Eyes on the Street
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Eyes on the Street: Super-Sized Ped Space at Deadly Sixth and Houston
Jessica Dworkin, 58, was on a push scooter at Sixth Avenue at Houston Street when a tractor-trailer truck driver turned into her path and crushed her in August 2012. After Dworkin's death, local residents clamored for safety fixes. Now more than two years later, and 18 months after proposing the changes to Manhattan Community Board 2, DOT is putting finishing touches on expansions to pedestrian space and changes to traffic signals in a bid to prevent future tragedies [PDF].
December 19, 2014
Eyes on the Street: The Fourth Avenue Protected Police Staging Area
Nearly two weeks ago, a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict an NYPD officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner. Since then, protestors have taken to the street on a near-daily basis. To prepare for protests near Union Square, a popular demonstration spot, the NYPD has, for the past two weeks, diagonally parked a large group of vehicles in the Fourth Avenue protected bike lane from 14th Street down as far as 9th Street.
December 15, 2014
Eyes on the Street: The Part of Central Park That’s Only for Cars
The Central Park loop now has a 20 mph speed limit, new lane markings, and shorter pedestrian crossings during car-free hours. The changes, implemented last week, came in response to two pedestrian fatalities in separate bicycle collisions over the summer. The park's traffic signals remain unchanged, and the park is still a shortcut for taxis and car commuters during certain hours.
December 1, 2014
Motorist With Now-Expired NYC Disability Placard Still Blocking Curb Ramp
And now back to Seaman Avenue. A few weeks ago we noted that motorists who obtain disability permits from the city can basically park wherever they want, even in "no parking" zones with curb ramps for pedestrians with disabilities. An unmarked crosswalk at Seaman and W. 214th Street, in Inwood, is a favorite spot for placard bearers, whether their parking credentials are legitimate or not.
November 25, 2014
More Arterial Carnage: Driver Seriously Injures Woman on Atlantic [Updated]
Update: A witness to this crash contacted Streetsblog. His account has been added to the post.
November 21, 2014
Eyes on the Street: When Will Inwood Get Its Scarce Bike Lanes Back?
As Streetsblog readers know, Inwood is the Manhattan neighborhood where DOT periodically and without warning takes away bike infrastructure. So locals were pleased when in 2013 DOT announced a handful of modest bike projects for Inwood and Washington Heights, including Upper Manhattan's first protected bike lane, and the rehabbing of bike lanes on Seaman Avenue, which parallels Broadway from Riverside Drive to W. 218th Street and leads to and from the Hudson River Greenway.
November 20, 2014
Eyes on the Street: SUVs Planted in 14th Street Pedestrian Plaza
"The Vanishing Game" is a Range Rover ad posing as a book. What a fitting title for this takeover of the pedestrian plaza at 14th Street and Ninth Avenue, a sizable area of which disappeared over the weekend under a couple of luxury SUVs.
November 17, 2014
Eyes on the Street: New 30 MPH Speed Limit Signs on Riverside Drive
According to DOT, as of November 7 the maximum legal speed on 90 percent of city streets is 25 miles per hour or lower. Regarding the criteria for exceptions to the new 25 mph default speed limit, a DOT FAQ sheet reads as follows:
November 11, 2014
Eyes on the Street: Greenway Link That Burns Up Kips Bay Condo Owners
DOT has striped and painted an important greenway connection on one block of East 37th Street, which received the support of Manhattan Community Board 6 last month. DOT began installing the bike lane this week, and the agency says the full project will be complete by the end of next week.
November 7, 2014
Eyes on the Street: Cabbie on the Hudson River Greenway
The Hudson River Greenway is supposed to be a place where New Yorkers can walk and bike without fear of being hit by motorists. But this is not the case, as regular greenway users are well aware. Caught on camera today by Shelly Mossey, this cab driver was on the bikeway to the south of the NYPD tow pound.
November 4, 2014