BEDFORD PARK—Applications are now being accepted for over 100 brand new construction affordable apartments in the Bedford Park neighborhood of The Bronx with rents as low as $1,045 a month for two-bedroom units.
Bronxview Apartments, located at 2885 Marion Avenue, is a 114 unit, 8 story mixed-income residential development comprised of one, two, and three bedroom apartments.
Bronxview at 2885 Marion Avenue/Image via NYC Housing Connect
Rents start as low as $1,045 for two-bedroom apartment and $1,200 for a three bedroom for those making 50% of the area median income and higher depending on income.
As far as amenities go, Bronxview doesn’t appear to have any besides an advertised shared laundry room which makes this particular affordable housing development kind of lacking in this area compared to other comprable new construction in the area.
But what it lacks in on site amenities, it more than makes up for what’s available within walking distance.
Via NYC Housing Connect
The site is located within a short walk to Lehman College along with its Center for Performing Arts, Fordham University, the New York Botanical Garden, Mosholu Parkway, Bronx River Park and Forest, Van Cortlandt Park, and many others.
Bronxview is also located within several blocks of the Botanical Garden Metro North Station, the B and D subway at Bedford Park Boulevard and the 4 train a few blocks over on the same street not to mention several bus routes that run right by.
Qualifying applicants must make 50, 60, 90, or 110% of the area median income which ranges from $39,018 to $155,100 a year depending on which bracket you land on and household size.
5% of units are set aside for applicants with mobility issues and 2% for those with visual or hearing impairments.
50% of the units are reserved for those who live within Bronx Community Board 7 and 5% for those who work for New York City.
Application deadline is April 20, 2021 and you can apply online or request an application by mail, by sending a self-addressed envelope to:
2751 Grand Concourse C/O Fordham Bedford Bronx, NY 10468
As per Housing Connect guidelines, do NOT apply online and also send in an application. Only apply ONCE per lottery or you may be disqualified for duplicate entries.
Best of luck!
Please note: Welcome2TheBronx is NOT affiliated with this listing or any other real estate developments nor do we receive any commissions from these posts. We are simply bringing the news to you.Please do NOT contact us as we cannot help you with these listings.
As millions of Texans suffer due to the severe winter weather related events that have left dozens dead across the state, a Bronx woman has raised over $2 million for relief organizations while Senator Ted Cruz vacationed in Cancun.
Spurred to action by the inaction of the state’s mostly Republican leadership, who refused to help their own residents and told them to fend for themselves, this Bronx woman decided to mobilize a nationwide effort to raise funds for Texan grassroots organizations that are providing aid during this humanitarian crisis.
Often ridiculed by Republicans and the far right for her passionate stance on climate change and its devastating impact on our citizens (which they claim is fake), this hasn’t stopped her from providing the aid that these very people so desperately need—The same aid withheld by leaders from their own party and as Senator Ted Cruz boarded a plane to Cancun to escape the devastation left behind by a rare winter storm and sub-freezing temperatures that killed almost 60 people across the country so far.
While Ted Cruz abandoned his constituents in their most desperate time of need, as they were dying due to hypothermia or because they couldn’t breathe because their life supporting equipment could not function without electricity, she came to their help.
While Ted Cruz made excuses on Twitter for why he fled the country and casting blame on his defenseless daughters, this Bronx woman activated her network and within 4 hours had raised over $300,000 for Texas.
By the end of the night, it was at $1 million, and in less than 24 hours, donations had surpassed the $2 million mark.
And by midday on Saturday, that total had surpassed $3.2 million.
We hit $3.2 MILLION in Texas relief support last night!
One of the places it’s going is the Houston Food Bank. I’m visiting Reps. @JacksonLeeTX18 & @LaCongresista with volunteers to pack meals.
That Bronx woman is The Bronx’s own Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democrat from the Boogie Down who, once again, showed the world the Bronx spirit of solidarity and helping those in need despite differences in political ideologies.
And for those cynics who think this is a political stunt, it’s not.
The Department of Transportation announced Thursday that the East Bronx, one of the most transit-starved areas of the borough, will get New York City’s first E-scooter share program this Spring.
This will give area residents another option of getting around the neighborhood or making connections to subway stations along the 2,5, and 6 line as well as Metro North stations.
Phase 1 of the pilot program will cover all East Bronx neighborhoods north of Pelham Parkway which includes Co-op City, Baychester, Williamsbridge, Allerton, Edenwald, Eastchester, and Pelham Gardens (except City Island) and Morris Park and Van Nest to the south of the parkway with 2,000 to 3,000 e-scooters.
The northwest Bronx neighborhood of Woodlawn is also included in Phase 1.
According to the press release, the pilot will allow the city for the first time to see how an e-scooter share program would work on city streets and would run for at minimum one year.
