An eco-friendly fashion show on Avenue B

Local merchants and designers are teaming up today for the Ave B Eco-Friendly Fashion Show... it starts at 12:30 on Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

You can find more info on the participants via Instagram. 

The show is brought to you by Loisaida Open Streets and the East Village Community Coalition.

Saturday's parting shot

A moment during this afternoon's "interactive data-art performance" on Avenue B between Seventh Street and Eighth Street ... featuring Jen Ray and data designer Jason Forrest ... read more about Open Date Week activities in the East Village here. 

Thanks to Stacie Joy for the photo!

Saturday's parting shot

A moment from today's free zumba class on Avenue B courtesy of the Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition ... photo by Derek Berg... 

Zumba on the open streets of Avenue B this afternoon

The Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition is hosting a post-holiday zumba event on Avenue B at Ninth Street today from 1-3. 

Per the invite: "Warm up in the cold 🥶 with some FREE #Zumba Saturday All levels welcome (masks & distancing required)."

There's another Avenue B flea on Saturday

Back by popular demand! Local residents and business owners will come together again on Saturday for a neighborhood stoop sale... happening from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. along Avenue B from 10th Street to 13th Street. 

Once again, you can expect to find some handmade jewelry, books, records, vintage clothing, etc. This link has the full list of vendors. (And yes — I ❤️ ANARCHIST JURISDICTION NYC will be selling t-shirts.)

The first Avenue B flea was held on Oct. 10. You can check out Stacie Joy's photos from the afternoon right here.

The Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition looking for a few good volunteers

As we move further into fall, the Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition is seeking volunteers to help set up barricades in the mornings/evenings along Avenue B between Sixth Street and 14th Street. 

If you're interested in volunteering to be an Avenue B Open Streets Ambassador, then you can find a sign-up sheet here. 

The group, described as "a community-led program providing safe, socially distanced recreation for our neighborhood," formed back in the summer, and have led efforts to paint and repair the colorful barriers seen along the Avenue...

The group also has a Twitter and Instagram account that you can monitor for updates.

The city announced the Open Street plan in late May to help residents safely get some fresh air while social distancing.

Photos courtesy of the Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition

New community coalition helping keep Avenue B safe for cyclists and pedestrians

[Via @loisaida_oscc]

You may have noticed a few changes along the Open Street of Avenue B... this is courtesy of the newly formed Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition, described as "a community-led program providing safe, socially distanced recreation for our neighborhood."

For starters, volunteers have painted and repaired some of the barriers that are up along the Avenue from Sixth Street to 14th Street daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ...




[Top 2 photos by Stacie Joy]





The group has launched a Twitter and Instagram account...

As the newly formed Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition, we believe this should be a community-led program providing safe, socially distanced recreation for our neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/RiCfc7yzG3

— Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition (@Loisaida_OSCC) July 9, 2020

... where you can learn about upcoming events... and receive news alerts...

🚨Barrier protection alert!🚨 Strong winds today—please dismantle and set any barriers you see out today on Avenue B to the side, not blocking building entrances, with legs stacked behind crossbars to keep them from getting blown around. Safety first!

— Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition (@Loisaida_OSCC) July 10, 2020

If you're interested in volunteering to be an Avenue B Open Streets Ambassador, you can find a sign-up sheet here.

The city announced the Open Street plan in late May to help residents safely get some fresh air while social distancing. As we've noted, people have hidden or vandalized the barricades or they've been clipped by motorists or the FDNY...





A related item of interest... tomorrow (Tuesday night!), CB3's Transportation, Public Safety, & Environment Committee will hear the following item — FDNY: Fire safety concerns regarding Avenue B Open Street.

Here's the meeting info:

Tuesday, July 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Online: https://zoom.us/j/97511826911
By Phone: +1 646 518 9805, +1 929 205 6099
Meeting ID: 975 1182 6911

Updated: Streetsblog has a post on this story here.

[Updated: never mind] New police barricades arrive on Avenue B

As promised, the NYPD brought in new barricades for Avenue B... EVG contributor Stacie Joy took these photos...



The barricades along the Avenue (from Sixth Street to 14th Street) to indicate the Open Street had taken a beating in recent days.


[Photo by Dave on 7th]

Updated 6/23

A walk along Avenue B today... there are barricades up on 14th Street, 13th Street, 10th Street and Sixth Street. The other intersections didn't have any barriers — they were either lying on the ground, shoved off to the side or missing altogether...

