Streetsblog New York City

DOT’s release of mapped bike rack locations last week was met with excitement, but at least one Streetsblog reader also wondered how useful such info would be on-the-fly. While it may not be something you’ll whip out en route, this information can be incredibly helpful for communities in planning and campaigning for more bike parking.

A new mapping tool will help neighborhoods plan for more bike parking.

For example, the Livable Streets Initiative and The Open Planning Project have been working with the Transportion Alternatives Brooklyn Committee on an app for communities to collaborate on bulk orders of bike racks.

How do bulk orders work? Lauri Schindler of the Park Slope Civic Council lays it out beautifully in this StreetsWiki article. This tool is about to make the collaborative process a whole lot easier, and more open. Our pilot project is focused on the Brooklyn Community District 1 area, but in the future the app will be available for planning in other neighborhoods.

Look out for it later this month -- we’ll be back with more details. In the meantime, don't forget that the Brooklyn Committee is celebrating all month long with June's bike BKLN.

A sidewalk tribute to Violetta Kryzak. (Image: Greenpoint Gazette)

Another Greenpoint resident has come forward reporting to have seen a police car, in violation of NYPD policy, chasing the speeding white mini-van that took the life of Violetta Kryzak in April.

Earlier this week Alex Blaszczuk emailed Streetsblog, writing that she had witnessed the chase. In an email exchange that followed, Blaszczuk explained what she saw: "I was on Manhattan between Norman and Meserole [Editor's note: seven blocks south of where the fatal collision took place] when two cars sped past me -- clearly one chasing the other. I remember being sure that the second car was police, although it was unmarked -- possibly because it had its lights on."

Her account matches the story of three other eyewitnesses. Their testimony runs counter to the version of events given by the 94th Precinct's commanding officer, Deputy Inspector Dennis Fulton, who told attendees of a precinct community council meeting that the department "has no indication that [a police pursuit] happened."

The NYPD’s public information office has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

The city's expanding bike network is paying dividends -- boosting the level of cycling and making streets safer in the process. Snagged from the latest issue of TA's StreetBeat, this graph is a great illustration of the "safety in numbers" effect identified by researcher Peter Jacobsen in a landmark 2003 paper published in Injury Prevention. The stats in New York reinforce Jacobsen's body of evidence that the more bicyclists and pedestrians are out on the street, the safer biking and walking become.

"Safety in numbers" also explains why the U.S. has such a high rate of cyclist injuries and fatalities compared to countries like the Netherlands and Denmark, where biking is much more common. And it's pretty much Exhibit A when it comes to proving the folly of "safety campaigns" like the one currently underway in Savannah, which Sarah wrote about in her post today. Fine pedestrians or otherwise discourage walking, and you only make streets less safe.

Enjoying car-free Bedford Ave. during Williamsburg Walks 2008. Photo: acsweet/Flickr

Starting tomorrow, Bedford Avenue from North 4th to North 9th Street will be open to pedestrians only on six Saturdays from noon to sunset. This year's Williamsburg Walks is a project of community residents along with Neighbors Allied for Good Growth and The L Magazine.

Every Sunday in June, Vanderbilt Avenue between Dean Street and Park Place will go car-free from noon to 5 p.m., thanks to the Vanderbilt Avenue Merchants District and the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council.  Says the PHNDC: "There will be music, art and gardening, face painting, sun and trees, shopping, eating and relaxing, biking and performances, and people watching. Plus a few surprises."

Word is there will be plenty more Summer Streets action this year. Stay tuned.

Today the issue of pedestrian safety has popped up a couple of times on the Streetsblog Network. First, the folks at WalkBike Jersey report that a bill giving pedestrians more protection in the crosswalk has passed the State Assembly and is moving to committee in the Senate:

Photo by tomswift46 via Flickr.

Under the bill, motorists would be required to stop and remain stopped at a crosswalk while pedestrians pass through the driver’s lane of traffic, even if a light changes to give the motorist the right of way.

