Red Hook Houses residents: ‘We’re tired of Citi Bikes and people making decisions for us’

Red Hook Houses residents: ‘We’re tired of Citi Bikes and people making decisions for us’

New Citi Bike stations outside the Red Hook Houses are stealing much-needed parking spaces from residents who rely on their cars to get to and from the transit-starved nabe, claim tenant leaders — and it’s just the latest example of the city telling public housing residents what they need instead of listening to what they actually want, they say.

“I don’t see how the stations benefit people who live in public housing,” said Frances Brown, president of the Red Hook East Houses Tenant Association. “We’re tired of all these Citi Bikes and people making decisions for us like we’re little children.”

The Department of Transportation recently installed four stations around the 2,891-unit public housing complex — at W. Ninth and Columbia streets, Lorraine and Columbia streets, Clinton and Centre streets, and Wolcott and Dwight streets — as part of a broader rollout of the blue-bike bays around Community Board 6 over the past month.

The agency held several public workshops during the planning period and met with Brown twice, but she said the pow-wows seemed pointless and she got the impression transportation honchos had already decided where it was placing the docks before they spoke to her.

“When they came to me and spoke to me they had already made up their minds,” she said.

The city has made an effort to get New York City Housing Authority residents on the bikes — tenants only have to pay $5 per month to rent them, versus $15 for other citizens.

Meanwhile, Red Hook Houses residents are only renting out 47 of the 116 spaces in the complex’s private parking lot, which costs $60–$75 a year, according to a New York City Housing Authority spokeswoman.

But another tenant leader says there is a dearth of free parking options for the 98 percent of residents who she claims own cars, and the few who cycle already own their own bikes.

“We don’t have enough space to park as is,” said Red Hook West Houses Tenant Association president Lillie Marshall, who says the city didn’t even bother to engage her in the discussion. “People in the community have cars and their children have bikes so what are we going to do with all these bikes? Nobody is renting these bikes, they’re just parked there.”

Mayor DeBlasio also singled out the Red Hook Houses residents as the lucky recipients of a new neighborhood ferry stop and his forthcoming streetcar.

A Department of Transportation spokeswoman refused to answer specific questions about its meetings — or lack thereof — with Red Hook Houses leaders, saying only that it takes community input seriously and into consideration when deciding on rack locations.

http://www.chinabikerack.com

Favourite bicycle of Brantford's 'Mike on a Bike' stolen

Favourite bicycle of Brantford's 'Mike on a Bike' stolen

A man well known in Brantford for biking around the city and saying hello to everyone he meets has had his favourite bicycle stolen.

Brantford Police say the distinctive lime green-coloured bicycle was stolen Monday night from a plaza at Fairview Drive and West Street.

It belongs to Mike Crechiolo, who is known around town as 'Mike on a Bike' and enjoys all the attention that comes with that nickname.

“If you live in Brantford, you know who 'Mike on a Bike' is. He says hi to everybody,” says Terry Detheriege of The Bicycle Shop.

The Bicycle Shop is where Crechiolo took his bike whenever it needed a tune-up. Detheriege and his coworkers also helped raise the money so he could buy the bike.

While Crechiolo has multiple bikes, the lime green one is the one he likes to ride most often during the spring and summer.

He uses it not only to travel around the city, but also to socialize.

When it was stolen, it had a matching helmet, a rack on its back and elevated handlebars.

“We want to have this bicycle returned to Mike. We want to get his independence back,” says Const. Laura Collier of Brantford Police.

Without any other way of getting home Monday night, Crechiolo – who has autism – was given a ride by police.

http://www.chinabikerack.com

Bike racks:DOT ignores input on bike stations

During a meeting of Community Board 7’s Transportation Committee earlier this summer, Upper West Side residents cited a variety of reasons why they thought a Citi Bike station on West 87th Street would be a bad idea on the block between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive. They also suggested that officials from the city’s Department of Transportation were not listening to their objections or making the effort to communicate with them.

Although DOT representatives said they were in fact listening to the complaints, my own experience that evening and subsequently is in line with that of residents. During the DOT presentation on July 12, an agency representative went on to mention other Citi Bike locations that would be installed later on, including on West 87th between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, my block. I spoke with the representative following the presentation and said that no one on my block seemed to know of the impending installation, and asked when it was supposed to happen. “In the fall,” she said.

I went back to my block, and solicited reactions; 48 of my neighbors were opposed, for a variety of reasons, while just two were in favor. I submitted that information to DOT but that same week, on July 31, three weeks to the day from the CB7 meeting, the docking stations were nevertheless installed, west of my block and on mine.

