[passcoalition] PASS & Intro 216A
- From: "Maria Hansen" <mhansen1@xxxxxxx>
- To: <passcoalition@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 18:00:47 -0400
Pedestrians for Accessible and Safe Streets (PASS) needs your help! We need
blind, visually impaired and deaf/blind New Yorkers as well as any other
supporters to join us on Wednesday, October 29th at City Hall when the City
Council discusses Intro 216A (pasted below). Among other things, this Bill
would greatly increase the number of Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS)
that will be installed annually.
PASS held a successful training event last week where a couple Council
members on the Transportation Committee accepted the Vision Zero With Zero
Vision challenge and experienced under blindfold how tricky it can be to
safely cross some intersections. We want to build momentum and show the
City Council how important this bill is for our safety.
City Hall does not have an actual street address but is on the corner of
Broadway and Murray. Please arrive by at least 12:30 PM even though the
hearing begins at 1 PM. You will need photo ID and will have to go through
security. The hearing will be held in City Council Chambers which, I
believe, is on the 2nd floor.
Please find the Bill, Intro 216A below my signature.
Maria Hansen
President, Guide Dog Users of New York
mhansen1@xxxxxxx
The text of the bill is below. It effectively addresses three areas of
concern for people who are blind or visually impaired. The areas are
. Exclusive Pedestrian Phase signals
. Leading Pedestrian Intervals
. Protected Bicycle Lane
It requires the department of transportation install an accessible
pedestrian signal at all corners of a minimum of one hundred intersections
where the
department plans to install a protected bicycle lane, an exclusive
pedestrian signal or leading pedestrian signal.
It also requires the department shall also install an accessible pedestrian
signal at all corners of any intersection where a protected bicycle lane, an
exclusive pedestrian signal or leading pedestrian signal was installed prior
to the effective date of the local law that amended this section, at a
minimum
of fifty such intersections per year until such time as all such
intersections have such signals.
Proposed Int. No. 216-A
By Council Members Levine, Chin, Johnson, Lander, Mendez, Rodriguez, Cohen,
Rosenthal, Koslowitz, Vacca, Menchaca, Constantinides, Kallos, Treyger and
Dromm
(by request of the Manhattan Borough President)
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in
relation to increasing the number of accessible pedestrian signals.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Section 19-188 of the administrative code of the
city of New York is amended to read as follows:
§ 19-188 Accessible pedestrian signals program. a. For purposes
of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
1. "Accessible pedestrian signal" shall mean a device that communicates
information about pedestrian signal timing in a nonvisual format.
2. "Exclusive pedestrian signal" shall mean a pedestrian control signal that
allows pedestrians an exclusive interval at which to cross while traffic is
stopped in all directions.
3. "Leading pedestrian signal" shall mean a pedestrian control signal that
displays a walk indicator before a green indicator of a traffic control
signal
within the same intersection it is displayed.
4. "Protected bicycle lane" shall mean a portion of the roadway that has
been separated for the exclusive use of bicycles.
b. The department shall establish an accessible pedestrian signals program.
As part of this program, the department shall identify intersections where
accessible pedestrian signals may be installed based on guidelines,
including, but not limited to, those set forth in the most recent version of
the manual
on uniform traffic control devices. The department, after consultation with
the mayor's office for people with disabilities and with advocates for and
members of the visually impaired community, shall identify intersections
which reflect the greatest crossing difficulty for persons with visual
impairments.
Commencing in 2012, the department shall annually install, based on such
guidelines, an accessible pedestrian signal at each corner of twenty-five
intersections
identified by the department following such consultation. In addition, the
department shall install an accessible pedestrian signal at all corners of a
minimum of one hundred intersections where the department plans to install a
protected bicycle lane, an exclusive pedestrian signal or leading pedestrian
signal. On an annual basis, commencing in 2015, the department shall also
install an accessible pedestrian signal at all corners of any intersection
where
a protected bicycle lane, an exclusive pedestrian signal or leading
pedestrian signal was installed prior to the effective date of the local law
that amended
this section, at a minimum of fifty such intersections per year until such
time as all such intersections have such signals.
[b] c. On or before November 30, 2012, and on or before every November 30
thereafter, the department shall post on its website a report analyzing the
status
of the accessible pedestrian signals program which shall include, but not be
limited to, a detailed assessment of the program including cost, funding
sources
for such program including, but not limited to city, state and federal
funding, recommendations for improvements to such program, availability of
new technology
that may be employed by the department for use in such program and any
additional intersections in the city that may warrant inclusion in such
program.
In addition, such report shall list the fifty top ranked intersections for
new accessible pedestrian signals, as evaluated by the department after
consultation
with the mayor's office for people with disabilities and with advocates for
and members of the visually impaired community, based on the criteria set
forth
in subdivision a of this section.
[c] d. The department shall post on its website the locations of all such
accessible pedestrian signals, disaggregated by community district and
council
district.
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