Streetsblog New York City

This week starts off with presentations about bike-share locations on the East Side of Manhattan and Select Bus Service on 125th Street, and it wraps up with two Riders Alliance volunteer events. Here are the details:

• Monday: On the agenda for the transportation committee of Manhattan Community Board 6: an update on bike-share locations, and more. 7:00 p.m.
• Tuesday: Manhattan Community Board 11′s transportation committee will discuss Select Bus Service on 125th Street, as well as CityBench and bike rack locations. (CB 11 is also where Amar Diarrassouba was killed last week.) 7:00 p.m.
• Wednesday: The Center for Architecture is hosting a discussion on walkable and healthy communities, including presentations on NYC’s Active Design Guidelines and the “Steps to a Walkable Community” guide just released by Sam Schwartz Engineering and America Walks. 6:00 p.m.
• Thursday: The Transportation Research Forum’s New York chapter is hosting its annual meeting, featuring a talk from Dr. Christopher Burke about progress on the Moynihan Station project. RSVP requested. 11:45 a.m.
• Saturday and Sunday: Join the Riders Alliance to collect signatures in Bay Ridge on Saturday and to survey transit conditions in Western Queens on Sunday. Volunteers meet at noon on both days.

Keep an eye on the calendar for updated listings. Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.

It’s a light week on the Streetsblog calendar: Highlights include a talk about the Vignelli subway map, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council’s annual meeting, and a lecture on transit trends. Here are the details:

• Tuesday: Peter Lloyd, co-author of the new book “Vignelli: Transit Maps,” joins Yoshi Waterhouse and Beatriz Cifuentes of Vignelli Associates to discuss the history of Massimo Vignelli’s landmark New York City subway map. 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday: The annual meeting of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council will include discussion of how to better ensure that the transportation system survives the impacts of extreme weather. NYMTC members will also take action to adopt the federally required Unified Planning Work Program, which guides how transportation funding will be spent in the region. 11:00 a.m.
• Friday: Pratt Institute’s Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development hosts a lecture, Mass Transit: Policy & Fiscal Trends, featuring Veronica Vanterpool of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and Noah Budnick of Transportation Alternatives. 6:00 p.m.

Keep an eye on the calendar for updated listings. Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.

This week, community boards in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island hear proposals from DOT on key bike connections, a new Slow Zone, and parking meter reforms. To cap off the week, mayoral candidates are invited to talk transit on Friday. Here are the details:

• Tuesday: The MTA will present to Brooklyn Community Board 2′s transportation committee about a new bus route connecting Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In addition, DOT will discuss PARK Smart reforms on Smith Street, Court Street and Atlantic Avenue. 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday: Staten Island Community Board 1′s Rosebank/Fort Wadsworth/Shore Acres area committee will hear a proposal from DOT on a proposed Slow Zone in the Rosebank area. 7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday: Manhattan Community Board 4′s transportation committee is scheduled to hear from DOT on crosstown bike lanes in West Midtown and design options for the plaza on Ninth Avenue in Chelsea. 6:30 p.m.
• Thursday: At Brooklyn Community Board 6′s transportation committee, DOT will present a plan to extend the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway from Van Brunt and Summit Streets to Valentino Park. The plan can be executed in 2013 even as work moves ahead on a long-term capital construction project. The agency will also discuss the PARK Smart program on Smith Street, Court Street, and Atlantic Avenue. 6:30 p.m.
• Friday: Advocacy organizations and unions are hosting a mayoral forum on the future of transit in NYC, addressing issues including outer borough transit needs, funding sources, Hurricane Sandy, and climate change. 6:00 p.m.

Keep an eye on the calendar for updated listings. Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.

• Monday: The 82nd Street Partnership BID has requested that DOT install a bike corral on 82nd Street between Roosevelt and Baxter Avenues. DOT will present a proposal to Queens Community Board 4. 6:30 p.m.
• Tuesday: NYC DOT, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and the 4th Avenue Task Force are hosting a public workshop on the future of Fourth Avenue. The workshop will examine street safety and design improvements between Pacific Street and 15th Street. 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday: Brooklyn Community Board 8, which already voted in support of a bike corral on Franklin Street, will vote again after an attempt by some residents to have it removed. The vote comes after the board’s transportation committee unanimously affirmed its support last month. 7:00 p.m.
• Friday, Saturday and Sunday: Recycle-A-Bicycle will be hosting the third annual Youth Bike Summit, an event dedicated to youth bike education and advocacy. Featuring students, educators and advocates, the event includes workshops, hands-on activities, a visioning session and inspiring keynote addresses.

