Important Bill coming before the City Council Tomorrow - Intro 1063

Come to submit testimony in support of this important bill Oct. 8th 09, at 9:45am in City Council Chambers inside City Hall.
This was authored by Chinatown advocate Ed Ma with Councilman Alan Gerson and others.

This introduction was sent to CCRC by community leader Ed Ma of Community Board 1:

As a community advocate, I would make a testimony on "mandatory community
input for Capital construction Project", on this Thursday, October 8th, 2009, 10:00
AM at City Hall / City Council for public hearing.

This legislation, initially drafted by me, assisted and sponsored by
Councilman Alan Gerson, is to mandate that a public hearing could not be held unless DOT could conduct 6 consecutive community meetings within a 4 month period. Then permit would be issued to begin a public hearing on the construction.

Please join us for support, or you could make your own testimony also.

If the bill #1063 could pass, then all City construction projects in
Chinatown, neighbors and all City communities could have a public hearing through democratic process in meeting the community needs.

In addition, please share this news with your friends and welcome their
presence for support and testimony.
Ed Ma.


Int. No. 1063

By Council Members Gerson, Comrie, Foster, Gentile, Gonzalez, James, Lappin and Nelson


A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to notice of major street construction projects.


Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 19 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 19-101.2 to read as follows:

§19-101.2 Review of major street construction projects. a. For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall be defined as follows:

1. "Affected council member(s) and community board(s)" shall mean the council member(s) and community board(s) in whose districts a proposed major street construction project is to be located.

2. "Major street construction project" shall mean any street construction project by the department that is projected to alter motor vehicle volumes along the affected streets by ten percent or more.

b. The department shall forward major street construction project plans to affected council member(s) and community board(s). Each plan shall include, at a minimum, the cost of such project, a map showing the streets affected by such project, all traffic studies related to such project, and the projected start and end dates for such project.

c. Upon receipt of such plans, the affected council member(s) and community board(s) shall have thirty days to forward written comments, if any, to the department regarding such plans.

d. After receipt of comments, if any, from the affected council member(s) and community board(s), the department shall consider such comments and may incorporate changes, where appropriate, into its major street construction project plan.
e. The department shall forward either an amended major street construction project plan or notice that it will proceed with its original major street construction project plan to the affected council member(s) or community board(s) at least thirty days before starting construction on such project.

§2. This local law shall take effect sixty days after it is enacted into law.

Manhattan Bridge Celebration - Reality Check

Chinatown Entrance to the Manhattan Bridge, still a death trap.
CCRC ORIG. POSTED A STORY ON THIS IN MARCH 09, please see the older posting on the Manhattan Bridge


There is strong objection in the Chinatown community to the Manhattan Bridge Centennial Celebration which kicks off this Sunday, October 4, 2009 including some of the families of the victims who have been killed or injured there. We've lost count but believe there were 4 or 5 fatalities last year alone. In the shadow of the celebrations stands a lone white "ghost bike" a reminder of a young person killed while riding at that very location.
The city is celebrating a site where there have been decades of deaths in the community with the DOT to this day refusing to post signage slowing down traffic exiting from the bridge and alerting drivers of their passage through a thriving residential area.

Although community leaders have met with previous Lower Manhattan DOT commissioners, particularly after one series of traffic accidents on the Bowery near the Manhattan Bridge several years ago and expressed our deep concerns and cited its reputation as one of the city's "traffic hotspots". The commissioner said he would take a while to study the problem (one year) and came back with no signage. .




The DOT is hell bent on speeding traffic to the Holland Tunnel especially after the installation of the Verrazano Bridge tolls. To avoid paying high fees -- drivers unnecessarily drive into Manhattan dramatically increasing traffic congestion. One CCRC member's whose memory stretches back to the 1960s recalls her mother's co-worker's daughter's death while trying to cross Canal at Elizabeth Street after school on her way to her mother's garment factory job. Nothing has changed.



The Canal Area Transportation Study or CATS I and CATS II studied Canal Street traffic as part of a regional plan that started about 8 years ago with no end in sight. It's ideas, some that were laudable, have yet to be enacted. A study succeeds because it is followed by corrective action. Otherwise the failure to post just one sign, to give death a holiday, becomes yet another symbol of the bureaucratic inertia that cripples government. Do we study a problem to death so that by the time the study is over, the complainants would have moved or new people are installed in government who can in good conscience say, they are clueless about the issue. Post the damn Manhattan Bridge sign already.

further commentary:

One important factor that might have changed people's minds WELL in advance of this celebration is a definitive time line, and a definitive plan to once and for all FIX the problem at the Bridge. I attended Senator Squadron's rally at the Bridge supporting his attempt at getting a red light camera at the location, but many in my area are skeptical that that will ever happen. In the meantime the injuries and deaths may still occur.

community members in the past have suggested, what is known in Hong Kong as a "flyover" which is a pedestrian bridge that is elevated above the traffic zooming past the entrance to the bridge. With the idea that chinatown "needs and arch" this may be the perfect opportunity to incorporate SAFETY and a symbol into one useful fixture.


In cities in Asia there are far more pedestrians and far less deaths at the hands of vehicles due in some part to these flyovers.

the point is the community has met with DOT and pols many times over this, and at the very least some commitment is in order from the City.

Barring that commitment the president of the Board of Hamilton Madison House on which I sit as an executive board member, has also opted out of the celebrations, and has officially made a statement to the Chinese media explaining our position.
Jan Lee

and even more commentary :

It is important to acknowledge the ABSENCE of several notable Chinatown organizations from the celebration . Lin Sing Association, which is 109 years old, located at 46 Mott St. determined that the many horrible deaths that have occurred at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge is nothing to celebrate.

In fact today's Sing Tao newspaper, the largest Chinese language paper in New York, interviews family members of victims of traffic accidents at the Bridge. To date, after over a decade of Chinatown advocates pleading with the City and DOT to improve the situation at the Bridge , nothing has been done.

Following the lead of Lin Sing Association, numerous other clubs and age old support groups have protested the celebration by not appearing on Sunday. The Chinatown Consolidated Benevolent Association's board, in opposition to its Board President, Justin Yu, voted NOT to participate.

Justin Yu, however, is expected by many to make an appearance. Justin Yu's daughter, it is known by many in Chinatown, works for Mayor Bloomberg in his community assistance unit.

"Let Them Eat Dim Sum!!" Mayor Tries to buy votes in Chinatown with a Senior Breakfast

Invitation to the Breakfast for Votes Campaign Stop - hosted by Mayor Bloomberg


As if it wasn't bad enough to BUY votes in the Chinatown community, Michael Bloomberg has managed to co-opt a Chinese holiday (Mid Autumn Moon Festival) to do it. Today, Tuesday, September 29 at 9:15 a.m. Mayor Bloomberg slithered his way into and out of a dark, alley way entrance to Jing Fong restaurant at 20 Elizabeth Street, to avoid the chanting protesters at the main entrance shouting "Dump Bloomberg" and "Chinatown - Not For Sale".

Fifteen minutes before Bloomberg's entourage arrived in front of Duane Reade drug store on the Bowery, 5th Precinct officers drove a line of four, full sized NYPD vans in front of the protesters -- parking them bumper to bumper on Elizabeth Street to block the view of the Mayor from protesters. The chanting grew louder as news of the Mayor's arrival spread via cellphone contact with people on the Bowery. Protester's placards read everything from "Buying Breakfast = Buying Votes" to "Eight is Enough" and "King Bloomberg." One favorite was "Return Democracy," referring to his opponent's comment that "Bloomberg has hijacked democracy".



