Josh Benson, a representative from the Department of Transportation, said that construction would begin by the end of this year, and be completed in only a few months. During the Community Board meeting, dozens of bike riders wore pink “I Heart Bicycles” stickers handed out by the advocacy group, Upper West Side Streets Renaissance, in favor of the proposition.

“This is a complete street solution,” said Joseph Barkowski, 26, an Upper West Side resident who bikes to the East Side every day. “It allows cyclists to slow down, feel safe and make their way downtown. The goal is zero pedestrian and cyclist fatalities.”

Seven out of the 10 community board members voted yes, agreeing that longer, protected routes for bicyclists would be safer. Also, the new lane would hopefully encourage more people to use this greener form of transportation.

“I dream of a more livable city,” Mary Beth Kelly said during the public session. Kelly is an Upper West Side resident whose husband died in a cycling accident.

But not everyone in the community approved of the Columbus Avenue bike lane plan. For one thing, the plan takes away approximately 90 parking spaces. For another, the bike lane would also run through the extremely dangerous three-way  “bowtie of death” intersection of Broadway, Amsterdam and 71st Street, and the construction site of the third water tunnel, which is not expected to be complete until 2020.

“We think that bringing anything into the bowtie before construction of the third water tunnel is finished is unsafe,” said Monica Blum, director of the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District. “We’ve also spoken to businesses who are against these bike lanes; it would be directly where their loading zones are.”

Because of these objections, Mark Diller, chair of CB7 chair added said amendments were added to the resolution. First, the board will speak with schools whose students board and disembark buses on Columbus Avenue. For concerned businesses, the board proposed specific loading and unloading zones and times for deliveries.  Finally, Diller also said that the board is working on a solution for blind pedestrians who will be crossing directly into the path of moving bikes.

“It’s not a ‘we vote yes and go home’ kind of thing,” Diller said.

The next step in the process would be vote for the Department of Transportation to review the board’s plan before construction can begin.

Garodnick addressed these issues, among several others, in a letter he wrote to CWCapital, the “special servicer” responsible for maintaining the property.

He explains the patience he once had “has now reached its end, as thousands of residents have been without basic services for almost three months—with no explanation from CWCapital about the timeframe for their restoration, or any commitment to give further abatements for a diminution of necessary services.” Such necessary services currently not working include intercoms, laundry machines and a complete elevator service.

“Residents living in buildings with diminished service should be entitled to pay less rent,” Garodnick said in the letter. No word on a response yet from CWCapital.

South Village Reacts to Hudson Square Rezoning
Last week, the City Planning Commission sent the application for the proposed Hudson Square rezoning to the City Council in hopes of getting a majority vote of approval for enactment. While some City Council members see the proposed rezoning as an opportunity to expand on residential development in Hudson Square, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation is hoping to use this opportunity to push for the historic designation of the South Village.

In a letter written to Speaker Christine Quinn, the GVSHP, along with various community groups, asked her to reject the proposed rezoning unless the adjacent proposed South Village Historic District is designated a landmark by the city.

“We hope that you will use your considerable leverage to get the City to act,” the letter reads. “But if the City refuses to landmark the South Village, we urge you not to approve the Hudson Square rezoning, given the profound impact it would have in accelerating the destruction of this fragile, historic area.”

This would not be the first time landmark designation concessions have been implemented. This was the case with both the West Chelsea Historic District with the West Chelsea rezoning and the Prospect Heights Historic District with the Atlantic Yards rezoning. Deemed landmark-eligible four years ago by New York state, the South Village has been waiting ever since for designation.

“The fate of the South Village is now in Speaker Quinn’s hands,” said executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation Andrew Berman. “She will determine if this beloved, endangered New York neighborhood receives the protections it needs, or if its ongoing destruction will be accelerated by an enormous rezoning on its doorstep.”

Bike Safety for All
The Department of Transportation, SaferHood and Delivery.com have teamed up for a joint safety initiative designed to increase bicycle safety in the city.

Most recently, DOT and Delivery.com joined forces to provide 1,500 commercial cyclists with free bike lights, bells, and retro-reflective vests. Delivery cyclists from all over the city can attend one of the multi-language commercial bicyclist forums to receive the safety equipment.

