This Week: West Harlem Bike-Share, Empire Blvd Plazas
The holiday season approaches, but don’t sleep on the Streetsblog calendar. There’s important stuff happening this week.
On Wednesday, the Brooklyn CB 9 transportation committee will take up a street reconstruction project that will add public space and make it safer to walk at two intersections on Empire Boulevard: at East New York Avenue, Remsen Avenue, and Utica Avenue; and at Franklin Avenue and Washington Avenue. From 2009 to 2013 there were 490 injuries at the two locations combined — an average of one injury every three days — including 29 serious injuries. The CB 9 transportation committee has supported the plan, but the full board tabled a vote when some board members and residents complained the redesign would interfere with their personal driving habits.
Meanwhile, this evening DOT will hold a bike-share station planning workshop for the area covered by Manhattan Community Board 9, which includes Manhattanville, Morningside Heights, and Hamilton Heights. CB 9 tends to put a high priority on motorist convenience — this year the board bullied DOT into watering down safety improvements on Riverside Drive — so if you want bike-share stations that go in the curb lane and not on the sidewalk, speak up tonight.
Calendar highlights below. Check complete listings for more events.
- Today: DOT hosts a Citi Bike planning workshop for Community Board District 9. 6 p.m.
- Tuesday: DOT holds a public workshop for “Access to Opportunity: A Transportation and Housing Study in Eastern Rockaways.” Participants will identify transportation challenges on the eastern side of the peninsula. 7 p.m.
- Wednesday: The Transportation Alternatives Upper Manhattan Activist Committee meets at 6:30 p.m. and TA’s Bronx Activist Committee meets at 6:30 p.m.
- Wednesday: The Brooklyn CB 9 transportation committee discusses proposed safety improvements for Empire Boulevard. 7 p.m.
- Thursday: Traffic deaths are dropping citywide, but on Staten Island fatalities have doubled this year. Dangerous conditions are owed in no small part to local electeds, who oppose common sense measures like automated speed enforcement and safer street designs. If you’re a Staten Islander who wants the borough to be a safer place to walk, bike, and drive, consider joining the TA Staten Island Activist Committee, which holds its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m.
- Thursday: The TA Brooklyn Activist Committee convenes its monthly meeting. 7 p.m.
Keep an eye on the calendar for updated listings. Got an event we should know about? Drop us a line.
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