The Mayor has yet to make an honest-to-goodness meet and greet on the streets of Chinatown, his style is more akin to "let them eat DIM SUM. I can handle them from the podium, heck, I'll even pay for it."

Seniors received this invitation in the mail, advising them to RSVP and that seating was limited. Jing Fong restaurant seats over a 1000 people




Judging from the 1500 or more people lined up at 8:00 A.M., with many turned away, there were plenty to provide a paid audience for his campaign promises. Yet many had long enough memories to remember that for eight years, Bloomberg's policies have only served the elite while destroying the predominantly working families and small business community of Chinatown, passing policies, such as:

• A rezoning plan that has already caused dozens of buildings to be evicted of long-time residents
• Large rent increases for small businesses on city property
• Huge increase in water rates
• Continued Park Row street closures and loss of Municipal Parking shuttering and battering surrounding small businesses
• Installation of a Joint Operations Command Center without review that will further tighten "security" in an area over saturated with security cameras
• Attempt to ram through the Chatham Square Reconstruction with inadequate community notice or input, lied about the time line, distorted pedestrian safety focus away from the many deaths at Canal Street and the Manhattan Bridge
• Manhattan Bridge entrance still unsafe after decades of deaths and years of protest
• Renewed threats to install congestion pricing and East River Tolls to further increase the cost of living in Chinatown. Small storefronts dependent on frequent deliveries will be forced to pay increased toll costs that will be passed on to residents whereas the true cause of traffic congestion is not addressed which is --
• Government Parking Permits still abused despite a crackdown after a $570K DOT study found 145,000 legal government permits, not including illegal ones. Free parking permits one of the leading causes of vehicles into Manhattan, the majority of which are found in Chinatown and Lower Manhattan. Just last month the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau's officer in charge of the permits was forced out after reporters spotted a permit on his girlfriend's car
• Grand Street Bike Lane on a narrow heavily congested street
• Parents' loss of voice in their children's schools, "teach to the test" curriculum and inflated grades
• Scant communication between the mayor's office and the community; translated materials available only at election time

But as a few seniors told us on the way into the restaurant, "Sure, we're
going to enjoy the dim sum, but doesn't mean we're going to vote for him!"

From City Hall News "Chinatown pushes back against Mayor's reelection"

photo - city hall news



Chris Bragg of City Hall News
Sept. 18th 09

Closing of Park Row, Chatham Square development create backlash for Bloomberg

When he ran for re-election in 2005, Mayor Michael Bloomberg had few bigger boosters than Eddie Chiu.

Chiu, head of the 109-year-old Lin Sing Association social club in Chinatown, allowed Bloomberg to use the group’s six-story headquarters on Mott Street as his Chinatown campaign office—and the mayor proceeded to take upwards of 80 percent of the vote in the neighborhood, winning the overwhelming support of Chiu and other small business owners.

But four years later, Chiu said his feelings have changed dramatically.

Far from allowing the mayor to use his office, Chiu is now refusing to endorse Bloomberg, despite numerous entreaties from his campaign. In fact, he recently allowed an anti-Bloomberg group to hold a press conference at the group’s headquarters blasting the mayor.

“It’s very different from when he was running for a second term, to where he is now,” Chiu said. “A lot of people in Chinatown have had a change of heart. I think they’ll vote for Thompson.”

Bill Thompson has been trying to take advantage of the unrest, making several campaign stops in the neighborhood and holding a press conference at Park Row in late June to receive the endorsement of the Civic Center Residents Coalition. The population flexed its political muscles recently by electing Margaret Chin to the Council and unseating incumbent Alan Gerson.

A bike lane on Grand Street that further narrowed the already tight street is a major concern, but Park Row appears to be the main point of contention for Chinatown voters. The thoroughfare once connected Chinatown with the rest of Lower Manhattan, but was shut down after 9/11 because of concerns about an attack on 1 Police Plaza.

Eight years later, the street remains closed.

Residents say that this has crippled both the economy and the quality of life in Chinatown, choking it from the rest of Manhattan, with traffic often clogging neighborhood streets.

Late last year, the Economic Development Corporation, the Department of Transportation and the Police Department proposed a fix to alleviate the traffic flow problems: a $50 million plan to redevelop Chatham Square, a complicated seven-way intersection south of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Most Chinatown business and civic leaders, however, have objected to the plan since it would essentially make the closing of Park Row permanent.

They also say it was developed without hearing concerns from affected residents.

“We’ve made offers and proposed many alternatives,” said Jeanie Chen, of the Civic Center Residents Coalition, a group that advocates for the reopening of Park Row. “But the mayor’s office wants to do this without community input.”

Bloomberg appears aware of the unrest. In late June, he held a private dinner with 10 leading members of the Chinese business community and members of the Chinese press. Following the meeting, the Chinese press declared that the mayor had indicated he was open to reopening of Park Row.

But when reporters then followed up with the mayor’s office after the meeting, it denied that the mayor had made any such promise.

The Bloomberg campaign did not respond to a request for comments on this or other issues related to Chinatown, or about his standing in the neighborhood.

Justin Yu, head of the powerful Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association business group, attended the dinner. A Bloomberg ally, Yu said that the mayor had promised to delay the start of the Chatham Square development—it had been scheduled to begin in July—and had not specifically promised to advocate for Park Row’s reopening.

Yu, who is considered so influential locally that some people call him the mayor of Chinatown, said that though he opposed the Chatham Square proposal, he would continue to support Bloomberg because of the mayor’s record on education and crime.

“Nobody satisfies people 100 percent of the time,” Yu explained.

Others contend that Yu has divided loyalties because his daughter, Pauleen Yu, is the Chinatown liaison for Bloomberg’s community affairs unit.

And they say the mere fact that Bloomberg is speaking only to the Chinatown elite, rather than seeking input from the community at large, represents the mayor’s attitude towards its residents.

“It’s indicative of a selective, colonial mentality,” said Jan Lee, a Chinatown small business owner and opponent of Bloomberg’s proposal. “In colonial situations, government has chosen to speak only to a select few leaders. They stay away from the masses.”

Others in the community wonder if the unrest with Bloomberg is as deep as some of the rhetoric suggests. During the 2005 campaign, they note, Bloomberg made a concession to the community by allowing bus traffic to again begin traveling down Park Row.

But Lee said that while Thompson has been campaigning often in the neighborhood, Bloomberg had not yet held an appearance.

“He can’t walk down Mott Street anymore,” Lee said. “We will no longer welcome him with open arms. And he knows that.”

--
ABOVE: Bill Thompson has been nurturing support among a Chinatown community unhappy with the mayor’s record, gaining support from local leaders like Jan Lee, a small business owner and executive vice president of the Civic Center Residents Coalition

Daily News on Thompson's visit to Chinatown - Bike Lanes - his views

photo: Curbed.com
Mayoral Candidate Bill Thompson on bike lanes and their impact on businesses and communities.

Campaigning for mayor in Chinatown yesterday, Controller William Thompson promised to open up Park Row to traffic and rip out the bike lane from SoHo to Chinatown on Grand Street -- both big priorities of angry residents and business owners there.

But that wasn't all: He cast a gimlet eye on some of Mayor Bloomberg's big steps to take away space for cars and give it to bikes and pedestrians, like those snazzy bike lanes on Eighth and Ninth avenues that used to hold traffic lanes, and of course, the closure of parts of Times Square.

