Streetsblog New York City

Next year, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge will mark its 50th anniversary. Although the structure was designed to accommodate pedestrian and bicycle paths, they were never included. Now, advocates are hoping a renewed push can close the gap in what they’re calling the Harbor Ring, a 50-mile loop around Upper New York Bay. This week, the initiative launched an online petition to Governor Cuomo, asking him to support the plan and move it forward.

Plans for a path on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge have been idle for years. A new petition asks Governor Cuomo to take action. Image: Ammann & Whitney, Department of City Planning

The petition is part of a renewed effort to build a path across the bridge after previous attempts stalled out. In 1997, the Department of City Planning commissioned a feasibility study by Ammann & Whitney, the bridge’s architect, to examine installing paths on the bridge. In 2003, Mayor Michael Bloomberg expressed support for the plan. But a decade later, there are still only two times each year when New Yorkers can cross the span under their own power: the New York City Marathon, held every November, and the Five Boro Bike Tour each May.

Dave “Paco” Abraham, a Harbor Ring advocate, will be guiding Five Boro Bike Tour riders as they cross the bridge this year. ”Every year I’ve done the Five Boro bike ride,” he said, “Everybody stops on that bridge and takes a photo. It’s breathtaking. It’s why people go to the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s why the Walkway Over the Hudson [a rails-to-trails project in Poughkeepsie] opened.”

The same types of tourism, health, and transportation benefits those projects bring to San Francisco and Poughkeepsie make the project costs on the Verrazano worth the investment, said Abraham. ”We’re in the scale of tens of millions of dollars, not hundreds of millions,” he said.

There are two MTA capital projects that could affect the path’s prospects. One is replacing and widening the upper deck to accommodate a bus and carpool lane; the other is the relocation ramps on the Brooklyn side between the bridge and the Belt Parkway. ”If they can take any way to incorporate [the path] into their capital projects one way or another, that would be wonderful,” said Meredith Sladek of Transportation Alternatives. A few weeks ago, a coalition of organizations including TA and the Regional Plan Association sent a letter to the MTA asking the agency to consider the path in its planning process.

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Jefferson Avenue at Mason Avenue, where a motorist making a left turn struck a Staten Island couple Friday evening, killing one. Image: Google Maps

A motorist who killed an elderly man and injured his wife on Staten Island has been cleared of responsibility by NYPD.

Bujar Hasimja, 72, and his 64-year-old wife were crossing Jefferson Avenue at Mason Avenue, near their home, at approximately 7:30 p.m. Friday when the driver of a Nissan SUV hit them while making a left turn, according to reports.

The Post reported that Hasimja was declared dead on arrival at Staten Island University Hospital, and his wife, whose name was not released, suffered “minor injuries.”

If the crash occurred as described by police, at the very least the motorist failed to yield. Details such as vehicle speed and whether the driver may have been using a phone or was otherwise distracted are rarely divulged by NYPD.

Within hours of the crash, NYPD issued its boilerplate “No criminality suspected” statement to the press. There is about a 50 percent chance that the driver will not receive so much as a traffic summons for running over two people who had the right of way.

As pedestrians continue be wounded and killed at an alarming rate, their killers unpenalized by NYPD, the City Council continues to focus on delivery cyclists and parking perks.

This fatal crash occurred in the 122nd Precinct. To voice your concerns about neighborhood traffic safety directly to Captain Joseph B. Veneziano, the commanding officer, go to the next precinct community council meeting. The 122nd Precinct council meetings happen at 8 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at the precinct, 2320 Hylan Boulevard. Call 718-667-2292 for more information.

The City Council district where Bujar Hasimja was killed is represented by Minority Leader James Oddo, an enemy of bike lanes who has supported neighborhood slow zones while also stating that “drivable roads” for Staten Island motorists are his primary concern. Another pedestrian, Suying Du, was killed by a motorist in Oddo’s district last November. To encourage Oddo to take action to improve street safety in his district and citywide, contact him at 212-788-7159, joddo@council.nyc.gov or @HeyNowJO.

