Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer wants answers after a recent spike in deaths, injuries

By Caroline Lewis

A man jumped onto the subway tracks as an R train came hurtling toward the platform at the Fourth Avenue-Ninth Street Station in Park Slope on Sunday morning. The man was taken to the hospital and remained in critical condition after his apparent suicide attempt, and the NYPD reported him dead the next day.

This was the sixth death on the tracks in January, and the news is beginning to feel eerily commonplace. The incident prompted Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer to renew last week’s call for the MTA to conduct an in-depth investigation into the cause of deaths in the subway and an analysis of the cost and effectiveness of measures that could be taken to prevent them.

“Another attempted suicide cannot become a commonplace occurrence in one of the largest transit systems in the world,” Stringer said.

A PSA that the MTA placed in subway cars informs riders that an average of 140 people get struck by trains each year. In 2012, 55 of those incidents resulted in death, up from 47 in 2011. Stringer claims that the upswing in subway deaths in December and January puts the city on track to reach 100 fatalities in 2013.

Suicide is the most common cause of death on the subway, but even within the last two months, the incidents have run the gamut from a man being pushed, to a woman falling, to a guy wandering around drunk on the tracks.

“The bad spike in being struck by trains is something that’s on the minds of hundreds of thousands of riders who would like to see something done about this tragic and frightening problem,” said Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign.

But given the varied nature of subway tragedies, including many that are intentional, how realistic is it to try to prevent them?

More frequent audio warnings, barriers on the platform’s edge, motion sensors on trains and better mental health services have all been mentioned as possible ways to prevent death and injury on the subway.

But Stringer, Russianoff and other transit safety advocates want to avoid jumping to conclusions about how to solve the problem, especially if the solution has a hefty price tag. In December, the MTA publicly considered the idea of placing sliding doors between the platform edge and the train tracks to prevent deaths and injuries, starting with the L train as a pilot program. The agency estimated that installing sliding doors system-wide would cost over $1 billion.

For now, transit safety advocates just want as much information as possible as to why people die on the subway and what safety measures have worked for public transit systems in other cities.
“Deaths and injuries in the subway worry everyone, and there’s very little information available about the best way to prevent them,” said John Raskin of the Riders Alliance.

Stringer specifically called on MTA Inspector General Barry Kluger to conduct the investigation. He responded to Stringer’s letter by saying that a state agency—not the MTA—will lead the investigation.

“As the MTA inspector general, I am coordinating our efforts regarding subway fatalities with the New York State Public Transportation Safety Board, which has primary responsibility for the investigation of accidents and fatalities on the facilities of the MTA, and of which I am a member,” Kluger said in an official statement.

Sugary drinks like these in a supermarket may be reduced to 16 oz. or less. Photo courtesy of Wikicommons.

by Adel Manoukian

The New York City Board of Health will hold a public hearing today at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in Long Island City for the proposal to limit the size of sugary drinks like soda sold in restaurants to 16 ounces or less.

The proposal comes from Mayor Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda I. Gibbs and Health Commissioner Thomas A. Farley. They joined forces with 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East President George Gresham to push for this as a part of the anti-obesity initiative. Sugary drinks are the leading cause of the nation’s obesity epidemic, hence the crackdown.

And it truly is an epidemic—nearly 60 percent of adults in NYC are overweight or obese and so are 40 percent of the City’s public elementary school students. It has gotten so out of hand that one in eight adult New Yorkers now have Type 2 diabetes, onset by too much sugar.

“Limiting the sale of large, sugary sodas will improve our health today and the health of future generations,” said 1199SEIU President Gresham at The Ryan-NENA Community Health Center in the Lower East Side recently. “Dozens of studies have shown that soda is a main culprit in the increase in obesity, diabetes and heart disease in communities of color, and thanks to Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership, New York City is doing something about it.”

The portion size limit on the drinks would be effective at restaurants, movie theater concessions, delis and mobile food carts. The issue with sugary drinks is that they do not create a fullness sensation so people continue to eat, adding extra calories to the ones consumed from the drinks. They are cheap and contain no nutritional value.

