Councilman Torres’s Vision Zero Town Hall Packs The Bronx Library Center

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Last night, Councilman Ritchie Torres hosted a Vision Zero Town Hall meeting at the Bronx Library Center in Fordham, and an audience from around the Bronx asked questions of the Bronx’s Department of Transportation head Connie Moran, as well as NYPD and advocacy group represenatives, about pedestrian safety, automotive driver’s right and  cyclists’ unique safety concerns.

IMG_20140401_192730The event was one of two in the city last night, the other held at Borough Hall in Brooklyn, where a large crowd of elected officials from the borough, joined by Bronx Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, offered Brooklynites the same forum. IMG_20140401_193339 A similar borough wide event is scheduled for the Bronx in May, and Gibson will host her own local forum in the Mouth Eden area next week.

Bike New York‘s Laura Solis (l.), of Baychester, spoke about her organization’s programming, as well as the West Farms area, now a major nexus of bike trails through Starlight Park up to Bronx Park via Devoe Avenue, as well as Boston Road, and how bike riders experience the highly trafficked area. (see video below)

Twin Parks resident Candy Carrasquillo spoke about a problem with automotive-related businesses in the 48th Precinct illegally blocking pedestrians’ right of way.

Another West Bronx resident spoke about street vendors and hazards to pedestrians, also an issue brewing in Co-op City.

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The meeting packed the library’s auditorium and while Bronxites came from all around the borough, the majority of residents with concerns were from Torres’s district, and a number of individuals brought up traffic and pedestrian concerns in the Allerton Avenue/Bronx Park East area as well as on the Grand Concourse.  NYPD officials spoke about the lack of resources for the Bronx in terms of personel compared to Manhattan because staffing is based on car/pedestrian traffic rather than unique conditions in less trafficked outer boroughs.

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