"All across the city of New York, you're hearing people complain about bike lanes that have been put in without consultation with the community," he said. "I would take the ones out on Grand Street right now, and I think then going back in other places and working with the community, where they should stay and where they should go. I think that's one of the things -- I'm in favor of bike lanes, but you can't put bike lanes in without speaking to the community. You can't put bike lanes in that do damage to the local businesses, and we're seeing that happen across the city of New York."
The bike lanes have been a controversial push of Bloomberg's transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, and have created somewhat of a backlash among voters who think it's a symbol of New Yorkers being shoved aside for tourists. (For what it's worth, the cabbie who drove the Brawl, the Post and the AP from a Thompson event to a Bloomberg event yesterday said Sadik-Khan's car-free Times Square has convinced him to vote for Thompson in November.)

Thompson didn't take a position on the Times Square closure, saying he'd wait until he has numbers to judge whether it has worked or not. But he seemed willing to reconnect the closed sections of Broadway in a heartbeat:

"A number of tourists are, you know, are spending time in Times Square. I'm not sure that New Yorkers are. And what's more important, what's it doing to the local businesses, particularly in a recession. Is it hurting them? So, we're reaching out, and you're looking to try to see the studies that are coming back. Is it impacting businesses in a negative way? If it is, then it needs to go."

Also see the NY Times CityRoom Blog on Grand St. Bike Lane

Sino Vision T.V. - eight years after 9/11 - Chinatown progress.

SinoVision T.V. link to their story on Chinatown after 9/11 - eight years later.
This is entirely in Mandarin

Coalition Against Rogue Riding gains momentum throughout the City

This op ed appeared in this week's Villager newspaper, gaining the attention of Transportation commish J. Sadik Kahn.

Talking Point

It’s time to put the brakes on rogue bicycle riding

By Jack Brown

Residents are increasingly concerned about the epidemic of scofflaw cycling plaguing the city’s streets and sidewalks. The prevailing anarchy creates an ongoing sense of jeopardy for many that deprives us of peace of mind and jacks up the stress level in an already high-stress environment.

The Coalition Against Rogue Riding (CARR) was formed by a number of neighborhood organizations — including the Greenwich Village Block Associations and Soho Alliance — to focus on calming the streets and sidewalks through better traffic management. CARR advocates an increase of an evenhanded enforcement of the vehicular laws.

In May the results a rigorous study conducted in April by the departments of sociology and urban affairs of Hunter College was issued. “Biking Behavior in Midtown” observed 5,275 cyclists at 45 intersections between 14th St. and 59th Sts. and First and Tenth Aves. It was found that nearly 38 percent of observed cyclists did not stop at red lights. Nearly a third did not use a designated bike lane. More than 17 percent were either riding the wrong way, or at various times both with and against traffic.

This hard data gives a representative portrait of what causes the sense of anarchy. However, it does not portray the multitude of hits and nears misses that have gone unreported over the years and that activate the adrenalin of the fight-or-flight mechanism and challenge peace of mind. It does not indicate the deaths. Professor Peter Tuckel is the principle investigator. To locate the study, go to the blog site “Commuter Outrage” and find “Academic Study,” where a direct link can be found.

On June 18, after addressing the Village Alliance (Eighth St.) business improvement district, featured speaker Janette Sadik-Khan, commissioner of the Department of Transportation, was given a copy of the study. Despite a D.O.T. representative’s assurance that the department would have a response to the study by the next day, none was forthcoming. Previously, in a phone message, an agency representative said that “enforcement” was the responsibility of the Police Department.

On July 19, the New York Daily News ran a piece about the death of Stuart Gruskin. Gruskin was a well-liked senior V.P. of Valuation Research. He grew up in New York and was a graduate of N.Y.U. Stern School of Business. On April 28 he was knocked down by a delivery rider cycling the wrong way on W. 43rd St. Three days later he died in Weill Cornell Hospital of head trauma. The bike had no brakes. The rider wore no helmet. The bike was without horn or bell. Rogue rider Alfredo Geraldo was hit with three violations. No criminal charges were filed. Geraldo has disappeared.

A $20 million lawsuit has been filed against the Call Cuisine Catering Company. Gruskin’s widow says that businesses that offer incentives for rush delivery bear a big responsibility. She says that the lawsuit is filed to draw attention to the need for regulation, responsibility and bicycle safety. The Gruskin family is also establishing a foundation to address this problem. Ironically, the suit was filed on July 8. This was the day that Commissioner Sadik-Khan declared that New York was the “bike capital of the world” after completing 200 miles of bike lanes.

The traffic safety department of the Manhattan South police command, which encompasses the area of the study, was informed of the findings. A plan was developed with Manhattan South precinct chiefs for a “sustained step-up in an evenhanded enforcement” of the vehicular laws. After two weeks, there were no measurable results.

Chief James Tuller was recently promoted from Manhattan South to head Transportation at One Police Plaza headquarters. CARR provided a copy of the Hunter College study. A request was communicated to Chief Tuller that he take the Gruskin tragedy into account and declare rogue riding a “quality of life” issue and “refocus” enforcement of the vehicular laws throughout the five boroughs. The response from Chief Tuller’s office was a suggestion that CARR work through Manhattan South.

The offices of state Senator Liz Krueger, Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh and Councilmember Jessica Lappin responded to CARR’s request for action. Kavanagh and Krueger undertook the revision of S7851, which had been introduced in 2002 by Krueger. The Vicarious Liability Bill makes a business owner financially responsible for the actions of a delievery agent. Councilmember Lappin is the chief sponsor of Intro No. 624, a similar bill that has been in limbo in the Transportation Committee, headed by Councilmember John Liu. Liu and Speaker Christine Quinn are responsible for bringing it to the floor for a hearing. If a version of this bill had been law and enforced, the tragic death of Stuart Gruskin might have been avoided.

There are places, such as Denmark and Berlin, where cycling is a well-established, lawful way of life. Transportation Alternatives — the pedestrian and bicycle advocacy organization that has promoted bike lanes, bike racks, indoor parking and other amenities — says it wants to double the number of commuter cyclists, currently 185,000, according to T.A., in the next two years. D.O.T.’s focus is on the establishment of bike lanes, which are causing controversy, and encouraging people to lounge in lawn chairs in Times Square. The neglect of enforcement toward a standard of traffic safety seriously calls the priorities of this administration into question.

The elderly are virtually housebound. Parents of young children are deeply concerned for their safety. Animal companions are in peril. The atmosphere of the sidewalks and streets resembles the Coney Island boardwalk carnival live-target paintball game “Shoot The Freak” — and we, the people, are the freak. It is a version of homegrown terrorism.

In a recent paper, “A Mayoral Directive,” Transportation Alternatives calls for the establishment of an “Office of Traffic Safety” by December 2010. Given the ongoing crisis, such an office would be appropriate. However, CARR recommends, in the near term, that the “moving violations unit” be restarted. This would not require legislation. The resulting enforcement would require will, commitment and common decency.

Brown is a founder of Coalition Against Rogue Riding and a former owner of The Hi Ho Cyclery bike shop, at 165 Avenue A.

