Transportation Committee Panel - 2019
Introduction: Court Square Civic Association
Level set on demographics — Census data (NYC Planning Population FactFinder) for Long Island City (south of the Queensboro Bridge):
11% drive alone to work, compared to 32% in Queens generally, and 22% in Manhattan
80% take public transportation to work, compared to 52% in Queens generally, and 57% in Manhattan
Trending — in 2010, 15% drove alone to work, now it is 11%. In 2010, 72% took public transportation to work, now it is 80%
Panel Question 1: The biggest topic people seem to have interest on is pedestrian safety and dangerous driving, can you discuss this within your organization or agency?
Jeannette (LICP): My role at LICP is to improve the ‘public realm’ and knit the community together; in particular, pedestrian safety and vision zero are very important. We work very closely with everybody on the panel, and when a local business or resident flags a particular issue we work with the local Precinct or NYC agency. We are proud of the relationships we’ve established including at DOT and in particular John has been very responsive.
John (DOT): CSCA & LIC Partnership are very good at relaying concerns to me as a DOT Planner for this area. Unfortunately, as a DOT Planner, I don’t have access to Capital Funds, for any projects requiring capital improvements, typically called a SIP (Street Improvement Project) which DOT undertakes ~100 such projects annually.
I do understand the DOT Operational Units pretty well however and have a decent record getting new speed bumps placed, or signals. My job is to be your neighborhood advocate within DOT.
DOT acknowledges the neighborhood Court Square in LIC is a dramatically different area compared to a decade ago, and the road designs do not reflect the pedestrian density. As a DOT Planner we have many open signal studies to see where we can put in new signals, speed bumps, and we are also looking at ponding improvements and new pedestrian ramps to be reconstructed, all necessary improvements to improve the walking culture.
I am also aware of and don’t have the ability to speak tonight for the request for enhanced bike infrastructure for the neighborhood, however as the face of DOT tonight I want to say we care very much about safety, and was also the primary contact for the 43rd / Skillman Bike Lane project.
Sheila (CB2): Before I comment, I’d like to take time to explain how Community Board 2 works, as CB2 is different than a government agency or a non-profit such as Transportation Alternatives. For CB2, volunteers within the community apply to be on the Board, and are appointed by the Councilman or Queensborough President. We volunteer a lot of time, and are really there to be representatives of the different parts of the Community Board area which is very vast and diverse.
Court Square is certainly the part of the fastest residential growth within CB2, however we still have a lot of industry is this area which includes truckers and trucking routes. Our job is to hear from everybody, we take lots of suggestions, and typically don’t go straight to DOT or the Councilmember office but try to review all feedback and then vote whether to provide letters of support or not, for studies, bike lanes, or other improvements.
The dedicated pedestrian walkway idea for QBB for example involving a dedicated bike lane and pedestrian walk way came from the Community Board 2 Transportation Committee.
I know the LIC Partnership also struggles with this tricky balance regarding the ‘industrial’ nature of the neighborhood and residential growth. I try to support the community the best I can, and often times John and I will walk around the neighborhood to look at specific sites. We look at the list of requests from CSCA and know there are many comprehensive plans and capital projects in the works that are underway, but unfortunately they can take too long to implement. People often ask for improvements now, and we try to push and ask for what projects can be jumped ahead.
CB2 ingests all the information from everybody, whether they are drivers, truckers, or pedestrians. With regards to the data mentioned at the beginning, it’s important to understand that data is representative of local residents in the area, but it doesn’t account for all the outside businesses that come in this neighborhood as we are a business neighborhood as well.
Mark (MTA /Bus): As someone representing the NY Transit System and in particular the bus system, safety is our primary concern. Over the last four years we have reduced the number of pedestrian accidents, this year we are at zero fatalities. Last year, we were at low single digits.
Safety is something we pride ourselves on, and we constantly send bus operators to be re-certified on safety training, which is validated by both state & federal authorities. Every one of our new buses will come with a “pedestrian turn warning system” that will announce when a bus is turning.
It can be a bit annoying for some, but it’s vital we implement these types of system for safety.