These forums, which have been held from Brooklyn to the Upper East Side, are designed to educate, equip and answer questions about bicycle safety laws. Other bicycle safety efforts include NYPD enforcement and inspector visits to businesses that use delivery cyclists. These inspectors serve to both inform and oversee the legal regulations such businesses are required to follow.

DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said of the new efforts, “Safety is everyone’s business, so it’s significant when the private sector steps up to the plate to make changes in the public interest.”
“In a city where food, groceries and wine can be at your doorstep in moments, we empower the neighborhood economy by equipping our merchant partners with the right tools for making safe and speedy deliveries,” said Jed Kleckner, CEO of Delivery.com.

These efforts have already seen some positive results, fostering high hopes for the revised administrative procedures regarding bicycle safety that will be enforced this coming April.

Compiled by Jessica Mastronardi

“Today, we are all breathing a sigh of relief as the suspect behind eight vicious muggings of Asian-American East Harlem residents has finally been apprehended by police,” Mark-Viverito said. “These brutal robberies have shaken all of us.”

FURRY FRIENDS FOR SALE!
This February, bring home a puppy or kitten without breaking the bank. Bideawee, the pet welfare center located on East 38th Street at First Avenue, will be holding a monthlong “Name your own price” sale. The sale is in celebration of Valentine’s Day, and is Bideawee’s first adoption promotion this year.

Plus, if you think your brand-new pet is super-photogenic, Bideawee will be taking photos of each new adoption and putting them up for a public vote. The winner will have their pet featured as Bideawee’s Facebook timeline image. This promotion will run until Feb. 28.

DOT ANNOUNCES NEW SAFETY PROCEDURES FOR DELIVERY BIKES
The DOT announced recently that they have teamed up with Delivery.com to provide 1,500 commercial cyclists with free bike lights, bells and reflective vests. Delivery cyclists from all over the city can attend one of the multi-language commercial bicyclist forums to receive the safety equipment. Other bicycle safety efforts include NYPD enforcement and inspector visits to businesses that use delivery cyclists. These inspectors serve to both inform and enforce regulations.

DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan notes, “Safety is everyone’s business, so it’s significant when the private sector steps up to the plate to make efforts in the public interest.”

Jed Kleckner, CEO of Delivery.com, is one of many who share in this sentiment. “In a city where food, groceries and wine can be at your doorstep in moments,” he said, “We empower the neighborhood economy by equipping our merchant partners with the right tools for making safe and speedy deliveries.”

TWO U.E.S. BAKERIES NAMED IN FOURSQUARE’S ‘BEST OF’ LIST
Foursquare, the social app that lets friends check in to restaurants, bars and other places, has sifted its data of more than three billion check-ins and pulled up a list of the best New York City has to offer—from best eateries and clubs to best sights and theaters. And there’s good news for Upper East Siders with a sweet tooth. Two of the top 10 New York bakeries are on the Upper East Side: Sprinkles Cupcakes on Lexington between 60th and 61st streets and Two Little Red Hens on Second Avenue between East 85th and 86th.

Both of these bakeries offer tempting cupcakes. At Sprinkles, many of the fans on Foursquare rave about the “best cupcake place in the city,” and suggest trying the Red Velvet. At Two Little Red Hens, fans love both the cakes and cupcakes, and suggest going for the “Brooklyn Blackout,” a dangerous, chocolaty confection.

SECOND AVENUE SUBWAY NEWS
On Wednesday, Jan. 30, MTA held its fifth Second Avenue Subway workshop at Temple Israel on East 75th Street. The meeting brought together MTA employees and contractors to discuss how negative impacts or effects from the construction can be mitigated.

“It’s impossible to build a subway here without disturbing the people and environment around us,” said MTA Capital Construction President Michael Horodniceanu. “We’ve learned from past experiences that building on this scale requires more than a business-as-usual approach, and that working closely with the community is one of the best means of learning how we can become a better neighbor.”

Phase One of the new subway line, which will extend the Q line, is expected to be complete by 2016.

Janette Sadik-Khan, the DOT commissioner, released a statement saying that “for the first time in generations, we are systematically updating our streets to eliminate the signs that don’t work and improve the signs we actually need. While honking signs have been around for decades, there’s no sign that they do anything except add clutter to our streets.”

