CB7  speaks to Eyewitness News in opposition to the proposal

Help us oppose the proposed e-bike charging station for 71^st and Broadway on the subway island!

 

Please call City Council Woman Gale Brewer’s office to voice your concerns and to ask for her to take action to stop the creation of the e-bike hub on the triangle. Politicians actually keep track of the number of calls they receive from constituents on any given topic, so it's important for people to speak up.   We suggest focusing on the safety aspect and the danger this project would pose. 

Please call Brewer’s office at: (212) 873-0282. Or visit the office at 563 Columbus Ave. (87-88) M-F 10am-6pm

 

Our letter to Brewer is below:                                                    You can sign the petition here! 

 

Dear Council Member Brewer,                                                             March 23, 2023

 

We are reaching out on behalf of the West 71^st Street Block Association regarding the City's current proposal to locate an e-bike charging station/rest area on the pedestrian "island" located at West 71st/West 72nd/B'way/Amsterdam. 

·       Could you please update us on the status of this proposed site following CB7's resolution opposing this location that was passed earlier this month?

·       If this site is still under consideration, what are next steps? Specifically, which City agencies/City Council committees will be holding meetings and when? 

·       What is your position on this proposed site? Can we please count on your support to oppose this site?

It is very clear that the proposed e-bike hub would greatly exacerbate the challenging safety issues at the dangerous "bowtie" intersection. Introducing the flow of e-bikes onto this pedestrian island would completely defeat the pedestrian triangle's purpose as a safety zone/extension of crosswalks and create extremely hazardous conditions (please see attached map); we suspect that the Parks Commission and the Mayor's office have not taken this into account. We also suspect that NYC DOT has not been fully informed of this proposal. Performing additional safety studies on this location would be a waste of City/taxpayer resources; the location has already been proven to be extremely dangerous and should be eliminated as a proposed site.

 

We'd also like to make you aware of a new discovery we have made: the entire triangle-shaped island is protected by NYC Landmark status. We’ve attached a screenshot of the Landmarks Preservation Committee's document dated January 9, 1979, which relates to the W72nd St Control House, also refers to "designation of the related Landmark Site," defined as:

"The island on Broadway bounded by the southern curb line of West 72nd Street on the north, and by Broadway on the east, south, and west, and which is contiguous to Tax Map Blocks 1143 and 1163."

I've attached a screenshot of this portion of the document; Source: Landmarks Preservation Commission January 9, 1979, Designation List 122 LP-1021. The entire document can be found here: http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1021.pdf

 

Councilmember Brewer, we are extremely concerned that this proposal is moving forward despite the outpouring of concerns for safety and objections of the neighborhood. We would truly appreciate your help in this matter.

 

Sincerely,

West 71^st Street Block Association     

  Please sign the petition to stop an e-bike charging station on our subway island at   71st and Broadway!   You can sign the petition here! 

 We have been working hard with our Community Board, elected officials and West 72nd and 73rd Street Block Associations on this!   This is a very unsafe proposal - dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists alike. 

 

Here is an update: 

On Tuesday, March 7th, Community Board 7 voted 27 to 8 to reject a plan to create an e-bike charging station at the south plaza subway stop at West 71-72nd Street and Broadway. For more information, please see below our joint letter with W71 and W73 Street Block Associations.   You can also read more about it in the following articles:

·       West Side Rag 

·       ILoveTheUpperWestSide.com

https://gothamist.com/news/upper-west-side-votes-against-proposed-rest-stop-for-delivery-workers-at-72nd-street

As a next step, we encourage you to sign our petition - SIGN HERE - to urge local officials to think creatively to identify another location suitable to build this hub. The W71st, 72nd and 73rd Street Block Associations will continue to work closely with local officials on this matter and will keep you all informed. Our primary concern in this matter is the safety of pedestrians. 

 

Please share this petition with others who share our concerns

Community Board Passes Resolution to Oppose E-bike Charging Station

This past Tuesday evening March 7, 2023 at the Full Community Board 7 meeting, the Full Board voted  in favor of supporting the resolution to oppose the e-bike charging station on the South Subway Plaza at 72nd Street and Broadway!

Read details in the West Side Rag: https://www.westsiderag.com/2023/03/08/cb7-rejects-city-plan-for-deliverista-hub-at-72nd-parks-says-it-will-have-an-impact

Thanks to the combined efforts of the 71st, 72nd and 73rd Street Block Associations, which included sending a letter to CB7, letters YOU sent, and speaking to our Elected Officials and the press (among other activities to support our position), we were able to make a positive impact.  

This does not mean the proposal is definitely stopped, so we need to continue our advocacy efforts.  Please let your elected officials know you do not support this dangerous idea!

To Friends & Neighbors of the West 72^nd Street Area

 

Did you know that an e-bike-charging station is being planned for the southern part of the West 72^nd Street subway island?

 

Most of us feel this will negatively impact our neighborhood with an increase in garbage, possible bike accidents and dangerous over-crowding at this already dangerous intersection.

 

While our community board just voted to oppose this project, we need to keep the pressure on until we know this site is no longer being considered for this plan. 

Please call or email our City Councilmember Gale Brewer to urge her to stop this:

 

Email her at: gbrewer@council.nyc.gov  or call her office at:

 (212) 873-0282

 

Your feedback is necessary in order to build the neighborhood and city we want to see! Please share this with friends and family members.

Please join us!

 

                    West 71^st Street Block Association ~ http://w71stba.blogspot.com