While some coastal areas in Staten Island cope with the devastation of Sandy, the city is moving ahead with a public meeting tonight about a parking-saturated mega-development for the north end of the island. According to one developer, the project will include “every possible bit of parking” that can be built there. At the same time, the developers will contribute nothing to improve surface transit to the site, even though it is located in the most transit-accessible part of Staten Island and the MTA is planning a new busway that will directly serve the area.

Lots of parking at a transit-accessible, city-led development project? NYC has been on this ride before. Rendering: SHoP Architects

The city’s proposal to build a 1.46 million square-foot regional shopping, entertainment, and hotel complex in St. George would concentrate development in a transit-accessible location and improve pedestrian connections between Richmond Terrace and the waterfront. But these benefits stand to be overshadowed by a huge amount of parking — 2,200 spaces — that will disrupt the pedestrian environment and attract street-clogging car trips.

The project will include between 50 and 125 retailers, a 200-room hotel, waterfront restaurants, a banquet facility, and — who could forget? — the world’s largest ferris wheel.

Today, the site has 1,606 parking spaces, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation: a 230-space EDC lot southeast of the Staten Island Yankees stadium, two DOT commuter lots totaling 556 spaces at the Staten Island Ferry terminal and an 820-space EDC lot northwest of the ballpark. The complex as currently proposed would include 2,200 parking spaces, which is intended not only for visitors to the new development but also Staten Island Yankees fans and ferry riders, according to EDC.

“All the parking spaces that were removed for these developments will be replaced, and then some,” Mayor Bloomberg said at the press conference announcing the development.

“We’re kind of hoping that demands at certain hours of the day will offset each other,” Joe Ferrara of project developer BFC Partners told the Staten Island Advance. Streetsblog reached out to BFC for more information but has not received a reply. A three-level garage on the “south site” (the retail-hotel complex near the ferry terminal) will have 1,250 spaces, while 950 (plus 20 spaces for buses) will be in a garage on the “north site,” which will have additional retail and restaurant space and the New York Wheel.

When asked why 950 spaces are planned for the north site, Richard A. Marin, president and CEO of New York Wheel, LLC, told Streetsblog, “We’re at 950 because that’s basically what we can fit into the space that we have” without obstructing the views of nearby residents. “It’s not because of any programmatic things that we’re doing,” he said. “We literally are putting every possible bit of parking on that spot that we can.”

The project’s north site is seeking LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council to be designated as one of the nation’s most environmentally-friendly new buildings.

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The woman who was killed by a motorist in Staten Island on Saturday has been identified by NYPD as Suying Du, 56.

Suying Du was thrown some 15 feet into the air when she was struck by a motorist who passed another driver who had stopped to let her cross, according to witnesses. Photo: Staten Island Advance

Police told the Advance that Du was crossing Victory Boulevard at Christopher Lane against the light when she was struck in the right-hand westbound lane by the driver of a Subaru Outback. The driver of a minivan, in the left-hand westbound lane of Victory Boulevard, had stopped to let Du cross, according to witnesses.

A passenger in another vehicle told the Advance that Du was thrown some 15 feet into the air upon impact. The Advance reported that the windshield of the Subaru was cracked after the crash.

The posted speed limit on Victory Boulevard in the vicinity of Christopher Lane is 30 mph.

“She just came out of nowhere. I didn’t even see her,” said the driver, as quoted by the Advance.

Du was declared dead on arrival at Richmond University Medical Center, according to DNAinfo.

The crash occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. A police source indicated to the Daily News that the driver may not have seen Du because she was wearing dark clothing.

The status of the NYPD investigation has not changed since Sunday, when police issued the standard “No criminality suspected, investigation ongoing” statement.

