Tomorrow is Primary day!  Remember to vote for your StreetsPAC Candidates running for City Council in Queens.

This is the latest installment in our spotlight series on StreetsPAC endorsed candidates. 

Councilmember Dan Garodnick helped bring complete streets to First and Second Avenues in Midtown, serves as point person in the New York City Council for the plan to fill the midtown gap in the East River Greenway, and is a staunch advocate for transportation upgrades as a necessary part of any Midtown East rezoning.  In a third term on the Council, he will support an extension of the bike-share program to his own district and especially to areas with limited public transit access.  He plans to evaluate Fifth and Sixth Avenues from a complete-streets perspective, to identify potential improvements in the pedestrian experience, transportation options and quality of life.

Following Tuesday's announcement of our endorsement of Bill de Blasio for mayor, StreetsPAC supports Bill as he campaigns in Brooklyn.

Bill de Blasio, wife Chirlane, and Councilmember Brad Lander sport StreetsPAC T-shirts at yesterday's event.

Here's a round-up of press covering the endorsement:

Capital New York- Safe-streets advocacy group picks de Blasio over Quinn, with Thompson out of the running

 "The advent of StreetsPAC coincides with the rise of cycling and street safety as potent political issues."

No one has greater influence over the safety and design of New York City’s streets than its mayor.  During Mike Bloomberg’s tenure, and especially in the six years since he wisely appointed Janette Sadik-Khan to run the Department of Transportation, New York’s streets have undergone a transformation, making the city a safer and more pleasant place.  But much work remains to be done.

After careful consideration of the candidates’ records, position papers and public statements, review of their responses to our detailed questionnaire, and in-person interviews, we are endorsing Bill de Blasio for mayor in the New York City Democratic primary election.  Mr. de Blasio’s pledge to change leadership in the NYPD and crack down on dangerous driving, his embrace of the “Vision Zero” program to eliminate preventable traffic deaths, and his commitment to expand the city’s bike-lane network and bike-share system were among the key factors in our decision.

This is the latest installment in our spotlight series on StreetsPAC endorsed candidates. 

Councilmember Rosie Mendez has been a steady voice for livable streets in the City Council, voting for congestion pricing, backing the implementation of Select Bus Service on 1st and 2nd avenues, and supporting bike share across her district.  She’s called for better NYPD investigations of collisions that injure pedestrians, and provided funding to ensure the Baruch College pedestrian plaza had proper lighting.  Mendez supports the redesign of Fifth Avenue to include bus, bicycle, and pedestrian amenities, and plans to explore new bicycle and pedestrian prioritization on University Place.

This is the latest installment in our spotlight series on StreetsPAC endorsed candidates. 

In her 12 years in the City Council, Gale Brewer has consistently championed livable streets with characteristic patience, most notably by forging a consensus on the Upper West Side to eliminate cars in Central Park and to install and extend pedestrian safety improvements and protected bike paths on Columbus Avenue.  As Manhattan Borough President, Gale pledges to work to expand bike share to all of Manhattan. “Bike share is only months old, and it’s already a critical part of the mass transit system for thousands of New Yorkers,” said Brewer. “Just as we provide public support for ferries and student Metrocards, we should support the expansion of bike share throughout Manhattan and the city.” 

Brewer is also committed to finding a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach to relieving the burden of truck traffic on Manhattan residents – the fatalities, injuries, noise, pollution and sheer oppressive presence of traffic.  “As Borough President, I’ll bring all the responsible agencies and stakeholders together – police, transportation, consumer affairs and others – to reduce pass-through traffic to a minimum with fair tolling, encourage late-night deliveries, and improve regulation and enforcement so that truckers stick to truck routes, have the required safety equipment, and are held responsible for the harm they cause.”

This is the latest installment in our spotlight series on StreetsPAC endorsed candidates. 

"I forgot how wonderful it is to use a bike to get around," enthused Ede Fox after a StreetsPAC-guided ride around her district.  "Everyone has a right to be safe on every public street, regardless of how they get around."  Fox will push to tame speeding on major thoroughfares like Atlantic, Park and Bedford Avenues, and will advocate for MTA service restoration and expansion of express-bus service.  She will support Vanderbilt Avenue-style treatments on other avenues to increase safety, build community and spur economic activity.  Fox knows she has big livable-streets shoes to fill in those of current 35th district Councilmember Tish James, but pledges that she's up to the challenge.  

This is the latest installment in our spotlight series on StreetsPAC endorsed candidates. 

Mark Levine strongly supports improving travel times for all 125th Street bus lines through implementation of Select Bus Service.  He’ll champion the expansion of Citi Bike to all of northern Manhattan and work with community stakeholders to extend northwards the complete-streets package of pedestrian safety improvements, landscaping, protected bike paths and other amenities that have already taken root on Columbus Avenue.

StreetsPAC: What is the biggest transportation issue facing your district?

Mark Levine: 125th St. is a vital commercial corridor uptown, but vehicle congestion there is so bad that currently buses there travel on average slower than walking speed.  One great way to improve this situation: establish Select Bus Service with a dedicated bus lane stretching along the full length of 125th St. from river to river. The Deptartment of Transportation recently proposed creating just such a service on the M60, but the plan was recently shelved because of lack of support among local elected officials.  I strongly believe this SBS plan should be immediately implemented, for the sake of local residents, local businesses, and the environment.

StreetsPAC today announced its fourth round of candidate endorsements for New York City’s September primary election, backing longtime livable-streets supporter Gale Brewer for Manhattan Borough President, sitting Councilmembers Dan Garodnick and Rosie Mendez for additional terms, and Ede Fox and Chris Banks in highly competitive Council races in Brooklyn.

This is the fourth installment in our spotlight series on StreetsPAC endorsed candidates.

“I’m a walker,” says Ritchie Torres. “The car should not be the center of urban life.”  As a child in the Bronx, Torres grew up with asthma as a result of the pollution spewed by traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway.  He will work to improve health in his district through the transformation of major thoroughfares, like the Grand Concourse and East Tremont Avenue, into complete streets with room for transit users, cyclists, and pedestrians.  He will also aim to improve the walking experience around Arthur Avenue, a mecca for visitors.