The Streets Where We Live

Upper Manhattan Bike Lane Education Workshop Scheduled for Spring

UPPER MANHATTAN — Pedestrians, car drivers and bike riders will get a chance to debate the introduction of new bike lanes in Inwood and Washington Heights when Community Board 12 holds a workshop in the spring.

Members of the Traffic and Transportation committee decided to put off a public hearing originally slated for January, saying it wants to be inclusive of the entire community, including older members who are more likely to attend then than in the "dead of winter."

The committee has been mulling a proposal from the Inwood/Washington Heights chapter of Livable Streets that calls for several changes to the Upper Manhattan biking landscape, but has said it wants to hear more community input before recommending a plan to the Department of Transportation.

The DOT said that because the bike lanes would not be implemented until 2012 anyway, the board's delay in submitting a recommendation would not make a difference.

Read more about the bike lane discussion at DNAinfo.com. 

 

WaHi Residents Worried About Speeding Cars Despite Major Roadway Changes

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Despite radical changes made to a large intersection at the southern end of Washington Heights, residents say cars are still continue to present a hazard to pedestrians near the intersection near the southern end of Washington Heights.

Zoila Almonte, a resident of the area and member of the Mount Calvary Church on 162nd Street, presented a letter to the NYC Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) Monday, asking the department to implement new methods to reduce the speed of the cars in front of the church on 162nd Street, between St. Nicholas and Edgecombe avenues.

"Cars enter the block at such a high speed that pedestrians (seniors and children especially) are constantly at risk of being hit by one of those cars," she wrote in a letter.

Read more about the traffic issues and changes made to the intersection at DNAinfo.com.

WaHi Man Fends Off Muggers Trying to Steal His iPad, Police Say

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — A man fought off two muggers who tried to snatch his iPad on Bennett Avenue last week, police said, the latest incident in a Upper Manhattan crime spike that has sent dozens of cops into the area and inspired residents to consider patrolling their own streets.

Bennett Avenue has been a hotspot for crime in recent weeks, particularly robberies. So much so that when the NYPD dispatched 60 extra officers to the neighborhood precinct in October, they beefed up patrols on the stretch as well.

But the extra manpower wasn't enough to deter two muggers who jumped a man for his iPad the night before Thanksgiving.

Read more about the attack at DNAinfo.com.

George Washington Bridge Guard Reportedly Fired for Failing to Stop Suicide

Photo credit: Worldislandinfo.com

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — A guard on the George Washington Bridge was fired Tuesday after failing to stop a 19-year-old from attempting suicide  Monday night, according to the Daily News.

Angel Laboy was accused of negligence for not noticing that a college student had walked passed his booth and climbed to the top of the bridge in an attempt to jump 600 feet into the water, the paper said.

Police coaxed the boy to safety from his perch after receiving a call from his friend’s family who said he was on the bridge contemplating suicide, reported the News.

Read more at DNAinfo.com. 

Port Authority Mulls Barriers to Deter Suicides on George Washington Bridge

Flickr/Marcin Wichary

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — In the wake of several recent high-profile suicides at the George Washington Bridge, Port Authority officials said they are investigating new techniques to prevent such deaths in the future.

"The Port Authority is consistently looking at ways to update our suicide prevention program," Port Authority spokeswoman Jennifer Friedberg told DNAinfo.

Although the Authority would not confirm the methods it's considering, representatives from the New York City-based National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said there are really only three recommended ways to prevent suicides at bridges. They include fences, concrete walls and telephone stations connected to suicide hotline workers.

The George Washington Bridge already has phones installed along its pedestrian walkways.

Read more about the plans being considered at DNAinfo.com. 

Accident on I-87 Kills One, Sends Another to the Hospital

By Michael Ventura and Carla Zanoni

DNAinfo Staff

MANHATTAN — An accident on I-87 in Upper Manhattan killed one person and sent another to the hospital Thursday, police said.

Read more at DNAinfo.com. 

Upper Manhattan Residents Invited to Give Their Opinion on Bike Lanes

UPPER MANHATTAN — Bike riders, pedestrians and car drivers are invited to weigh in on bike lanes in Inwood and Washington Heights at Community Board 12’s Traffic and Transportation meeting on Monday.

Earlier this month, the committee postponed making a recommendation to the Department of Transportation after listening to a presentation on the plan by the Inwood-Washington Heights Livable Streets group, which had gathered approximately 700 signatures of support.

The plan includes protected bike lanes on Dyckman Street, painted bike lanes on major cross streets, an expansion of the Hudson River Greenway and Croton Aqueduct path and a more direct path between the Greenway and George Washington Bridge.

Monday’s meeting will not be dedicated to the bike lane petition, but the matter is on the committee’s agenda, said CB12 Chair Pamela Palanque-North.

Read more at DNAinfo.com.

Northbound Dyckman 1 Train Station Closed Until August 2011

INWOOD — Commuters headed for the 1 train at Dyckman Street Station had better wear comfortable shoes.

Starting Monday, all northbound 1 trains will bypass the Dyckman stop. The service changes are in effect through August 2011, authorities said.

The MTA says MetroCards will not be charged twice for any straphangers who exit at the last northbound 1 train platform before Dyckman Street and re-enter on the southbound side.

Read more about the detours and closure at DNAinfo.com.

Disability Advocate Sues MTA for Failing to Put Elevators at Dyckman St. Station

UPPER MANHATTAN — A disability advocate who believes that the MTA has not met the needs of disabled 1 train riders in Northern Manhattan filed a class action suit Wednesday against the transit authority.

James Weisman filed the suit on behalf of the United Spinal Association, a disability rights advocacy group, after he learned the MTA's renovation plan for the Dyckman Street Station would not improve accessibility for disabled straphangers.

"Without access to the subway, the MTA makes travel next to impossible for New Yorkers with physical disabilities and prevents them from getting to work or seeking employment," Weisman said in a statement.

Read more at DNAinfo.com.

Inwood-WaHi Community Board Backpedals on Bike Lane Proposal

UPPER MANHATTAN — A proposal to improve bike lanes in Inwood and Washington Heights received a "hostile reception" earlier this week from Community Board 12.

CB12's Traffic and Transportation committee said they wanted more community input before recommending the plan to the Department of Transportation, despite the proposal receiving 378 signatures of support on a web petition as of Thursday.

The plan, drafted by the Inwood/Washington Heights chapter of Livable Streets, calls for several changes to the Upper Manhattan biking landscape, including extending the Greenway path along the Hudson River to the northern tip of Manhattan, adding additional bike lanes throughout Inwood and Washington Heights and making the the bike lane on Dyckman Street protected, so riders won't be forced to bike in traffic due to double-parked cars and congestion.

"The committee decided it could not make a recommendation before it gets more feedback by others affected by the proposal," CB12 chair Pamela Palanque-North said, adding that the board will hold a public hearing on the matter during its upcoming Traffic and Transportation committee meeting Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.

Read more at DNAinfo.com.