To bolster the case, the DOT argued that over the past five years, honking complaints have decreased 63 percent. But there are plenty of residents on both the Upper East and West sides who do not hear things quieting down.

“Whenever there’s a sudden blast of a horn, it creates road rage. Its very hostile,” said Bette Dewing, an Upper East Side resident, traffic safety expert (and columnist for Our Town). “I’m a great believer in signs. I don’t know why they’re so concerned with clutter. I am more interested in traffic safety rules.”

Dewing, also an activist for elder rights and safety, added that for older New Yorkers, a sudden horn honk can be jarring to the heart, which is unpleasant for anyone, but potentially dangerous for older pedestrians.

Council Member Gale Brewer said that in her district on the Upper West Side, there are several horn-honking problem areas, including the intersection of Riverside and 79th Street, where drivers coming off the highway tend to loudly announce their presence. She also said that congestion and noise occurs near schools like Columbia Preparatory School at West 94th Street. When school lets out, cars and buses idle in front of the school, causing frustration and honking.

Brewer said she is puzzled by the DOT’s decision.

“The neighbors want to be able to point to a sign and say, ‘do you see that sign? that’s the law,’” she said. “We’re in a city; we like noise but not excessive.”

Arlene Bronzaft, a noise expert and psychology professor, said that she does not buy the DOT’s explanation of de-cluttering the roadways. She said that where she lives at 79th and York, there are four signs telling people to cross at the green light.

“Why do we need four signs to tell us that?” she said. “You’d think we were smarter than that.” She also said that keeping the no-honking signs will guilt people into following the law.

“It’s simple psychology,” she said. “The signs are prompts for good behavior.”

On Foursquare, most people recommend the chocolate chip walnut cookies at Levain, which is known for its big gooey cookies. Bouchon, meanwhile, is more of a French lunch and pastry spot, known for its unusual flavors of macarons—like peanut butter and jelly.

FURRY FRIENDS FOR SALE!
This February, bring home a puppy or kitten without breaking the bank. Bideawee, the pet welfare center located on East 38th Street at First Avenue, will be holding a monthlong “Name your own price” sale. The sale is in celebration of Valentine’s Day, and is Bideawee’s first adoption promotion this year! Plus, if you think your brand-new pet is super photogenic, Bideawee will be taking photos of each new adoption, and putting them up for a public vote. The winner will have their pet featured as Bideawee’s Facebook timeline image. This promotion will run until Feb. 28.

DOT ANNOUNCES NEW SAFETY PROCEDURES FOR DELIVERY BIKES
The DOT announced recently that they have teamed up with Delivery.com to provide 1,500 commercial cyclists with free bike lights, bells and retro-reflective vests. Delivery cyclists from all over the city can attend one of the multi-language commercial bicyclist forums held all over the city to receive the safety equipment.

Other bicycle safety efforts include NYPD enforcement and inspector visits to businesses that use delivery cyclists. These inspectors serve to both inform and oversee the legal regulations such businesses are required to follow.

DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan notes, “Safety is everyone’s business, so it’s significant when the private sector steps up to the plate to make efforts in the public interest.”
Jed Kleckner, CEO of Delivery.com, is one of many who share in this sentiment. “In a city where food, groceries and wine can be at your doorstep in moments,” he said, “we empower the neighborhood economy by equipping our merchant partners with the right tools for making safe and speedy deliveries.”

Revised administrative procedures regarding bike safety will be enforced starting this April.

FURNITURE FROM COLUMBUS EXHIBIT UP FOR SALE

Remember the living room that was perched atop the statue at Columbus Circle? Now you can own a part of the former exhibit, “Tatzu Nishi: Discovering Columbus” which closed in December. Art Space is selling the furniture that completed the look of the “living room above Columbus Circle.” Much of the furniture has been gobbled up by art collectors (or people who really need a couch). But a $1,500 MG + BW chair is still available, as well as a $2,700 Samsung 48” TV, and several other items. And members of Art Space get a discount that slashes prices in half. According to Art Space, while it was still on display, the artwork drew more than 100,000 visitors from over 30 countries around the world.