COMMENT:
marybeth cornell has left a new comment on your post "Coalition Against Rogue Riding gains momentum thro...":

great article, jack. i am in total agreement with the cyclist madness in the city. years ago, you'd be able to walk the streets and not even think about bikes; an unwritten, visceral understanding of conduct that existed has completely disappeared. it's totally changed my mindset when i go outside.

thanks for the efforts to enact enforcement and bravo to offices of state Senator Liz Krueger, Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh and Councilmember Jessica Lappin, and Dan Garodnick. but while we're waiting on results, don't forget that we citizens can use our literal voices: "SLOW DOWN"!!!!!!!!!!

marybeth cornell
stuy town 

Volume 22, Number 20 | The Newspaper of Lower Manhattan | September 25 - October 1, 2009

Talking Point

Put the brakes on rogue bicycle riding

By Jack Brown

Residents are increasingly concerned about the epidemic of scofflaw cycling plaguing the city’s streets and sidewalks. The prevailing anarchy creates an ongoing sense of jeopardy for many that deprives us of peace of mind and jacks up the stress level in an already high-stress environment. 

The Coalition Against Rogue Riding (CARR) was formed by a number of neighborhood organizations — including the Greenwich Village Block Associations and Soho Alliance — to focus on calming the streets and sidewalks through better traffic management. CARR advocates an increase of an evenhanded enforcement of the vehicular laws. 

In May the results a rigorous study conducted in April by the departments of sociology and urban affairs of Hunter College was issued. “Biking Behavior in Midtown” observed 5,275 cyclists at 45 intersections between 14th St. and 59th Sts. and First and Tenth Aves. It was found that nearly 38 percent of observed cyclists did not stop at red lights. Nearly a third did not use a designated bike lane. More than 17 percent were either riding the wrong way, or at various times both with and against traffic. 

This hard data gives a representative portrait of what causes the sense of anarchy. However, it does not portray the multitude of hits and nears misses that have gone unreported over the years and that activate the adrenalin of the fight-or-flight mechanism and challenge peace of mind. It does not indicate the deaths. Professor Peter Tuckel is the principal investigator. To locate the study, go to the blog site “Commuter Outrage” and find “Academic Study,” where a direct link can be found. 

On June 18, after addressing the Village Alliance (Eighth St.) business improvement district, featured speaker Janette Sadik-Khan, commissioner of the Department of Transportation, was given a copy of the study. Despite a D.O.T. representative’s assurance that the department would have a response to the study by the next day, none was forthcoming. Previously, in a phone message, an agency representative said that “enforcement” was the responsibility of the Police Department.

On July 19, the New York Daily News ran a piece about the death of Stuart Gruskin. Gruskin was a well-liked senior V.P. of Valuation Research. He grew up in New York and was a graduate of N.Y.U. Stern School of Business. On April 28 he was knocked down by a delivery rider cycling the wrong way on W. 43rd St. Three days later he died in Weill Cornell Hospital of head trauma. The bike had no brakes. The rider wore no helmet. The bike was without horn or bell. Rogue rider Alfredo Geraldo was hit with three violations. No criminal charges were filed. Geraldo has disappeared. 

A $20 million lawsuit has been filed against the Call Cuisine Catering Company. Gruskin’s widow says that businesses that offer incentives for rush delivery bear a big responsibility. She says that the lawsuit is filed to draw attention to the need for regulation, responsibility and bicycle safety. The Gruskin family is also establishing a foundation to address this problem. Ironically, the suit was filed on July 8. This was the day that Commissioner Sadik-Khan declared that New York was the “bike capital of the world” after completing 200 miles of bike lanes.

The traffic safety department of the Manhattan South police command, which encompasses the area of the study, was informed of the findings. A plan was developed with Manhattan South precinct chiefs for a “sustained step-up in an evenhanded enforcement” of the vehicular laws. After two weeks, there were no measurable results. 

Chief James Tuller was recently promoted from Manhattan South to head Transportation at One Police Plaza headquarters. CARR provided a copy of the Hunter College study. A request was communicated to Chief Tuller that he take the Gruskin tragedy into account and declare rogue riding a “quality of life” issue and “refocus” enforcement of the vehicular laws throughout the five boroughs. The response from Chief Tuller’s office was a suggestion that CARR work through Manhattan South. 

The offices of state Senator Liz Krueger, Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh and Councilmember Jessica Lappin responded to CARR’s request for action. Kavanagh and Krueger undertook the revision of S7851, which had been introduced in 2002 by Krueger. The Vicarious Liability Bill makes a business owner financially responsible for the actions of a delievery agent. Councilmember Lappin is the chief sponsor of Intro No. 624, a similar bill that has been in limbo in the Transportation Committee, headed by Councilmember John Liu. Liu and Speaker Christine Quinn are responsible for bringing it to the floor for a hearing. If a version of this bill had been law and enforced, the tragic death of Stuart Gruskin might have been avoided. 

There are places, such as Denmark and Berlin, where cycling is a well-established, lawful way of life. Transportation Alternatives — the pedestrian and bicycle advocacy organization that has promoted bike lanes, bike racks, indoor parking and other amenities — says it wants to double the number of commuter cyclists, currently 185,000, according to T.A., in the next two years. D.O.T.’s focus is on the establishment of bike lanes, which are causing controversy, and encouraging people to lounge in lawn chairs in Times Square. The neglect of enforcement toward a standard of traffic safety seriously calls the priorities of this administration into question. 

The elderly are virtually housebound. Parents of young children are deeply concerned for their safety. Animal companions are in peril. The atmosphere of the sidewalks and streets resembles the Coney Island boardwalk carnival live-target paintball game “Shoot The Freak” — and we, the people, are the freak. It is a version of homegrown terrorism. 

In a recent paper, “A Mayoral Directive,” Transportation Alternatives calls for the establishm

ent of an “Office of Traffic Safety” by December 2010. Given the ongoing crisis, such an office would be appropriate. However, zCARR recommends, in the near term, that the “moving violations unit” be restarted. This would not require legislation. The resulting enforcement would require will, commitment and common decency.

Jack Brown is a founder of Coalition Against Rogue Riding and a former owner of The Hi Ho Cyclery bike shop, at 165 Avenue A.

NY1 Covers Thompson's new TV Ads and Chinatown visit

NY1 news coverage of Thompson's newest TV ads and Chinatown visit.

Mayoral Candidate Bill Thompson comes to Chinatown to Meet business owners

Senator Squadron on Retail Diversity in our district - Hearing on Friday

Senator Squadron, Chair of Senate Cities Committee, to host a hearing on Retail Diversity and Neighborhood Health
Posted by Daniel L. Squadron on Friday, August 28th, 2009

-
SUBJECT: Retail Diversity and Neighborhood Health

PURPOSE: To identify and disseminate best practices for supporting and facilitating the preservation and revitalization of retail in urban neighborhoods.

DATE: Friday, September 18, 2009

LOCATION: Senate Hearing Room
250 Broadway, 19th Floor
New York, New York 10007

TIME: 10:00 A.M – 3:00 P.M.



SELECTED ISSUES TO WHICH WITNESSES MAY DIRECT THEIR TESTIMONY:


Healthy Retail Development

• How can New York promote and facilitate appropriate retail development? What “best practices” should be employed?
• What policies should New York be developing to support small business in this economic downturn?
• How can New York promote retail diversity in both affluent neighborhoods and low income neighborhoods?
• What new and innovative policies should the Empire State Development Corporation be advancing to promote, develop and grow diverse retail environments in cities across our state?
• The statute authorizing Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) saw its last major revision in 1989. Are BIDs functioning as intended?
• Should New York develop Community Improvement Districts and take a more holistic approach to neighborhood retail development?

________________________________________
YOU MAY TESTIFY AT THIS HEARING, here is how to do it:
Note:
Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Committees at the joint public hearing should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. THE FORM IS A .PDF File that you may download and print at THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation. Oral testimony will be limited to ten (10) minutes’ duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committees will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to the Committees’ staff as early as possible. Twenty (20) copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk.
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John Liu answers Daily News accusations

The following letter was sent to friends and supporters of Comptroller candidate John Liu in response to the recent Daily News article which, in effect, accuses Liu of lying about his past experience working as a young person in a Chinatown sweatshop.

