PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Elaine Karas, Executive Director of Purple Circle Early Childhood Program on E-bike Safety and Support for Intro 606
7:24:24
·
142 sec
Elaine Karas, representing Purple Circle Early Childhood Program, testified in support of Intro 606 and expressed concerns about the safety issues posed by e-bikes and fast bicycles in New York City. She emphasized the difficulties faced by children, families, and teachers when navigating city streets and parks due to reckless cyclists.
- Karas reported incidents involving their program, including a stroller being hit and a teacher suffering a fractured mandible from a bicycle collision.
- She called for stronger measures beyond Intro 606, suggesting increased police presence and holding app companies accountable for cyclist behavior.
- Karas noted that even visitors from Denmark found the cycling situation in NYC terrifying, highlighting the severity of the issue.
Elaine Karas
7:24:24
Hi.
7:24:24
My name is Elaine Karas.
7:24:27
I'm speaking on behalf of, Purple Circle Early Childhood Program who is that's located on the Upper West Side on a 100 and Third Street in Broadway.
7:24:39
I'm speaking on behalf of children, families, and teachers.
7:24:44
It has become a serious public issue.
7:24:47
I support, 606, but even more than that.
7:24:53
Whether it's putting police officers on motorcycles, it's getting impossible to take infants out, to take children out.
7:25:04
We children need to be outdoors.
7:25:07
They need to use the parks.
7:25:09
We're terrified.
7:25:11
We're constantly trying to navigate our way around all these bikers.
7:25:17
And it's not only ebikes.
7:25:19
It's bicycles that go really fast, and they don't know how to stop.
7:25:26
We one of our strollers got hit.
7:25:29
Thank goodness.
7:25:31
The babies didn't get hit, but it's a real serious matter here.
7:25:35
And we need to pass 606 and more than that.
7:25:41
More than that.
7:25:42
And we need to hold these app companies accountable for doing what they do to these bikers.
7:25:51
One of our teachers got hit by a bicycle, not an ebike, a regular bicycle, and fractured her mandible.
7:25:59
So this is a serious issue all around.
7:26:03
Ebikes, all kinds of bikes.
7:26:06
I'm for biking, but they have to follow the rules.
7:26:11
We had people here from Denmark looking at our school, and they said how terrifying it was coming out of the subway and coming to the school because of bikers.
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
7:26:24
Can you, for the record, restate your name, please?
Elaine Karas
7:26:27
Elaine Carris.
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
7:26:33
Okay.
7:26:34
And your name was Lori Kalinowski, I first saw in there?
Elaine Karas
7:26:39
Lori is the assistant director.
7:26:42
I'm using her computer because
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
7:26:44
of the computer.
7:26:44
Okay.
7:26:45
Thank you.
7:26:45
Okay.
7:26:46
Thank you for that clarity.