[Updated] Police barricades continue sad existence on Avenue B Open Streets

Readers continue to note the sad state of the Open Street concept on Avenue B between Sixth Street and 14th Street. Since the last post on Friday, the police barricades meant to block off the Avenue to through traffic from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. aren't faring so well.

The barricade was smashed and discarded on Ninth and B. The one at Eighth Street is hanging on...



The one at Seventh Street was clipped by a fire truck this weekend...





And someone dragged one of the pieces about 50 yards to the east on Seventh Street...



And at Sixth Street...



The city announced the Open Street plan in late May to help residents safely get some fresh air while social distancing.

Updated 1 p.m.

Via the 9th Precinct...

Thanks for the calls and messages regarding the barriers on Avenue B needing to be replaced to ensure safety while the open space is being utilized. The replacement should be up today. Thanks for your patience!#EastVillage #NYC pic.twitter.com/08NKtxE3QK

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) June 21, 2020

Drivers keep moving, and now breaking, the Open Streets barricades on Avenue B

Since late May, Avenue B has been closed to through traffic from Sixth Street to 14th Street (from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) ... as part of the city's Open Street plan to help residents get some fresh air while social distancing.

However, in recent weeks, we continue to hear reports about drivers moving the barricades to access the street... for instance...

Disappointing that angry drivers keep removing the barricades to our NYC open streets when local walkers, cyclists & kids are craving more outdoor space to safely distance. More of them than cars here, last I checked.

Grateful for grassroots enforcement 🙏🏽 https://t.co/mnu7NK469t

— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) June 13, 2020

... and most recently, a driver in a van broke the barricades that were up at 12th Street... EVG reader Russell K. shared these photos of the aftermath...





Updated 11 a.m.

Dave on 7th shared these from Seventh and B...

8 blocks of Avenue B are now open for pedestrians and bikers (and local traffic)

Avenue B will be closed to through traffic today and tomorrow from Sixth Street to 14th Street — .39 miles in total ...



This stretch is part of the 13 miles of open streets citywide this weekend that Mayor de Blasio announced yesterday... all being done in an attempt to help residents get some fresh air while social distancing.

Local traffic for pick ups and drop offs as well as deliveries are allowed behind the police barricades.

The hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Reader reports: Car making U-turn strikes woman on Avenue B sidewalk

[Photo by Christopher J. Ryan]

There are a lot more questions than answers at the moment late this afternoon after a car struck a 72-year-old woman on the sidewalk on Avenue B at 10th Street.

It's not immediately clear how the car ended up on the sidewalk, striking the woman in the process.

Some more photos from Avenue B and 10th St where a person on the sidewalk was hit by a car. No idea why it was on the sidewalk. pic.twitter.com/PRURgRun5S

— Liam Quigley (@_elkue) August 12, 2019

Witnesses report that the woman was pinned under the car. Emergency responders took her away with reported head injuries.


[Photo by Christopher J. Ryan]

We'll update this post when more information becomes available.

Updated 5:51 p.m.

ABC 7 reports that the driver was making a U-turn.

Officials later said the driver was actually attempting to make a U-turn, and when he put the car in reverse, it jumped the curb and struck the pedestrian.

Police say the woman was taken to Bellevue hospital in serious condition, but was expected to survive.

No word about charges against the driver.

Updated 6:22 pm.

Witnesses said that the woman was one of the longtime shaved ice vendors on Avenue B...


[Photo by @djmcboarder]

Updated 8 p.m.

Yes, as several readers noted, this corridor is one that local elected officials are urging the city to make safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

Updated 8:15 p.m.

An aerial view early this evening via a Citizen user...

Local elected officials urge the DOT to explore bike lane options on Avenues A, B, C and D

[Avenue B, currently without bike lanes]

The proposal for a two-way protected bike lane on Avenue B has turned into a broader exploration for better and safer passage for cyclists on Avenues A, B, C and D.

Last Wednesday, local elected officials sent a letter to Ed Pincar, the Department of Transportation's Manhattan borough commissioner, to expedite and expand on the installation of protected bike lanes on Avenues A-D "as a result of the fast approaching East River Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project."

Here's more from the letter:

"We would encourage you to look at Avenues A through D spanning from East Houston to 14th Street to determine the best location for a one or two-way bike lane, understanding the multiple needs of the city and the impacts these options may have for cyclists and the community.

These new protected bike lanes would serve as a vital alternative to the East River greenway, which is projected to close starting in 2020 during the ESCR project. Recent reports of cyclist accidents in the area suggest the increased safety that protected bike lanes will provide is urgently needed."

