PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jean Ryan, President of Disabled in Action of Metropolitan New York, on Transportation and Infrastructure Issues
2:09:34
ยท
179 sec
Jean Ryan, representing Disabled in Action of Metropolitan New York, testified in favor of the proposed bills and highlighted various accessibility and safety issues for people with disabilities in NYC's transportation infrastructure. She emphasized the need for improvements in pedestrian ramps, sidewalk safety, bus stop accessibility, and outdoor dining setups.
- Criticized the slow pace of installing and repairing pedestrian ramps, citing specific problem areas like 2 Broadway and Shore Road in Bay Ridge.
- Raised concerns about inaccessible bus stops, scooter litter on sidewalks, and the need for more effective accessible pedestrian signals (APS).
- Advocated for mandatory daylighting at intersections to improve safety for pedestrians, especially those with disabilities.
Jean Ryan
2:09:34
Hi.
2:09:35
I'm Jane Ryan, president of disabled in action of Metropolitan New York, and I am a wheelchair user.
2:09:41
We have members with all kinds of disabilities.
2:09:44
I am submitting a longer version of this testimony online.
2:09:48
We are in favor of the bills being presented today.
2:09:52
Pedestrian ramps and sidewalk safety.
2:09:55
The pace is too slow to make new pedestrian ramps and to fix the remaining ones that are broken and or too steep.
2:10:03
They're all over, the the broken ones.
2:10:06
Despite my complaints, the crossing between 2 Broadway, which is MTA headquarters, and Bowling Green has a boulder in the crosswalk, and the whole crossing needs to be redesigned because people in wheelchairs and blind people are unsafe.
2:10:24
We're falling off the curbs there.
2:10:27
We don't know where to go.
2:10:29
The sidewalks on both sides of Shore Road in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn are mostly impassable with raised pavers and poor repair and no access to and from the sidewalks.
2:10:41
Trees are lifting up the sidewalks all over the city with no action.
2:10:46
DOT and parks need to get together on this or I suggest DOT use an arborist and fix the sidewalks themselves.
2:10:55
They become like steps and then wheelchair users can't get down the sidewalk, and, it's a tripping hazard for everybody else.
2:11:06
Inaccessible bus stops.
2:11:08
It's unbelievable, but there are quite a few inaccessible bus stops and they continue year after year.
2:11:14
Why?
2:11:15
Some are on Shore Road in Bay Ridge and also on 86th Street in Bensonhurst.
2:11:19
Brooklyn under the l.
2:11:21
Staten Island has some too.
2:11:24
Outdoor dining.
2:11:25
We are glad that the mostly inaccessible sheds are gone, but with the new outdoor dining plan, we are against any inaccessible setups with a ramp, because it usually means we won't be dining there.
2:11:37
That happened even on a DOT tour of a prototype, scooter rental.
2:11:42
The scooters are being littered all over the sidewalks.
2:11:45
I'm calling it scooter litter, and it's not right.
2:11:50
And there's no sound on the scooters.
2:11:52
APS and daylighting.
2:11:54
Some accessible pedestrian signals are too quiet to hear and until all are done.
2:11:59
Blind people say they are minimally useful in new places, because how do you know they're there?
2:12:06
Daylighting isn't mandatory all over New York City, but that doesn't mean that DOT can't do more.
2:12:12
In my neighborhood in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, cars turn so sharply and so close to the curb that crossing the street is a safety gamble.
2:12:21
When I go to or from my family
Selvena Brooks-Powers
2:12:23
If you could wrap up, please.
Jean Ryan
2:12:24
Yeah.
2:12:25
I worry every time that I will be hit by a turning car.
2:12:28
Preventing the loss of life is worth way more than a few parking spaces.
2:12:33
Thank you.