As one Chinatown resident explains "Historically many U.S. immigrants toiled at sweatshops or in sweatshop like conditions in order to keep a roof overhead and food on the table -- unfortunately it was ingrained in many to keep quiet about the long hours, low pay, lack of overtime or risk getting their bosses into trouble or themselves fired. Sadly such choices continue to be faced by many immigrants today."



Dear Friend,

We all know that sweatshops exist – even in our modern ethical society
– but no one talks openly about it, especially not people who have
worked in factories. And many people, including journalists, simply
do not understand how these illegal industries operate.

Today's Daily news article (text in-full at end of message), "City
controller hopeful John Liu touts youth in sweatshop - only family
says it never happened", is a case-in-point.

What began as a profile suddenly turned into a misleading piece of
'gotcha' journalism. A reporter asked for an interview with my
parents to talk about my childhood, and we gave her unfettered access.
My mom was very reluctant and embarrassed to talk about her
experience working in the garment industry.

After the interview, the reporter asked me for a paystub to prove I
actually worked in the factory. We attempted to explain to the
journalist how sweatshops actually work. Unfortunately, we were
unable to dislodge her preconceived ideas about how illegal practices
in the garment industry work.

Not all sweatshops look like a scene from 'Norma Rae' or other
Hollywood movies, with people toiling in neat rows in a factory
setting. These factories do exist, but in addition, some sweatshops
use overseas labor involving children as young as 6 years old. Others
– including the one my mother worked in – combined factory hours with
home-based piece work to maximize the exploitation and squeeze the
most out of workers: even after leaving the factory, the work never
ends.

Equally important for sweatshop owners are the weapons of intimidation
and shame, which keep parents from admitting they have involved their
own children in unlawful work situations.

For my parents and so many Asian parents, having worked in a sweatshop
is a shameful past and people choose to bury those memories. It’s
time we brought them out in the open and let people tell their stories
without being subjected to cynical attacks.

35 years ago, I worked with my mom – inside a sweatshop and at home.
For me, it’s not a shameful past. I make no apology for the work
ethic I gained from toiling away many hours in a factory, and I remain
as committed as ever to exposing and ending the sweatshop system.

I am running for Comptroller based on my record of accomplishments and
my fiscal expertise and my vision for what the Office can do. I am
also running to expand opportunity for the millions of New Yorkers who
don't have a job as well as those who work in sweatshops in the
retail, restaurant, laundry and many, many other industries.

Sincerely,

John C. Liu


---
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: "City controller hopeful John Liu touts youth in
sweatshop - only family says it never happened" - 8/23/09


In powerful new TV ads, emotional music plays over pictures of city
controller candidate John Liu as a little boy.

"He came here at 5, and by seven had to work in a sweatshop to make
ends meet," a narrator drones over images of women hunched over
machines in a crowded factory.

"Working in finance taught Liu how to account for every penny, but
working in that sweatshop as a kid taught him why we need to."

There's only one problem with the compelling story of his immigrant
childhood toiling beside his mother in a sweatshop — his parents and
two of his mother's friends say it never happened.

She worked at home.

"I never go to the factory," Liu's mother, Jamy Liu, 69, told the
Daily News of her 10 years in the garment industry.

"I just go there and pick up some material and bring home because I
had to take care of my kids," she said in an interview arranged by her
son.

As a young boy, Liu helped his mother work on the knitting machine —
first in the living room of the family's Flushing, Queens, apartment,
then in the garage of their larger Bayside home, his parents said.

He was paid 25 cents for every ball he spun on a yarn-spinning tool,
but Liu's father, Joseph Liu, 73, described that money as allowance.

"Lily Fashion pay her, and she give the kids allowance to encourage
them," Joseph Liu said of the company that employed his wife while he
worked his way up in a bank and studied at night for his MBA.

Liu, 42, rarely, if ever, mentioned his sweatshop childhood during his
three campaigns for City Council or after he became the Council's
first Asian-American.

The News found no references to his sweatshop work in articles about
him before this year.

But Liu's sweatshop past has been the centerpiece of his campaign this
year and is cited extensively by labor leaders and others who've
endorsed him.

Asked to list his employment history on a recent questionnaire from
The News, he said he worked as a "knitting-thread manager" in Queens
garment factories from 1974 to 1978.

"I learned first-hand why they call that place a sweatshop," Liu said
a recent campaign event.

When The News confronted Liu about the discrepancy, he insisted his
memory is accurate and made an impromptu offer to take a reporter to
Queens in search of proof.

Forty minutes later, Liu's mother met his car on Main St. in Flushing,
where she told her son she had mostly worked at home.

"Sometime work there couple hours," she said of the factories where
she said she did "freelance" work.

"Every style, I had to learn there [in the factory]. Then I go home
because I had to take care of kids."

Liu then took his mom and a reporter to meet Kwei Ching Liao, who
owned a garment factory in Flushing that was the first to employ Jamy
Liu when she arrived with her young family from Taiwan.

But Liao told the same story. She worked "in home," Liao said. "Take
home the piece work."

John Liu became visibly frustrated, frowning and resting his forehead
in his hand.

"I'm just trying to prove that 10 years of my life were not my
imagination," he said.

Liu called the next day to say he'd spoken with his parents about "how
our memories could be so different" and said he thought they may have
been ashamed of the sweatshop and hadn't told the whole truth.

"They were worried about how it would look for me that I worked in a
sweatshop ... They were not being completely forthright," he said.

A day later, his campaign gave a reporter two additional names of
women who worked with his mother, but one reached by The News told the
same story.

"She cannot stay [in the factory] because she has the children," said
Nancy Kuo, 68, of Flushing, who worked with Jamy Liu at a factory in
Long Island City.

Jamy Liu would bring her three sons with her to the factory when she
came to collect her piece work, Kuo said, and John Liu, the oldest,
would ask to use the machines.

"Just for fun," she said. "He thought was toy. He want to try."

Only Jui Zheng, 74, of Flushing, said she saw Jamy Liu work on a
regular basis in the Long Island City factory, though she was sketchy
on when or how long.

Through a Chinese interpreter, she recalled Jamy Liu worked at home
for a while, then in the factory, where she would sometimes bring her
boys. She said the owner occasionally gave children work to do and
believes she saw John Liu help out.

Liu maintains his memories are accurate, but his version of events has shifted.

He now says his mom worked at home during the schoolyear so she'd be
available to her kids after school — but brought them to the sweatshop
with her in the summer.

It was a different story than he told The News in an interview last
month. "Part of the year when school was open, we were latch-key
kids," Liu said last month. "We went home by ourselves and stayed
until 9 o'clock when my mom came home."

Still, he says, he remembers everything precisely.

"I was proud of the fact at the time that while other kids were
playing around, wasting time," he said, "I actually had a job, making
money, getting paid."