The letter was signed by Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Sen. Brad Hoylman, State Sen. Brian Kavanagh, and City Councilmember Carlina Rivera.

The parent-led campaign to secure two-way bike lanes on Avenue B, an increasingly congested 14-block corridor currently without any marked paths for cyclists, began in April. Bike-lane organizers say they now have the support of nearly 30 businesses along Avenue B.

In late June, Community Board 3 passed a resolution asking city officials to study safety issues and improve bike infrastructure on Avenue B, as Patch reported.

Per that resolution:

CB3 asks DOT to conduct a safety analysis and report back to CB3 about whether it is feasible to install a two-way protected bike lane or other bicycle safety improvements along Ave B from Houston to 14th St. CB3 also asks DOT to determine where truck loading/unloading zones should be installed along Avenue B, and report back to CB3 with a proposal.

The report to CB3 should also discuss any impacts of such installations to street-side parking, teacher parking, loading zones, and overall street congestion, especially during the weekend nightlife hours.

There aren't any marked bike lanes now on Avenue B. Meanwhile, Avenues A and C have white-painted bike lanes without any separation barriers such as on First and Second avenues.


[Avenue A]


[Avenue C]

Avenue D does not currently have any markings for cyclists...

Bike advocates and elected officials have been urging the city to do more across NYC to ensure safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists — 15 of whom have been killed by drivers this year, five more than all of 2018.

Overall, there have been 110 road fatalities this year — an 18.3-percent increase over 2018, according to the DOT and as reported by Streetsblog. As of July 9, 56 pedestrians have been killed so far this year on NYC streets.

Mayor de Blasio recently ordered the NYPD and DOT to create emergency plans to protect cyclists. The DOT's plan is roughly due this coming week.

Your chance to hear about the proposed bike lane for Avenue B

[Photo by Sam Bleiberg]

Updated 6/20: Community Board 3's Transportation, Public Safety, & Environment Committee unanimously voted in favor of asking the DOT to report back on the feasibility of bike lanes on Avenue B.

--

As we first reported on April 15, a movement is underway to secure bike lanes on Avenue B, an increasingly congested 14-block corridor currently without any marked paths for cyclists such as on Avenue A and Avenue C.

You can hear more about the proposal tonight during a presentation before Community Board 3's Transportation, Public Safety, & Environment Committee. The meeting starts at 6:30 at the University Settlement, Houston Street Center, 273 Bowery.

Avenue B bike-lane organizers are hopeful that the CB3 committee will recommend further study by the DOT.

Per organizers:

We need your support at this meeting to send the message that our community needs to prioritize street safety, bike lanes and green infrastructure over space for cars! The East River Greenway will be closing for three years next Spring, and our community needs a protected space for bike riding in the Lower East Side!

Some background: The idea came about via parents who bike their children to area schools — including the East Village Community School, the Children's Workshop School, Tompkins Square Middle School, the Earth School and East Side Community High School.

You can read more via a petition at this link.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Making the case for 2-way bike lanes on Avenue B

Parents, students ride together in bid for 2-way protected bike lane on Avenue B

Parents, students ride together in bid for 2-way protected bike lane on Avenue B

[Photo via @pekochel]

Members of the East Village biking community along with street safety advocates came together yesterday morning to make their case for a protected two-way bike lane on Avenue B.

Big turnout this AM as cyclists, adults and kids alike, call for a protected bike lane on Ave B. #BikeAveB #BikeNYC pic.twitter.com/KyvU2cHzOH

— Bike Commuter NYC (@driversofnyc) May 20, 2019

As the #BikeAveB petition notes:

Despite being a narrow avenue, Avenue B allows two-way travel for cars, but has no dedicated lanes for anybody who wants to ride a bicycle. Yet parents and neighbors alike are already choosing to ride down this unsafe corridor.

To make the problem worse, trucks and commercial vehicles have no curbside loading zones. Every day we see them double-parking in order to make deliveries to the dozens of small businesses along Avenue B.

We need a safe, two-way protected bike lane on Avenue B, complete with pedestrian safety improvements!

[Photo from yesterday]

On June 19, East Village parent Choresh Wald, who helped launch the initiative, will make the case for the bike lanes before Community Board 3's Transportation, Public Safety, & Environment Committee. The meeting starts at 6:30 at the University Settlement, Houston Street Center, 273 Bowery.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Making the case for 2-way bike lanes on Avenue B