There aren’t many items coming up on the Streetsblog calendar, but this is an important week for livable streets. Here are the details:

• Tuesday: It’s been a long fight for neighborhood residents to expand the safety benefits of the Columbus Avenue protected bike lane to more of the Upper West Side. Now a proposal to extend the bike lane north and south is up for a vote at Manhattan Community Board 7. 6:30 p.m.
• Tuesday: Bay Ridge merchants will be presenting to Brooklyn Community Board 10′s transportation committee on a proposal to host “Weekend Walks” on Third Avenue between 68th to 90th Streets this summer. 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday: The Tri-State Transportation Campaign, in collaboration with Council Member Letitia James, the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, the Park Slope Civic Council and the Boerum Hill Association, will be hosting a panel discussion on the Brooklyn Gateway Vision Plan. RSVP requested. 10 a.m.

It’s a light week on the calendar — a good time to learn about car-free Play Streets, celebrate the grandeur of Grand Central Terminal, and find out what DOT has planned for Park Avenue outside GCT. Here are the highlights:

• Today: The transportation committee of Manhattan Community Board 5 will get updates from DOT regarding 6 1/2 Avenue and the “closure” of northbound Park Avenue from 41st to 42nd Street. (The southbound segment of Park at this location is a pedestrian plaza. DOT has not responded to multiple queries concerning tonight’s Park Avenue agenda item.) 6 p.m.
• Thursday: Join the Health Department and Transportation Alternatives for a hands-on workshop on the Play Street permit process. Get help filling out your application and meet an experienced local organizer who will share tips about how to make your Play Street a success. 4 p.m.
• Friday: Celebrate Grand Central’s 100th birthday all day with exhibits, special offers, performances, notable speakers, surprise entertainment, photo opportunities and more. Metro-North Railroad will unveil a specially designed tribute to Grand Central Terminal and all that it does to make our daily lives grand.

Keep an eye on the calendar for updated listings. Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.

This week, there are important DOT workshops concerning major streets in Brooklyn — Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge and Broadway from Myrtle Avenue to the Williamsburg Bridge. There’s also a community board meeting to reconsider a bike corral the board had already approved.

Also this week: In the Bronx, the MTA will hold a hearing on potential new Metro-North service, and Community Board 8 will hear from DOT on pedestrian access to Williamsbridge Oval Park.

• Tuesday: NYC DOT and Council Member Diana Reyna are holding a public input session regarding Broadway between Roebling Street and Myrtle Avenue, in Brooklyn, to address issues including pedestrian safety, parking, transit, and truck traffic. 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday: A bike corral on Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights, installed in December after supporters gathered signatures in favor of it and the local community board approved it, is the subject of a counter-petition by those who want to replace it with car parking. Brooklyn Community Board 8′s transportation committee will be discussing the issue at 7:00 p.m.
• Tuesday: After a supportive vote from its transportation committee, Brooklyn CB 16 will take up a proposal by DOT to install bike lanes in Brownsville and East New York on New Lots Avenue, Pitkin Avenue, Mother Gaston Boulevard, and a north/south pair on Hendrix Street and Schenck Avenue. 7 p.m.
• Wednesday: MTA Metro-North Railroad is holding a hearing in the Bronx on its proposal to increase mid-day and weekend service on the Hudson Line this year. 5:00 p.m.
• Wednesday: Bronx Community Board 7 is hosting a workshop with DOT to discuss ways to improve pedestrian access to Williamsbridge Oval Park. 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday: DOT is holding a workshop on the future of Fourth Avenue between 65th Street and Shore Road in Bay Ridge. 7:00 p.m.

Last week, we covered the efforts of advocates to get the city and state to complete the missing link in the Bronx River Greenway by building phase two of Starlight Park. That isn’t the only action happening along the greenway: There are two community board meetings this week to improve safety at pedestrian crossings leading to Concrete Plant Park.

Also this week: talk transportation in the neighborhoods near Downtown Brooklyn, help improve the G train, and test your transit knowledge.