“The war on obesity has to be fought on many fronts, and the Mayor’s plan to put sensible limits on the portion size of sugary drinks is an important first step,” said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer at the same meeting. “When half of New York City’s adult population and 20 percent of our public school students are considered obese, it is the responsibility of government to combat this public health menace as best it can.”

UWS residents line up Wed. night to voice their concerns to Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. (Photo Courtesy of @scottmstringer)

At a packed town hall meeting on the Upper West Side last night, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer fielded questions from concerned residents of the West 90s and 100s. The community came out in full force, pressing Stringer, City Council Member Gale Brewer and a panel of officials representing various city agencies to address their complaints and fears about various neighborhood issues.

Between 100 and 150 residents attended the forum, and the line of people waiting to step up to the microphone to say their piece stretched to the back of the room for the entire two-hour meeting. Armed with literature and, sometimes, un-concealed anger, community members and self-identified local activists pressed their elected officials for answers and action.

Stringer, a contender in the Democratic primary for the 2013 mayoral race, addressed concerns ranging from construction to hydrofracking to rat infestation.

The most-discussed issue of the night was the proposed construction of a Jewish Home Lifecare center on West 97th Street. JHL, an organization that provides health care and support services for the elderly, seeks to build a new, 20-story high-rise nursing home next door to P.S. 163, an elementary school. Although the New York City Planning Commission approved the application, Community Board 7 and local activists have continued to fight against the project.

Avery Brandon, who lives near the 97th Street site and whose kindergarten-aged daughter will be attending P.S. 163 for the next several years, spoke out vehemently against the new building at the meeting.

“A huge construction project like this can have untold effects on the health of our children,” Brandon said. “With the noise levels, and the mental stress that this construction will cause, how will our children be able to learn?”

Brandon and various other residents also cited increased congestion, dust and debris and decreased access to the block for emergency responders as potential negative consequences of the project.

Later, on the issue of fracking, the focus of the conversation centered around the contentious Spectra Pipeline, a proposed natural gas pipeline intended to expand the delivery of natural gas to areas in New York and New Jersey. The project, which was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in May, is slated to run along the coast of New Jersey and cross the Hudson River into Manhattan, bringing gas from the Marcellus Shale — acquired through the process of hydraulic fracturing — to New York City homes on the West Side.

Residents at the meeting last night voiced opposition shared by many critics of the controversial method, citing in particular what they said are particularly high levels of radon and other radioactive material in Marcellus gas. They emphasized the dangers of using radon-infused gas in New York City kitchens, which tend to be small and often not well-ventilated, as well as the potential effects exposure to fracked gas could have on children in the neighborhood.

Attendees also complained of a growing rat infestation on Upper West Side streets — a problem which Council Member Brewer assured would be tackled next month in a block-by-block effort conducted by the Department of Health — and the New York Police Department’s ever-contentious Stop and Frisk policy, which NYPD representatives declined to discuss in detail last night.

As part of their effort to improve pedestrian safety, the DOT has responded to the urgings of Soho residents, community advocates, and government officials and will add “Don’t Block the Box” markings and signage for Broome Street to its 2012 contracts.

The “Don’t Block the Box” campaign, which will encompass Broome Street along the intersections of Mercer, Greene, Wooster, and West Broadway, is a combination of signs and conspicuous “zebra-stripe” pavement designs inside pedestrian crosswalk “boxes.” The area has long be cited as a dangerous thoroughfare during peak traffic hours, due to its access to the Holland Tunnel, and cars are lined up along the street often blocking pedestrian crossings.

(Photo courtesy of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s office.)

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer was among the politicians who, along with the SoHo Alliance and other community advocates, were intricate in drawing the attention and action of the DOT. At a Jan. 23 rally, President Stringer proposed a three-point plan aimed at simultaneously raising public awareness, and encouraging action from DOT. “When traffic congestion occurs and cars ‘block the box,’ they basically slow down an entire community,” Stringer said.