A1329's Primary Sponsor -- Assemblywoman Linda Stender has been a champion of pedestrian safety over the years. “The number of pedestrian deaths in our state has been increasing instead of decreasing despite our best efforts in recent years,” said Stender (D-Union), vice chairwoman of the Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee. “This measure will clearly give pedestrians the right of way so that school children and people on foot can safely walk to their destinations.”

The Assembly passed the bill, which simply seems to represent common sense, unanimously. If it becomes law, it will be interesting to see if it is enforced or used by prosecutors. But in a state where the latest figures show a recent surge in pedestrian deaths, any move to increase legal protections for those traveling on foot is welcome.

In Savannah, as we wrote a couple of weeks ago, the police have been reacting differently after a high-profile case in which a tourist was killed by a car. They've decided to focus enforcement on jaywalkers. As Sustainable Savannah reports, the flurry of jaywalking tickets has caused a backlash because of the high fines they carry, but the underlying problem with the strategy is much more profound:

House Republicans aren't known for their well-reasoned spending proposals lately, but they took it to a new level today by sending President Obama a $375 billion budget-cutting plan that slices $1 billion from bicycle and pedestrian programs.

One hopes that crossing guard in orange isn't a House GOPer. (Photo: CA DOT)

The cuts have next to no chance of moving forward, given that Republicans are out of power in the White House and Congress. But they amount to the next step in the GOP's political rebuilding process. Which begs the question: Does the party really want to stake its future on cutting Safe Routes to School?

The House GOP plan suggests that Obama save $183 million per year by eliminating federal participation in the program, which just last month was strongly endorsed for re-authorization by two Republican senators.

House Republicans argue that helping children walk or bike to school has "traditionally been viewed as" the task of local governments. Presumably, dedicated federal funding for kids' safety amounts to creeping Big Government for the GOP -- but dedicated federal funding for kids' health care, now that's just fine.

Other transportation proposals on the Republican chopping block today were the $25 million in bike and pedestrian funding given to four communities in the 2005 transportation bill and the U.S. DOT's Transportation Enhancements initiative, which currently costs $833 million annually.

Margo Pedroso, deputy director of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, was unruffled by the House GOP proposal (which took the form of a letter to Obama rather than a bill):

Given the impact that Safe Routes to School initiatives can have on children’s physical activity levels, traffic safety and congestion, air quality around schools, and school budgets, we are confident that Safe Routes to School has bipartisan support in Congress.

Late Update: Despite the House GOP's proposal, Republican Sen. Richard Burr (NC) is not budging from his support for expanding the federal Safe Routes program. Burr said through a spokeswoman that

I would certainly be disappointed in funding cuts for this program, as I am seeking to increase funds within the Safe Routes to School Program Reauthorizations Act.  This program is beneficial for all Americans because it promotes activity and helps ensure children are able to get to school safely. In North Carolina, this program builds safe routes across the state, and I’m confident the program will do just as much good across the country.

Without a secure place to put your bike, riding to work is a lot less appealing. In fact, as multiple studies have shown, fear of theft is the number one factor that keeps New York City cyclists from commuting by bike. So you could say there's a lot riding on the Bicycle Access Bill (Intro 871), which would make it much easier for cyclists to bring their bikes inside the workplace.

After an initial hearing in the City Council last December, the different parties -- including transportation advocates and the real estate industry -- headed to the negotiating table. The revised bill is now scheduled for a second hearing later this month, and you can peruse the latest version online.

This iteration of Intro 871 includes several new provisions, but the basics are intact: office building owners would have to grant access to bicycles if an employee or tenant requests it. Crucially, landlords won't be able to skirt the requirement simply because their buildings have only passenger elevators, not freight elevators. As long as the passenger elevator is big enough to accommodate a bike, cyclists would be able to bring their rides inside.

