Comments on: Upper East Side Workshop Kicks Off New Street Safety Campaign

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:10:09 +0000

Meh. People do it in the neighborhood all the time. CB 8 may have the third highest number of ped/cycle deaths, but it also has the third highest population, after Queens CBs 7 and 12, neither of which is known for its large number of pedestrians.

Just because one person got run over doesn’t mean there’s a trend any more than if you’ve witnessed a murder in CB 8 it makes the Upper East Side dangerous.

By: glenn

glenn — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:27:07 +0000

“I cross mid-block even on the short blocks when traffic is clear. I see other people do it all the time, too.”

Good luck – you’re going to need it

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:02:43 +0000

Glenn, I cross mid-block even on the short blocks when traffic is clear. I see other people do it all the time, too. Does this mean that the demand for mid-block crossings is so large they should be provided?

Anyway, dedicated, physically separate bus lanes solve this problem by providing people with a mid-street refuge. Buses come once every few minutes, not once every few seconds like cars, so bus lanes are traffic-free most of the time.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:52:32 +0000

Let me put it another way about the need for mid-block crossings – A few years ago I came upon the aftermath of a woman getting hit by an Express Bus mid-block (between Second & Third on 86th) as she tried to cross the street. Obviously it was not a smart move, but it shows pedestrians want to cross mid-block. Just stand there any day and you’ll see people crossing the wide two way cross street mid-block.

It all happened very fast – Within ten minutes the body had been removed, a few minutes later the fire department had hosed down the street and within a half hour life returned to normal.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:15:58 +0000

Chinatown is part of the gentrified section of Manhattan, or at least is perceived as such by the city elite. The parts of Brooklyn that get increased public space are Grand Army Plaza and DUMBO. The Flatbush project rearranges lanes to provide room for double parking and separate turn lanes. It may be sold as a pedestrian street safety issue, but it’s automobile infrastructure.

By: P

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:29:40 +0000

Though terse, m was correct unless the Bronx, Flatbush, and Chinatown are all classified as gentrified.

http://nyc.gov/html/dot/html/sidewalks/pedestrian_projects.shtml

By: Cap'n Transit

Cap'n Transit — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:02:36 +0000

Alon — you’re quite wrong.

Wow, you totally devastated him with that argument!

By: m

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:13:44 +0000

Alon — you’re quite wrong.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:35:25 +0000

Glenn, the block between 2nd and 3rd is 610 feet, the shortest in the original Commissioners’ Plan. East of 2nd it’s 650, and west of 6th it’s 800.

And JK, so far DOT and TA have not given a damn about anything beyond the gentrified and gentrifying parts of the city. Harlem gets some concern, though not enough to, say, reduce asthma rates or increase bus speeds.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:44:38 +0000

Alon – From Lex to Fifth the Avenues are close together, but from Lex East they are far apart

By: JK

JK — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:45:47 +0000

This is a cool project. It’s great that Garodnick kicked it off. You have to start somewhere, but I hope TA is looking at doing this in CBs in places like Jamaica, Cyprus Hill, Flatbush. There are local partners to be found beyond Manhattan and brownstone Brooklyn.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:42:43 +0000

Seems to me that residents of East 86th Street might object to having dedicated bus lanes in front of their buildings. How would they get deliveries? Could they put the bus lanes in the middle of the street?

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:22:20 +0000

CB 8 may well be the third most populated community board in the city, or close to it. Add the relatively large proportion of pedestrians and cyclists, and the neighborhood may well have below average collision rates per pedestrian/cyclist.

Mid-block crossings aren’t going to add much, not when the neighborhood already has short east-west blocks.

But giving 86th dedicated bus lanes would do a world of good, especially if DOT also spent money on a bus-only connection from 86th to 86th Transverse. Unlike 34th, 86th is a busy bus corridor serving trips for which there’s no subway alternative.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:35:01 +0000

Great initiative and hopefully this will be a productive, constructive and cooperative movement on important issues to the community.

East 86th Street’s strength as a Commercial corridor is because of the Express Stop on the Lexington Ave line…period. Every step should be taken to make that corridor as transit & pedestrian friendly as possible. Mid-block crossings between Third and Second should be considered similar to other major commercial areas like 42nd and 125th.