Streetsblog New York City

This is the story about how East Harlem residents and street safety advocates — with leadership from Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito — banded together to win complete streets on First and Second Avenues. After the city backtracked on a plan to build protected bike lanes and pedestrian refuges up to 125th Street on the East Side of Manhattan, this coalition mobilized to put the project back on the table. Later, when the safety improvements came under attack from a few business owners, public health professionals joined Mark-Viverito and NYC DOT to combat misinformation about the redesign and see it through to implementation.

Former Streetsblog Reporter Noah Kazis covered the campaign for protected bike lanes in East Harlem and helps recount the story in this video.

Because of its proximity to Central Park, you might be forgiven for assuming East Harlem has plenty of open space. But a new report from New Yorkers for Parks argues that the neighborhood is isolated from many of its parks by busy roads and other barriers. Streets and sidewalks, the group says, can play a crucial role in encouraging physical activity as part of the neighborhood’s fight against above-average asthma and obesity problems.

East Harlem children hula-hoop on the 104th Street play street in 2010. Photo: Transportation Alternatives

The report, funded by the Aetna Foundation and Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, is the third in the advocacy group’s Open Space Index series; the first two reports covered Jackson Heights and the Lower East Side. Since its release in 2010, the Jackson Heights index has been used by local advocates and leaders to show how the neighborhood stands to benefit from initiatives such as play streets and public plazas.

New Yorkers for Parks Executive Director Holly Leicht told Streetsblog that she is hoping for this report to have a similar effect in East Harlem. “We want to put these in the hands of community leaders and residents,” she said, “and let them figure out what their priorities are with this data.”

One of the report’s top recommendations is the continued expansion of street safety improvements in the neighborhood. “Streets and sidewalks comprise 80 percent of New York City public space,” the report notes. “Unless they are safe, accessible passageways, they can serve as barriers rather than connectors.”

Play streets, which have already been implemented in East Harlem, can play a central role in providing open space for residents, the report finds. For six Thursdays in the summer of 2010, East 104th Street between Second and Third Avenues was converted to a play street, giving children space to play games, meet with friends or work on arts-and-crafts. The report recommends linking play streets with farmers markets to promote healthy nutrition along with physical activity.

The complete street treatments recently installed on First and Second Avenues are a big step forward for street safety, but East Harlem continues to have some of the most dangerous intersections on the East Side, including 125th Street and Lexington Avenue, where 19 cyclists and pedestrians died between 1998 and 2008.

Some intersections that provide critical access to parks along the Harlem River and the East River have already received upgrades after Transportation Alternatives worked with community groups to come up with solutions.The intersection of 142nd Street and Fifth Avenue, for example, received upgrades to slow traffic accessing FDR Drive and shorten crossing distances for pedestrians accessing a footbridge to Harlem River Park.

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Streetfilms’ Elizabeth Press was uptown today working on a piece about East Harlem’s long-awaited protected bike lanes. She passes along this view of the almost-rideable green lane on Second Avenue. Waiting for paint to dry has never been so thrilling.

A future parking lane, center, and protected bike lane, to the left, on Second Avenue at E. 117th St. Photos: J_uptown

Streetsblog regular @J_uptown snapped these shots of developing infrastructure on First and Second Avenues in East Harlem, where DOT is installing a protected bike lane, shortening crossing distances for pedestrians, and speeding bus travel. Writes Jacob:

It’s well underway, and nearly all of the ped islands are completed, and most of the striping is done as well. The only thing left is the green paint and the bike symbols. The parking hasn’t started to be enforced yet, though, but it’s sort of rideable.

The first phase of the Second Avenue protected lane will stretch from 125th Street to 100th Street (Second Avenue Subway construction will delay its expansion to the south). It will eventually be paired with a First Avenue lane.

Ten bus bulbs are slated to be installed on First Avenue [PDF], along with two on Second. These sidewalk extensions, like the one pictured after the jump, will help speed travel for Select Bus passengers.

Pedestrians make use of an island on Second at E. 122nd Street.

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Shaquille Cochrane, also known as "Swizzy," was fatally struck by a the driver of a yellow cab at E. 108th Street and Park Avenue. No charges were filed. Photo: Ghost Bikes

The cyclist struck and killed by a yellow cab driver in East Harlem late last month has been identified by NYPD as Shaquille Cochrane.

On July 30 at approximately 7:50 p.m., Cochrane was hit at E. 108th Street and Park Avenue. Accounts of the crash vary, but according to NYPD, Cochrane was riding westbound on E. 108th (which is one-way eastbound) when he was struck by the cabbie, who was southbound on Park. Cochrane’s age was reported as 19, but NYPD told Streetsblog he was 18.

Streetsblog made the first of several attempts to get the name of the victim on August 2, but the department’s public information office did not know Cochrane had died. Until today, the latest information available from police was that an unidentified cyclist was transported from the scene in critical condition. As of today, a spokesperson said there is “no criminality suspected,” meaning the cab driver was not intoxicated and remained at the scene.

