Streetsblog New York City

Dave "Paco" Abraham, a volunteer with Transportation Alternatives' Brooklyn committee, hands the signed photograph to 78th Precinct commanding officer Michael Ameri. Photo: Wayne Bailey

Bergen Street near Flatbush Avenue used to be a trouble spot for cyclists going from Prospect Heights to Park Slope, with one segment of the bike lane frequently obstructed by police vehicles. Last summer, a guerrilla protected lane appeared, buffered by orange cones, then disappeared, then reappeared, incredibly, in the form of metal crowd control barriers from the NYPD’s 78th Precinct. The barriers have stood in place for over five months. Now, cyclists are thanking the precinct for taking action.

A few weeks ago, the Transportation Alternatives Brooklyn volunteer committee organized a group photo to show their thanks. The photo, snapped by Dmitry Gudkov, was presented to Deputy Inspector Michael Ameri, the 78th Precinct’s commanding officer, at last night’s community council meeting. Streetsblog has reached out to Deputy Inspector Ameri via e-mail and phone for comment. We’ll let you know if we hear anything back.

While a few precincts have taken small steps forward on safer streets, the department as a whole, despite improved crash investigation procedures and endorsing speed cameras, has not made traffic safety a top priority. In that context, these gestures from the 78th Precinct are a welcome breath of fresh air.

The pedestrian killed by a truck driver at Flatbush and Atlantic on Wednesday has been identified as Irvin Gitlitz, 83, according to NYPD.

The truck involved in the crash that killed Irvin Gitlitz did not have required crossover mirrors. The driver was not summonsed. Photo: DNAinfo

Police say Gitlitz stepped between parked cars into the path of the truck driver, who was not charged or summonsed. Photos of the scene indicate that the truck was not equipped with required crossover mirrors, which enable the driver to see what’s directly in front of the cab.

Gitlitz lived a short distance away, at 334 Bergen Street, a police spokesperson said. The crash occurred in the 78th Precinct, near the location where another pedestrian, Ronald Sinvil, was killed by the driver of a city sanitation vehicle last December.

Gitlitz was at least the eleventh senior to die in city traffic in 2013, according to crash data compiled by Streetsblog, and at least the third NYC pedestrian killed by a tractor-trailer driver in the last five weeks.

Another Wednesday crash claimed the life of a pedestrian in Elmhurst. Police say a man stepped between parked vehicles into the path of an MTA bus, on Broadway near 77th Street, at around 7:30 last night. The victim carried no identification, and as of this morning NYPD did not know who he was. The Q53 was carrying passengers at the time of the crash, according to reports. No summonses were issued.

Last night’s fatal crash occurred in the 110th Precinct, and in the City Council district represented by Daniel Dromm.

The truck involved in today's fatal Brooklyn crash has New York plates, but does not have required crossover mirrors. Photo: Ian Dutton

Update: NYPD has identified the victim as 83-year-old Irvin Gitlitz.

Another NYC pedestrian has been killed by a truck driver, this time at the intersection of Flatbush and Fourth Avenues. The crash happened this afternoon.

The victim, a male in his 40s, was struck at around 12:50 p.m., and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to NYPD and a DNAinfo story. An NYPD spokesperson said the preliminary report “looks like [the victim] was walking between two parked vehicles.”

Streetsblog was alerted to the crash by reader Ian Dutton, who took photos of the scene. It appears as if the victim is in the street on Flatbush, slightly east of Fourth, and the trucker came to a stop in the intersection, with the truck’s trailer in the crosswalk.

One picture seems to indicate that, though the cab has New York plates, the truck is not equipped with crossover mirrors, which are designed to allow drivers of trucks like this one to see what is directly in front of them. Trucks registered outside New York are exempt from the mirror requirement, but trucks registered in New York State and operated within the city are mandated by law to have them. Trucks exceeding 55 feet in length, as this one appears to be, are not allowed on surface streets without a permit.

NYPD had no information regarding summonses, and the spokesperson said the investigation is ongoing.

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Photo: Cargo Bike Collective

New York’s cargo bike industry is a tough business. One of the top constraints is geography. Most of the current operators, like the ones we profiled last week, concentrate on Manhattan below 96th Street. But a new group is trying to organize cargo deliveries in Brooklyn.

The Cargo Bike Collective, based in Ditmas Park and Flatbush, is a group of riders operating as a network of independent contractors. The collective, which organized in late 2012, rents a garage to store its two cargo bikes, with another set of wheels on the way.