Mayor Bloomberg's office voiced support for the bill, which takes a page directly from PlaNYC. "It's something we want to see move forward very quickly,"  spokesperson Marc LaVorgna said. "We're working with the City Council on putting a final bill together that can be passed and that can work." LaVorgna confirmed that some aspects of the bill are likely to change before it comes up in committee, but declined to specify which provisions might be adjusted.

A spokesperson for Christine Quinn's office said it's too early for the Council Speaker to comment on the draft legislation.

One thing to keep an eye on as the bill progresses will be the exemption mechanism.

The Obama administration is working on a plan to fill the shortfall in the nation's highway trust fund by August without adding to the federal deficit, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told Congress today.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (Photo: HillBuzz)

The circumstances behind the trust fund's financial troubles are well-known: a nationwide decline in driving coupled with political resistance to raising the gas tax -- which has remained static since 1993 -- forced the Bush administration to push $8 billion into the federal transportation coffers last summer. But that infusion was not offset by corresponding spending cuts, which LaHood says the Obama team is committed to this time around.

"We believe very strongly that any trust fund fix must be paid for," LaHood told members of the House Appropriations Committee's transportation panel. "We also believe that any trust fund fix must be tied to reform of the current highway program to make it more performance-based and accountable, such as improving safety or improving the livability of our communities -- two priorities for me."

Urbanites and transit riders may be cheered by LaHood's call to tie new highway funding to livability. Yet the administration's quest to offset its trust fund fix, which will cost as much as $7 billion, could prove fruitless.

Rep. John Olver (D-MA), chairman of the panel that greeted LaHood today, put it simply when asked if the necessary spending cuts could be found. "That'd be very tough," he said, noting that his own annual transportation spending is unlikely to become law before the highway trust fund runs out of cash.

May's Bike Month Critical Mass reportedly drew more participants than usual, and NYPD responded by handing out a passel of trumped-up summonses. No surprise there, but as this video (from glassbeadian via Gothamist) shows, officers on scooters went so far as to follow riders down the Hudson River Greenway.

Barbara Ross of Time's Up thinks police may have been acting in retaliation to recent movement on the long-standing Five Borough Bike Club lawsuit to overturn the parade permit requirement for bike rides of 50 or more cyclists. Check the Gothamist post for another vid that features scooter cops picking out which cyclists to harass.

If you're in the mood for some bike-themed entertainment this evening, head over to the East River and 23rd Street. Bicycle for a Day, an advocacy group founded by actor Matthew Modine, is putting on a big party/fundraiser at Solar ONE starting at 6:30. Admission ($30 online, $35 at the door) includes an open bar, tasting stations, and live music courtesy of Rahzel, with proceeds going to fund local bike-related projects.

The Livable Streets Initiative will have a table at the party, so if you go, drop by and say "Hi" to my fantastic co-workers from Streetfilms and Livable Streets Education. Get your tickets here.

I've been thinking a lot about slowness lately. Part of my inspiration has been from necessity: I recently found an old tandem bike on Craigslist and have been using it to get around Brooklyn with the kid. It weighs roughly one ton. It has only one speed, and only one pace: stately. When riding it, I affect a lordly indifference to the cars and bikes that whiz by.

With a bike like this, you could learn to ride more slowly, too. Photo by Beat Bike Blog.

Slow biking as an international phenomenon may not be as well known as slow food, but it's out there and growing, along with many other manifestations of a slow movement embraced by people who find the hectic pace of the 21st century dehumanizing and counterproductive. You can find a slow biking manifesto at The Slow Bicycle Movement website. Brought to you by the Copenhagenize folks, this is a blog that moves at an appropriately glacial pace.

Many slow bikers are also cycle chic aficionados. One of our most recent additions to the Streetsblog Network, Charleston Cycle Chic, is a great example. (We've added Cycle Chic Estonia, too, because, you know, why not?) We applaud these efforts because they are part of a trend across the world, and even the good old US of A, toward "normalizing" cycling as transportation.