This fatal crash occurred in the 23rd Precinct. To voice your concerns about neighborhood traffic safety directly to Deputy Inspector William Pla, the commanding officer, go to the next precinct community council meeting. The 23rd Precinct council meetings happen at 6 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at the precinct, 164 E. 102 Street. Call the precinct at 212-860-6430 for information.

The City Council district where Shaquille Cochrane was killed is represented by Melissa Mark-Viverito. Though Mark-Viverito is one of the council’s strongest voices for street safety, it never hurts to alert an elected to dangerous conditions. Mark-Viverito can be reached at 212-788-6960, mviverito@council.nyc.gov and @MMViverito.

Image: NYC DOT

Before cleaning his workspace yesterday and packing up for New Haven, Noah Kazis snagged one more piece of good news, which it is my pleasure to report: DOT will begin constructing a protected bike lane on Second Avenue in East Harlem at the end of August.

The first section to be built will stretch from 125th Street to 100th Street. (Second Avenue Subway construction will keep the redesign from extending further south for a few more years.) The construction timetable for the northbound lane on First Avenue will be available soon, according to a DOT spokesperson.

This project has been a long time coming — protected bike lanes up to 125th Street were first announced early in 2010 — and a lot of people helped bring it to this point. Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito steadfastly advocated for the project after City Hall walked back the initial timetable and when local restaurant owners temporarily eroded support from the local community board. Transportation Alternatives and local volunteers mobilized when the Bloomberg administration’s commitment to complete the redesign appeared to be flagging. And in the final round of community board meetings, the Department of Health helped DOT dispel the notion that the project would worsen asthma rates.

I also give Noah a lot of credit for highlighting the support for this project from Mark-Viverito and State Senator José Serrano when it seemed like it might continue to languish. Not long after that post last April, East Harlem’s protected bike lanes were officially “well on their way.”

A cyclist struck and killed in East Harlem Monday night has yet to be identified pending notification of relatives, according to NYPD, while details of the crash remain uncertain and may not be known for months.

Photo: DNAinfo

On Monday evening at approximately 7:50 p.m., a male cyclist was hit by the driver of a yellow cab at E. 108th Street and Park Avenue. Accounts differ as to how the crash unfolded. DNAinfo reported that, according to NYPD, the cyclist “was heading east with traffic on 108th Street,” and the cab driver “was traveling on 108th and had the green light … when the cyclist entered the intersection and was struck by the cab.”

Information provided by NYPD to both Streetsblog and Gothamist, however, indicates that the cyclist was traveling westbound on E. 108th (which is one-way eastbound) when he was hit by the cabbie, who was southbound on Park. The spokesperson we talked to described the crash as a “t-bone situation.” The cyclist’s age was reported by Gothamist and DNAinfo as 19, while NYPD told Streetsblog he was 18.

By all accounts, the victim was alive when transported from the scene. Here is a passage from a DNAinfo report filed about an hour after the crash:

The bicyclist was hurt, but he was still breathing and conscious when an ambulance arrived to take him to Mount Sinai Hospital, the FDNY spokesman said. He was not likely to die, the spokesman said.

Though this information was obtained from FDNY, in NYPD parlance the phrase “not likely to die” translates to no involvement from the Accident Investigation Squad, the only officers on the force qualified to conduct investigations of serious traffic crashes. When Streetsblog called today to get the name of the victim, the department’s public information office did not know the cyclist had died, but a spokesperson said AIS was dispatched to the scene at the time of the crash.

NYPD customarily guards information on traffic crashes as if it were a matter of state security. If past patterns hold it will take a freedom of information request and months of waiting before specifics on the latest Manhattan cyclist fatality can be made public. As of this morning, the official word from NYPD concerning Monday’s crash is “no criminality suspected,” meaning the cab driver was not intoxicated and remained at the scene.

A driver who left a trail of carnage through East Harlem, killing an innocent bystander, has been sentenced to as little as a year in jail after she escaped charges for taking a life.

Robert Bond. Photo courtesy Deborah Bond

Simone Walters was driving down Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard on the night of July 21, 2011, when she struck Robert Bond at W. 119th Street, a short distance from Bond’s home. According to reports, Walters “never slowed down,” hitting another vehicle several blocks away and coming to a stop when she crashed into a parked car at E. 104th Street and Madison Avenue, having lost a wheel from her 2000 BMW.

Bond, a father of four, suffered severe head injuries and died hours later at Harlem Hospital.

Initial reports said Walters was charged with DUI, leaving the scene and driving with a suspended license. According to an online database of court records, no charges were issued for speeding or reckless driving. Since Walters’ blood alcohol content was measured at .06 percent, if a DUI charge was indeed issued, it was downgraded to driving while ability impaired. DWAI applies when a driver has a BAC of .05 to .07 percent or displays other evidence of impairment, and is classified as a traffic infraction, or a misdemeanor for repeat offenses.