Joe Sharkey was working for Aqueduct Logistics before the operation folded late last year. Now, he’s working with the collective to handle shipping for the soup-makers The Splendid Spoon, one of Aqueduct’s former clients, using the Zipments platform.

“Being Brooklyn-based makes us unique in regards to being a courier,” Sharkey said.

Although members of the collective operate as independent contractors, shared use of the cargo bicycles presents a liability issue. “We’ve spoken to lawyers,” Sharkey said, and the group is still determining how and whether to legally incorporate. “Right now it’s open and we invite anyone who is interested to join.”

“It’s amazing how practical these bikes are,” Sharkey added. “Every time you load up the bike, you’re impressed with what you can move around.”

City Council Member David Greenfield is keeping an eye on the investigation into a fatal collision in Brooklyn last weekend, which so far points to the culpability of both drivers involved in the crash.

David Greenfield

Greenfield told Streetsblog that he has been in touch with NYPD and the office of District Attorney Charles Hynes regarding the death of Chenugor Dao. Dao and three family members were standing near the corner of W. Fifth Street and Quentin Road on Saturday afternoon when two drivers collided at the intersection. One of the vehicles flipped over, striking Dao, her husband, daughter and 1-year-old granddaughter, according to reports.

Dao died at Lutheran Medical Center, and her relatives were hospitalized. Passengers in the vehicle that struck Dao and her family, a Jeep SUV, were also reported injured.

Though NYPD issued the boilerplate “No criminality suspected” statement shortly after the crash, Greenfield said an investigation has so far revealed that one driver was speeding and the other ran a stop sign. ”NYPD has assured me that Highway is investigating,” said Greenfield, referring to the Highway Patrol unit, which includes the Accident Investigation Squad.

“If you’re driving on a rain-slicked road and you lose control, that’s an accident,” Greenfield said. “Speeding or running a stop sign is something you decide to do.”

Hynes’s office is working with NYPD to determine how the crash unfolded, according to Greenfield. ”Criminal charges should be brought if warranted,” he said.

Asked about the Crash Investigation Reform Act, a package of bills intended in part to compel NYPD to reform the department’s crash investigation procedures, Greenfield said he is unaware of any movement to bring it closer to passage. It can take nine to 12 months for new legislation to pass through the council, he said. The bills were introduced in July, when Greenfield, joined by council colleagues and traffic violence victims at a rally outside City Hall, said NYPD could devote more resources to street safety and crash investigations within its current budget.

No one was criminally responsible for a grisly high-speed crash in Brooklyn this weekend that left one bystander dead and three members of her family injured, according to NYPD.

No crime occurred at the scene of this crash, which left one person dead and multiple others hospitalized, according to NYPD. Photo: New York Post

Accounts vary regarding the events leading up to the crash, which occurred at W. Fifth Street and Quentin Road in Gravesend at around 2:25 p.m. Saturday. The Post reported that the driver of an Acura SUV ran a stop and plowed into a Jeep SUV, flipping the Jeep and sending it into a group of people standing on the sidewalk. But according to DNAinfo, the driver of the Jeep was speeding, and the Acura driver “lost control” and hit the pedestrians.

Witnesses recalled the horrific aftermath. From the Post:

“My mother and I heard screaming and a huge explosion coming from [the street.] I immediately thought my brother could be out there,” said Diana Babbo, 18.

“I ran up the street and saw that a Jeep was flipped over. An entire family was pinned between the jeep and a parked car on the street,” she said.

“A lady was completely dead or passed out. It was horrifying. An infant and two other people were under the car. It was so terrible. I’m trembling thinking about it.”

Babbo bawled as they pulled the car off the woman, she said.

“She was turning blue,” the teen recalled.

“The guy driving the Jeep had his head cracked open. He was walking towards the police after they cut him out of his car.”

Chenugor Dao, 60, died later at Lutheran Medical Center, where her husband, daughter and granddaughter, age 1, were admitted in stable condition. Accounts are inconsistent, but multiple passengers in the Jeep were reported hospitalized with serious injuries.

“Cars do not stop at this crosswalk on a regular basis,” said local resident Sal Baglieri, to DNAinfo. A woman who witnessed the crash said: “This happens every couple of weeks. I don’t even feel safe standing here. Six weeks ago a car pinned a pedestrian by the wall there.”

