Community Magazine September 2011

92 Community magazine New Traffic Plan for Midtown A new traffic management system in Midtown Manhattan allows city traffic engineers to monitor and respond to conditions in real time, improving traffic flow through the use of 32 cameras, 100 motion sensors and E-ZPass Readers at 23 intersections. The system, called Midtown in Motion, measures traffic volumes, congestion and travel times in the 110-square block area between Second and SixthAvenues and 42 nd and 57 th streets. The information is transmitted wirelessly to the Traffic Management Center, which can then identify congestion as it occurs and change traffic signal patterns to clear jams. The information could also eventually become available to motorists on their PDAs and smart phones. According to Mayor Bloomberg, it is the most sophisticated traffic management system in the country. Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications Commissioner Carole Post reported that previously, traffic signals could only be programmed to accommodate predictable traffic patterns like the anticipated flow of cars during the morning rush, without the ability to adapt to car crashes, constructions, special events and congestion. The traffic signals can now be used to evenly distribute traffic, or to clear blocked areas. The system cost $1.6 million to install, including $1 million in city funding and $600,000 from the Federal Highway Administration. More Sanitation Workers for the Coming Winter? The Sanitation Department is hiring 300 new workers over the next few months in time for winter. Sanitation union officials have often complained about a dwindling number of staff. The city is also trying to avoid the problems encountered last winter when snow cleanup was embarrassingly slow after a December blizzard. “Leiby’s Initiative” to Encourage Surveillance Camera Use Following the tragic murder of eight-year-old Hasidic boy Leiby Kletzky in July, lawmakers are asking for government incentives that would entice businesses to install more security cameras. Assemblymen Dov Hikind and Peter Abbate, along with State Sen. Diane Savino, introduced “Leiby’s Initiative,” a program that would grant a $500 annual tax credit to NYC property owners who install and maintain surveillance cameras. Hikind believes that if law enforcement would have had access to more cameras, it would have helped to track Leiby’s movements more quickly. The NYPD has often encouraged the use of surveillance cameras which they have found to be a critical tool to protect children and communities. Bloomberg Keeps School Cell Phone Ban In the wake of the Leiby Kletzky tragedy, some parents are asking Mayor Bloomberg to lift the ban on cell phones in public school, so they can keep track of their children. Students have been forbidden from bringing cell phones into school since a Department of Education ban began in 2006. The mayor, on his weekly radio program, recently voiced some support for helping parents know their children’s whereabouts through smart phones, but his spokesman, Stu Loeser, said the mayor will not reverse the ban, as cell phones are a classroom distraction. Mona Davids, president of the New York City Parents Union, believes that the mayor has no authority on the issue as it involves safety. The City Council voted in 2006 to lift the ban, which was also opposed by the Teachers Union, but Mayor Bloomberg vetoed the bill. More Bike Riding in the City The city has seen a 14 percent increase in commuters on bicycles compared to last spring, an increase of 62 percent compared to the spring of 2008, and an increase of 262 percent since 2000. The Department of Transportation counts cyclists at major commuter locations for its statistics, including at the Brooklyn Bridge, Queensboro Bridge, Manhattan Bridge and the Williamsburg Bridge. There were 18,809 cyclists per day this spring, up from 16,463 in spring 2010 and 11,595 in spring 2008. The past four years have also seen record low numbers of traffic fatalities, with a decline from 25 in 2008 to 19 in 2010, and in the last decade the average risk of a serious injury to cyclists declined by 72 percent. The city has also expanded its bicycle route network, with over 390 lane-miles of bicycle routes designated since 2002. Streets with bike lanes are 40 percent safer for pedestrians, and streets with parking-protected bike paths have lowered injury rates by up to half for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. The Department of Transportation runs the “Don’t Be a Jerk” campaign featuring celebrity cyclists giving rules of the road for cyclists, and pushes bike riders to take the Bike Smart Pledge, a commitment to learning and observing basic rules. Life in the Big City