Earlier this month, DOT representatives returned to address the CB 7 Transportation Committee and said that the bike rack between West End and Riverside was going to be removed and installed temporarily on 88th Street while impending construction at the current location commences. It appears that not only does the agency not bother with listening to residents before they go ahead with the station, but it doesn’t even think through other issues before moving ahead.

I know of many other issues created around the city where DOT installed these stations without first considering schools, nursing, rehab facilities and other institutions, where access for buses, vans and ambulances was going to be hampered once installed.

Similarly, when discussions took place about installing protected bike lanes on Columbus Avenue and later, on Amsterdam Avenue, many residents, storekeepers and others commented on issues such as safety concerns for disabled, vision and hearing impaired pedestrians facing danger from quiet, hard-to-see bicycles operated by the occasional reckless cyclist whizzing by as soon as they came off the curb; great inconvenience for all the commercial enterprises along these avenues who depend on trucks for deliveries or pickups; danger for cars parking or leaving spaces now well out into the avenue, while trucks and buses speed by; and stalled traffic because now when a truck is double parking it is almost halfway across the avenue. And when trucks, buses and cars are idling, their engines are putting a lot of exhaust pollution into the air.

Bicycling advocates claim lanes “calm” these avenues and make them safer. What could calm them more than staggering the lights, a remedy which went largely unmentioned at the meetings?

Was all this outweighed by greater convenience for the 50 cyclists per hour which studies say use the lanes? Yes, said the hundreds of bicycle lobbyists who packed each meeting, mostly sent to them by Transportation Alternatives. Should bike lanes be put instead on streets and avenues which don’t have trucks, buses or stores, eliminating many of these issues? No, said the lobbyists. In every case, the views and desires of an incredibly influential bicycle lobby seem to prevail over the objections of anyone else in this town who might see things differently.

The DOT needs to recognize that many New Yorkers have legitimate concerns about the placement of these docking stations, and those concerns should be listened to and addressed. The rest of New York may not be as vocal at meetings as the bike lobby, but there are probably more of them, and they should have a say in their city government’s actions.

http://www.chinabikerack.com

Custom-made bike stolen from IUPUI student with cerebral pals

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. –Over the weekend, a bike specially made for an IUPUI student with cerebral palsy was stolen.

As an urban campus, bike thefts and other minor property crimes happen all the time at IUPUI. What makes this story unique is what the thieves didn’t realize. The victim relies on the bike to stay healthy.

Cerebral palsy makes walking around campus a challenge for Johnson Simon. That’s why most of the time the 23-year-old graduate student uses a motorized wheelchair.

Simon also frequently rode a custom bicycle, but at some point this weekend a thief stole it right off the rack.

“My bike is usually parked right there," said Simon. "It’s real easy to recognize it."

Simon says the bright-red, three-wheeled bike was given to him by program that helps people with cerebral palsy.

“Someone like me cannot ride a two wheel bike,” he said. “To see that it’s gone right under your nose, it’s real frustrating.”

After attending Western Michigan University, Simon moved to Indianapolis last month to work as a grad student studying art at IUPUI. Over the last few years, Simon says the bike has been his main source of exercise.

“It really helped me to get my workout done. It really keeps me in shape,” said Simon.

Simon knows the thief that stole the bike off the rack in front of his apartment likely didn’t know they were stealing from a man with a disability, but that’s exactly what they did.

“They just seen a cool bike, a nice shiny bike, but did not understand the value behind that bike,” said Simon.

In the end, Simon hopes whoever stole the bike grows a heart and returns the bike right where they took it.

“Whoever took it, that bike has a lot of meaning to me,” said Simon. “Please just return the bike. It would really mean a lot to me. It was custom made for my disability.”

http://www.chinabikerack.com

Free Bike Cage Now Available to all Students

Free Bike Cage Now Available to all Students

“Right now I think we only have 10 (students), according to Student Life, that have requested access to it,” said Vicki Janowiak, Executive Director of Operational Planning at GRCC.

“Certainly there is more room and capacity,” said Janowiak, referring to the available space in the cage. “We would love to get more utilization,” Janowiak said. ”It’s not being used to its full potential.”

Few students are currently using the bike cage at the bottom level of the Bostwick Parking Ramp at Grand Rapids Community College.

Students and employees can request access to the bike cage by visiting Student Life or completing a form online. Students and employees may then use their RaiderCard to access the bike cage, which contains traditional bike racks inside.

“We wanted people to secure their bike within the secure storage,” Janowiak said.

Approximately six bikes can be secured within the traditional bike racks. The bike cage as a whole was built to secure up to several dozen bikes.

Janowiak said Grand Rapids has a growing bike culture now, and bikes are expensive assets.

