City Council Survey (District 39): Bob Zuckerman

Political Party:
Democratic Party

http://www.zuckerman2009.com

Candidate Submitted Biography:

Bob has most recently served as the Executive Director of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation (GCCDC) and Gowanus Canal Conservancy (GCC), and is currently on leave from both positions. At the GCCDC, Bob has encouraged smart development along the Gowanus Canal corridor as well as helping area residents to access affordable housing. While at the GCC, Bob has worked to clean the Gowanus Canal through environmentally sound strategies, and create new parks along the waterfront. In fact, the U.S. House of Representatives recently approved $300,000 in federal money for the development of a “Sponge Park” esplanade along the Gowanus Canal, a project Bob first spearheaded while at the GCC. Bob is also the current Chair of the Environmental Protection Committee of Community Board 6.

In addition to being a leading advocate on local environmental issues, Bob has been speaking up for small businesses for years. Prior to running the GCCDC and GCC, Bob served for two years as the Executive Director of the Greenwich Village-Chelsea Chamber of Commerce. During his time at the Chamber, Bob successfully doubled membership, advocated on behalf of small businesses before the City Council, and started the Non-Profit and LGBT Committees, creating “Out to Work: The LGBT Career Fair.” Prior to these appointments, Bob served as the Executive Director of the New York Nightlife Association, a trade association representing the hospitality industry. In 1999, Bob founded eShow, the first public consumer exposition showcasing technology and the Internet, which attracted 7,000 attendees and dozens of sponsors and exhibitors.

Bob is also an active and devoted community leader. In addition to serving on the Executive Committee of Community Board 6, Bob proudly served last year as President of the Independent Neighborhood Democrats (IND), a Democratic club based in Carroll Gardens. From 2000-2003, Bob served as the President of the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York (SDCNY). He has co-chaired its Board of Governors since 2005 and served on the Board of Directors of the National Stonewall Democrats since 2007.
Bob holds a Juris Doctorate from American University and received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Emory University.

Bob lives in Park Slope with his partner of 12 years, Grant Neumann, and their feline friends, Ozzie and Willie. He hopes to become the first openly LGBT legislator ever elected from Brooklyn.

City Council Survey (District 39): Bob Zuckerman

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 residents of my district complain about the lack of parking spaces and the inability to quickly find parking spots. In fact, studies show that 40% of all drivers in one of our neighborhoods, Park Slope, are looking for parking spaces. I have proposed a plan for residential parking permits for ALL our neighborhoods, which will result in less traffic, more spaces available for residents, and less time hunting for parking spots.

Revenue generated from this plan will be invested back into our community by improving mass transportation, including a new FREE jitney service that will connect neighborhood residents with public transit stops and stations and ease congestion on our streets.


View other candidates responses to this question
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)?

Similar to the planning process that Grand Army Plaza has recently undergone, we should work with the local community boards, elected officials and transportation experts to re-engineer this dangerous intersection. Walkways and bicycle lanes have to be integrated in a way that promotes safety, and stricter police enforcement of speeding drivers must be a priority. We may want to consider raised intersections. As our council member, I will work with Transportation Alternatives and all the stakeholders to fashion a solution to this serious problem so that we can significantly reduce the number of accidents that happen there.


View other candidates responses to this question
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?

We need to look at placing more speed humps, speed bumps and speed tables in strategic locations. For example, Prospect Park West can, at times, look like a freeway. We must consider employing some of these measures listed above on streets like Prospect Park West.

As for the New York City's speed limits, in some cases they may be justifiable and in other cases they may be unsafe and cause more accidents. Speed limits should be reviewed at regular intervals to determine if they are set at appropriate levels, or if they need to be adjusted.


View other candidates responses to this question
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 do strongly believe that increased walking and biking in New York City would improve public health. The Department of Education needs to institute a program to encourage students to walk and bike to work. A Safe Routes to School Program should be created in all of our public schools, not just the 135 priority schools where they currently exist. In addition, we need to increase walking and biking in our district by making it more bike-friendly -- by, for example continuing to construct more bike lanes, including bikes lanes that are separated by a physical barrier, and putting in more traffic lights for bikes, pedestrians, and cars. We also need more to put bike racks on commercial streets. I also applaud Transportation Alternatives for passing the Bicycle Access Bill -- this is a huge step forward. Bike Month NYC is another great way to promote biking and increase bike safety, and we should continue to promote programs like this. As our Council Member, I will promote Safe Routes to Schools,as well as biking and walking at my many neighborhood town halls, as well as through my mobile office, which will visit a different neighborhood in my district every week.


View other candidates responses to this question
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- I do believe that introducing a road pricing strategy would change New Yorkers' travel choices. This would be effective in reducing backups on roads like the BQE and the Gowanus Expressway.
I supported the Mayor's congestion pricing plan, because I believe it would have reduced congestion on our roadways and helped our environment. Now that the congestion pricing plan is defunct, I do support the Ravitch Plan to put tolls on the East River bridges. However, I would hold the price of the toll to the price of a single Metrocard fare, and I would make the tolls free after 9 PM and on the weekend, when there is considerably less traffic on the bridges.


View other candidates responses to this question
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, but as I explained in Question 1, I would like to have a borough-wide residential parking plan. When you limit residential parking permits to certain neighborhoods, you can create a negative effect for the adjoining neighborhoods that don't institute residential permit parking. For example, if only Park Slope has permit parking, you would almost certainly create a parking nightmare for the residents of Windsor Terrace, and that is unacceptable. So, I believe it has to be done boroughwide, and with a plan to raise enough revenue to be reinvested back into the community for free shuttle buses and jitneys.


View other candidates responses to this question
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?

I support the permanent repurposing of street space for pedestrians and cyclists in many cases. New York City should be more like many of the great European cities - with grand plazas for pedestrians and bicyclists alike. Programs like Summer Streets are a fantastic way of experimenting with diversifying our streets and our city. We can eventually make New York City -- and Brooklyn in particular -- as bike-friendly and pedestrian-friendly as Amsterdam and Berlin with some great ingenuity and commitment to making it happen.


View other candidates responses to this question
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 support Bus Rapid Transit, including a dedicated right of way for bus routes, as it is a known fact that New York City has the slowest bus service in America.
I am very excited, however, about the prospect of bringing bike sharing to New York City. Brooklyn is the perfect place to begin such a program, since we have an extremely large bicyclist community here, and since the Brooklyn Greenway has already been started and will hopefully be finished with the next several years. Once again, other cities, like Boston, have beaten us to the punch on this innovative program, and if elected to the Council, I will be the strongest possible advocate for bike sharing here in Brooklyn and throughout the city.


View other candidates responses to this question
Submitted by Zuckerman on Sun, 08/09/2009 - 20:54.
Submitted by Zuckerman on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 12:59.
Submitted by Zuckerman on Sun, 08/09/2009 - 20:54.