Under New York State law, in order to sustain a charge of vehicular homicide, prosecutors must be able to prove that impairment caused a motorist to operate a vehicle in a manner that caused death. Presumably, since Walters’ BAC was below the .08 standard for intoxication, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance did not charge her with vehicular homicide. Walters eventually pleaded guilty to a top charge of leaving the scene of an incident that resulted in death, a Class D felony, and in June was sentenced to one to three years in prison.

A motorist with a suspended license, who has been drinking, mortally wounds a man, pinballs through more than a dozen city blocks, crashing into other vehicles until a wheel falls off her car, and is not charged for killing. How can this be?

To begin with, the DUI charge may have been compromised by state laws that give drunk drivers time to sober up after a crash. Prosecutors have tried for years to streamline arduous warrant procedures that prevent police from obtaining blood alcohol evidence from suspected drunk drivers, who can delay the process for hours.

“What they said was once the officer chased her down and got her, they took her to Harlem Hospital. She needed some work done on her,” said Deborah Bond, Robert Bond’s widow, in a phone interview with Streetsblog. “So after two hours, taking her blood level, it was down already. So they didn’t charge her with drunken driving.”

“After two hours,” said Bond, “of course your blood level is going to be down.”

As usual in a pedestrian fatality case, there is also the question of what additional tools, if any, prosecutors may have had at their disposal.

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TRAC members participate in a May Day rally. One of the transit rider coalition's top demands is for Select Bus Service on 125th Street. Image via Facebook

Select Bus Service is a big success on First and Second Avenues and 34th Street. Speeds are up, ridership is up, and the MTA is using the time savings to run even more buses along the busy corridors. So where in Manhattan is next for the popular package of bus improvements? One group of uptown transit riders hopes the answer is 125th Street.

The Transit Riders Action Committee is a new project of WE ACT, the northern Manhattan environmental justice organization, founded last year in response to the most recent round of fare hikes. After reaching out to neighborhood riders at bus stops and subway platforms, TRAC asked new members for their priorities in the neighborhood. After generating a long list of options, the new committee voted to focus on three priorities: keeping the fare affordable, improving the condition of Upper Manhattan’s poorly-maintained subway stations, and improving bus trips on 125th Street.

“The buses are incredibly slow,” said Jake Carlson, WE ACT’s transportation equity coordinator. “They are constantly battling for their own piece of the road. It’s an issue that really hinders people’s mobility.” He noted that he often ends up walking crosstown on 125th rather than taking the bus.

Despite slow speeds, bus ridership on 125th Street is sky-high. Four routes travel on 125th Street: the M60, M100, M101 and Bx15. Between them, around 32,500 passengers board on 125th Street on an average weekday, said Carlson, and around 31,000 get off.

TRAC organizers and members have already started to meet with community board members and feel there’s room for persuasion. “When you start talking about the problem, most people get it right away,” said Carlson. “They know what it means to get across 125th Street.”

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East River Plaza, the big box mall designed for Massapequa and placed in East Harlem, still has a thousand-space parking garage. And given its location in one of the lowest car-ownership neighborhoods in the country, the garage is still as empty as when it opened, despite big subsidies for parkers.

Thanks to new research from Rutgers urban planning student Kyle Gebhart, whose paper on East River Plaza [PDF] won first prize from the American Planning Association’s Transportation Planning Division, we now know just how badly the project’s developers whiffed when building that massive garage.

East River Plaza's 1,100 space garage still looks like this, according to new research by a Rutgers planning student. Less than five percent of spaces on the upper floors of the garage are full, even at peak shopping times. Photo: Noah Kazis

To find out how the garage was being used, Gebhart went down to East River Plaza at two peak shopping times, the early evening of the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and the afternoon of the first Saturday in December. On the Tuesday, only 33.6 percent of the 1,103 spaces in the garage were occupied. On Saturday that figure had only crept up lightly, to 38.6 percent.

The top floors of the garage were essentially empty. Between 0.6 and 5.8 percent of the spaces on the upper levels were filled, according to Gebhart’s survey. One section of the third floor of the garage had been fenced off and converted into storage space rather than parking.

In contrast, the developers predicted that the garage would hold a whopping 1,190 cars on an average Saturday afternoon in the environmental impact statement for the project.

How did they get it so wrong? As East River Plaza developer David Blumenfeld explained to Streetsblog after the mall’s opening, he built his calculations around data from suburban big box stores. In the early 1990s, when the project was first conceived, there weren’t any big box stores in more urban settings. “There was no model to go off of,” said Blumenfeld. “There was only the suburban model.”

Gebhart’s research reveals just how braindead those planning documents were. The environmental impact statement drew its numbers from Home Depots in places like Pelham Bay Park, Glendale, Staten Island, and even Port Chester, where the store is off a highway interchange on the Connecticut border. Rather than assume a Manhattan location would have fewer drivers than those sites, they simply averaged the numbers from those suburban locations together. Read more…