“Working closely with the Council, we are happy to deliver the city’s first e-scooter share pilot — crafted to allow Bronx residents to try e-mobility to and from countless critical destinations, from Co-op City to the Soundview NYCFerry terminal,” said DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman in the statement.
Gutman also said that, “…important changes to the streetscape, including new dedicated bike lanes to ease travel for e-scooters as well as bicycles in the east Bronx” will be announced in the coming weeks.
As far as alternatives to transportation goes, this is pretty exciting news given the fact that The Bronx is usually the last borough to get such programs like Citi Bike which took forever to get here.
And the selection of 18 square miles of the East Bronx as the testing ground for this new program is probably not a coincidence given the fact that Citi Bike won’t be expanding this way for quite some time as they are focusing on their Bronx expansion solely in the neighborhoods west of the Bronx River.
Given that the area’s almost 600,000 residents are over 80% Black, Latino, and overall BIPOC, including 25,000 residents who live in NYCHA, equitable access to the pilot will be a priority for DOT which the agency will also monitor.
DOT hasn’t announced yet which company will operate the pilot program but StreetsBlogNYC reported, “…multiple companies, including Bird, Lime, Superpedestrian (with its Link scooters), Voi, Beryl and others, responded to a city request for expressions of interest on operating scooter-share programs”.
Phase 2 of the program will potentially begin in 2022 and will include the rest of the East Bronx including Parkchester, Soundview, Clason Point, Castle Hill, Throggs Neck, Country Club, Edgewater Park, Pelham Bay, and Schuylerville and will increase the e-scooter presence to 4,000 to 6,000 between both phase areas.
No word on why City Island isn’t included but it could be because of the distance required to get there given that the community is isolated and isn’t contiguously adjacent to the street grid.
Local area resident Amelia Zaino said although she’s never ridden on an e-scooter, she is nevertheless, “…excited about it and it would be helpful for traveling distances that are short but long at the same time like getting between Co-op City and Pelham Bay.”
Stay tuned for more information on start dates as well as who will operate this service along with pricing and discounts.
On an empty 4.4 acre lot along the Harlem River directly north of the 145th Street Bridge at 149th Street that was once to be part of Mill Pond Park, ground has finally broken ground for Bronx Point, a massive mixed-use development that will bring thousands of residential apartments as well as the permanent home of the Universal Hip Hop Museum and just under 2 miles from where hip hop was born.
First announced in 2016, the development plans eventually went on to include the home for the museum which has been seeking a permanent space in the borough and birthplace of Hip Hop.
The 4.4 acre site and future home of Bronx Point and the Universal Hip Hop Museum as seen from the 145th Street Bridge
Phase one construction of Bronx Point will create not just the 50,000 square foot permanent home of the Universal Hip Hop Museum but it will also bring with it 542 units of permanently affordable housing and 2.8 additional acres of Mill Pond Park which will open up more of the waterfront to the greater community.
The Billion Oyster Project will also run an outdoor science program focusing on the Harlem River. The organization just last year installed an oyster reef at the mouth of the Bronx River at Soundview Park comprising of 500,000 pounds of 15 million live oysters.
Rendering via Bronx Point’s website
As for the residential units, there will be 135 studios, 192 one bedrooms, 122 two bedrooms, and 93 three bedroom units with a portion of units to be set aside for the formerly homeless.
Residents will be able to access amenities like a children’s playroom, fitness center, and an outdoor terrace along with a lounge, bike room and even a fitness center.
Site plan via Bronx Point website
As for the Universal Hip Hop Museum, or UHHM as it’s known, it will offer a wide variety of programing that will not only serve as to document The Bronx’s place as the birthplace of Hip Hop but to also celebrate our place in history of this genre that was birthed by our borough and went on to become a global phenomenon and endures to this day almost 50 years later.
Work is well underway at the site
“For years, we’ve wanted a permanent home in The Bronx—the birthplace of hip-hop—and we are proud to be a part of Bronx Point, which will be one of the great new destinations of the borough,” said legendary Hip Hop artist Kurtis Blow who is also the Chairman Emeritus of UHHM.
Rendering of Bronx Point
“Hip-hop grew from a seed that was planted at a house party on Sedgwick Avenue into a global movement, and our museum will celebrate that journey and the Bronx’s place in its history. For all those who rose with us and followed in our footsteps: this museum will be for you, forever. We can’t wait to open our doors and welcome visitors from around the borough, the city, and the world to Bronx Point and the new home of hip-hop!” he added.
While all of this sounds good, it still doesn’t change the fact that the city stole land that was to be part of Mill Pond Park’s expansion nor should we forget.