Juan (TA): As someone coming with an advocacy lens at transportation safety, I think it’s important that you bring together all the right folks, many of which are on this panel. Often times you will see the ‘squeakiest’ wheel gets the grease. Coming to MoMA PS1 tonight, I was shocked to see there is no crosswalk across MoMA PS1 for Jackson Ave for example.
Our approach to getting things done is to ‘fill in the cracks’, whether that means authoring an Op-Ed, or organizing a local rally, my job as an Organizer is to make sure nothing gets forgotten, but unfortunately things do slip through and crashes happen. People die. We try to keep things in the Media.
Matt (Councilman Van Bramer): I’d like to discuss two things the Councilman Office worked on with TA:
1. Sidewalk Parking – Everyone knows how epidemic it is in LIC and Court Square, whether they are Placard users or construction vehicles, people park too much on the sidewalk. The Councilman has done press conferences on this topic, we’ve asked the Police Dept to do more enforcement, but it feels that nothing has changed. The NYPD should tow construction workers who park on sidewalks [and medians – “audience comment]. It’s obvious their convenience is endangering safety, and it’s nothing less than an outrage. We’ve tried to call on agencies to fix the change and will continue to advocate for Solutions.
2. Extensive Bike Lanes in LIC – This is a topic we have advocated for. Our streets are a merger of ‘everyone’, everyone comes to the streets and in order to make them safe, we need to focus on things that can predictably make them safe. If one looks at information how to make streets safer, protected bike lanes do that, that a ‘painted’ bike lane does not. In large part, we are not giving space or prioritizing bicycle, although it’s important encourage different modes of transportation, but protected bike lanes slows cars down and gives less space for cars to speed, which makes streets safer for everyone. That’s’ why we proposed a robust network of bike lanes in LIC, because we know it will make everyone safer and that’s the most important thing to keep in mind, caring about people’s safety, not increasing the speed of cars to get to Point A to Point B.
Panel Question 2: Can we talk about Jackson Ave? Many of us have seen the Power Point regarding some proposals, but we have not seen many changes. Some parts for example by Jackson Ave & Pulaski Bridge have not improved. Can you talk about this corridor as well as the process?
Jeannette (LICP): One challenge people need to understand is that Jackson Ave is a truck route, but now it’s also a residential route. So how does one turn a truck route into a main street? About 10 years ago, the City put in the medians on Jackson Ave, and even the tree species they planted on the medians are tall and skinny, specifically designed to not interfere with tall trucks.
Now, we desire more are looking at crosswalks which require DOT cutting through concrete and is thus a capital-related expense. About 1-2 years ago, the LIC Partnership pulled together all the adjacent property owners and asked them for their input on how best we can make this corridor safer for people who lived and work here. We put together a list of comprehensive proposals and then shared them with DOT, the elected officials and Community Board 2.
We have informed CB2 of the capital request, which they will consider as part of their District Needs priorities, but in the meantime we also have been trying to do all the short-term interim fixes we can, and try to be as creative as possible.
Some requests have been rejected by DOT. For example, we’ve turning radius studies where it doesn’t meet the standard that would allow DOT to implement bumped out pedestrian sidewalks. Rather than waiting 18 months to put another request for pedestrian counts, we are exploring what other options there are. What can we do to be creative? For example, can we install a DOT bench where cars are parking on the sidewalk?
We also want to support businesses and make sure folks have access to their loading docks. The Court Square area in also is home to a number of businesses. Here is a mixed-use neighborhood, and that is great. In fact we have higher job growth than the City has as a whole, and these are good jobs that you can support a family on. I like the idea of a neighborhood bike study, but let’s look at the complete street and look at all the users to see what we can do to support everybody.
John (DOT): Prior to my current job as a DOT Planner, I worked in the markings department. Today striping [for crosswalks] are done by a private contractor and my job was to make sure they utilized the proper amount of paint they were supposed to, and they never did.
So one thing we’ve thought of for short-term improvements are to stripe crosswalk more frequently. For example, we know truck routes wear them down much quicker.