As a child, everyone is taught to look both ways before crossing the street. But for certain people, looking isn’t always an option.

“As you can see—those of you who can see me—I am vertically challenged,” Milagros Franco said from her electric wheelchair. “With large crowds of people, I can’t see the crosswalk signs. People block my way because they forget I’m there.”

Whether they’re vision-impaired or confined to a wheelchair, some New Yorkers need assistance navigating crowded intersections. And last week, they came from across the city to the Upper East Side to make their voices heard.

Last Wednesday, blind and disabled activists dominated the public session portion of Community Board 8’s full board meeting, repeatedly speaking up about the need for audible pedestrian signals at busy crosswalks in the neighborhood. Their testimonies came in response to the community board’s December meeting, where plans to install the devices were rejected by several residents who expressed concerns that they would waste money and create noise pollution.

“It is a matter of basic dignity for the independence of people who are blind and visually impaired. I know there are some people who say, ‘Well, just find someone to help you across the street,’”

Charles Gourgey explained to the crowd. “Those days are gone. We are now in an age where people with disabilities are more independent than ever and deserve the respect and treatment as equals, and not as other or inferior.”

Of New York City’s roughly 12,500 intersections, only 48 have an audible pedestrian signal, which can be either beeps or verbal messages to announce when it is safe to walk. The New York City Department of Transportation is now required to install 25 new audible pedestrian signal units each year, and proposed locations on the Upper East Side include 72nd, 79th, 86th and 96th streets.
Following the eight speakers, Chair Nicholas Viest reminded the audience that the community board does not control whether audible pedestrian signal devices actually get installed.

“We don’t have real power,” he began. “Well, we have power in the sense that we can advise the city government or the state government, but this is an advisory role—that’s important for everyone to know.”

Despite the serious tone, and in some instances, tearful speeches, overall, the group of activists was pleased with the meeting, Afterwards, a community board member thanked them for bringing awareness to the issue, and in general, the activists felt better understood.

“I feel like [the meeting] was a really positive situation,” said Gabriela Amari, who also spoke at the hearing. “We weren’t out there to attack. We just needed to get out there and educate the board as to how important these signals are.”

Baruch students and members of the community enjoy the new Interim Plaza. Photo courtesy Baruch College

When Baruch College students return to classes toward the end of this month, they won’t have to look both ways when they cross 25th Street anymore. That’s because the college received the necessary approvals to close 25th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues to traffic at the end of December, and has created an interim pedestrian plaza. In about a year, it will be permanent.

Even in chilly early January, a few parka-clad pedestrians paused to sit at the colorful bistro tables and chairs recently set out for passersby, shielded in part from the wind by large potted and holiday-decorated trees. The closed portion of the street, which lies between Baruch’s two main buildings, the Newman Vertical Campus on the south side and the Library and Technology Building on the north, is paved with sand-colored gravel, many shades lighter than the surrounding streets, giving it a bit of a beachy look.

Diane Livoti, who works in the college’s registrar’s office, recently enjoyed part of her lunch break in the new plaza. “It will give Baruch much more of a campus feeling,” she says. “And everyone is on board with it: the pizza place, the bagel place, the students, everyone.” The plaza will also be smoke-free and Wi-Fi accessible to the college community, and open 24/7 not just to students but to the public and surrounding community.

When Baruch first floated the idea of the plaza, the college argued that such a space would provide a much needed oasis in a district—Community District 6, encompassing Turtle Bay, East Midtown, Murray Hill, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village—that is the most open-space deprived in the city. When school is in session, there are an estimated 10,000 crossings per day, many of which are performed by harried students not necessarily taking the time to look before they cross. A traffic light installed midblock mitigated, but did not completely eliminate, the danger. It still hangs, despite there now being no vehicular traffic for it to signal.

Community Board 6 approved the plan last June, and it received the support of the DOT’s Plaza Program, the brainchild of DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. “The creation of the 25th Street Plaza will be a transformative event that will forever enhance the campus experience for our students, faculty and staff,” said Baruch College President Mitchel B. Wallerstein, “as well as for the local community.”