"Recycling" should not extend to the NYC Mayor's office - Sometimes NEW is better

RECYCLING fanatic Dallas Boesendahl has a bone to pick with Mayor Bloomberg. At the recent East Hampton Antiques Show benefiting the East Hampton Historical Society, the antiques dealer was offering customers like Beth Rudin DeWoody and Jane Holzer a choice of used shopping bags from Jimmy Choo, Gucci, Saks and Cartier to carry home their precious finds. The conversation went from recycling to junk mail and Bloomberg's campaign pamphlets that are cramming everyone's mailboxes. Boesendahl says he tried and failed to get his name removed from Hizzoner's mailing list. One Hamptons socialite suggested they hire a garbage truck and gather several tons of the discarded Bloomberg mailings and dump them in front of his townhouse. "Then he might get the point," she said. A Bloomberg campaign spokeswoman said, "It's all recyclable mail, so once they're done hanging the mayor's report card on schools on their fridge, they can toss it in the recycling bin." - FROM NY POST

Downtown Express Hosts a District 1 Council Candidates Debate

CCRC Says "Don't Hate, Debate!"

Express sponsors candidates’ forum


Downtown Express and its sister publication, The Villager, are sponsoring a forum for the primary candidates in the District 1 City Council race on Mon., Aug. 17, at Pace University. All five Democratic candidates in the race for the Lower Manhattan seat have confirmed their attendance. They are City Councilmember Alan Gerson, Pete Gleason, Margaret Chin, Arthur Gregory and PJ Kim.

The forum will be held at 1 Pace Plaza, entrance at Spruce St. near Gold St., in the multipurpose room. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and seating is limited. The forum, which is free and open to the public, will start promptly at 7 p.m. and end about 8:30 p.m.

The co-moderators, Josh Rogers, associate editor of Downtown Express, and Lincoln Anderson, the associate editor of The Villager, will ask the questions, which will include some written by attendees. Readers can also email question suggestions appropriate for all five candidates to news@downtownexpress.com (put “Forum Question” in the headline) or mail them to Downtown Express at 145 Sixth Ave., NY, NY 10013.

Bloomberg's train-fix plan Election Year Promises

From The Brooklyn Paper

Chatham Square - a new glass building,

The corner where the HSBC Bank once stood will now be home to yet another boring glass office building.
Architect David Hu has designed a characterless glass wedge. This matches the characterless glass sliver on Mulberry St. across from Columbus Park, which we have learned is a hotel.

The trend that was predicted by opponents of the Lower East Side rezoning plan is coming true faster than anyone could have predicted. Contrary to what rezoning advocates had said, the building South of Delancey St. not only continues through the recession, it seems to be accelerated. Chinatown, considered ripe for the picking is seeing its share of ugly towers sprouting like mushrooms.

Business Improvement Districts are a license for the City Of New York to IGNORE SMALL BUSINESS

What is troubling is that none of the solutions offered by the City's representative involved MORE enforcement from the NYPD or from the Office Of Consumer Affairs.

The City will continue to "visit" and begin dialogues, but now that the B.I.D. has been formed, it will not actually enlist its own agencies or call for more NYPD enforcement now that services in the B.I.D. have been privatized. As businesses frustration grows, the City will continue to "visit" and that's about it.

THIS IS THE DANGER OF B.I.D.'s. Neighborhoods and businesses can achieve more without them.




City to 47th Street BID: We Feel Your Pain
July 24th, 2009
From DIAMOND DISTRICT NEWS newspaper

The BID met with city officials regarding street hawkers.

Officials from Mayor Bloomberg’s administration visited with the 47th Street Business Improvement District (BID) to discuss solutions to what the BID calls the growing problem of street hawkers.

While the city is sympathetic to the plight of business owners, and acknowledge there is a problem, they say there are no clear-cut answers. Pauline Yu, an outreach specialist for the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit, is serving as the liaison among the BID and various city agencies.

During an interview with DDN, Yu said the hawker problem is a “first amendment issue” and that “our hands are tied.” However, she said the city agencies are continuing their dialogue with BID representatives to formulate “innovative, out of the box” solutions to the hawker problem.

Michael Grumet, executive director of the BID, said the important development is that city officials are engaging in discussions with the BID. “We didn’t have that in the past,” Grumet said. “That’s encouraging.”

Yu said she could relate to the issue. “I was approached by two [hawkers] on my visit. It was not a pleasant experience. It can be very frightening for someone. I am from New York and I can deal with these things, but a tourist coming here? It is frightening for people to walk down the block and be accosted. It’s a tough situation and I feel their [business owners’] frustration.”

Among the potential solutions being considered:

* Requiring hawkers to get permits or licenses. This idea has gained momentum among BID members. Several U.S. cities require hawkers to obtain a business license before they can engage in any business activity. An Internet search found that most require an application that includes a fee (it can range from a one-time payment of $75 to $50 a month). Applicants must also submit to a criminal background check. BID members are planning to send this information to city officials.
* Hire more security for the block. Some local merchants suggest that hiring more security would be fruitless unless there were laws to enforce.
* Turn 47th Street into a street plaza and restrict vehicular traffic. Yu broached this idea, but many merchants say with the number of deliveries here each business day, a street plaza would not make sense; besides, it would not restrict hawkers.
* Create a marketing campaign, i.e., sell the block as a place to visit and do business. The drawback, Yu said, “is you have to clean up the block first before you can market it.”

The city is listening. “We’re very sensitive to the BID and we’ll continue to talk to other agencies [about helping them],” Yu said. “We want to help the neighborhood as much as we can.”
The next step will be for the city to act. “We need the city to guide us,” said Keith Lipstein, managing director, ABS Partners Real Estate. “We employ a lot of people on this block, we’re a tourist attraction. We have to get their help.”

Ken Kahn, a BID member who is managing director of Kenart Realties, agreed: “Everyone is looking for money, but we’re not. We’re looking for help.”

Pedestrians Beware - Danger lurks on 4 wheels and 2

The late Mr. Gruskin


Contributing blogger and Pedestrian Saftey Advocate Jack Brown who resides in the Lower East Side of Manhattan shares this news with CCRC readers. Jack is pushing for intro 624, and he's far from being alone. Many pedestrian safety advocacy groups have signed on to The Coalition Against Rogue Riding, whose main goal is "responsible enforcement leads to responsible cycling". We applaud Jack for his remarkable energy and persistence in bringing about a City wide change.

We acknowledge the carnage of automobile related deaths that occur throughout the City and have actively sought out solutions within the Chinatown area, one of the most dangerous areas in all of the five boros due to vehicular traffic.

CCRC continues to advise, advocate, and assist in improving traffic conditions in our area. As recently as last month CCRC was acknowledged for being the catalyst to get the Parks Dept. to get its own vehicles off of Columbus Park sidewalks, and away from children's playgrounds - a formerly chronic condition, allowed to fester had it not been for CCRC's persistence, and Park's Commissioner Adrian Benepe's personal intervention.

While we work hard towards a reduction in automobile accidents, we must also acknowledge and advocate for enforcement of cycling laws. We are fortunate to have Jack Brown , an avid cyclist, former bike shop owner, and L.E.S. resident to lead the way toward responsible enforcement and responsible cycling.

C.A.R.R. will soon have its own blog, we will link it when it is live.
- CCRC

On Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 1:21 PM, Jack Brown wrote:

On April 28th, as he was crossing Fifth Avenue and 43rd St ,Mr.Stuart Gruskin, age 50, a popular Sr.VP of Valuation Research was struck by delivery rider Alfredo Geraldo who was riding east on the one way west bound 43rd St. Mr.Gruskin was knocked down and sufferred head injuries. Subsequently, although at first he spoke coherently at Cornell-Weill hospital, he succumbed to swelling of the brain on May 1.

Geraldo wore no helmet.The bike he was riding had no brakes and no lights.This is all the catering company who employed Geraldo has been charged with . Geraldo has vanished.
The fact that Mr.Gruskin died as a result of his injuries is relatively rare.According to the statistics published in the Daily News 11 pedestrians were killed between 1996-2005.However numerous people have been hit and close calls are too many to mentione.The number may approach the figures on the bank bailout from the financial crisis.

