BROOKLYN COMMUNITY BOARD 6
TRANSPORTATION/PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE
MAY 19, 2016
ATTENDANCE: PRESENT:
J. ARMER S. AVERY P. BLAKE
B. CHANCEY D. GORDON K. GURL
E. MCCLURE T. MISKEL M. MURPHY
D. SCHNEIDER M. SILVERMAN R. SLOANE
J. SMITH J. THOMPSON
EXCUSED:
R. RIGOLLI
ABSENT:
D. DECOSTANZO U. ZIMMERMAN
GUESTS:
R. MELZER A. WAUNEBO
***MINUTES***
Agenda:
Presentation and discussion with representatives of the Kings County District Attorney's Frauds Bureau and Police Department on the prevention and reporting of debit/credit card and ID theft.
Rescheduled update and presentation on the Department of Transportation's plans to roll-out Citi Bike, the City's bike share program, to the district.
Presentation and discussion with representatives of the Department of Transportation on a proposal to upgrade the existing Bond Street bicycle lane in the district.
Committee members in attendance: Jerry Armer, SJ Avery, Pauline Blake, Doug Gordon, Kara Gurl, Eric McClure (Transportation co-chair), Tom Miskel (Transportation co-chair), Madelaine Murphy, Doug Schneider, Matt Silverman (Public Safety co-chair), Roy Sloane, Joanna Oltman Smith, Judith Thompson.
Ex Officio members in attendance: Susie Charlop on behalf of City Council member Brad Lander.
Guests: LaToya Benjamin on behalf of Kings County District Attorney Ken Thompson Roger Melzer, Antoinette Wannebo
Representing the Kings County District Attorney’s Fraud Bureau, Assistant District Attorney Joseph DiBenedetto gave the Committee a presentation on the prevention and reporting of debit/credit card fraud and identity theft.
Most common forms of credit card theft:
Stealing a person’s identity based on personal information, and applying for credit under that false identity Stealing an actual credit card number
Chip technology in newer cards makes fraud more difficult.
“Skimmer” devices are often employed by credit card scammers to steal data. They can be placed over ATM card readers. If you suspect something looks odd, check to make sure the device is secured properly and that a skimmer unit hasn’t been placed over it.
Waiters or other retail employees frequently have access to customers’ credit card numbers.
Ways to minimize the possibility of credit card fraud:
Don’t hand your card to a waiter – swipe it yourself Use one card to enter a bank’s ATM area during off hours, and another at the ATM itself Obscure the keypad when entering a PIN to prevent theft of your PIN by camera Avoid non-bank ATMS (bank ATMs are generally safer, due to better security and more customer traffic, though not always) Monitor your credit transactions Use banks you know Don’t send important personal information (credit card numbers, passwords, etc.) by email Use virus protection software on personal computers
If you’re the victim of identity theft or credit card fraud, contact the police to report the incident.
Contact credit-monitoring agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) to place a security freeze on your credit file.
For more information, visit dos.ny.gov/consumerprotection
Questions and Answers
CB6: Some police precincts are reticent to take reports. KCDA: The police are supposed to reports of fraud or identity theft; you should persevere if you encounter any resistance.
CB6: What if you lose a credit card or are the victim of fraud or ID theft overseas? KCDA: There are some jurisdictional issues. Contact your credit card provider to see what they expect you to do.
For additional inquiries, contact LaToya Benjamin, liaison from the Kings County District Attorney’s office, at (718) 250-2138.
Representing the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), John Frost, Executive Director of the Bike Share Program, Lisa Morasco and Jennifer Sta. Ines provided the Committee with an update on the rollout of the Citi Bike program within CB6. Dani Simons, Director of Corporate Communications & External Affairs for Motivate, Citi Bike’s parent company, was present for Q&A.
Program Overview
Incredibly safe; only one reported crash for every 101,000 trips Fewer crashes than cyclists on personal bikes, attributed to bike design and prominently displayed safety info on bikes. Currently, 7,000 bikes and 470 stations citywide By end of 2016, 10,000 bicycles and 600 stations By completion of Phase II expansion (end of 2017) 12,000 bikes and 700 stations Interoperable with Jersey City bike share system Membership $155/year or $14.95/month with annual contract Discounted membership for NYCHA and CDC residents $5/month with annual contract Robust outreach effort for Phase II expansion. In our area, more than 30 meetings and events with Community Boards, elected officials, area institutions, BIDS and community groups Draft siting plan presented to CB6 in October 2015
CB6 Expansion Plan
73 sites (increased from 62 in draft plan – infill for better system density) Stations located typically in parking lanes on streets or on sidewalks wide enough to permit pedestrian flow, along curb line or building walls DOT reviewed 16 station locations that were adjusted from draft plan following input from CB6 Transportation/Public Safety Committee and consultation with property owners, as well as a few station locations that were still pending in October (primarily park sites). Detailed station map and full presentation available at http://a841- tfpweb.nyc.gov/bikeshare/files/2016/05/Brooklyn-CB-6-Revised-Draft-Plan-Presentation.pdf
Questions and Answers
CB6: Why did you move the station from the sidewalk near Fairway on Van Brunt to an on-street location on narrow Reed Street? DOT: Consultation with Fairway and other local businesses; business owner on Reed requested dock in front of store.