As a signal of how important the plaza is to the college community, the Baruch College Association voted to fund the entire cost of the 25th Street Interim Plaza beautification. The Interim Plaza is expected to be in place for a year or more as the college and community work together on the design and construction of a permanent one, which may host events for the whole community, like a book fair, farmer’s market and productions from Baruch’s Performing Arts Center.

The hearing opened with a presentation by the DOT that reviewed safety statistics of the current bike lane, which was installed in late 2010. According to the department, the one-mile stretch has seen a 48 percent increase in cyclists on the road since the path was created, with fewer cyclists riding illegally on sidewalks and a reduced rate of injuries. The number of crashes without injuries has actually risen, but the DOT attributed this increase to people getting used to the new setup as well as the greater number of cyclists.

Josh Benson, the DOT’s bicycle and pedestrian director, then introduced the expansion proposal, which aims to connect the Upper West Side to the bike lane that runs along Ninth Avenue. The majority of the extended lane would mimic the current path, with a green “protected” lane that is separated from car lanes by a painted section of road. This buffer zone, in some spots, is used for parking and pedestrian crossing islands. Between West 63rd and 66th Streets, in a complex set of intersections by Lincoln Center called “the Bowtie,” the DOT would install shared bike lanes in which cars could drive, but not pass cyclists.

Benson said that the lane extension would increase safety, reduce traffic congestion, make for greener streets and shorten pedestrian crossings.

Many speakers from the public enthusiastically agreed. The majority of public attendees were in favor of the expansion, as demonstrated when Upper West Side Streets Renaissance Director Lisa Sladkus stepped up to the microphone for comments and asked supporters to raise their hands.
“The status quo on our streets is unacceptable,” Sladkus said. “We have the opportunity here to build something better, and the data from the first mile of this project tells us that we need to do it.”
Some supporters’ endorsements were more tentative, however. Elizabeth Carpenter, a physician at New York University, spoke of getting sideswiped by a car in a shared lane. “It’s just not enough without some sort of physical protection barrier from cars,” she said, arguing against the safety of the proposed Bowtie path.

Following comments, the Transportation Committee decided that they needed more time before voting to support or combat the proposal. The DOT already had said that it would not begin installing lane extensions until after winter, CB7 Chair Mark Diller pointed out, so no immediate resolution was necessary.

Upper West Siders are particularly susceptible to injury from speeding vehicles, Sladkus believes. With large numbers of children and elderly residents living around cars and trucks that, as she says, use neighborhood avenues as their own personal highways, residents frequently find themselves in danger of being hit.

“Under 30 miles per hour, you have a much better chance of surviving a collision,” she explained, citing statistics from a UK Department of Transportation study that found pedestrians’ chance of survival in getting hit by vehicles moving at 20, 30 or 40 mph to be 98, 80 and 30 percent, respectively. Slow cars by 10 mph, Sladkus contended, and the city would save numerous lives.

Based on recent accident reports, there are still plenty of lives in New York to be saved. The State Department of Motor Vehicles noted that 143 pedestrians were killed in NYC crashes last year. While this number reflects recognized progress in the city’s pedestrian safety in the past decade (traffic fatalities dropped 35 percent from 2001 to 2009, according to the city’s Department of Transportation), it also underscores work that remains to be done: In 2009, DOT reported Manhattan has four times as many pedestrians killed or severely injured per square mile than New York’s other boroughs. Pedestrians accounted for over half of the city’s total traffic fatalities.

To combat speeding, the DOT recently approved 13 “neighborhood slow zones” that reduce speeds in small residential areas to 20 mph. The department launched a pilot slow zone in the Claremont section of the Bronx last November, and following its success, designated 13 new zones around the city in June after receiving over 100 applications for designation from communities. In addition to lowered speed limit signs, the program installs on-street markers and speed bumps in the zones to ensure drivers get the message.

Originally, Sladkus says, the UWSSR thought about submitting an area or two on the Upper West Side for designation in the slow-zone initiative. As she scoped out different neighborhoods, however, she realized that wasn’t enough. “I felt really ethically wrong to say, ‘I want this one five-by-five-block area rezoned, but leave everything else alone,’ ” so she sent a proposal to DOT for a slow zone that encompasses the entire Upper West Side.