Jackson Ave in particular is very tough between 21st St & Queens Blvd, as the amount of construction has created a difficult parking situation, and some projects such as the JACX have required entire roadway reconfigurations. Regarding short term fixes, I like the painted pedestrian extensions a lot, when you see that sand color or mechanism for intersections, that design is intended to tighten the turn radius and create more pedestrian space.
Looking at the concrete median on Jackson Ave, it was built by ADC over a decade ago, and when they ran all the turning radius tests, they ultimately conformed to them. My job as a DOT Planner if I cannot get approval to put painted pedestrian space to improve the turning radius is to think more creatively, what if we start banning left turns or banning certain actions so that turn radius can’t go over that tip extension anymore.
On one intersection, the turning radius worked so now we are looking at banning some left turns. Another tool we have are QuickCurbs, for example if you see a painted stripe on a street called a hatching or channeling, cars are not supposed to drive over them. Using a Quick Curb, we can divide different parts of the road, and we are also looking at Jackson Ave & Orchard Street now.
Jackson Ave is a living breathing site. Street Seats are another item we have pursued. We put street seats by the Ancient Glacial Rock and also by 44th Drive to take away some parking spots. We believe they have a traffic calming factor and also enhance the public space within the community.
At 60 feet, Jackson Ave is a very wide, when we do pedestrian signal counts, typically the seconds are multiplied by a factor by the width of the street. Unfortunately, some things however just require a capital study such as cutting through concrete, and there is multi-step process for that, typically to ensure we are not wasting taxpayer money. We have to review if the change is warranted, does it make sense to cut through concrete, and put in new signals.
Sheila (CB2): For those who don’t’ know the history, and because everything changes the median was implemented because the BID at the time that was anticipating the growth of this neighborhood was to Commercial. People simply weren’t expecting this neighborhood to be residential
Jeannette (LICP): That doesn’t make since as even for commercial neighborhoods people would still want to cross the street, although I wasn’t personally involved at that time. One question I have is for the 2nd phase of Jackson Ave, does that phase have more ‘public cut throughs/breaks in the medians? It would be good to look at DOT’s plan and see how many more signals there are.
Panel question 3: Active construction sites was mentioned earlier. Take Skyline Tower for example, where the whole crosswalk is not available at 44th Drive & 23rd Street, who is responsible or who are the construction site operators accountable for with regards to this? What rules are in place, and are there timelines?
John (DOT): There are multiple stakeholders in NYC. NYC has a Permits Office where when you build a new building that requires street closure, you have to come to NYC DOT for part of that permit approval. The City also has permit inspectors to ensure everything is in compliance, for example are all the streets restored afterwards? Skyline in particular has had some difficulties as a Developer, however they have put forward a MTP and there is an element of the Department of Building (DOB) who also monitor site conditions. Regarding that site, as ugly and unfortunate it is today, they are in compliance as far as the pedestrian streets.
Mark (MTA/Bus): I can’t speak to the Subway Creatures Instagram flood incident, however with regards to buses, we have historically had several bus routes terminating in that area. Given all the construction the last 3-4 years the MTA has been jockeying for bus stops around the new developments and construction sites, notably our goals for the bus network redesign is to create more service through Queens Plaza, and not to have buses lying around.
We are taking a good looking at improving connectivity and working with the local Develoeprs to try and relocate bus stops. From a timing perspective, redesign takes up to two years, we started in Queens this past April and hope to implement the new network sometime in mid 2021, which will be a through and comprehensive top to bottom view of the bus network in LIC. We certainly can’t do it in the vacuum however and rely on partners from the DOT and community, it’s a group effort. We have 110+ bus routes in Queens and a good portion of them all come to LIC.
In December we are releasing a ‘draft’ of the new bus network and will be sponsoring community hearings for comments and feedback. This year we did a round of community outreach in the Spring in Sunnyside as well as LGA Community College where President Byford was present.
