This Week: Help Improve Driver Education on Cycling

In response to the death of cyclist Jasmine Herron, who died after getting doored by a motorist on Atlantic Avenue last month, Brooklyn State Senator Eric Adams plans to release a bill to add bike safety components to the state’s required drivers ed courses. To build momentum, he wants to organize a group ride and he’s asking for cyclists to help do it. Should be a great opportunity to inform the development of this bill and make some important additions to New York’s drivers license requirements. Call in tonight at 7:00 to show your support for safer cycling.

Thursday should be a busy night, too, with a DOT presentation on the possibility of ped-bike safety improvements and better priority for buses on West 181st Street in Manhattan, as well as a panel discussion on how to restore the East River Esplanade.

• Monday: Join a conference call with Senator Eric Adams to organize a bike ride in memory of cyclist Jasmine Herron and in support of pro-cyclist driver education. 7:00 p.m.
• Tuesday: DOT presents its plan to improve access to Harlem River Park to Manhattan CB 11 and the Harlem River Park Taskforce. Early drafts of the plan included road narrowings and pedestrian refuge islands. 6:30 p.m.
• Thursday: DOT discusses three alternative treatments for Manhattan’s West 181st Street. Each one includes curb extensions, refuge islands, leading pedestrian intervals, reduced parking and a short southbound bike lane on Ft. Washington Avenue, but there the similarities stop. On 181st Street itself, one plan offers only left-turn lanes, while a second includes a protected two-way transit mall and a second includes a bus lane and a buffered bike lane. 6:00 p.m.
• Also Thursday: Lots of people want the East River Esplanade to rival the West Side’s popular greenway, but there are a lot of challenges to be overcome. CB 8’s Parks Committee hosts a panel with Council Member Jessica Lappin and representatives from the Parks Department, the Department of City Planning, and Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s office to discuss how to make it a reality. 6:30 p.m.

Keep an eye on the calendar for updated listings. Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.