DOT has already rejected the request. According to Sladkus, the department said they were interested in opening a few slow zones around local schools, but could not pursue a neighborhood-wide reduction. (West Side Spirit contacted DOT for comments on the rejection, but they did not provide any statements as of press time on Tuesday.)

Sladkus is undaunted. “It’s a traffic engineering challenge,” she said of the proposal, recognizing that it will not win DOT’s approval unless she can demonstrate significant support from the community. Currently she is sending fliers to local schools and senior centers to gauge interest in speed reduction, and seeking endorsements from politicians, community groups and local leaders.

One supporter, Coalition for a Livable West Side President Batya Lewton, has hired a traffic consultant to review the criteria the DOE used to reject UWSSR’s proposal. “We need to analyze the rationale that DOT has used to exclude the Upper West Side,” she said. “There is no excuse for not reducing speed limits here. Is truck traffic more important than people’s lives?”

Sladkus mentioned that she doesn’t think reduced speed limits are the be-all, end-all solution to ensuring pedestrian safety, nor that the limits could be enforced by the NYPD’s current lax approach. She asserted, though, that better use of technology like speed cameras and red light cameras could reduce violations without further burdening cops.

As for a final solution, she admitted, “I envision a city that’s very, very different and not car-centric at all.” But she sees progress as incremental. “Let’s deal with the safety crisis that we have right now,” she said.

The DOT reached out to CB1 regarding delivery bike safety. Photo by New York Press file photo

By Paul Bisceglio

Following the City Council’s approval of new safety regulations for commercial bicyclists earlier this month, a Department of Transportation representative met with Community Board 1’s Quality of Life Committee last Thursday to detail the expected changes.

“This is not about hammering down on small businesses that are already feeling pressure from the Health Department,” said Suchitra Sanagavarapu, the representative. “This is to educate them.”

Restaurants throughout the city are notorious for hiring reckless delivery cyclists, who bike against traffic or on sidewalks en route to customers’ homes. The new legislation will require commercial cyclists to wear reflective vests that display their business’s name and a three-digit identification number unique to each rider. The bikes, too, will be required to have front and rear lights, a bell and a rear sign with the business’s name and the bicycle’s own unique ID number.

In addition to new equipment, the legislation also will make the completion of bicycle safety courses mandatory for all commercial cyclists, to ensure that all riders have no excuses not to be riding with care. This particular bill is named after Stuart C. Gruskin, a man struck and killed by a bicyclist in Midtown three years ago.

Sanagavarapu explained that these new rules aim to increase delivery bikers’ knowledge and visibility, as well as to hold businesses accountable for their unlawful riders. To this latter end, the legislation includes a final bill that will grant DOT power to enforce the laws, allowing the department to issue summonses to businesses whose riders fail to comply. Sanagavarapu said that the New York City Police Department will continue to penalize individual cyclists for traffic violations, but DOT enforcement will push businesses themselves to encourage safe riding, because they are the ones held accountable.

The Quality of Life Committee expressed mixed feelings about the legislation. Though all committee members agreed that unruly cyclists pose a danger to pedestrians—“Soon we’re going to need to wear helmets on the sidewalk,” one member remarked—some were pessimistic that the laws would actually be enforced.

“Nothing is going to happen,” argued one committee member after Sanagavarapu mentioned that the DOT’s summonses would be complaint-driven; i.e. issued when citizens called 311 to report a commercial cyclist breaking the law. The member speculated that complaints would likely get lost in bureaucratic tangles and fail to result in penalties. He agreed with Sanagavarapu that at least attempting regulation is a good step, but emphasized that enforcement should be strict. “I think you should really go after [violators] and tell them that this is serious,” he said.

The committee did not go into any detailed discussion of the legislation’s effects on small businesses, though the bills’ opponents argue that the laws unjustly target lower-income residents to garner easy revenue for the city. “I guess Chinese food prices are going to go up now that all the restaurants are going to be ticketed,” quipped one attendee.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to sign the legislation within the next two weeks. DOT has said that they will begin to enforce the new laws in January, and will work to educate all businesses owners about the rules before then. The department will hold two information sessions downtown for businesses owners at Pace University on Nov. 5 and 16.