• Tuesday: Brooklyn Community Board 2 will discuss the Brooklyn Gateway Transportation Vision Plan. 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday and Wednesday: DOT and the Bronx River Alliance are meeting with community board committees about safer pedestrian crossings near Concrete Plant Park. On Tuesday, Bronx CB 9 meets at 6:00 p.m., and on Wednesday, Bronx CB 2 meets at 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday: Join the Riders Alliance at a strategy session to win better G train service, including more frequent service, better communication with riders, and more free transfers from the G to other lines. 6:30 p.m.
• Thursday: DOT is presenting its commercial bicycling and pedestrian wayfinding initiatives at Brooklyn Community Board 6, covering Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Park Slope and Red Hook. Meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.
• Thursday: Tickets for the New York Transit Museum’s first trivia night — where teams test their knowledge of transit-themed movies, music, history and culture – are sold out. But the museum’s website indicates that additional tickets will be made available 30 minutes before the event. 7:00 p.m.

Keep an eye on the calendar for updated listings. Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.

Like it or not, street redesigns that improve safety or transit performance tend not to get far without support from NYC’s community boards, even though CB members often fail to represent the interests of the city’s car-free majority. If you’d like to see less of what happened last Thursday — when Manhattan CB 2 rejected proposals for bike parking from SoHo businesses — consider applying for a spot on your local board. Those who live in Manhattan or the Bronx have an opportunity this week to get the ball rolling. Read on for details.

Also this week, two major community board votes on street safety projects in Manhattan and Brooklyn:

• Tuesday: DOT will present plans for traffic calming on Borinquen Place to Brooklyn Community Board 1. The proposal, which includes curb extensions and concrete medians, comes after a number of recent pedestrian and cyclist fatalities and a request from City Council Member Diana Reyna. 6:30 p.m.
• Tuesday: The Manhattan CB 7 transportation committee will revisit the DOT proposal to extend the protected bike lane on Columbus Avenue. Despite a reduction in crashes and injuries along the existing lane, in December the committee failed to advance a project that would extend safety improvements up to 110th Street and down to 59th Street. 7 p.m.
• Tuesday: Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is appointing the 2013 class of community board members — and one of them could be you! Join Stringer’s staff for an informational meeting to learn about the roles and responsibilities of community board members and how to apply. 6:30 p.m. RSVP requested.
• Tuesday: Long-time city cycling activist Charles Komanoff is the featured speaker at the monthly meeting of the New York Cycle Club. Komanoff will review past victories, discuss current efforts, and preview future campaigns to expand cycling infrastructure and enhance cyclists’ rights in NYC. Program starts at 7:30; RSVP for optional 6:45 dinner reservation.
• Thursday: Enjoy snacks and drinks while you learn about the community board process from the Bronx borough president’s office and Transportation Alternatives. Anyone interested in learning about community boards in all five boroughs is welcome to attend this free event. 6:30 p.m. RSVP requested.

Keep an eye on the calendar for updated listings. Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.

Tired of travesties like the repeated delay of important complete streets projects at Manhattan Community Board 7? Electing City Council members with a strong commitment to safer walking and biking is probably the biggest key to moving things forward, but you can have a more direct impact by getting yourself appointed to your local community board. (The two are related — after all, it’s the electeds who do the appointing.)

In the past few years, fresh voices have made a big difference for livable streets at the community board level, helping to secure votes of support for projects like the First and Second Avenue protected bike lanes. If you live in Manhattan and want to see what it takes to join, head over to Tuesday’s community board info session hosted by Borough President Scott Stringer.

• Tonight: DOT hosts a public workshop to gather ideas for the proposed George B. Post Plaza at the intersection of Bedford and Broadway by the Williamsburg Bridge. 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday: Brooklyn Community Board 2′s transportation committee will hear a presentation from DOT evaluating the Fowler Square plaza as the board considers supporting a capital project to build a permanent space. St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday: Learn what Manhattan community boards do and how to apply to join one in 2013 at this info session. 6:30 p.m.
• Wednesday: The first permanent segment in the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway is expected to come up for a vote by the Brooklyn Community Board 1 transportation committee. This is an important one to speak up for: Committee chair Wilfredo Florentino was resistant to the redesign proposed for West Street when the project came up last month. 6:30 p.m.

Keep an eye on the calendar for updated listings. Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.