City Council Survey (District 4): Daniel R. Garodnick

Dan Headshot.jpg
Political Parties:
Democratic Party
Working Families Party

http://www.dangarodnick.com

Candidate Submitted Biography:

Occupation: City Council Member District 4

Occupational Background: Prior to my election to the City Council, I was an attorney at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison LLP, and a law clerk to the Honorable Colleen McMahon in the Southern District of New York.

Educational Background: Dartmouth College, B.A.
University of Pennsylvania Law School, J.D., Editor-in-Chief of the University of
Pennsylvania Law Review.

Organizational Affiliations: Turtle Bay Association, Friends of Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, Murray Hill Association, Peter Cooper Village/Stuyvesant Town Tenants Association, Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, CIVITAS, Carnegie Hill Neighbors.
Prior Public Experience: New York City Council Member 2005-2009

City Council Survey (District 4): Daniel R. Garodnick

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

The Lexington Avenue subway line is reaching a breaking point in terms of capacity. I conducted a study last year which found that hundreds of passengers are routinely left stranded on the platform by trains that are on schedule but already overfilled. A fully built Second Avenue Subway is imperative to relieve overcrowding on the 4/5/6 trains.

In addition to supporting construction of the Second Avenue Subway, I will continue to advocate for on-schedule implementation of Bus Rapid Transit on the M15 line and improved accessibility of alternative forms of transportation. More East Side residents would commute by bicycle if bicycling were made safer and more convenient.


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Question 2:
The intersection of E 57 Street and 3rd Ave is one of the most dangerous in your district, where 1 people died and 63 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)?

In April 2007 and again in February 2009, I formally requested that the Department of Transportation implement signal changes to protect pedestrians at this intersection. Because cars are permitted to turn onto 57th Street from the two rightmost lanes of Third Avenue, cars in the farthest right lane obstruct other drivers’ view of pedestrians in the crosswalk. Accordingly, I requested that the DOT install a leading pedestrian interval or right-turn arrow to protect pedestrians crossing 57th Street from the southeast to northeast corners. Additionally, I asked the DOT to study whether the bus stops and layover areas on 57th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues are sited appropriately. Buses frequently must double-park next to each other to access stops, creating low visibility of exiting passengers.


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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?

Speed limits are only as effective as their enforcement. I believe that the State legislature should grant New York City the authority to install red-light cameras, which should be placed in high-priority areas where speeding and accidents are worst. Furthermore, I believe we can prevent speeding, as well as the fatalities and injuries it causes, through better street design and through the selective use of speed bumps and lane markers.


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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?

I have consistently supported efforts to get New Yorkers out of cars, and into healthier activities.
I convened six leading landscape architects to develop a vision for a waterfront park along the midtown section of the East River. In conjunction with a park on the outboard detour roadway (ODR) along the FDR Drive, this would have the critical effect of completing the greenway on the East Side, giving bicyclists a safe and contiguous path from Harlem to the Battery. In the course of a rezoning of east midtown, I secured a necessary land easement and the commitment of $10 million toward the development of this waterfront park.
To encourage bicycling to work, I introduced a resolution calling on the MTA to pilot bicycle access on express buses. I co-sponsored Int. 871 to improve bike access in office buildings, as well as Int. 780 to require bicycle parking in public garages. I also co-sponsored Int. 38 to improve bicycle storage in residential buildings. Additionally, I am exploring the licensing of bicycle valets to create more secure bike parking.
To encourage walking, I have fought for signal changes to improve pedestrian safety at a number of intersections. I have also created Greenstreets and called for changes to promote the hiring of more school crossing guards.


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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?

I fully supported the Mayor’s congestion pricing plan. I believe that congestion in the Central Business District (CBD) would improve with pricing measures that remove the incentive for trucks to pass through the CBD even though their trips neither originate nor end there. Likewise, the costs to travel on major arteries should accurately reflect the “external costs” such as congestion and pollution. We should actively seek consistent funding streams to finance the expansion of mass transit options where they do not currently exist.


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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?

I believe that reducing residential parking requirements in neighborhoods that are already well-served by mass transit can discourage unnecessary car ownership and driving. I believe that such a policy would also be most effective in areas well served by parking garages so that a reduction in parking at the site of a new development would not lead to an increase in cars circling the block for a space.


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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 do support these initiatives. I believe there is a strong community benefit when pedestrians and bicyclists can reclaim the street, even on a temporary basis.


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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.

I have been a strong advocate for the on-schedule implementation of Bus Rapid Transit on the East Side of Manhattan. Making bus service faster and more reliable will improve its usefulness as an alternative to the overcrowded Lexington Avenue subway line for commuters.

Even as we move forward in improving bicycle access in commercial buildings, bike ownership is still not an option for many New Yorkers, frequently due to the lack of storage space in their homes. A bike share program would help fill that gap, allowing New Yorkers to get around by bicycle without needing to own one. Though such a program would likely have a small tangible impact at first, I believe that its high visibility would serve to encourage additional ridership.


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Submitted by Garodnick2009 on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 12:19.
Submitted by Garodnick2009 on Thu, 07/23/2009 - 18:21.
Submitted by Garodnick2009 on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 12:19.