Additionally, the DOT has confirmed that street crews will begin fixing the broken crosswalks at the intersections of Broome and Green Streets, as well as Broome and Mercer Streets this spring.

While the “Don’t Block the Box” contracts won’t commence immediately (it usually takes about a year to fulfill a contract after it has been added), and the DOT cautioned that not every broken cross-walk may be repaired during this cycle, SoHo Alliance members see these steps as welcome early signs of progress after “nearly two decades of neglect.”

“This neighborhood, which is so vibrant and so exciting, is also being victimized by a traffic situation that is now out of control,” Stringer said. And it seems that the DOT was listening. Although Stringer’s final suggestion (traffic cameras) is still pending approval in Albany, residents of Soho now have reason to feel cautiously optimistic. The coming improvements should afford a clearer path for pedestrians as they venture across Broome Street.

Julie Menin, chair of CB1, and State Sen. Daniel Squadron, Rep. Jerrold Nadler and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer all called on Occupy Wall Street to address the quality of life concerns raised residents and business around the park. Among the resolutions passed by CB1 and supported by Squadron, Nadler and Stringer were calls for OWS to limit use of “drums, trumpets, tambourines, bugles, air horns, shouting and chanting, and all other sources of noise to two hours per day in midday,” as well as eliminating the use of retail shops and residential building doorways as bathroom facilities.

Tribeca
NEW TRAFFIC SIGNAL FOR TRIBECA INTERSECTION

Due in part to the efforts of Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Council Member Margaret Chin, Assembly Member Deborah Glick, State Sen. Daniel Squadron and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, the NYC Department of Transportation installed a traffic signal at the Tribeca intersection of Greenwich and Duane streets. The intersection is adjacent to two schools and was the site of an accident involving a young 3-year-old boy at the end of last month.

WHOLE FOODS TRIBECA INTRODUCES WELLNESS CLUB

Located inside Whole Foods Market’s Tribeca store at 270 Greenwich St., the Wellness Club is a new initiative to help New York City shoppers make educated, positive lifestyle choices that promote their long-term health and well-being. Membership in the program costs $49 a month and includes lifestyle evaluation, nutrition education, skill-building classes, coaching and practical tips, as well as a 10 percent discount on healthier food choices in the store. The Tribeca Wellness Club team includes lecturers, chefs, doctors and registered dieticians.

Citywide
CUOMO APPOINTS JOSEPH LHOTA MTA CHAIR

Facing a $9.9 billion budget gap, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s newly appointed MTA chair, Joseph Lhota, has his work cut out for him. Lhota will also face the challenge of maintaining the public transit system while at the same time preventing further fare hikes and service cuts. Transportation Alternatives, an organization working toward better bicycling, walking and public transit, and the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance said in press releases that they have high hopes for Lhota and believe he will be able to secure better funding, create better service and end cuts to the MTA.

KEEPING MANHATTAN RESIDENTS SAFE FROM SEXUAL ASSAULT

Following a recent string of sexual assaults in Brooklyn and Queens, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio partnered with more than two dozen elected officials and community organizations to release a guide to keeping yourself safe from assault. The guide, “How You Can Help Prevent Sexual Assault & Harassment” contains important safety precautions as well as information on free resources that escort public transit users home at night.

The guide lists resources and groups available to Manhattan residents and offers practical points of advice on how to stay safe such as “plan your walking route along well-lit streets” and “have your house key in hand before you reach the door.” More than 5,000 copies have already been distributed.

The team members of Whole Foods Market Tribeca’s new Wellness Club celebrate the opening day Monday, Oct. 17 (see below). From left to right, Mark Wilkins, Whole Foods Market, Northeast regional healthy eating associate coordinator; Bill Renna, Whole Foods Market Tribeca store team leader; Nicole Wescoe, Whole Foods Market Northeast regional vice president; Giovanna Miller, Whole Foods Market Tribeca Wellness Club team leader; Dr. Matthew Leaderman, Global Medical Executives of Health and Wellness; and Christina Minardi, Whole Foods Market Northeast regional president.
Photo Courtesy of Whole Foods Market