CB6: Did you consult property owners in a particular radius around a site? DOT: We spoke with all property owners or businesses that were directly adjacent to a proposed site.
CB6: How big is a typical station? DOT: Size varies but roughly 24 docks per location, on average.
CB6: What’s the timeline for the rollout? DOT: Likely by August. Expansion will happen all at the same time, over about a four-week period, beginning with Manhattan expansion.
CB6: Will there be a station at 3rd Street and Prospect Park West? That’s a popular park entrance. DOT: Yes, that was pending consultation with the Parks Department, but it will be located inside the park entrance at 3rd Street.
CB6: Why isn’t there a station right at 7th Avenue and 9th Street adjacent to the subway station? DOT: Too much going on at that intersection with bus stops on three corners. Station planned for 7th Avenue and 10th Street.
CB6: Why was the Court Street and Atlantic Avenue station moved across Atlantic (and into CB2)? DOT: We consulted with Trader Joe’s and other businesses; too much going on at original draft location.
CB6: Are annual memberships on a calendar-year basis? DOT: No, they’re on a rolling annual basis. One year from whenever you join.
CB6: Are there discounts for seniors? Citi Bike: Not currently but we’re very open to exploring that.
CB6: Where do we find updates about the system? DOT: On the Citi Bike website, citibikenyc.com.
CB6: What portion of system revenue comes from advertising? It would be nice if there weren’t corporate logos on the bikes. DOT: Citi Group has a six-year contract, system operates with no cost to taxpayers. CB6 Transportation Co-Chair: There’s a lot of interest within the City Council to augment funding with public dollars, so that may happen eventually.
Committee member Jerry Armer made a motion to approve DOT’s recommended plan for Citi Bike rollout within Community Board 6 as presented. The motion was seconded by Madelaine Murphy, and it passed unanimously.
Representing the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), Hayes Lord, Director, Bicycle Program presented the Committee with a proposal to upgrade the Bond Street bicycle lane within the district.
The Bond Street bicycle route was installed in summer 2014 between 3rd Street and Schermerhorn Street following street repaving.
In 2015, in conjunction with a resurfacing project, DOT upgraded the existing shared lane to a curbside green-painted bike lane from Wyckoff Street to Schermerhorn Street.
Existing curb regulations prohibit parking from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. along the east curb.
The proposed project area is on Bond Street from 3rd Street to Douglass Street.
DOT reviewed existing conditions block-by-block for the Committee.
Bond Street has experienced a significant increase in bike activity from 2014 to 2016. Motor vehicle volume is relatively low.
To judge the appropriateness of the project, DOT needed to reevaluate parking regulations. They installed five cameras with different views of the project corridor to analyze parking usage, collecting time-lapse images over 15 days.
They found significant underutilization of on-street parking. In addition, there are a large number of curb cuts along the route, which makes it an excellent candidate for a curbside bike lane.
Overall, DOT found that there was less than one vehicle parked overnight per block from 3rd Street to Sackett Street. Utilization was higher between Sackett and Douglass, where there are alternate-side parking rules.
DOT is proposing to change the parking regulation to No Stopping along the east curb from 3rd Street to Douglass Street in conjunction with the installation of the curbside bike lane, and to convert a small 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. No Parking zone on the west curb of the block between Degraw and Douglass to alternate-side rules.
The project will repurpose approximately 13 parking spaces along the east curb between Sackett and Douglass for the bike lane. The rule change to the west side of Bond between Degraw and Douglass will add two parking spaces. DOT will also add approximately five parking spaces on nearby blocks, and is investigating the addition of on-street parking on Sackett Street between Bond and the Gowanus Canal, where parking is not currently permitted.
Summary of Benefits: organizes traffic, improves safety by upgrading the existing shared lane and providing dedicated space for the growing number of cyclists.
The full presentation can be viewed at http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/bond-street-cb6- may2016.pdf.
Committee member Jerry Armer made a motion to approve DOT’s recommended proposal for upgrading the Bond Street bicycle lane as presented. The motion was seconded by Madelaine Murphy, and was passed unanimously.
Committee member Pauline Blake offered a motion to approve the minutes of the April meeting as written. Jerry Armer seconded the motion, and it was passed unanimously.
There being no further business to come before the committee, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
The minutes were submitted by Kara Gurl.