City Council Survey (District 22): Lynne Serpe

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Political Party:

http://www.SerpeForCouncil.com

Candidate Submitted Biography:

Lynne works for an environmental nonprofit in Long Island City. She co-founded Triple R Events: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle which partners with local businesses, community groups and artists to organize free green events in LIC/Astoria such as the annual Queens is Green Fashion Show and local clothing swaps which encourage reuse. She serves on the Steering Committee of Two Coves Community Garden, the Executive Committee of the Long Island City-Astoria Alliance (LICA), is an active member of Transportation Alternatives Queens Committee, and the West Queens Greens.

City Council Survey (District 22): Lynne Serpe

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

Access to reliable mass transit options is the most important need in my district. The subway system serves only a fraction of the district and bus service (such as the Q104 running from Ravenswood to Sunnyside along Broadway) is far too infrequent. The Q103 along Vernon Boulevard is practically nonexistent during the week and doesn’t run at all on weekends. At a time when New York City is finally recognizing the need to improve waterfront access, this is a particular tragedy.

Additionally, not a single subway station in District 22 is wheelchair accessible. The elevated N/W line is particularly difficult for those with limited mobility to navigate. The number of people who might otherwise choose to take the M60 to LaGuardia Airport from the Astoria Boulevard stop is drastically reduced due to the difficulty of lugging heavy bags up and down several flights of stairs.


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Question 2:
The intersection of 33 Street and Newton Ave is one of the most dangerous in your district, where 0 people died and 31 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)?

There are too many forms of traffic converging on that intersection from too many directions. Without a pedestrian traffic light for crossing Newtown Avenue at 30th Avenue, it’s impossible for pedestrians to know whether it’s safe to walk.

Similarly, cyclists heading east on Newton are presented with the choice between long and risky detours to cross 31st street or violating the one-way that starts there.

We should explore following the Manhattan model of closing Broadway by making a three-way intersection into a two-way intersection for motorists and offering pedestrians and cyclists a safer route by making Newton between 31st & 33rd a traffic island.

In the short-term, we could also explore diagonal parking along the eastern side of Newtown and create a raised and landscaped pedestrian island along the western side of Newtown between 32-33rd Streets rather than merely striping the crosswalk. If we move the parking spots near Athens Café to the other side of the street (through diagonal parking spaces) there would be sufficient space for benches and tree plantings, creating a mini-refuge and much needed green space.


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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?

It is difficult to say whether the current limits are safe, since they are rarely followed except when there is a traffic jam. There is precious little signage to tell drivers what the speed limit is throughout the city. Increased signage and increased enforcement is needed. We also need to empower TEAs (traffic enforcement agents) to deal with truck infractions.

But signage and enforcement alone are not enough. We need to implement a range of traffic calming measures, especially near the many schools in the district and along 33rd Street - a residential street used to access the Grand Central Parkway. We need wider sidewalks and narrower streets, raised medians, pedestrian refuge islands and more speed humps and speed tables.


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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, of course. Biking, walking and rollerskating are great exercise. I often walk to work and see children being driven to school daily. I would seek to expand the Safe Routes to School program which has only been implemented in less than 10% of the schools in New York City. PS 17 (Henry Thoreau School) was one of the initial 135 prioritized schools but there are many others in District 22 that warrant study and action. “Walking school bus” programs are successful around the country and should be strongly encouraged throughout the city.

The southern border of District 22 (34th Avenue) was recently striped for bike lanes, which provided an important east-west bike route for cyclists. I would seek to expand the bicycle network, in particular connecting District 22 to parks throughout Queens.
The expansion of NYC’s bike network, an investment in bicycle parking and bike racks on buses will keep the current momentum of commuter and recreational cycling growing. Cycling is unique: infrastructure is cheap to install, there is low-to-zero impact on surface roads and the environment, and it promotes better general health, which lowers medical costs over time. Although not for everyone, an improved and interconnected bicycle network’s high payoff versus low cost can't be ignored.


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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. Traffic congestion is an economic, environmental and public health problem. Rates of asthma and other respiratory ailments are on the rise, not just in District 22 but throughout the city - especially in neighborhoods near the Gowanus Expressway and areas with heavy truck traffic such as Maspeth.

Currently, traffic diverts to the free bridges, clogging up traffic in Queens’ neighborhoods. There is a cost involved with maintaining these bridges and connecting roadways which should be borne in part by auto users, just like subway fares already pay for two-thirds of operating costs (the highest cost-recovery ratio in the country).

Unfortunately, too much of Queens is not serviced adequately by public transit. I would promote that tolls be on a sliding scale so they are cheaper for Brooklyn & Queens residents similar to the discount that Staten Island residents receive on the Verrazano Bridge with their EZ Pass.
Tolling all the currently free East River and Harlem Bridges at an amount equivalent to the cost of a single transit ride is estimated to bring in close to $500 million annually. Even with a sliding scale, much-needed revenue could be generated.


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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?

Current NYC zoning regulations plan for a higher percentage of units to have parking than the percentage of New Yorkers that actually own cars.

The current rezoning study taking place in Astoria by the Department of City Planning allows for up-zoning several commercial corridors, which could result in many additional cars on the road without providing a comprehensive plan for dealing with the additional traffic congestion that would ensue.

If a proposed development of 2,500 units at Hallet’s Point along the waterfront is given a variance (the area is currently zoned for manufacturing) that will have a massive impact not just on traffic congestion but also on the power grid, the sewage system and community assets like schools, libraries and supermarkets.


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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 support temporary or permanent repurposing of street space for pedestrians and cyclists. A community organization I co-founded, Triple R Events, will be sponsoring Ping Pong in the Park during the final Astoria Water Walks temporary street closure on August 23, 2009.

I am an active member of Transportation Alternatives Queens Committee and am part of a subcommittee that is committed to making the intersection of 31st Street and Astoria Boulevard safer for everyone. One of the options we are considering is DOT's Public Plaza Program.

Finally, I am working with the DOT on their pARTners program to provide public art on the Pulaski Bridge, which connects Queens and Brooklyn.


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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. A BRT system will be faster and cheaper to install than new subway lines and can quickly serve areas in Queens that are not supported by mass transit. I support BRT along the waterfront in District 22, connecting Long Island City with Astoria along Vernon Boulevard.


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Submitted by lynneserpe on Mon, 08/10/2009 - 17:53.
Submitted by lynneserpe on Mon, 08/10/2009 - 17:45.
Submitted by lynneserpe on Mon, 08/10/2009 - 17:53.