Mr.Gruskin grew up in New York City and graduated from NYU's Stern School of business.He was married to his wife for sixteen years and they had twins age 13.Mrs. Gruskin has filed a 20 million dollar lawsuit against the catering company that employed Geraldo. Mrs. Gruskin also is in the process of setting up a foundation that will address the issue that took her husband's life. She intends to honor him by dedicating herself to addressing the issue that took his life. Mr.Gruskin's organs were donated to help others live after his death.

CARR- Coaltion Against Rogue Riding has been in touch with Mrs. Gruskin We intend to move forward together to address our mutual goal of safer streets and sidewalks. At this point one goal is the advancement of Intro #624 also known as the" vicarious liability" bill -this would make a business owner financially liable for the infractions of a delivery agent-which is currently held up in the Transportation Committee of the City Council.This committee is chaired by Councilman John Liu. Mr.Liu and Council Speaker Christine Quinn are responsible for bring legislative matters to the floor for a Hearing and vote.
Inquires on the part of CARR in the past have resulted in either no response from the two offices or political equivocating.The death of Mr.Gruskin might have been prevented if this bill had already been passed and the approapriate enforcement on the part of the NYPD been in effect.
CARR looks forward to working with Mrs. Nancy Gruskin.She understands that sometimes a movement needs a person who has sacrificed for the cause. It may not be what her family would have chosen ,but given what fate has given ,they are taking the opportunity to render a service to the entire population of this city and all the visitors who pass through the streets and sidewalks.
One bit of irony. When Transporatation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan announced on July 8th that New York city could become the bike capital of the world the Gruskin family formerly entered the lawsuit.If that goal is eventually achieved New York city will likely have the Gruskin family to thank.
Jack Brown
Coalition Against Rogue Riding

Big Real Estate Loves Mayor Mike - Doesn't that tell ya something?

Big Real Estate Would Love Bloomberg


The story was reported by Max Abelson, Eliot Brown and Dana Rubinstein; and written by Ms. Rubinstein.
New York's real estate community doesn't just love Mayor Bloomberg. It lurves him. And it's greeting the news of his third-term bid accordingly.

A sampling:

"Love him," said developer and landlord Alex Sapir. "Let's keep him forever."

"It's the best news I've heard in years," said residential superbroker Michelle Kleier, president and chairman of Gumley Haft Kleier.

"I can't think of anyone who's done more for New York ... in my lifetime," said Howard Lorber, chairman of Prudential Douglas Elliman owner.

"I think he's the greatest mayor we've ever had," said Douglas Durst, of the Durst Organization. Mr. Durst even thinks the new president should call Mr. Bloomberg down to Washington to "straighten out the financial mess."

"I think the country needs him more than the city does," he said.

Thirty-something Dumbo developer Jed Walentas called Mr. Bloomberg, "the best mayor New York has had--certainly in my lifetime."

And Donald Trump said he begs the mayor ("Michael," to him) to run whenever they meet.

"Any time I see Michael I say, please run," Mr. Trump said. "I don't want to get into the details, but any time I see him. I think it's very important."

So what gives? Why all the love for Massachusetts' own, Michael Bloomberg?

First off, he's been a very pro-business, pro-real estate mayor. The expansion of 421a development tax abatement exclusionary zones aside--(Robert Knakal, chairman of Massey Knakal and another mayoral fan, pointed out no one is perfect)--the powerful Real Estate Board of New York has long held Mayor Bloomberg in a favorable light.

And, given recent events on Wall Street, real estate types would prefer a businessman like themselves take care of New York City. (Far easier to trust a businessman, after all, than an activist or, even worse, a lifelong politician.)

"Somebody who can run a multibillion dollar company certainly is capable of running the city--we need more of his type running the country, running the world," Ms. Kleier said.

Mr. Knakal agreed, asserting that "now more than ever, we're going to have to run municipalities like businesses, and I think that his business acumen will serve the city well in being able to deal with the tremendous deficits we're looking at."

"Without a doubt there will be reductions in tax revenue and there will have to be spending cuts and how those cuts are implemented in maintaining a balance between providing service and cutting spending is very much like running a very large company," Mr. Knakal added, "and he is very experienced in that area and has proven he can do an effective job."

All of the mayor's attributes aside, there is something to be said for continuity in leadership during these difficult economic times, said Stephen Siegel, chairman of CB Richard Ellis' Global Brokerage.

"The city will have many challenges over the next few years," agreed Jones Lang LaSalle's regional president, Peter Riguardi. "The great leadership we have had for the past 16 years with Giuliani and Bloomberg must continue as the real estate community is dependent upon New York having a tremendous labor market which will only thrive in New York if the quality of life is justifiable to the cost of living."

Questions of due process--whether or not it's O.K. for Mayor Bloomberg to push for overturning a term-limits law that voters twice passed--were generally pushed aside, with real estate heavies arguing that elections were the ultimate term limit. Except, that is, for Mr. Durst, who told The Observer that he would prefer the voters, not the City Council, overturn the term limits law.

Such piddling concerns aside, New York real estate overwhelmingly and profoundly hearts Mike.

Mr. Trump summed it up nicely: "Fourth term? Absolutely! I think it would be great."

The case for Fast Fleet government car sharing is made greater every day.

Michael Bloomberg in his first term as Mayor removed the partitions from office walls within City Hall and replaced them with glass to symbolically represent the "transparency" he would have in HIS City Hall. As we have learned from numerous reports about abuse of government owned cars, and more recently the Mayor's own S.U.V.s which until days ago would sit idling for hours, transparency is not this administration's concern, it's more about squeezing every penny from hard working NY'ers.

CCRC proposes the adoption of "Fast Fleet" car sharing for government vehicles as a solution to the abuse of public parking spaces. Had Fast Fleet , which is now used and enjoyed by Washington D.C., been in place the Seaport Report shown below may have been very different.

Fast Fleet, you see, would have allowed full transparency with regard to the time each government car had been parked, the purpose of the visit, the person who signed out the car, the agency who signed out the car, and most importantly, whether the car is being used on official business or not. After all THOSE ARE OUR CARS, our tax dollars paid for them, we maintain them, we should know how and why they are being used, and when they are abused we should have answers and solutions immediately.
This information would have been helpful in quickly identifying the precise offense and swift action would be taken against the abuser.

On the flip side, Lisa Kunst's information was obtained by a traffic agent immediately and efficiently and as a result swift action was taken against her. Shouldn't we have that "service" available to quickly and efficiently punish the government employees who routinely abuse their parking privileges?

Will Mayor Mike ever remove himself from the self imposed haze of carbon monoxide to GREEN THE FLEET? Or will he, as Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler explained, continue to provide this parking perk to government employees because he feels they are underpaid?

See Lisa's story in the Downtown Express, something tells us her story is familiar to all NY'ers. Fast Fleet can and will stop this phenomenon.

Volume 22, Number 10 | The Newspaper of Lower Manhattan | July 17 - 23, 2009

Seaport Report

By Janel Bladow

Mad As Hell, Mayor…
And we’re not going to take it anymore! That’s what many S3 residents are saying these days about the uncontrolled and outrageous takeover of our streets by city vehicles. On Friday night, one of the busiest for local restaurants and retail, Seaport Report counted more than 40 city cars in public parking spots (alternate side; metered — with placards in windows so that they did not pay parking fees) on Dover, Pearl, Water, Front, Fulton and John Sts. Most of these same cars had been in the same spots since 11 a.m. and were there when we checked throughout the weekend.

