Neighborhoods

Brooklyn

Red Hook: Death of Seven Year-Old Leads To Traffic Calmed Street
Richards and Wolcott Streets are due to be traffic calmed this spring, with sidewalk extensions and angle parking installed to narrow the streets. An excessively wide street leads to high vehicle speeds-high speed was a critical factor in seven year-old Corey Walden's death last summer. In stead of the usual traffic light, DOT opted for traffic calming, which is cheaper, easier to install, and more effective in reducing speeds.

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Brooklyn Heights: A Tree Dies In Brooklyn
Despite community efforts and a lawsuit to save it, Upper Van Voorhees Park is being destroyed by the Long Island College Hospital to make way for a parking garage. Maybe local kids can play in the hospital lobby.

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New Lots: New Pedestrian Lighting
DOT's pedestrian planners are preparing to add better lighting in New Lots by Earth Day. More light makes an area feel safer, leading more pedestrians to promenade-a proven crime deterrent.

Crown Heights: Residents Want Friendlier Streets
Community Board Nine wants to include traffic calming and play streets throughout the district. The City's Charter guarantees the right of Community Boards to come up with 'plans for the development, growth' and improvement of the neighborhoods.

Park Slope: Hospital Building New Garage, Shopping Center
Against the desires of the community, Methodist Hospital is building a new parking garage and shopping center on 7th Avenue, claiming a need for more parking. Residents fear that an increase in traffic will endanger them and local businesses.

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The Bronx

Across the Borough: Bronx Chapter Set To Start New Year
T.A. 's Bronx Chapter plans to focus on improving and extending the Mosholu-Pelham Greenway, improving bridges to Manhattan, and extending the Grand Concourse car-free season. See the Calendar on page 4 for dates and locations of meetings.

Kingsbridge: Speed Humps On the Way?
T.A. has repeatedly asked the City for speed humps on neighborhood streets. Now, after seeing how well they worked in front of Harlem Hospital, there are plans to use humps to reduce speeding in the area south of Van Cortlandt Park.

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Manhattan

West Village: Bike Week Ribbon Cutting for Hudson Street Lane
The long awaited Hudson Street Bike Lane is scheduled to be painted and will be ready for service by the week of May 10. T.A. and several community groups called for a lane as part of the street's reconstruction. Bicyclists will have a safe place to ride and pedestrians will benefit from slower traffic.

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Midtown: Herald Square Consultant Selected
One of the City's most dangerous intersections will soon have a makeover, City DOT announced recently that t consultant has been hi red to re design HeraId Square, first brought to the City's attention In August, 1995 by T.A. and a cover story in the Daily News. DOT has ear marked over $2 million to rebuild the intersection, which boasts the highest volume of pedestrian traffic in the city. The design process should start in April and run for 18 months.

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Central Harlem: SL Nicholas Avenue Bike Lane Set for Earth Week
Central Harlem bicyclists will soon be connected to the great riding resources of Central Park and the George Washington Bridge. The new bike lane will open the week of April22.

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Soho and Village: Traffic Calming Gains in CB2
T.A Community Board Two's Strategies Committee and DOT's Pedestrian Projects Group (PPG), will identify Downtown's most dangerous intersections and propose solutions to improve them. After Broadway and Houston, PPG will tackle Sheridan Square with tile help of TA.'s landmark 1992 Greenwich Village Traffic Calming Study. To make these changes however, PPG will need massive community support. To participate in the next Traffic Strategies Subcommittee, call CB 2 at 212-979-2272.

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Upper East Side: CB 6 To Bikes: Get Lost!
The East Side Bike and Pedestrian Greenway, proposed to meander up the East River waterfront, initially alarmed the security-conscious United Nations. Now, Community Board Six has passed a resolution opposing on-street bike lanes anywhere within the district, for fear they may affect car traffic. T.A. members are writing and faxing the board to urge them to reconsider. Send a fax to CB6, 212-683-3749, or Write To: 330 E 26 St NYC 10010.

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Harlem River: Exploring the Lost Greenway
Amongst stripped cars and shoulder high weeds, a band of neighbors. Recycle-A-Bicycle students and an intrepid unicyclist explored the Harlem River Speedway Esplanade in January as a first step to recover the decrepit, unlit, and unpatrolled park. Opened in 1898, the linear park was designed for high-speed horse-drawn carriages. Cars now speed along the main roadway, but the pedestrian and bicycle path was closed in the 1960's. The vision of cyclists and pedestrians once again enjoying the Harlem River from 155th to 198th Street should compel both the Washington Heights community and New York City authorities to act. If you want to help, call Friends of the Harlem River Speedway Esplanade at 212-942-6910.

Queens

Francis Lewis Boulevard To Be Calmed
Plans are in the works to calm traffic on Francis Lewis Boulevard from Springfield Boulevard to 25th Avenue in Southeastern Queens. The broad street, now a magnet for speeders, will be equipped with a landscaped median and traffic circles.

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A Better Roosevelt Avenue Threatened by Councilwoman
Councilwoman Julia Harrison of Flushing is fighting against improved pedestrian conditions on Roosevelt Avenue at Main Street. The Transit Authority plans to widen sidewalks and subway entrances to reduce crowding at the Main Street Station, but the Councilwoman fears for car access. Most traffic, however, consists of livery cabs illegally cruising for customers. Harrison also has no ideas to help move buses out of the city's biggest bus hub. WRITE TO Councilwoman Julia Harrison, 39-15 Main St, Flushing NY 11354. Tell her that Main Street needs to be improved for pedestrians, not cars.

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Myrtle/Wyckoff Transit Hub Improvements
A Transit Authority/DOT partnership may turn a dark and unfriendly shopping strip under the elevated M train into an attractive transit hub. Plans call for new lighting, protective canopies, electronic signs that tell riders of approaching buses, seating, and a better sidewalk. Private car access would be restricted. Design and construction could be completed by the summer of 1998.

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Staten Island

Borough Commissioner Ready To Roll
DOT Borough Commissioner Jack Larson told T.A. that Staten Island wants traffic calming. He agreed to meet with T.A. again in the spring to discuss possible locations, and expressed interest in facilities for cyclists, especially commuters traveling to the ferry.

Bike Lockers at the Ferry Terminal
T.A. is negotiating with State DOT to install bike lockers at the St. George ferry terminal. Twelve lockers will he rented to regular commuters for a low yearly fee. T.A will administer the program, scheduled to start this year. The program will serve as a model for bike lockers at transit facilities all over the city. If you are interested in renting a locker, or want to suggest Staten Island locations for bike facilities or traffic calming, call T.A.

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