This fatal crash occurred in the 122nd Precinct. To voice your concerns about neighborhood traffic safety directly to Captain Joseph B. Veneziano, the commanding officer, go to the next precinct community council meeting. The 122nd Precinct council meetings happen at 8 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at the precinct, 2320 Hylan Boulevard. Call 718-667-2292 for more information.

The City Council district where Suying Du was killed is represented by Minority Leader James Oddo, an enemy of bike lanes who has supported neighborhood slow zones while also stating that “drivable roads” for Staten Island motorists are his primary concern. To encourage Oddo to take action to improve street safety in his district and citywide, contact him at 212-788-7159, joddo@council.nyc.gov or @HeyNowJO.

In case you missed it, today the Staten Island Advance rounded up outraged quotes from local politicos in response to the MTA’s proposed fare and toll hikes. Big emphasis on “toll hikes” — it’s the prospect of paying more to cross the Verrazano Bridge that has State Senator Andrew Lanza vowing to somehow defeat the proposal in Albany, while U.S. Representative Michael Grimm pledged to do the same through an act of Congress.

Just putting this out there, but there’s a more productive way to represent Staten Island commuters, including the substantial number who take transit, than bashing the MTA. Sam Schwartz’s Fair Plan [PDF] would ratchet down the tolls on the Verrazano — from the current $5.76 for local E-ZPass holders and $13 cash toll to $4.60 and $8, respectively. At the same time, the plan raises funds for transit (and roads) by putting a price on the crossings that are most congested. Here’s what that looks like on a map:

Image: Sam Schwartz

No act of Congress required, but Albany will have to get on board.

An 81-year-old woman was fatally struck by a driver while crossing a Staten Island street last week.

Photo via Staten Island Advance

Margaret King was in a crosswalk at the intersection of Forest and Livermore Avenues in Port Richmond Center at around noon on Wednesday, October 3, when the driver of a Nissan crashed into her while attempting a left turn, according to the Advance. She died the next day.

NYPD told the Advance that the driver, whose name was not released, was cited for failure to yield. King’s daughter Peggy Saladis said she was told that the driver tested negative for alcohol and “didn’t appear to have been using his phone.” Police said the motorist who killed King “may have been distracted by another vehicle making a turn,” according to Saladis.

“She was crossing with the light, in the crosswalk, and a person was making a left turn out of Boston Market, and he hit her and ran her over,” said Saladis. “They said it was just a pure accident. I just don’t get it because that intersection is so wide open, clear. It was a clear day at 12 noon. And my mom was wearing a pink and cornflower blue jacket. It just doesn’t make any sense to us.”

“I just want to understand what happened.”

New York City pedestrians and cyclists are routinely killed by inattentive drivers in a hurry to make a turn. While DOT continues to install pedestrian countdown clocks, which do nothing to prevent such crashes, leading pedestrian intervals and split-phase signals are in short supply. Exclusive crossing time is especially beneficial to the elderly, the physically disabled and others who take longer to cross the street.

This fatal crash occurred in the 120th Precinct. To voice your concerns about neighborhood traffic safety directly to Deputy Inspector John Sprague, the commanding officer, go to the next precinct community council meeting. The 120th Precinct council meetings happen at 7 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at the precinct, 78 Richmond Terrace. Call the precinct at 718-876-8505 for information.

The City Council district where Margaret King was killed is represented by Deborah Rose. To encourage Rose to take action to improve street safety in her district and citywide, contact her at 212-788-6972 or DROSE@Council.nyc.gov.

Select Bus Service begins on Hylan Boulevard this Sunday, aiming to speed bus rides by 15 minutes between Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and the Staten Island Mall, cutting trip times by 20 percent on Staten Island’s second-busiest bus corridor. Mayor Bloomberg, Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and MTA Chairman and CEO Joe Lhota marked the occasion at a press conference near the Staten Island Mall this morning.

Select Bus Service on Staten Island begins Sunday. Sections marked in red include bus lanes. Image: NYC DOT

Responding to its suburban context, SBS on Staten Island includes a different mix of features than what’s found on other SBS corridors. For example, because relatively few people board the bus at each stop along the 17-mile route, there is no off-board fare collection.

