green. Lara B. T.A. Response: The New York City Department of Transportation asserts that the decking over the train tracks running under Park Avenue is only eight inches thick, making it difficult to install walk signals in appropriate locations. [an error occurred while processing this directive] Take Action
Advocacy Committeess Brooklyn@transalt.org Centralpark@transalt.org Gowanus@transalt.org Citywide: |
"The first thing is keeping our citizens from getting killed on the roads. I think economic impact is way down the list." Mayor Mike Bloomberg speaking about safety improvements on Queens Boulevard, April 6, 2004 You Got that Right Mike Dear Reader, We could not agree more with Mayor Bloomberg that the safety and well being of New Yorkers, especially vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists, must come before economic development and, by extension, the flow of traffic. Mayor Bloomberg, please tell this to the City Department of Transportation's traffic engineers and encourage them to use this principle to create traffic calmed areas around schools. At a March 1st City Council hearing on traffic safety around schools, agency representatives spent most of their time explaining what the DOT would not do and what was not possible than talking about the agency’s new perspective on traffic calming and pedestrian safety around schools. At the hearing, a lengthy parade of frustrated parents, many of whom had been seeking speed humps near their child’s school for years, told of repeatedly being denied the traffic calming devices by the DOT. But instead of telling these parents that the agency would help them in the future, the DOT's chief traffic engineer concocted an excuse at the hearing for continuing to do little to nothing to improve safety around schools. It is tough to square the mayor's strong rhetoric on street safety with the DOT’s obstinate refusal to consider speed humps and similar devices like raised crosswalks and intersections. The mayor believes safety comes first. Do the DOT's engineers? Sincerely,
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magazine— Selected articles
Why Not the Best for the Big Apple?
Thumbs Up to DOT's New "Shared Lane" Bike Markings
New Bike Lanes in Williamsburg, Downtown Brooklyn Still Waiting
T.A. Wins Removal of Greenway Stop Signs
Houston Street Rebuild: Once in a Century Chance for Greatness
City Council's Weak Vendor Box Law is Failing NYC Pedestrians
Daily News Gets Governor to Join Fight against Killer Drivers TAKE
THE TOUR!
MAD AS HELL? DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
Call the Mayor's Quality of Life Action Line (real people 24 hrs a day): 888-677-5433 or 888-677-LIFE. POTHOLES, STREET HAZARDS GOT YOU IN A RUT? Call DOT at 212-225-5368 and hit 0 to skip the message and speak with a
human. You can also report them online at transalt.org/ STAY SMART & INFORMED Savvy
transit riders get their lowdown on the subways here: Sensible
Transport Junkies::  The daily Gotham Gazette: gothamgazette .org NYC News summaries and savvy commentary. Bikes
in Bogota? Car-Free Cartagena? Tel-Aviv by Train?
Give on-line at transalt.org/join Quick!
What's your city council GET THERE!
Check our maps page for links to NYC-area bicycle and transit maps. RIDES
AND WALKS
Tuesday,
April 13, 10 am. TBA. Central Park Loeb Boathouse.
The Weekday Cyclists
in NYC.
Thursday,
April 15, 9 am. Campmor store in Paramus, New Jersey. Central Park Loeb Boathouse.
The Weekday Cyclists
in NYC. Saturday,
April 17, 8:45 am. Allenhust to Spring Lake. 8th Ave. section of the
lower level of Penn Station at NJ Transit windows (take A,B,C,1,2,3 to
33rd-34th St). Shorewalkers.
Saturday,
April 17, 9 am. Montauk Metric Training Ride #2 -- Englewood. Plaza
Hotel.
5BBC.
Saturday,
April 17, 9 am. Palisades Bike Hike: Peanut Leap Cascade. GW Bridge Bus
Terminal.
5BBC. Saturday,
April 17, 9 am. Scarborough to Croton Dam. GCT to take 9:20 Metro North
train to Scarborough. Shorewalkers.
Saturday,
April 17, 9:30 am. Pawling. Van Cortland Park Golf Clubhouse. Fast
& Fabulous.
Sunday,
April 18, 8:30 am. Montauk Century Training Ride #11. Plaza Hotel.
5BBC.
Sunday,
April 18, 9:30 am. Westchester Bike/Hike #1 -- Rockefeller State Park
Preserve. Van Cortlandt Park, West 242nd St & Broadway, Bronx.
5BBC.
Sunday,
April 18, 9:45 am. Three Lake, Three Parks. In front of Sterling Bank
(take E/F to 71st St./Continental; exit on north side of Queens Blvd). Shorewalkers. Sunday,
April 18, 10 am. Connetquot Loop & Bayard Cutting Arboretum. From Penn
Station take the 9:14 AM LIRR train to Great River. Shorewalkers.