“Having an added layer of security for that personal asset was the other thing we wanted to provide for students,” Janowiak said.

Since more people are using bikes as a mode of transportation, a primary reason for building the cage was to protect students and employees bikes from the weather.

“Let’s give students an opportunity to have it protected from the elements as well,” Janowiak said.

The bike cage is located in the lower level of the Bostwick Parking Ramp, and can be accessed from the commons area outside of the Main Building.

http://www.chinabikerack.com

Commuters can have it both ways with first bike racks added to buses in Wellington

Commuters can have it both ways with first bike racks added to buses in Wellington

You can now cycle to work and ride the bus home, with the first bike racks added to Wellington buses.

It has been a six-year wait but commuters will be able to load their bikes on buses between Newlands and Courtenay Place from October 3.

The new racks are part of a six-month trial run by the Greater Wellington Regional Council, in partnership with Mana coaches.

The outcome of the trial will determine whether racks are included on all Wellington buses.

More than 150 trips per week will be made by the six buses equipped with racks between October 3 and March 31 next year. Timetables will be released on September 28.

The bike racks carry two bikes at a time on a first come first served basis. Newlands routes 52, 54, 55, 56, 57 and 58 will have space for two bikes on the front.

Regional council deputy chairwoman of the sustainable transport committee Sue Kedgley said the trial was "a great way to combine cycling and public transport".

"It has taken a long time, but I am expecting it will be successful.

"Given the huge increase in cycling in Wellington it just seems to me it will be successful."

GWRC sustainable transport manager Melanie Thornton said studies had shown an increase in public transport use when bike racks were added to buses.

The racks would give commuters greater flexibility and the option to ride to work and take the bus home.

Bikes are currently allowed on train networks but only folding bikes can be carried on buses.

The popularity of the bike racks will be monitored and results from the trial will be used to tweak any roll out across the network.

The Newlands route was specifically selected for the trial because it covers both the hilly suburbs and the bustling CBD.

Thornton said bike racks were not expected to cause additional delays on the Golden Mile but commuters would be asked to load bikes only when buses were at the front of the bus queue.

"Wellington is very well suited to taking bikes on buses," Cycle Aware Wellington spokesman Alistair Smith said.

He expected more people would end up catching the bus if they knew they could stash their bike on the front.

Although it may take a while for bike racks to catch on, the full benefits would be felt when bike racks were extended across the network, he said.

Greater Wellington Regional Council has included the installation of bike racks on all buses in 2017-2018 in their Long Term Plan.

If the roll out goes ahead the council will fund the cost which has been estimated at $1 million. Currently one mounted bike rack costs about $1500.

http://www.chinabikerack.com

Ask a Trooper: Bike rack blocking license plate? That's your problem

Ask a Trooper: Bike rack blocking license plate? That's your problem

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Got a trailer hitch or bike rack that blocks the license plate? Or a faded plate? Wonder what the law is?

Ask a Trooper is here to help.

Have a traffic question? Email Lt. Rob Davis and the troopers at the Lakeview and Rockford posts at AskTpr@michigan.gov

Here's Lt. Davis: I've fielded a few recent questions regarding the visibility of license plates, so I asked Trooper Bill Huey of the Rockford to address the issue.

Trooper Huey is a recent transfer to Rockford and brings a tremendous amount of experience to West Michigan.

Trooper William Huey: A recent ruling from the Michigan Appeals Court stating a registration plate attached to a vehicle in Michigan must be clearly visible and unobstructed has generated concern from numerous commuters as to how to stay legal when a hitch or bicycle carrier is utilized on the rear of a vehicle.

The statute is covered in the vehicle code 257.225 sub section (1) and (2) and states a violation is a civil infraction under Michigan law. The section states...

(1) A registration plate issued for a vehicle shall be attached to the rear of the vehicle. A registration plate issued for a truck tractor or road tractor shall be attached to the front of the vehicle.

(2) A registration plate shall at all times be securely fastened in a horizontal position to the vehicle for which the plate is issued so as to prevent the plate from swinging. The plate shall be attached at a height of not less than 12 inches from the ground, measured from the bottom of the plate, in a place and position that is clearly visible. The plate shall be maintained free from foreign materials that obscure or partially obscure the registration information and in a clearly legible condition.

The section does not leave any exemptions for obstruction by a trailer hitch or bicycle rack. This does present some problems for certain hitches or add-on cargo carriers.

Not all carriers are going to be suitable for legal use in Michigan. There are fairly easy solutions to the problem of obstructing your license plate in this manner.