Unlike other SBS corridors, Hylan Boulevard features “advance signals,” which allow buses to stop closer to a red light than the rest of traffic. This can not only give buses a head start, but simplifies right turns for motorists when a bus is present.

Transit signal priority, which holds green lights for approaching buses and has already resulted in faster bus trips on Victory Boulevard, is scheduled to be added in 2013 and 2014, along with repaved concrete roadways at bus stops.

DOT is improving pedestrian safety along one of Staten Island’s most dangerous streets by extending concrete medians to provide pedestrian refuges at nine intersections. DOT is also building sidewalks to bus stops that do not already have them.

The corridor carries 44,000 vehicles and 32,000 bus riders daily, with riders evenly split between express service to Manhattan and existing local bus routes, according to DOT. MTA ridership analysis shows that 20 percent of all commuters who live near Hylan Boulevard take the bus to work, making up one in three Staten Island bus commuters.

Early concepts from the MTA and DOT featured a center-running separated peak-direction bus lane for the length of Hylan Boulevard to Richmond Avenue. The final design does not mark separate bus lanes along the entire corridor, instead including them at key locations where congestion is worst.

The longest stretch of bus lanes, which will be used by local, SBS and express buses, runs for about two miles on Hylan Boulevard. These lanes are camera-enforced on a peak-hour, peak-direction basis (6 to 9 a.m. northbound; 3 to 7 p.m. southbound). Drivers who enter the bus lane must either quickly drop-off or pick-up a passenger, take the next right turn or face a fine of up to $150. A shorter stretch of bus lanes on Richmond Avenue is in effect at all times.

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Hylan Boulevard Select Bus Service, launching this September, will only run in bus lanes for some of its route. Using a unique package of improvements, it should still cut travel times on the corridor by 20 percent.

New York City’s fourth Select Bus Service route will travel down Staten Island’s Hylan Boulevard as soon as this September. The improvements are expected to speed travel times by 20 percent along the island’s second-busiest route, according to a report by the MTA [PDF].

As on existing SBS routes, the Hylan service will make fewer stops than local or even limited buses and drive in dedicated and camera-enforced bus lanes. But as befits a borough with different transportation infrastructure and needs than the Bronx and Manhattan neighborhoods that currently have SBS routes, the plan for Hylan Boulevard will use a distinct mix of bus improvements to achieve 15-minute time savings on the full length of the S79 route.

Hylan Boulevard SBS won’t have off-board fare payment, for example. The MTA has argued that because only a few riders will board at any given stop, it won’t be worth it to have them pay on the sidewalk rather than on the bus. Around 8,800 people ride the S79 on an average weekday.

Nor will the buses have the benefit of bus lanes on the whole route. Bus lanes will be painted where they can help bypass congestion, but not in lightly trafficked areas. Nor will bus lanes be added where the effect on auto traffic would be the most intense. The three areas with bus lanes will be Hylan between Clove Road and Lincoln Avenue, Richmond Avenue near the Staten Island Mall, and the southbound side of Richmond where it approaches Hylan.

Instead, “advance signals,” which allow buses to stop closer to a red light than private vehicles, will give transit a boost at intersections. Advance signals make it easier for buses to move away from the curb after stopping and can be used to allow buses to jump a queue of stopped cars. Transit signal priority, which holds the green light a little longer for approaching buses, will be added in 2013.

The Department of Transportation will also install badly-needed pedestrian infrastructure along the SBS route, making it easier and safer to get to and from the bus in the first place. New sidewalks, curbs, pedestrian refuge islands and bus shelters are planned at many locations along the corridor.

Finally, Staten Island will continue to be the beneficiary of the MTA’s experiments with information technology. The borough was the first to receive a full roll-out of BusTime, which provides real-time bus location information online or by phone. Now, the MTA will use the Hylan Boulevard SBS as a pilot for putting real-time information, similar to the route information on newer subways, onboard the bus itself.