This has residents and people like Lisa Kunst, daytime manager of the Bridge Café, fuming. She drives to work daily because there is no public transportation near her house in Queens and she can’t afford the pricey parking in Downtown lots.

On Thursday, July 9, at 10:24 a.m., she walked with a handful of quarters over to Pearl St. between Peck Slip and Beekman where her car was legally parked to buy another two-hour Muni-Meter ticket. Looking up the block, Lisa was stunned. The space where she left her car was empty.

“I thought the car was stolen,” she told S.R. “Two men were hanging by the spot and told me that the car was towed five minutes earlier.”

Lisa, who has only two tickets, both scheduled for hearings, immediately called 311, which couldn’t locate her car for more than two hours. “What’s the point? I’m not even sure.” When she finally found it, she had to go to the tow pound at 38th St. and 12th Ave where 30 other people waited for their cars. While there, two people were given the wrong cars and Lisa finally got hers after 10 p.m.

“I’m really ticked off because none of the official cars parked in the spaces around me were towed. The sign clearly says ‘No parking 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.’ and ‘Two hour metered parking 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.’ I’m fighting it. My ticket reads ‘For non-parking M-F 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.’ which is totally wrong. I had to pay $185 to get the car, that’s without the ticket! Parking around here is horrendous. Every day it’s a chore for me.”

Lisa cites two other examples of parking laws gone wild in S3. One is on Dover between Water and Front Sts., a span that is basically unmarked between arrowed signs pointing in opposite directions. “Every day people park there. Every day people get tickets,” she says. “The traffic agent told us that it’s a sidewalk crossing. Ridiculous! There’s no sign! And where are they crossing to? A fence?”

Plus, numerous parking spaces have been lost over the last three years because of “Construction Site No Parking” signs on Dover and Front Sts., even though construction never began.

Meanwhile on Monday, S.R. spoke with resident Tracy Spinney, who has been fighting for his right to free street parking in the Seaport for more than three years. He’s attended Community Board 1 meetings, written/talked with the First Precinct, and lobbed complaints through 311.

“I’m doing the dance now,” he said, as he waited near Pearl St. for a space to clear. “Right now there are one, two… six, seven, Toyota Prius city cars parked around me. Wait… ten, eleven, twelve. All are in public or metered spots, not special city vehicle parking. It’s just maddening. You confront them and ask why they aren’t parking in their designated lot under the F.D.R. Drive along South St. and they look at you like you’re a moron. They aren’t treating the public with courtesy, respect or even acting professionally. Mayor Bloomberg says he’s working on the problem but it’s the classic waiting game and nothing is getting done.”

Spinney suggests all S3 residents go to uncivilservants.org and post photos of parking abusive city workers and their vehicles. Maybe then the mayor will really do something about this problem.

The Mayor Bloomberg Shell Game with Lower Manhattan

From the Downtown Express Letters to the editor:


Mayor’s ‘shell game’

To The Editor:
Re “Mad as Hell, Mayor...” (Seaport Report, July 17-23):

As we have long predicted, the temporary alleviation of placard parking problems in Chinatown would result in the problem moving into surrounding neighborhoods. The Bloomberg administration is playing a sort of “automobile shell game” with the residents of Lower Manhattan. And the problem will move from neighborhood to neighborhood unless and until the root of the problem is addressed: the uncontrolled awarding of parking privileges as a “perk” to city employees and affiliates.

Lower Manhattan residents must make government-issued parking reform one of the top issues for mayoral candidates in this election year. We must demand the elimination of the archaic and corrupt system of awarding paper parking placards and replace it with a modern, paperless, traceable parking-reservation system that we have presented in the Downtown Express previously. We must insist on the use of car-sharing programs using Zipcar-like technology, similar to that being used in Washington, D.C, to reduce the number of government cars on our streets.

Most important, we must ask ourselves if we want to give a mayor who has ignored these problems for eight years, and who has given himself an exemption from the voter-mandated two-term limit, another opportunity to wreak havoc on our quality of life and economic vitality in Lower Manhattan. The best thing to do when confronted with someone offering you a “shell game” is to walk away. Let’s walk away from any mayor who would play such games with us.
Jeanie Chin
Jan Lee
John Ost
Chin, Lee and Ost are members, Civic Center Residents Coalition

Council Candidate Arthur Gregory on Chatham Square

click here to see video:Council Candidate Arthur Gregory shares his thoughts on Chatham Square in an interview with the Civic Center Residents Coalition

City Council Candidate Margaret Chin on Chatham Square

click here to see video:City council candidate Margaret Chin shares her views on Chatham Square with the Civic Center Residents Coalition.

Council Candidate PJ Kim shares his views on Chatham Square

click here to see video:Council Candidate PJ Kim shares his views on Chatham Square

City Council Candidate Pete Gleason on Chatham Square

Click this link to see video:City Council candidate Pete Gleason shared his views on Chatham Square with The Civic Center Residents Coalition.

Downtown Express coverage of the CCRC endorsement of Bill Thompson

photo: DOWNTOWN EXPRESS
Chinatown residents group backs Thompson for mayor

By Julie Shapiro Downtown Express

Comptroller Bill Thompson got a boost in his campaign for mayor this week when the Civic Center Residents Coalition endorsed him.

Thompson joined about 20 members of the C.C.R.C. in Chatham Square Tuesday afternoon for the announcement. The location was no accident — one reason the coalition of Chinatown residents and businesses supports Thompson is because he opposes Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s Chatham Square reconfiguration plan.

Thompson has also promised that if elected he will reopen Park Row. The street was closed after 9/11 for security reasons and Bloomberg has said repeatedly that it should remain closed.

“I haven’t received that from anyone in eight years,” Jan Lee, a Chinatown business owner and C.C.R.C. leader, said of Thompson’s commitment. “Everything we as activists in Chinatown are fighting for is embodied in [Thompson’s] campaign. He’s not afraid to say these things.”

Lee also appreciates Thompson’s opposition of congestion pricing and East River bridge tolls.

City Council candidates Margaret Chin and Pete Gleason also attended the announcement and endorsed Thompson. C.C.R.C. has not yet endorsed in the First District Council race, but is interviewing candidates now, Lee said.

"Park" no more! - Commissioner responds to Parks Department vehicles on sidewalks surrounding Columbus Park in Chinatown

Columbus Park is a safer place thanks to the attention of NYC Parks Department Commissioner Adrian Benepe. Over a month ago, the Civic Center Residents Coalition reported objections to the Parks Department using the sidewalks surrounding Columbus Park as their parking area. This unsafe condition sent the wrong message to the community.

Commissioner Adrian Benepe has sent a letter acknowledging the problem of unsafe parking. He informs us that the condition has been rectified and that his staff has been instructed not to park on the sidewalks any longer.

The Chinatown community is grateful for this acknowledgment and improvement. The removal of vehicles from the sidewalks around Columbus Park could not have been achieved without traffic enforcement by the NYPD. For days, the NYPD patrolled the area to ensure there was sufficient curbside parking for the Parks Department garbage truck and towed away persistent violators of parking rules.

We are hoping the Park's staff will be able to plant trees in the vacant tree pits at Worth and Baxter Streets, as well as Worth and Mulberry.

The Civic Center Residents Coalition remains committed to pedestrian safety issues in and around Chinatown. And through the efforts and cooperation of the NYC Parks Department Commissioner we have achieved a safer park experience.

Thank you Commissioner Adrian Benepe.