Another of our member blogs, The Beat Bike of Hartford, CT, has this to say about the slow ride:

One of the things I noticed when I was in Cuba is that the people there ride their bikes slowly. Singlespeeds are prevalent, but even bikes that appear to have functioning derailleurs or internally geared hubs are usually left on one speed, and people just plod along. The average speed is maybe twice as fast as a leisurely walk, keeping cycling in the realm of appreciable mechanical advantage while obviating the need not only for multiple speeds but, for the most part, brakes.

To all but the most ardent transit wonks, the phrase "New Starts" sounds like a motivational tape sold on late-night TV. But those two words actually represent Washington's predominant mechanism to pay for major transit expansions -- everything from expanding an existing rail station to building a new bus line.

Minnesota's Hiawatha rail line is exceeding initial ridership estimates by 58 percent, according to the Twin Cities' Metropolitan Council. (Photo: MN Public Radio)

Since its inception in the 1970s, New Starts has provided states and localities with more than $10 billion. Unfortunately, the program has forced local planners to clear cumbersome bureaucratic hurdles in order to prove their projects' cost-effectiveness while ignoring the economic-development benefits of transit.

During a Senate Banking Committee hearing yesterday, some of those planners sent an urgent message to Congress: Please fix New Starts.

"I can say with some certainty that if a mayor requested an additional station for a New Starts project today -- a request that would improve the project through increased ridership and economic development -- the result would be project delay and cost increases," Richard Sarles, executive director of New Jersey Transit, told the senators.

Actually, there was only one senator in the room: Robert Menendez (D-NJ), chairman of the Banking panel's transportation subcommittee. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) left the hearing after reading a brief statement on the importance of keeping federal transit funding high, providing a dismaying illustration of Congress' lack of urgency on transportation issues despite the system's imminent insolvency.

The low turnout didn't impede a lively debate, however. Two shortcomings of the New Starts process were singled out as ripe for reform: the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) intense level of review for even smaller transit projects and the lack of consideration of economic development in evaluating funding pitches. Continue...

(l-r): Richard Aborn, Cyrus Vance, Jr., Richard Socarides, Jonathan Oberman. Photo: Brad Aaron

Cyrus Vance, Jr. and Richard Aborn addressed a small crowd of advocates, citizens and reporters at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law near Union Square this morning. Leslie Crocker Snyder did not attend as planned, but sent senior staffer Richard Socarides (who arrived by bike) in her stead. All three candidates are Democrats, and all have worked for retiring DA Robert Morgenthau. (Republican Greg Camp recently joined the race.)

Though the event was billed as a "debate" on traffic justice, differences in the candidates' stated positions were subtle. Socarides was not as free to delve into specifics on policy, putting himself and Snyder at an obvious disadvantage, but both Vance and Aborn promised, if elected, to treat deaths and injuries inflicted by motor vehicle as seriously as those caused by other means.

Streetsblog Editor-in-Chief Aaron Naparstek set the tone of the discussion, citing the deaths of cyclist Rasha Shamoon and pedestrian preschoolers James Rice, Diego Martinez and Hayley Ng in opening remarks. None of the drivers involved in those fatalities, as Streetsblog readers know, were charged with a crime, and all were allowed to continue driving immediately afterward. As Cardozo Professor Jonathan Oberman, who moderated today's forum, would later point out, just 29 drivers in New York State have been indicted for criminally negligent homicide in the last 15 years. And while approximately 150 pedestrians are struck dead annually in New York City, Aaron noted, with some 15,000 injured, the day-to-day lives of an untold number of city residents are compromised by fear, decreased mobility, and other quality-of-life incursions imposed by dangerous drivers.

Before dangerous drivers become killer drivers, Vance said, police and prosecutors should intervene by, for example, charging urban speeders with reckless driving. Serious enforcement, he said, begins with curbing "potentially tragic" behavior. Aborn agreed, adding that he would actively push for state laws to apply graduated penalties to repeat offenses. Treating misdemeanors in this manner, Aborn said, would also act as a deterrent, making the motoring public more aware of its responsibilities.