Streetfilms: Broadway & Houston

10:06 AM EDT on June 27, 2006

Broadway & Houston
A Clarence Eckerson Streetfilm
Running time: 1:51, 7.20 MB, QuickTime

Just a few blocks east of where cyclist Derek Lake was killed yesterday, community activist Charle-John Caffiero tells Streetfilms' Mark Gorton how one of the busiest and most vital pedestrian crossings in New York City is currently being redesigned by DOT to become more car friendly -- at the expense of pedestrian safety.

"So, this eight foot pedestrian safety zone is going to be reduced from the eight feet that it is, to two feet, leaving pedestrians which are the majority of the street users here, having no space to stand" Caffiero says, standing amidst throngs of pedestrians on the corner of Broadway and Houston.

"The timing of the light is so short that they inevitably get caught on this pedestrian haven which at least gives them a little protection. That protection is going to be taken away by DOT."

Aaron Naparstek @

AARON NAPARSTEK is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparsteks journalism, advocacy and community organizing work has been instrumental in growing the bicycle network, removing motor vehicles from parks, and developing new public plazas, car-free streets and life-saving traffic-calming measures across all five boroughs. Naparstek is the author of "Honku: The Zen Antidote for Road Rage" (Villard, 2003), a book of humorous haiku poetry inspired by the endless motorist sociopathy observed from his apartment window. Prior to launching Streetsblog, Naparstek worked as an interactive media producer, pioneering some of the Web's first music web sites, online communities, live webcasts and social networking services. Naparstek is currently in Cambridge with his wife and two young sons where he is enjoying a Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. He has a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Naparstek is a co-founder of the Park Slope Neighbors community group and the Grand Army Plaza Coalition. You can find more of his work here: http://www.naparstek.com.

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