Per the Post: “No criminality is suspected, and the cause of the accident is still unknown, cops said.” And there you have it: Before determining the cause of a fatal traffic collision, even one with such force that a vehicle flipped onto a sidewalk, NYPD absolves the drivers involved.

This fatal crash occurred in the 62nd Precinct. To voice your concerns about neighborhood traffic safety directly to Deputy Inspector James Rooney, the commanding officer, go to the next precinct community council meeting. The 62nd Precinct council meetings happen at 7:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at the precinct, 1925 Bath Avenue. Call 718-236-2501 for information.

The City Council district where Chenugor Dao was killed is represented by David Greenfield. To encourage Greenfield to take action to improve street safety in his district and citywide, contact him at 718-853-2704, dgreenfield@council.nyc.gov or @NYCGreenfield.

They aren't foolproof, but NYPD barriers are helping to keep this short block of the Bergen Street bike lane clear of illegally-parked vehicles. Photo: Ian Dutton

The guerrilla bike lane on Bergen Street now has an official imprimatur. It may be hard to believe, but the tug-of-war over whether bike riders or parked cars from the 78th Precinct belong in the Bergen Street bike lane — tough one, isn’t it? — now has an unexpected referee. Over the weekend, NYPD barriers popped up on the edge of the bike lane where it approaches Flatbush Avenue, replicating a citizen-led effort that flourished for about a week this summer.

Word on the street is that cyclists can thank 78th Precinct Deputy Inspector Michael Ameri for the barricades, though the precinct’s community affairs office credited the NYPD Barrier Section. Whoever is behind the short stretch of protected bike lane, the 78th Precinct is definitely being a more courteous neighbor on this block and setting an example that other precincts should follow.

Not everything is perfect, however: A photo from this morning shows a police van blocking the bike lane and crosswalk. Though the barriers remained, bike riders could not enter the bike lane and had to go around into motor vehicle traffic.

This morning, the NYPD barriers remained -- but so did the NYPD vehicle blocking the way. Photo: Julie May

Brooklyn and Queens residents walk over the shared path on the Pulaski Bridge yesterday at 3:30 p.m. With the G train out of service for over a week, North Brooklynites relied on the crowded path to access the 7 train. During rush hours, the crowding was worse. Photo: Clarence Eckerson Jr.

Over the past week, the long G train outage caused by flooding from Hurricane Sandy brought the need for changes to the Pulaski Bridge into starker relief. Streetsblog received multiple reports of extreme crowding on the bridge’s narrow bike and pedestrian path, which could have been relieved with a protected bikeway across the bridge.

Crowded conditions on the Pulaski Bridge’s shared path have long been an issue, and recently Assembly Member Joseph Lentol announced his support for adding a protected bikeway across the bridge to provide more space for cyclists and pedestrians.

200 bikes locked up within one block of the Vernon Boulevard - Jackson Avenue subway station in Long Island City. Photo: Clarence Eckerson Jr.

A temporary bikeway would have been especially useful in Sandy’s wake, when the city and the MTA set up temporary bus routes across the Manhattan Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge, but failed to provide substitute bus service for straphangers who rely on the G train.

Without the train or a backup in place, North Brooklyn residents had to find different ways to get around, and many chose to bike or walk over the Pulaski Bridge to catch the 7 train to Manhattan. Conditions on the bridge path were crowded, especially during rush hours but during off-peak times as well.

Evidence of the spike in bike-to-7-train commuting was abundant at Long Island City’s bike racks. Clarence Eckerson of Streetfilms counted 200 bikes locked up within a block of the Vernon Boulevard – Jackson Avenue station yesterday afternoon — many more than usual.

The G train resumed limited service this morning, but crowding on the path is likely to remain. A protected bike lane on the bridge was needed before Hurricane Sandy, during the G train suspension, and will be needed after the subway system returns to normal.

UPDATE: Assembly Member Joseph Lentol told Streetsblog that the G train disruption showed why a Pulaski Bridge bike lane is necessary. His office has only gotten positive feedback on the proposal since it was floated in October. “I expected to get outraged motorists complaining about taking a lane on the bridge, but I haven’t gotten that at all,” Lentol said, adding that he will soon follow up on his October letter to Commissioner Sadik-Khan with a phone call. “You always have the bureaucratic naysaysers who say why you can’t do it,” Lentol said. “I know they have the expertise to come up with a solution.” Lentol added that he plans to reach out to Assembly Member Catherine Nolan, who represents the Queens side of the bridge.