Under a plan selected by the MTA, bus rapid transit would run along Staten Island's North Shore, with local bus routes feeding into the dedicated infrastructure. Image: MTA

The MTA announced yesterday that if it builds a new rapid transit line along Staten Island’s North Shore, it will opt for bus rapid transit over light rail, an MTA spokesperson told Streetsblog. The obstacle now, as always, is money.

The proposed BRT line would run along Staten Island’s North Shore, which is twice as densely populated as the rest of the island. Even though no rapid transit exists in the area, over a third of residents take transit to work, relying entirely on buses.

Along much of the route, the busway will use the existing right-of-way of now-shuttered rail service. In some places the tracks are still there; in others, they are overgrown with vegetation or even underwater. At the western terminus of the right-of-way, the system would turn inland and run to the West Shore Plaza in mixed traffic.

In a presentation delivered yesterday at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, [PDF] the MTA outlined its decision to pursue bus improvements over light rail. Though light rail would be marginally faster than buses — and likely higher-capacity — the busway option has two decided advantages, according to the presentation.

In Port Richmond, bus rapid transit would run on an existing elevated structure, refurbished for buses. Image: MTA

First, by using an “open” busway design, in which multiple bus routes can shared the dedicated transit infrastructure before branching off, the busway can speed trips for people across more of the island. As such, the MTA predicts higher ridership on the BRT option than on light rail. Second, the MTA estimates the capital costs of the busway to be far lower than light rail: $371 million versus $645 million.

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Two colleges and two high schools are located on Howard Avenue, which is plagued by deadly speeding. Photo: Erika Reinhart

Staten Island’s Howard Avenue was once known as Serpentine Road. Though the moniker was mostly due to the serpentinite in the hill’s bedrock, the road also winds and writhes up Grymes Hill, the second highest point on Staten Island. The neighborhood is home to two college campuses, Wagner and St. John’s, the secondary schools Notre Dame Academy and P.S. 35, century-old homes and breathtaking views stretching beyond the north shore to encompass Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Bayonne.

Howard Avenue is also plagued by rampant speeding and careless driving, with poor accommodations for walking and biking. According to Crashstat, since 1997, 17 pedestrians and two bicyclists have been injured along Howard from Arlo Road to Clove Road — a span of less than a mile. Now, after a hit-and-run crash claimed the life of Wagner nursing student R.J. Tillman, a budding local movement for safer walking and biking is poised to make a difference in a borough where politicians are notoriously loath to buy into complete streets.

It was on Howard Avenue that Tillman was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bicycle on February 12. During the memorial ride tribute to Tillman that I participated in last month, the crowd of 50 had to congregate on the asphalt roadway, since there was no sidewalk on the side of the street where the ghost bike was placed. Two participants had to direct oncoming traffic around us, as cars sped around the curve and honked during the proceedings.

Last Wednesday, a group determined to improve safety along on the street gathered at the Wagner College campus for the Howard Avenue Traffic Safety Community Forum. The workshop was the latest effort in a years-long campaign to get the city to make Howard Avenue a better street for walking and biking. While several requests for safety improvements from Wagner staff had been rebuffed by Staten Island DOT Commissioner Thomas Cocola over the last three years, momentum for change is growing.

Recently Cocola has signaled greater willingness to work with community members concerned about safety; two weeks ago he agreed to tour Wagner to assess dangerous locations. And Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro and local City Council Member Debi Rose both sent representatives to last week’s workshop.

They heard Wagner students and staff and local residents describe the dangerous speeding and disregard for public safety that prevails on Howard Avenue today. Laura Barlament, who works for Wagner doing communications and marketing, has taken a leading role in advocating for safer conditions. Barlament was struck by a driver while biking on Howard in June 2011. “This is just a neighborhood,” she said. “To feel unsafe on a daily basis is just not right.”

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