Sheila (CB2): Let me say something about Skyline. That is a really good example of how the community keeps sites in ‘check’ by sending information to Community Board, DOT, and the Councilmember office who didn’t put their signage up in a timely fashion. It is extremely fortunate nobody died regarding the subway flood, and it’s critical we all continue to pay attention and call in things when we see it. For example regarding street closures, we had had a discussion at Community Board 2 and heard input from everybody including CSCA and we try to negotiate with the developer to negate the impact.
Audience Question 1: Hi, I live at 22-18 Jackson Ave and have a two year old daughter, we moved here two years ago. What are the specific near-term plans for MoMA PS1 to plan for a crosswalk across Jackson Ave? I have seen the long-term plans and presentation, but would love to know what can be done in the short-term. Before I moved to LIC, I brought this up to Councilman JVB’s office whom helped ‘flag’ it.
John (DOT) : There is an active capital plan, with the first phase seen in the form of wide scale neighborhood re-surfacing. Regarding the crosswalks for Jackson Ave, it’s very difficult because there is a significant amount of Department of Environment Protection (DEP) work that has to be done under Hunters Point, and from what I understand is a large hold-up, since they have to dig up the streets for sewage work.
In the short-term with Jackson Ave, we continue to look at painted neck downs, pedestrian signal timing, as well as banning certain turns and working with enforcement to alleviate speeding conditions. We agree, the place you mention is a very high traffic area with no crosswalks unfortunately. I can definitely take this as a follow-up action item and look at warrants for stop sign placements.
We understand there are a lot of families living on that block now, and I am very vocal about this internally at DOT.
Panel Question 4: Since you mentioned Councilmen JVB, one legislation that comes to mind recently is the private carting bill. Another bill is Speaker Corey Johnson’s Master Streets Plan. Can you discuss about these transportation safety topics from a legislative angle?
Matt (Councilman Van Bramer): Councilman Van Bramer did support these pieces of legislations although we did not author them. With regards to private carting, today there is no system to haul waste from commercial businesses, so historically it has been the ‘wild wild west’ with private contractors, which has led to these crazy routes with haulers traveling far more miles than optimal. In the new legislation, if you exist in a certain area you have to use one of three carters to decrease the number of miles which we are big supporters of.
Juan (TA): To put this into context, we are expecting 50% less miles driven now from private trash trucks as cleaning routes become more optimal. This is a highly serious issue as garbage trucks constantly run red lights, and one of the worst private carting companies in particular was responsible for 5 pedestrian deaths in the last 2-3 years, and cyclists. This is a big win especially regarding feeling more safe
Audience Question 2: What does the new legislation actually mean for Court Square?
Juan (TA): It means a lot because something a lot of people don’t realize is nothing is enshrined in legislation. Vision Zero was something that was adopted by Mayor de Blasio when he was elected, but it could all go away technically. Now this new legislation has made Vision Zero part of the City with a mandate, the City has within two years to work with DOT to add 150 miles of new bus lanes, 250 miles of bike lanes, and pedestrian improvements to (literally) thousands of intersections.
Prior, improvements like additional pedestrian space, none of this was ‘technically’ necessary with limited metrics, now the new legislation is saying these new metrics have to be met. It will create a very different system for community engagement as a whole. Today, the process is very length and requires going through many channels including the Community Board. If the City intends to meet these metrics, it is hard to see how it can do so with the current process.
The new City process will look a lot more different with more staff, and more people. It’s going to be redefining how we have these conversations on transportation safety.
Panel Question 5: Last question before we open it up to the audience, let’s talk about Parking in Court Square. We hear DOT is experimenting with loading zones now, which seems to make sense for some large residential towers in LIC. Can you comment?
John (DOT): I was responsible for helping implement the first residential loading zone in front of the Powerhouse in LIC. DOT has a protocol for requesting new loading zones, anybody can request a loading zone study, after which we request a letter of support from Community Board 2, and then move forward with a study, and if warranted move forward with the placement. Typically for commercial loading zones, I will do a site visit or interview and ask what sort of traffic and deliveries they are getting. Typically within 90 days, we can install a loading zone.