Last month, Council Member Mathieu Eugene hosted a forum to address traffic calming needs along Cortelyou Road in Brooklyn. While the event generated a lot of ideas and suggestions from neighborhood residents and business owners, many participants have been discouraged by the lack of follow-up from Eugene. Now, some are turning their desire for safer streets into action.

The Flatbush Bicycle Coalition is aiming for rides like these to become safer, more convenient and more frequent. Photo: Sustainable Flatbush/Flickr

The neighborhood’s busiest commercial street is at the top of their list, but “it’s not just Cortelyou Road,” said Flatbush resident Julie May, who has teamed up with fellow resident Rene Netter to start the Flatbush Bicycle Coalition.

Netter, who has a young daughter, has been biking in the neighborhood for a while. In 2010, he started leading group bike rides under the banner Ditmas Rides. “I wanted to show people how you could get around with kids on bicycles,” he said. Over time, the event has evolved into a regular neighborhood leisure ride, mostly for adults.

“People in the neighborhood  – who bike, at least — say, ‘Oh, I’ve heard of that,’” Netter said. Although there are now more bikes on the streets of Flatbush and Ditmas Park, the area could become even more bike-friendly. “It’s time for a new wave,” he said.

So far, the coalition has worked with local businesses to sign them up for Transportation Alternatives’ Bicycle Friendly Business program. Today, there are 14 participating businesses on Cortelyou Road.

When it comes to businesses, May said, the “first step there is to talk about a bike corral.” The coalition is working with Flatbush Food Co-Op to build support for a corral at Cortelyou Road and Marlborough Road, and with Natural Frontier Market for a corral at Cortelyou Road and Stratford Road.

In addition, the group is looking for DOT to move forward with more bike lanes in the neighborhood on Argyle Road, Dorchester Road and Westminster Road. In the future, Netter said, he’d like to have visioning sessions, “so we can get people to start thinking about what could be.”

“It’s an opportunity to make everyone’s voices heard,” May said. “The more cyclists represented, the better.”

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Last year, Hilda Cohen, Ali Loxton and their neighbors picked up the pieces of a torpedoed bike lane proposal for Lafayette Avenue, showing DOT and Brooklyn Community Board 2 the community’s broad support for safer cycling on the busy street. After 1,400 signatures and countless hours of work, Lafayette Avenue from Fulton Street to Classon Avenue was recently striped with a shared lane for bicyclists.

Make Brooklyn Safer is asking Brooklynites to report dangerous intersections to a community map.

Following that victory, Cohen is aiming for safer streets in the rest of the borough. She’s launched a new initiative, Make Brooklyn Safer, and is asking all Brooklynites to help identify dangerous intersections on a map — a project called KROSS/walk, for Kids Riding on Safe Streets.

A year ago, bicycle advocacy was new for Cohen. “I had never done anything like it before,” she said. ”I just got sick of biking with my kids and getting run off the road.”

Although Lafayette Avenue is now improved, Cohen and her children travel on more than just one street. “I am amazed at how fabulous some of the bike infrastructure is in Brooklyn,” Cohen said. “But then it just kind of ends, or it feels like something was forgotten.”

“My daughter is 10 and she’s going to go into middle school,” she said. ”My judgement of a good bike lane is: will I let my kids ride in it?”

Since beginning the Make Lafayette Safer campaign, Cohen has reached out to other parents. “You ask parents in Brooklyn,” she said, and their top concern is “not abduction, it’s traffic.” With children in tow, people gain a new perspective, Cohen said.

Cohen doesn’t want her efforts to just be about bicycling. “If you don’t bike with your kids, you probably walk with your kids,” she said. ”Anybody who moves a little bit slower has a very different perception of the street.”

Cohen wanted to keep the momentum going following her success with her own neighborhood street. When working on Make Lafayette Safer, she discovered that many city agencies actually do want to know what citizens are thinking. “They do want to hear from the public — not just what the community board says we’re saying, but what people are saying,” she said.

“What I learned through Make Lafayette Safer is that you have to have documentation,” she said. Existing tools for documenting unsafe streets just weren’t cutting it. “One of the things I felt about 311 is that you were doing it in a vacuum,” Cohen said. “I always felt like, ‘What are they going to do with this? Am I going to hear anything?’”

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