Monday, August 30, 2010

Nancy Gruskin and family start a foundation dedicated to NYC pedestrian safety

The mission of the Stuart C. Gruskin Family Foundation is to effect positive change in the lives of individuals in urban areas by creating safer roadways and infrastructures for pedestrians.
This foundation was established on April 22, 2010 in memory of Stuart C. Gruskin who was struck and tragically killed by a bicycle deliveryman going the wrong way on a one-way street in New York City on April 28, 2009.
Stuart C. Gruskin was a loving husband and father who worked tirelessly on behalf of his family, friends and community
He was a very successful Senior Vice-President of Valuation Research in New York City whose principled and honest approach to people were in an integral part of his work ethic. He was a member of Temple Emanuel in Westfield, NJ and was committed to humanitarian causes including caring for the homeless. 
We, as a family, decided to honor his memory and his love of New York City by helping to ensure
the safety and lives of millions.
The Foundation is committed to the advancement of pedestrian safety utilizing avenues including:
  • Advocacy for innovative legislation; Support for public awareness campaigns;
  • Work with elected officials to ensure the enforcement of laws and regulations;
  • Financial support to victims of pedestrian and cycling accidents, as identified by the Foundation’s Directors;
  • Collaboration with like-minded organizations, public institutions and government agencies.
  • Please note we do not accept unsolicited requests for funding.

NYC Dept. of Transportation used faulty data to make their case for more bike lanes

Veteran CBS news reporter Tony Aiello revealed that the NYC D.O.T. has for years based their decisions on traffic patterns, bike lanes, and cycling policies on faulty injury statistics. Cult-like bike zombie followers of Sadik-Con were forced to acknowledge the D.O.T.'s faulty stats..
Here is what veteran reporter Tony Aiello (a real journalist, not a blogger with a fake name) reported on Aug 27th 2010


DOT Apologizes For Reporting False Bike Accident Info

August 27, 2010 6:15 PM
NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 10:  Bicycle commuters make their way across the Brooklyn Bridge November 10, 2009 in New York City.  (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 10: Bicycle commuters make their way across the Brooklyn Bridge November 10, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK (CBS 2) – A pedestrian safety advocate is outraged after New York City released inaccurate information about pedestrian injuries caused by bike riders.
The anger came in response to last week’s “Bike Bedlam” series on CBS 2, reports Tony Aiello.
When she lost her husband, Nancy Gruskin gained a mission.
“I’m not here to say, ‘take the bikes of the road,’ not here to say biking isn’t great,” Gruskin said.
Her mission is a foundation dedicated to safe streets in the city. Last year, Gruskin’s husband, Stuart, suffered a fatal head injury when a bicycle rider plowed into him.
Two days after CBS 2 featured Gruskin in the “Bike Bedlam” reports, the city Department of Transportation releases statistics claiming pedestrian injuries in crashes with cyclists plummeted 62 percent since 2001.
Now, though, the DOT is backpedaling, admitting the numbers it released were wrong.
It turns out those numbers have nothing to do with bike vs. pedestrian accidents – they’re from motor vehicle accidents in which bikers and pedestrians were also injured.
When bikes hit pedestrians, no agency collects the incident reports or analyzes them.
Gruskin said she knew that, but the DOT apparently did not.
“It’s an outrage, because it’s all about pedestrian safety, and how can you ensure pedestrian safety if you can’t ensure accurate numbers?” Gruskin said.
On Friday, the DOT told CBS 2 they “regret this error and any confusion it may have caused.”
The city is seeking to improve data collection to be as responsive as possible to all traffic safety issues.
When Gruskin wrote the mayor last year to ask for help with bicycle safety, DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan replied with a form letter – it was addressed to Gruskin’s dead husband, Stuart.
“How much more could you be kicked in the stomach?” Gruskin said. “That’s exactly how I felt when I opened the letter from the Department of Transportation.”
Gruskin wrote again this week, and hopes her letter is treated with more respect this time.
Gruskin wants to meet with the DOT commissioner to discuss ways the city could collect accurate statistics on bicycle vs. pedestrian accidents.

NYC Dept. of Transportation used faulty data to make their case for more bike lanes

Veteran CBS news reporter Tony Aiello revealed that the NYC D.O.T. has for years based their decisions on traffic patterns, bike lanes, and cycling policies on faulty injury statistics. Cult-like bike zombie followers of Sadik-Con were forced to acknowledge the D.O.T.'s faulty stats..
Here is what veteran reporter Tony Aiello (a real journalist, not a blooger with a fake name) reported on Aug 27th 2010

DOT Apologizes For Reporting False Bike Accident Info

August 27, 2010 6:15 PM
NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 10:  Bicycle commuters make their way across the Brooklyn Bridge November 10, 2009 in New York City.  (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 10: Bicycle commuters make their way across the Brooklyn Bridge November 10, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK (CBS 2) – A pedestrian safety advocate is outraged after New York City released inaccurate information about pedestrian injuries caused by bike riders.
The anger came in response to last week’s “Bike Bedlam” series on CBS 2, reports Tony Aiello.
When she lost her husband, Nancy Gruskin gained a mission.
“I’m not here to say, ‘take the bikes of the road,’ not here to say biking isn’t great,” Gruskin said.
Her mission is a foundation dedicated to safe streets in the city. Last year, Gruskin’s husband, Stuart, suffered a fatal head injury when a bicycle rider plowed into him.
Two days after CBS 2 featured Gruskin in the “Bike Bedlam” reports, the city Department of Transportation releases statistics claiming pedestrian injuries in crashes with cyclists plummeted 62 percent since 2001.
Now, though, the DOT is backpedaling, admitting the numbers it released were wrong.
It turns out those numbers have nothing to do with bike vs. pedestrian accidents – they’re from motor vehicle accidents in which bikers and pedestrians were also injured.
When bikes hit pedestrians, no agency collects the incident reports or analyzes them.
Gruskin said she knew that, but the DOT apparently did not.
“It’s an outrage, because it’s all about pedestrian safety, and how can you ensure pedestrian safety if you can’t ensure accurate numbers?” Gruskin said.
On Friday, the DOT told CBS 2 they “regret this error and any confusion it may have caused.”
The city is seeking to improve data collection to be as responsive as possible to all traffic safety issues.
When Gruskin wrote the mayor last year to ask for help with bicycle safety, DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan replied with a form letter – it was addressed to Gruskin’s dead husband, Stuart.
“How much more could you be kicked in the stomach?” Gruskin said. “That’s exactly how I felt when I opened the letter from the Department of Transportation.”
Gruskin wrote again this week, and hopes her letter is treated with more respect this time.
Gruskin wants to meet with the DOT commissioner to discuss ways the city could collect accurate statistics on bicycle vs. pedestrian accidents.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Get ready, New York will soon have more commercial space for rent - American Apparel is going down, finally.

Founder Dov Charney's support for an illegal immigrant amnesty was followed by a raid on his LA factory
photo: THE INDEPENDENT
With $91 million in debt, it's unlikely that the favorite underwear supplier to the City's hipsters will recover.

As founder and CEO of American Apparel, Dov Charney says  "Hipsters are from a certain time period. The stereotype of a hipster is not something people aspire to anymore. Do you want to be a hipster? Nobody wants to be a hipster." 


Too bad Charney couldn't figure that one out $91 million ago.


Now if we can only get rid of Starbucks.