Friday, October 22, 2010

NY TIMES reports - NYPD will crack down on scofflaw cyclists - a victory for CCRC, Coalition Against Rogue Riding and Nancy Gruskin

City Will Crack Down on Scofflaw Cyclists

By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM

Published: October 21, 2010

The New York Police Department plans to step up enforcement of bicycle safety in parts of the city that have seen a disproportionately higher rate of collisions involving bicyclists, city officials said Thursday.
The initiative, which would be aimed at common cycling infractions like running red lights or riding on the sidewalk, comes after numerous complaints about two-wheeled scofflaws and recent protests against new bicycle lanes added to streets in Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan.
“We’ve installed 250 miles of lane over the last four years and thousands of new bike racks,” Janette Sadik-Khan, the city’s transportation commissioner, said at a news conference. “We have been friendly to cyclists. Now it’s time for cyclists to be friendlier to the city.”
Ms. Sadik-Khan, a cyclist herself, has led the Bloomberg administration’s efforts to siphon off city road space from automobiles in favor of pedestrians and bicyclists, an effort that officials say creates a more balanced use of the city’s streets. Critics charge that City Hall has placed a stigma on car ownership and unilaterally removed traffic lanes for the use of a small minority of residents.
The result has been that bicycling, once a niche, even antiauthoritarian, mode of transport, has entered the New York mainstream, and cyclists and pedestrians alike are trying to adjust.
The city has issued 26,000 moving violations against cyclists so far this year, still a fraction of the 800,000 violations issued against motor vehicles, said Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s chief spokesman. But on the Upper East Side, Mr. Browne said, the most frequent complaints heard from residents had to do with bicyclists.
“You are having more incidents where pedestrians are getting seriously injured, or close calls, even if it’s in a bike lane,” Mr. Browne said. “It is probably increasing because bicycle use is increasing. I would think that’s part of it.”
Running red lights is one of the more frequent problems, Mr. Browne said, and police officials acknowledge it can be difficult to enforce these rules.
“It’s not always easy to do,” said Raymond W. Kelly, the police commissioner, who joined Ms. Sadik-Khan to announce the initiative. “Bicyclists move along at a very good clip. Particularly when a police officer is by himself or herself, it’s difficult to do.”
The announcement came hours after a morning of dueling demonstrations along Prospect Park West in Brooklyn, where there has been a neighborhood uproar about that boulevard’s newly installed bicycle lane. Some of the aggrieved believe the lane has created more congestion, while supporters say it has calmed traffic and made the street safer. Supporters outnumbered the opponents roughly three to one.
Ms. Sadik-Khan said the city had found that the lane cut down on speeding cars. The commissioner was asked by a reporter about protest signs that warned New Yorkers, “Don’t be conned by Sadik-Khan.”
“Lot of marketing talent there in Prospect Park,” Ms. Sadik-Khan said.
Opponents of the bike lane, however, argue that their quality of life has suffered. “Things have come to a critical pass,” said Lois Carswell, one of the protest organizers. City officials, she said, “have already declared it a success” before any formal review could be completed.
J. David Goodman contributed reporting.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

CBS News Reports :NYC To Start Recording Accidents Between Bikes, Pedestrians

click this link for the full story:

NYC To Start Recording Accidents Between Bikes, Pedestrians

The Department of Transportation can't fudge the numbers any longer thanks to the hard work of Nancy Gruskin and Jack Brown . For possibly decades now the Dept. of Transportation has relied on faulty data when reporting on the the number of accidents between bicycles and pedestrians in NYC. It's no wonder then that bike lane and cycling advocacy groups used this faulty data, without bothering to check its legitimacy, to further their agenda regardless of impacts to small business and resident opposition. It's dangerous when our City government relies on dubious data, it's even more dangerous when non-profit groups use that data to install permanent changes to our City streets.

Now that actual recording of bicycle on pedestrian accidents will be kept, at least while the pressure is on, seniors, children and the disabled community can begin to see hope in reclaiming their sidewalks, crosswalks and streets from ill-informed transient zealots.

NEW YORK (CBS 2) — Pedestrians hit and injured by bicycle riders – it’s a statistic that no one kept. However, after CBS 2 exposed the gap in record-keeping, New York City is moving to fill in the blanks.

In a city where pedestrians and bike riders are clashing, some advocates say something is missing in the debate – reliable injury data.

“Hard data on incidents between bicyclists and pedestrians, it’s a real missing link,” Nancy Gruskin, of the Gruskin Family Foundation, said.

Gruskin learned that the hard way after her husband, Stuart, was fatally injured by a reckless bike rider last year in Midtown.

As CBS 2 revealed in our “Bike Bedlam” reports, New York City hasn’t been collecting data on the number of pedestrians injured by bike riders.

After CBS 2 helped Gruskin get a meeting with NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, however, some progress has been made.

DOT told Gruskin the state has agreed to use motor vehicle accident forms to finally document accidents between bike riders and pedestrians.

It’s a victory for Gruskin and her bike safety foundation, but one that won’t come immediately.

The data collection won’t begin until next April, and the numbers won’t be crunched for months after that, even as the city moves forward with plans to build miles of additional dedicated bike lanes.

“I think they have an agenda, and they’re gonna push that agenda through,” Lois Carswell, of Seniors for Safety, said.

On Thursdays, the critics will call for the city to rip up the controversial bike lane on Prospect Park West. This being New York City, though, there will be a counter-protest by bike lane supporters, as the debate spins on and on.

“I’m very happy with the results of DOT’s work here,” one resident said.