Tuesday,
April 20, 10 am. TBA. Central Park Loeb Boathouse.
The Weekday Cyclists
in NYC.
Thursday,
April 22, 10 am. TBA. Central Park Loeb Boathouse.
The Weekday Cyclists
in NYC. Friday,
April 23, 10 am. Little Red Lighthouse to Pier 1. In front of Sterling
Bank (take E/F to 71st St./Continental; exit on north side of Queens
Blvd). Shorewalkers.
Saturday,
April 24, 8 am. Velodrome. Central Park Boathouse. Fast
& Fabulous.
Saturday,
April 24, 8:30 am. Montauk Century Training Ride #12 -- Lloyd Neck.
Cunningham Park.
5BBC. Saturday,
April 24, 8:40 am. Kingston to Princeton. Take 9 AM Suburban Lines bus
(Coach USA) from PABT, south bldg., to Kingston, NJ. Shorewalkers. Saturday,
April 24, 9 am. Scarborough to Croton Dam. GCT to take 9:20 Metro North
train to Scarborough. Shorewalkers. Sunday,
April 24, 1:30 pm. Earth Day Bike Ride, Picnic, and After-Party Ride
leaves from Union Square Park South, on the steps at 14th Street. Picnic
is on the Great Hill in Central Park. Rain date: April 25. Time's Up! Saturday,
April 24, 4 pm. Sunset Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge Walk. Black Cube in
Cooper Square on 8th St. & 3rd Ave. (take 6 to NYU or N,R to 8th St.). Shorewalkers. Saturday,
April 24, 10 pm. Riverside Ride. Columbus Circle. Time's Up!
Sunday,
April 25, 9 am. Palisades Bike/Hike: Clinton Point. GW Bridge bus
terminal.
5BBC.
Tuesday,
April 27, 10 am. TBA. Central Park Loeb Boathouse.
The Weekday Cyclists
in NYC. |
4/8
4/8 
4/6 
3/27
3/27 
3/22 
3/22 
3/21 
3/4 
In
the 
The
2004 report card includes a popular new feature, a "Web survey" grade that is
based on T.A.’s Web survey of the cycling public. The 1,300 cyclists
participating in the survey issued grades of C- for the "Overall Cycling
Environment" and D+ for "Street Safety." 
Other
2003 bicycling highlights include the New York City Department of
Transportation’s striping of a record 21 new bike lanes and increasing car-free
hours in Prospect Park. In addition, the City Parks Department worked hard to
build and restore paths for the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway and the Department
of City Planning produced new neighborhood greenway plans. The State Department
of Transportation continued redesigning the Hudson River Greenway and developing
greenways in the Bronx and Brooklyn. 
Despite
these achievements, another year passed without government action to create
secure bike parking, the number one obstacle to everyday cycling. And 2003 also
suffered from reckless cyclists, especially those riding on sidewalks, fueling
anger towards bicycling. 
The
study, 
The
project’s work has led to a sharp decline in Oakland’s pedestrian deaths and
injuries. Oakland, which has a population of 400,000 people, installed 1,600
speed humps between 1995 and 2000. New York City, which has a population of 8.1
million people, has about 800 total speed humps. 
E-mail
Mayor Mike Bloomberg and urge him to install more speed humps and traffic
calming on New York City streets:
Read more about
The
DOT has already made similar improvements on three miles of the boulevard, which
has led to a sharp decline in pedestrian deaths and injuries. There were 72
pedestrian deaths on the boulevard between 1993 and 2000, which is an average of
nine a year. In 2002, there were two pedestrian deaths on the boulevard, and in
2003, five.
The
latest safety changes have met with harsh criticism from local merchants who are
angry that some cross-streets will be closed to provide more space for
pedestrians at crowded subway stops on the boulevard’s median. T.A.'s one
concern with the DOT plan was ensuring that the senior citizens living at Big
Six Towers in Woodside have the shortest and safest way to cross Queens
Boulevard at 60th Street. The DOT must widen the center median to safely
accommodate pedestrians waiting to cross.
While
T.A. supports the DOT's proposed short-term safety improvements, we consider the
boulevard’s design fundamentally flawed for both pedestrians and motorists and
support an eventual total rebuilding that would integrate the Boulevard into the
surrounding street grid. A rebuilt Queens Boulevard should have a substantially
narrowed roadway without service roads, a greatly widened median with gardens,
playgrounds and ball courts, separated bicycle lanes on the street in both
directions and trees on both sides to emphasize the parkway aspects.
Unfortunately,
she specifically asked about crossing in a crosswalk with the Walk sign and
green light, but the traffic law you quoted is for crosswalks where
"traffic-control signals are not in place". 
Queensboro
Bridge Chain Link Fence 
Misuse
of Parking Permits
Motorist
Victim
Walk
Signals on Park Avenue
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