A weekly roundup of good deeds, missteps, heroic feats and epic failures in the tri-state region and beyond.
WINNERS
Connecticut Senate — The Connecticut Senate unanimously approved a bill which would raise the maximum fine for drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians from $181 to $500. The Connecticut House of Representatives recently passed similar legislation.
Girl Scout Junior Troop 3205 — Troop 3205 launched a petition last month calling for safety improvements to the intersection of Seaman Avenue and 218th Street in Manhattan’s Inwood neighborhood.
New York City Councilmembers Helen Rosenthal, Mathieu Eugene and Ydanis Rodriguez — The lawmakers introduced a bill requiring the New York City Department of Transportation to study “Barnes Dance” crossings at the city’s 25 most dangerous intersection.
AAA New York — AAA members in New York are now eligible for free roadside bicycle assistance.
Jane Jacobs — The great American urbanist Jane Jacobs, who would have been 100 years old today, is being celebrated across the Internet and is even featured in today’s Google Doodle.
LOSERS
Collingswood, NJ — Many students in the Collingswood Public School District weren’t able to participate in National Bike to School Day: the district prohibits students in the fifth grade and younger from riding their bikes to school.
NYPD 19th Precinct — The new commanding officer at the Upper East Side precinct said one of his goals was to continue writing more tickets for bicyclists and confiscating more bikes than other precincts.
Pasack Valley High School — This New Jersey high school is removing tennis courts to make room for 37 brand new parking spaces and to widen an adjacent road.
New York City Parks Department — The Parks Department has failed to provide safe detours for Bronx pedestrians and bicyclists along Pelham Parkway during a construction project expected to last two years.