While the city and state work to start collecting the injury data, bike safety advocates are working with hospitals to document the problem using emergency room reports.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

NY State DMV Changing MV-104 reports to include bike on pedestrian incidents

We just heard this great news from pedestrian safety advocate Nancy Gruskin.

Hi Everyone:

Great News! CBS-TV's Tony Aiello will be reporting on TODAY'S news at 5:30pm (Wed. Oct. 20th) that the State DMV will be changing their MV-104 reports as of April 2011 to include the data collection of bike on pedestrian incidents. This change came as a direct result of the "Bike Bedlam" series where we were able to prove that there were no accurate stats of bike on pedestrian stats in New York City. This represents a major step forward for pedestrian safety and the goals of the Foundation!! We are still trying to work on short-term data collection as the results won't be public for at least 2 years, but this is wonderful news for the long term...

Nancy Gruskin CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GRUSKIN FOUNDATION

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Entrepreneurship alive and well in Chinatown - Everything Frosted Bakery

Terri Lu and JohnWu are among the new generation of Chinese American entrepreneurs who have, despite being able to locate elsewhere in the City, decided to plant themselves firmly in Chinatown with their new bakery Everything Frosted. "I grew up here, my mom works around the corner, I went to school here, I feel very comfortable here."says Terri.

John has a similar relationship to the area "When I first came to Chinatown I lived on Bayard St. , then I moved around, but always in this area. Most of my life has been spent here in Chinatown."
"Being close to home was actually important to us because of the amount of hours we knew we'd be investing" said Terri. Chinatown, only minutes from where they live, was the best of both worlds in terms of being close to their community, and finding inspiration from native ingredients. Both partners knew early on in their careers that they would be bringing their talents back to the neighborhood they loved as kids.

Terri's background as a professional event planner for a midtown business laid some of the groundwork for Everything Frosted. "At my last job we had a primarily Jewish clientèle, we did a lot of Bar Mitzvahs and weddings, and some corporate events as well. After my career with that company I was inspired to do events for the Asian community because there are so many more traditions that I wanted to explore. Even though I know a lot about my own culture, I found that there was more to learn about what the Chinese community wants in an event." said Terri.

John's career began in a Chinese bakery. It was there that he thought to explore the larger repertoire of baking, after exposure to the various flavors native to the Chinese culture.

He wanted to eventually bring his knowledge and experience back to the Chinese community to see what they would think about combining his newfound techniques with traditional and familiar ingredients such as red bean, green tea, and jasmine. Over a decade later, and apprenticeships with two French masters, he has achieved his goal.

Looking back John recalls one of his teachers who spoke only French. "It was very challenging, but I picked up enough French from him, at least what he needed to teach me. I learned a lot from him. He tried so hard to teach me, that I put my entire heart into it. Within a short time he left that restaurant and called me to join him at a new place. That is how I met Bill, (the Whitehouse Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses.) The two chefs were friends, and I started working for Bill at Joseph. (Joseph Gurrera, owner of Citarella)" said John. Yosses who joined the Whitehouse in 2006 worked shoulder to shoulder with John prior to landing his prestigious position at the Whitehouse.

Whitehouse Executive Chef Bill Yosses and John Wu

John continued "I like Asian desserts and I love tea. What I learned from Bill is that I have to create my own flavors.

"I like to use Asian ingredients and come out with things people have never tried."

"You don't see a lot of bakeries with black sesame frosting. Over the summer we had a lychee frosting that was very popular."

John introduced jasmin, lychee, black sesame and red bean to many of his non-Asian customers who are often on a lunch break. 90% of the flavor combinations of cupcakes, which are appetizingly displayed at eye level, can be adapted to wedding or birthday cakes, jasmin cake with green tea frosting for example.

In the nine months since they have opened Terri and John's "hidden gem" of a business has reached beyond their professional Asian clientèle. With recent press and very active word of mouth advertising they are enjoying a comfortable level of success in their first year in Chinatown.

Everything Frosted is a full service bakery providing wedding cakes, birthday cakes, mini cheesecakes, cupcakes, mousse, and even tiramisu and banana pudding. John's desserts are based on traditional French techniques.105 Mosco St New York, NY 10013-4322 (212) 227-9828

Monday, October 4, 2010

Film presentation - Gentrification - Lower East Side and Harlem - Museum of the City of New York - hosting

NOTE: This image is NOT affiliated with the Museum of the City of New York, or this program.

Tuesday, October 5, 6:30 PM

In Danger of Extinction: Gentrification in East Harlem and on the Lower East Side

Residents of these two diverse, vibrant neighborhoods have long dealt with the pressures of gentrification and have struggled for affordability. Their story is told in two recent documentaries.

Join the filmmakers for a screening and discussion of The Lower East Side: An Endangered Placeby Robert Weber and Whose Barrio? by Ed Morales and Laura Rivera, with opening remarks by The Honorable Melissa Mark-Viverito, New York City Council, District 8.

Co-sponsored by the office of the New York City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito and East Harlem Preservation. This program is presented as part of the ongoing series The Urban Forum: New York Neighborhoods, Preservation and Development

Special consideration when you mention The Civic Center Residents Coalition
thanks to the Museum of the City of NY and Tom Reynolds.

Reservations required: 917-492-3395 or programs@mcny.org

$6 Museum members; $8 seniors and students; $12 non-members

$6 when you mention the Civic Center Residents Coalition NYC

Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street
New York, NY 10029

www.mcny.org

Monday, August 30, 2010

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

Our Mission
The Stuart C. Gruskin Family Foundation“Developing Safety Awareness for Pedestrians in Urban Areas” (click here)

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

Print 29

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.