Choosing a product that offers multiple options is the easiest way to maintain an unobstructed plate. A quick google search of "bicycle carrier" or "cargo racks" will display many results that range from fairly inexpensive to the much more expensive high end models. Care should be taken to check the product descriptions and options thoroughly.

Many come equipped with a license plate relocation bracket.

If the carrier does not come with this option it will not be legal in Michigan unless fabricated further to mount a plate on it.

The license plate can be removed from the vehicle and attached to the carrier itself in a visible location as long as it remains at least 12 inches off the ground. Also be aware that if the unit will be used after dark it will need to be equipped with a light to illuminate the registration plate.

There are far less options available for a plate obstructed by a ball hitch. Brackets can be found to relocate a license plate in a higher position where it would be free of obstruction.

These brackets are less numerous and harder to find. They must often be ordered for a specific model vehicle and can become more expensive and difficult to find and install.

The easiest solution is to have the vehicle equipped with a receiver hitch that is easily removed by a pin attachment. The entire ball hitch can be removed and placed in the trunk or another secure location. Always be cognizant that any heavy object left unsecured in the back of a car or truck carries the potential to be a deadly projectile during crash.

As always, should you have any questions, please feel free to stop into your nearest Michigan State Police Post and a Trooper will be happy to answer any questions and take a look at your vehicle to make sure it is in compliance. Thank you for taking the time to educate yourself and drive safely!

Here are your questions:

Paul: I have two questions/comments for you.

Question number one is where cars are going one way in three lanes, and the right lane and left lane both pass a car in the middle lane, which car, right or left, has the right of way to turn into the middle lane if it so desires?

We live in Texas Township in Schoolcraft, and I have noticed two stop signs that cannot be fully seen until you are about 50 yards from them due to trees partly blocking them. This seems very unsafe. In fact there was a fatal accident recently at one of the corners, and I wonder if that may have contributed to the accident.

Lt. Rob Davis: Reference your first question, both drivers in your scenario could move into the middle lane if they desire. Three-lane roadways differ from two-lane roadways in that on a two-lane one way, vehicles (with some exceptions) must stay to the right unless passing. As to your second question, I would e-mail or actually write a letter to your county road commission and voice your concerns.

Steven: Let me start by saying I love dogs but what I came across the other day on the freeway made me wonder who's driving anyway. I was driving on east bound I-196 in downtown Grand Rapids when a vehicle abruptly pulled into my lane at a reduced rate of speed.(45mph) if that.

She didn't merge, she didn't signal, she just came on over. I was forced to slow down until traffic cleared in the far left lane. As I was passing the vehicle who had pulled out in front of me I happen to notice she had her pet dog in her arms. I think she thought it cute. Are there any laws prohibiting this kind of behavior?

Maybe the owner figured she bought the dog a license. Might as well put it to use.

Lt. Rob Davis: No specific law that would prohibit a dog in your lap, however, if it affects your driving (like in the instance you describe), then it would be considered careless driving and the operated could be ticket as such.

Zack: Do you have any advice as to how bicyclists can legally protect themselves from cars that pass when there really isn't enough room. ... Interestingly enough, the problem isn't the busy roads, but the more rural roads that don't have a solid white line separating the travel lane from the paved shoulder.

I read through MCL 257.660a (requiring bicycles to ride "as far to the right as practicable"). One exception in particular caught my interest: "...if the lane is too narrow to permit a vehicle to safely overtake and pass a bicycle."

In my experience, that would include *any* road with a 12' lane and no solid white line on the right.

Consider this: My bicycle is about 2' wide. I need about 1' of pavement to my right (so I have room to avoid debris, adjust to wind gusts, etc.). My minivan is 8' wide (including both side mirrors). That leaves just 3' of space for a vehicle to pass me without crossing into the oncoming lane.

I also find it interesting on these roads without marked, paved shoulders, cars *always* move into the other lane to pass me, if the lane is open. They only squeeze by me when there is opposing traffic.

This suggests that the drivers are fully aware that it isn't safe to pass so closely, but they value their time more than my safety.

My reading of MCL 257.660a suggests that I have the right to ride toward the middle of the lane in these situations to prevent unsafe passing; but, I suspect that irritating drivers won't really do much to improve my safety overall.

Lt. Rob Davis: The language you found is interesting. The questions would be then what is too narrow? I would guess that too narrow would mean any lane more narrow then the standard requirement for lane width on a secondary rural road. Either way without a clear definition of what too narrow is, you might risk getting a citation if you're in the middle of the lane.

I wish I had a better answer for you, but like many of the laws we deal with there are substantial gray areas. It might be worth your time to consult with someone at MDOT to see what those lane widths (where you're riding) are required to be.

http://www.chinabikerack.com