Residential loading zones are a very new thing in Queens, with the protocol first established in Manhattan. We are only now mimicking most high rise developments elsewhere. But so long as residential buildings desire, DOT can help implement.
Audience: Do we have to ask CB2 for a letter of support? Does the request have to come from CB2?
John (DOT): Anybody can make a request for a new signal, sign, or loading zone. Everyone has the right to ask for something. In this case, it is better to make the case with CB2 especially if you have a vested interest.
Matt (Councilman Van Bramer): In the case of Powerhouse, we had local constituent who requested the loading zone, and so we wrote a letter of support to DOT. I highly recommend residents make requests, and open 311 tickets and ask the Community Board 2 for support as there is a desire.
Sheila (CB2): The PowerHouse loading zone is worth discussing, because we at Community Board 2 did not realize by requesting DOT for the study, we inherently supported the request to implement the loading zone. We saw no harm in requesting the request, but I take some issue that there are no metrics for this.
A lot of us get frustrated because we cannot get a stop sign installed or signal, but there should be ‘comps’ somewhere, for example if you are near a school there should be certain metrics for transportation safety. Bloomberg for example had his ‘slow zones’. My concern for the lack of metrics is favoritism can happen, I am not saying it occurs in this District but sometimes when you are in the City, you see speed bumps on a street where there are no Schools. What are the specific metrics that warrant something being installed? Do you get a loading zone because you live in a wealthy building opposed to a poor building?
John (DOT): The process is very transparent, if someone wants a loading zone, it gets vetted by the TC, and one can get letters of support from various stakeholders.
Jeannette (LIC Partnership): One thing worth asking, is if loading zones are really successful because enforcement issues can be a problem? Are the UPS trucks using these for deliveries or are there blatant violations occurring even after the signage is installed? Enforcement is a key issue that requires to be financed sufficiently, a Citywide issue.
Audience Question 3: I live on 21st St and there are spots by John F. Murray Playground on the north side where there are no parking signs for 6-8 cars that would seem to be a prime delivery zone for the multiple UPS & Amazon trucks in the neighborhood. But the problem is we have police cars using them for parking, and now on the south side, the whole street seems dedicated for police parking or placard users, and now also on 11th Street. That site seems to be a prime opportunity for loading zones.
Jeanette (LIC Partnership): We agree, Community Board 2 and DOT really have to look at all the parking regulations in LIC, especially given this area is both residential and an industrial business district. With congestion pricing coming soon, we don’t want to become a parking lot for others.
[Audience: We are already a parking lot neighborhood for others]
John (DOT): There is a comprehensive parking study underway in LIC.
Audience Question 4: We are constantly told we are a “transit-rich” neighborhood, and no one has cars, but it feels there are a tremendous amount of cars now for people that do not need cars. I see a tremendous amount of license plates from CA, NV, TX, and others. As someone who walks regularly, I know which cars are from ‘locals’ and which cars that just stay parked for weeks and weeks. What are we doing about this?
John (DOT): This is something we are aware of. Also we are we are aware the neighborhood does not have alternative street side cleaning. There is a City traffic rule however that someone needs to move their vehicle once every 7 days, this is something that is enforceable.
[Audience: I report ‘abandoned’ cars constantly. On our building, we had a broken down van in front of our building, and nobody does anything after reporting 311, who is actually enforcing this? It feels like nobody is doing anything]
John (DOT): I understand, but what I am saying is, that is an enforcement rule
[The 108th Precinct does not enforced the rule]
Audience Question 5: In other Cities there are often local resident parking permits, where you are not allowed to park on the street at all, unless you are truly a local resident. What are your thoughts on this?
Matt (Councilman Van Bramer): We strongly support residential parking permits and are studying this issue. Streets are a public resource, and if people are parking here from other neighborhood you are taking away that resource. Local permits however require NY State legislative change.
Audience Question 6: Can you comment specifically about the 23rd MTA subway station entrance, are there any plans to optimize the E train entrance connecting to the 7 train? What are the details?
Mark (MTA/Bus): Unfortunately because I represent MTA Bus Transit, I cannot answer this question, but I can definitely ask and will have a detailed follow-up.
