City Council Survey (District 39): David Pechefsky

david pechefsky.jpg
Political Party:

http://pechefskyforcitycouncil.com

Candidate Submitted Biography:

David has over 12 years of New York City government experience and has worked with elected officials, government agencies, advocates, and service providers on a wide range of housing, youth, senior, health, transportation, and economic development programs.
 
As a staffer in the Finance Division of the City Council, he was instrumental in securing over $20 million in funding to preserve and rehabilitate low-income housing, getting legislation passed providing tax relief for over 500 middle-income homeowners who had purchased their homes through a city sponsored program but were being hit with exorbitant tax bills, and facilitating the development of over 2,000 units of low-income senior housing.

A Park Slope resident for over 15 years, David is an active member of the Park Slope Greens, a proud member of the Park Slope Food Coop, former co-coordinator of Chickpeas Childcare, and was recently appointed to the Economic Development Committee of Community Board Six. In 2002, when the Prospect Park Zoo was going to close due to budget cuts, David helped organize a group of parents and children to testify at City Hall, which was a key step in saving the zoo.

In addition to his New York City work, as a consultant David has conducted workshops and provided advice to the national legislatures of Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Liberia, Nepal, and Iraq on how these institutions could play a more effective role in the budget process of their country.

David lives with his wife, Dr. Cena Tejani, a pediatrician at Kings County Hospital, and their two daughters who attend MS 51 and PS 321. He is to the best of his knowledge the only owner in Brooklyn of a bicycle pedicab strictly for non-commercial use.  

City Council Survey (District 39): David Pechefsky

Question 1:
What is the most important transportation need in your district? As a Council Member, how would you work to address this need?

I do not think there is a single transportation need that that should be prioritized above all others. The district needs, like the rest of the city, improved public transportation and policies and initiatives that reduce auto use and make for a more livable city. These include finding more funding for public transportation, better traffic enforcement, and may include tolls on the East River bridges, some form of parking permitting, more protected bike lanes, bike share programs, closing some streets to auto use altogether, and the use of zoning and tax incentives to encourage neighborhood based development as opposed to drive to shop development. At this point I am not committed to any one strategy.

I would like to see a survey of bus service in the district and figure out ways to enhance services if necessary. Many residents have talked to me about dangerous intersections and these need to be looked at on a case by case basis. Some people have mentioned interest in express F service and this should be looked at as well.


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Question 2:
The intersection of Ft. Hamilton Pkwy and McDonald Ave is one of the most dangerous in your district, where 3 people died and 15 people were injured between 1995-2005 (NYS DOT). As a City Council member, what traffic enforcement policies or physical changes to the intersection infrastructure would you support to make this intersection safer for everyone who uses it (pedestrians, cyclists and drivers)?

I have looked at this intersection on a couple of occasions and it's not immediately apparent to me what makes it particularly dangerous although the locations of the curb cuts for the gas station seem like they could be a problem. I would like to hear from neighborhood residents about what they think. I would also ask DOT and TA to give me some proposals to improve safety.


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Question 3:
According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles' most currently available data, in 2007 speeding was a contributing factor in over 3,000 motor vehicle crashes in New York City. Furthermore, the same data showed that the top human contributing factor to the 264 fatal crashes in New York City during 2007 was also speeding. Given these figures, what measures, if any, do you support to redress this problem? Finally, do you believe that New York City’s current speed limits are safe?

Speeding really is a problem and I witness many times a day the frequent violation of red lights that comes with it. The NYDP need to make enforcement more of a priority and traffic calming measures like speed bumps on certain streets where speeding is pervasive should be considered. I would certainly work with the local precincts to figure out how to improve enforcement and believe the Council should use its oversight authority to push the NYPD on this issue. The current speed limit is not safe. I believe a 20 mph speed limit should be considered for many streets.


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Question 4:
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's website reports: "In New York City, obesity is epidemic: more than half of adult New Yorkers are overweight (34%) or obese (22%). Data show that obesity begins early in life: nearly half of all elementary school children and Head Start children are not a healthy weight. In New York City, 1 in 5 kindergarten students, and 1 in 4 Head Start children, is obese." Do you believe that increasing walking and biking in New York City would improve public health? If yes, how would you work to increase walking and biking in your district?

Yes, increasing walking and biking improves public health. One thing that would make it more likely for children to engage in this activity is if we have more neighborhood based school options that parents are happy with. Children from Carrol Gardens can't realistically bike to middle school in Coney Island. For the parts of the district that aren't so close to Prospect Park we should look into making safe bike to the park corridors by putting up protected bike lanes. We also should consider shutting down selected roads to cars on the weekend and we need a truly car free Prospect Park!

We also need to come up with policies to strengthen small businesses on neighborhood commercial strips. The development of big box stores with big parking lots works against increased walking and biking.


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Question 5:
Road pricing, including such measures as non-stop tolling, fees based on vehicle miles travelled or entry into a highly congested zone, has been the source of much discussion in New York City and other major metropolitan areas. London famously uses a congestion charge to fund its transit system, Oregon recently piloted a program to replace the gas tax with a fee for miles driven and Seattle recently studied how road pricing could be introduced on a regional basis. Seattle's study, “Traffic Choices Study" (http://psrc.org/projects/trafficchoices/index.htm), found that introducing new tolls on major corridors during peak traffic hours influenced drivers’ behavior and projected that a region-wide road pricing scheme could significantly reduce vehicular traffic congestion. Do you think that introducing a road pricing strategy would change New Yorkers’ travel choices? Do you think that this would be an effective way for the City to reduce backups on high-traffic roadways like the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Gowanus Expressway or the Long Island Expressway? Finally, do you believe there are additional benefits in the surrounding neighborhoods which could be realized from the reduction of vehicular congestion on these routes?

Yes. Let's fund a study if necessary to see where road pricing might be most effective. The surrounding neighborhoods will benefit from less congestion, less noise, and less asthma.


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Question 6:
Do you believe that reducing residential parking requirements as set forth within NYC zoning regulations would affect neighborhood traffic congestion, and if so, in what way?

Yes let's reduce residential parking requirements. If people aren't given the opportunity to park they will be less likely to own cars.


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Question 7:
The NYC Department of Transportation's Public Plaza Program, Pedestrian Street Program and Summer Streets events are intended to diversify the use of public space and provide more places for New Yorkers to recreate and socialize. Do you support the temporary or permanent repurposing of street space for pedestrians and cyclists?

Yes. I attended a conference in Bogota, Colombia, in 2003 highlighting that city's innovations in public transportation, biking, and public space. It was quite impressive and it is exciting to see these initiatives being adopted here.


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Question 8:
The City recently released plans for Bus Rapid Transit and expressed interest in bringing a bike share program to New York City. Do you think these new projects would enhance the city's transportation network? Please explain.

Yes. BRT is a good less expensive alternative to subway construction. I have seen the BRT in Bogota and it was great. I also have seen a bike share program in Copenhagen and think a bike share program would be a nice enhancement to New York City life, but also be beneficial to people that can't afford a car or a bike. It would be nice to see some bike share bikes that were outfitted to enable people to use them for grocery shopping.


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Submitted by dpechefsky on Fri, 07/31/2009 - 20:30.
Submitted by dpechefsky on Thu, 07/30/2009 - 13:34.
Submitted by dpechefsky on Fri, 07/31/2009 - 20:30.