How do people leave their homes in the morning? Since Thursday, three people have been killed by vehicles in Brooklyn.

Early this morning, the Post reports that "one person was killed and two others were injured" when a van hit them at Avenue U and East 33rd Street in Marine Park. A witness said, "I was in my basement when I heard a big bang. First I heard the hand on the horn and then I heard a bunch of girls screaming." Then she "saw a boy dead on the street." The driver stayed at the scene; it's unclear if he/she was charged.

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How to take on home-improvement projects without using mass-produced, imported materials purchased at a big-box chain? Build It Green!, in Astoria, sells salvaged construction materials for super cheap, with all proceeds going to support the educational efforts of their sponsor, the Community Environmental Center. bignyc.org.

Life on the streets of New York City should get a lot safer for bicyclists and pedestrians in the coming months.

Last Wednesday, the City Council unanimously passed the Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Act, a package of legislation aimed at reducing the number of accidents and fatalities involving people walking or biking on the city's roads.

Though it was buried by another story, the City Council made news this week by passing legislation that will require identification and inspections of dangerous locations for pedestrians and cyclists, and action to correct hazardous conditions.

The Pedestrian Bicycle and Safety Act was unanimously passed by City Council yesterday, demanding the Department of Transportation identify the 20 most dangerous intersections for pedestrians and examine possible safety and capital improvements for these hot spots.

It will also require the DOT to inspect patterns of crashes involving pedestrians and/or bicyclists--requiring safety measures, if needed--and study sites of pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries over the last five years.

Tomorrow, New York City Council will vote on the Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Act, Introduction 567-A. If approved, the New York City Department of Transportation would be required to annually:

• identify the twenty most dangerous intersections based on their cumulative crash count
• inspect and analyze the hazards at these locations
• recommend preventative countermeasures to be applied at these locations and take steps to implement them
• report all of the above to city council, the Mayor and community boards
Subtitle: 
New York City is poised to prevent scores of injuries and save dozens of lives each year with a new pedestrian and bicyclist safety bill that would mandate analysis of the most dangerous intersections and the application of preventative countermeasures.
Release Date: 
03/11/2008
Press Release Contact: 
Wiley Norvell
PDF Version: 
2008/0311pedestrian

The year 2007 may prove to be one of the most important years in the storied history of New York City's development. In a future timeline of urban advances, it might be printed in as big a font and as bold a type as 1811--when the grid system was adopted--or 1904--when the I.R.T. subway opened. The text adjacent to 2007 could say something like "the start of livable streets," or "the bike boom begins," or "congestion pricing kicks off." It may turn out that all of those descriptions may suit 2007. The real question is, in hindsight, will they?

The death of a 22-year-old bicyclist struck on Queens Boulevard last week has called renewed attention to the dangerous corridor.

On Thursday, Feb. 28, just after 3 p.m., Rahman Asif of Jamaica was hit by a truck after riding his bike through two parked cars and emerging onto the boulevard, according to police. The accident occurred in Elmhurst, at 55th Road and Queens Boulevard. Asif died at St. John’s Hospital.

Police did not charge the truck driver, who remained at the scene.

Continuing Streetsblog's breakdown of the Mayor’s Management Report [PDF], we turn our attention this week from DOT to the NYPD section (page 119).