[11/22/2019: Update: There is a plan for a new entrance to the 7 from 44th Drive and 23rd Street and to the E as well. We are still awaiting confirmation from the project head who has been out of the office this week on above]
Audience Question 7: Court Square as a neighborhood is very different on the weekend versus weekday. On weekdays, there are a lot of commercial trucks and activities, however on the weekend, our neighborhood becomes very residential and the streets are emptier. How can we reutilize our public streets to be an open public space fo the neighborhood?
Juan (TA): This is an important topic and touches back on the conversation on parking. What exactly are the public street space supposed to be used for? One idea for re-envisioning the spacer relates to Public Street Streets. If one looks at Downtown Wall Street for example, you see a similar pattern being extremely busy on weekdays versus a ‘ghost town’ on weekends. In LIC, you do have a growing residential sector here that also doesn’t have enough parking space, but at the same time over prioritizes parking. We are going to have to try and have these hard conversations.
[Audience: If it’s not parking, can’t we just close some streets or limited throughway fare to create more public space?]
Michael (Moderator/CSCA): Yes, we agree, CSCA helped close 43rd Street during Halloween trick or treating hours.
Sheila (CB2): If you can pick specific locations that you think would make a good weekend recreational space, put together a plan with a schedule and hours, and send in petitions and letters of support to CB2 & DOT.
John (DOT): The process varies, DOT has many programs including the weekend walk programs, but also shorter term closures. I’d advise you to speak to the 108th Precinct on standard block party procedures. There are a couple routes you can navigate.
Juan (TA): Why do you need petitions? Is this something that’s mandatory?
Sheila (CB2): It’s not mandatory, but it’s something I tell everyone to send out. You never know who you are going to speak to, so I always recommend it.
Audience Question 8: Question for DOT, we understand you looked the proposed LIC Bike Neighborhood Plan. Can you tell us what you are looking at in 2020?
John (DOT): We are not ready to do that. As mentioned, this is something DOT has awareness of. When a plan like this gets generated, it goes to the bike unit who has to work with geometric design and do a good deal of measurement. At this point, we are not ready or capable to talk about it, but please know it is something that we are aware of and it’s being processed.
It’s a large effort to do the internal engineering regarding what’s feasible, and what kind of capacity we have as an office. One comment I do want to make is I was the public face for Skillman/43rd Ave bike lanes, and it is a topic I still hear about, more than once, we had to have police protection during those hearings. Also in Jamaica, Queens, when we did a camera study, the DOT goes sued, and I had to travel out there many times to testify to deal with the lawsuit.
We strongly believe this is an important topic, however please understand these topics are an extremely time exhausting effort but I can guarantee you we are looking at it.
Audience Question 9: Can we talk about preventing ‘bad behavior’ for folks, whether they are a pedestrian, cyclists, or driver? What is being done?
Sheila (CB2): We don’t have anyone from the 108th Precinct here, and I would say they have a very difficult job right now, trying to get vehicles to slow down and get everyone to work together. I have heard them stop cyclists on educating them as well and all folks. One thing I would say as we introduce more multi-modal forms of transportation is starting the education process younger, say in grade school where we can teach young people how to walk, drive, and bike in an urban environment. Maybe that is something for a Councilmember to work on.
Audience Question 10: I am a cyclist, and as a cyclist it is scary where on certain corridors 44th Drive for example there are no lights in the bike lane. As a car owner as well however, it is scary when I open my vehicle door and there are potential cyclists coming that are not wearing any reflectors/bright clothing. I am extremely worried about ‘dooring’ someone. How do we work with cyclists culturally where they are wearing bright clothing? [In particular to Juan/TA who is wearing dark clothes and biked to MoMA PS1]
Juan (TA): I agree, and think it’s a very valid concern to have. You want to have reflectors on your bike. But one thing I would say is, today’s system the City has put the onus on the street user to “behave well”, as opposed to creating a street infrastructure design to prevent you from being able to door someone ever. Part of the bike master plan TA is proposing prevents that from happening.