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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.
7:26:27
Elaine Carris.
7:26:39
Lori is the assistant director.
7:26:42
I'm using her computer because
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
7:26:24
Can you, for the record, restate your name, please?
7:26:33
Okay.
7:26:34
And your name was Lori Kalinowski, I first saw in there?
7:26:44
of the computer.
7:26:44
Okay.
7:26:45
Thank you.
7:26:45
Okay.