Gale Brewer
Streetsblog Basics
United Front of Electeds Join CB 3 to Ask for Protected Bikeway on Chrystie
A week after Manhattan Community Board 3 unanimously approved a resolution asking for a protected bike lane and pedestrian islands on Chrystie Street, elected officials representing the area -- from the city, state, and federal levels -- sent a letter to DOT Manhattan Borough Commissioner Margaret Forgione asking her to follow through [PDF].
March 6, 2015
UWS Residents to Brewer: No More Street Safety Obstructionists on CB 7
Will Gale Brewer reappoint noted street safety obstructionist Dan Zweig to Community Board 7? Families of traffic violence victims came to her State of the Borough address yesterday seeking an answer.
February 9, 2015
Victims’ Families to Electeds: End the Obstruction of Safe Streets on the UWS
Years of frustration with the leadership of Manhattan Community Board 7 boiled over at a traffic safety forum on the Upper West Side last night. Twice during the event, neighborhood residents who lost family members to traffic violence called on elected officials not to reappoint Dan Zweig, who has co-chaired CB 7's transportation committee for at least 15 years and blocked or delayed key street safety proposals.
January 22, 2015
What’s the Matter With NYC Community Boards
It's 2014. For at least 50 years, it's been apparent that wider streets don't make congestion go away. For about a decade, the work of UCLA professor Donald Shoup has popularized the notion that parking prices are key to the efficient operation of commercial streets, and London has shown the English-speaking world how to cut down on traffic by charging for road space. And for the last seven years, new protected bike lane designs have proven effective at preventing deaths and injuries on New York City streets.
September 17, 2014
Brewer and Rosenthal Bill Would Allow Folding Bikes in Passenger Elevators
Five years ago next month, the city opened the door for bike commuters -- or more accurately, their bikes -- with the Bicycle Access Law. That law provided, for the first time, a legal framework for New Yorkers to petition commercial landlords for bike storage space at work.
June 25, 2014
After Quick Work by CB 7 and DOT, Safety Fixes Debut at 96th and Broadway
After the deaths of Cooper Stock, Alexander Shear, and Samantha Lee at or near the intersection of 96th Street and Broadway shook Upper West Siders in January, DOT promised fixes to an intersection that locals complained had become even more dangerous to cross after a reconstruction project just a few years before. This morning, the city debuted those changes, including an expanded pedestrian island and new crosswalk.
May 13, 2014
Brewer: I Won’t Remove Community Board Members Who Impede Safe Streets
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer says she does not intend to remove community board members who stand in the way of transit improvements and projects that would make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. She expects new appointments to sway older members and make the case for street redesigns.
April 4, 2014
Manhattan Community Boards Want to Fix 57 Dangerous Places for Peds
Yesterday, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer compiled a list of 57 pedestrian danger hotspots identified by community board district managers and sent it to city agency heads serving on Mayor de Blasio's Vision Zero task force. Many of the locations in Brewer's list have a long track record as dangerous locations, including many where people have died crossing the street.
January 31, 2014
Brewer Asks Community Boards to Identify Dangerous Places for Walking
When it comes to street safety improvements, New York's community boards are usually in a position where they react to proposals from NYC DOT. Now, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer could turn that dynamic on its head: She's asked each board's district manager to identify three traffic safety hotspots, saying that she'll work with city agencies to make sure they're addressed.
January 29, 2014
What the Manhattan BP Candidates Said About Bike-Share Last Night
Borough presidents have limited power, but the influence they wield can still make a big difference for livable streets, especially by making community board appointments and weighing in during the city's land use review process. The four Democratic candidates for Manhattan borough president -- City Council members Gale Brewer, Robert Jackson, and Jessica Lappin, plus former Community Board 1 chair Julie Menin -- often sound very similar to each other, and few distinctions emerged at a forum hosted last night by the Center for Architecture featuring Brewer, Jackson, and Menin. But telling differences emerged when the candidates were asked for their thoughts about the bike-share program and the planning process that preceded the launch of the system.
August 29, 2013