Phase 1 and completion of the museum is scheduled to be completed by 2023 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the birth of Hip Hop with the entire development to be completed by 2025 provided that everything goes smoothly.
A new report by PropertyClub shows that Parkchester in The Bronx is New York City’s most affordable neighborhood for home buyers with a median sales price of $195,000.
Data also indicates that overall, The Bronx is the most affordable borough with a median sales price of $519,000 which is significantly less than the $700,000 median sales price for the entire city.
One of the dozens if not hundreds of statues you’ll find around Parkchester.
The report looked for the 50 most affordable neighborhoods in New York City by analyzing recorded closed sales for residential properties in 2020 and only neighborhoods that recorded 10 sales or more were included in the report.
Of the 50 neighborhoods that made the list, 12 of them were in The Bronx and are as follows:
Ranking
Neighborhood
Borough
Median Price
1
Parkchester
Bronx
$195,000.00
2
Bedford Park
Bronx
$225,000.00
4
Fieldston
Bronx
$290,000.00
6
Soundview
Bronx
$306,000.00
7
North Riverdale
Bronx
$307,500.00
8
Spuyten Devil
Bronx
$325,000.00
10
Riverdale
Bronx
$330,000.00
14
Kingsbridge Heights
Bronx
$349,000.00
23
Kingsbridge
Bronx
$397,500.00
26
Highbridge
Bronx
$415,000.00
28
Eastchester
Bronx
$420,000.00
50
Allerton
Bronx
$509,500.00
The top ten most affordable neighborhoods in The Bronx as per data compiled by PropertyClub
Perhaps the most surprising on the list is Fieldston, given the estates and mansions in that area, however since those properties rarely sell, only the co-ops were considered for the report which drastically skews the data a bit.
Typical car-free street scene in Parkchester
This isn’t the first time the city within the city known as Parkchester is on the list. Back in 2019 when we wrote about that year’s report which looked at prices in 2018, the median sales price in the neighborhood was $180,000.
Of note, Parkchester is also the only neighborhood on the list that’s under $200,000.
Homes in Bedford Park
In second place is Bedford Park with a median sales price of $225,000 and much like Parkchester, is a very diverse neighborhood that’s quite reflective of the overall population of our borough.
At the bottom of the list at the 50th spot is Allerton with a median sales price of $509,500, another diverse Bronx neighborhood.
PropertyClub also released a report on the 50 most expensive neighborhoods in New York City and not one Bronx neighborhood made the list so maybe, just maybe, we’re still “safe”.
Borough
Median Sales Price
Bronx
$519,000
Staten Island
$550,000
Queens
$605,000
Brooklyn
$900,000
Manhattan
$1,160,000
Median sales prices in 2020 across the five boroughs as per PropertyClub
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are teaming to help families of COVID-19 victims. | Ron Adar/Schutterstock, Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
The federal government will help pay for the funeral and burial of COVID-19 victims whose families can’t afford the expenses, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced Monday.
In a rare joining of forces, the two New York members of Congress, who disagree on the Democratic Party platform, said that the Federal Emergency Management Administration will tap into the overall $2 billion national pot of disaster funds to cover the costs.
New York State will get approximately $260 million in funeral assistance funds, according to Schumer. FEMA will cover all funeral expenses, which run an average of $7,000. People can file retroactively for reimbursements dating back to Jan. 20, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2020.
“For families, the unspeakable loss of a loved one is being exacerbated by the substantial costs of funerals and burials that many cannot afford right now,” said Schumer (D-NY), the newly minted Senate majority leader.
Courtesy of Senator Schumer’s OfficeSchumer and Ocasio-Cortez announce a plan in Queens to help families with burial costs for victims of the coronavirus, Feb. 8, 2021.
He said he got the idea after Ocasio-Cortez (D-The Bronx/Queens) broached the topic with him in April. The two then called on the federal government to provide similar financial relief for funeral costs like it did after Superstorm Sandy.
“Millions of people across the country and thousands of New Yorkers have lost loved ones due to the pandemic and adding significantly to the emotional and financial burdens they were already dealing with,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement.
Schumer and Ocasio-Cortez are “working to keep the program in place for the rest of the pandemic,” according to a press release.
A Team of Rivals
A family seeking to file for the coverage will need documentation, such as a death certificate or obituary, to verify the person died. Relatives will also need receipts for all the funeral costs. They should coordinate with family members on who will file the application as “next of kin.”
FEMA is creating a call center where caseworkers can assist people applying. Eligible people will be able to upload the documentation into an online portal or submit the paperwork via fax or U.S. mail.
The phone number and online system are not operational yet.
Among the local advocates who pushed for the federal burial assistance: Frankie Miranda, executive director of Hispanic Federation; Nathaly Rubio-Torio, executive director of Voces Latina, and Saeeda Lesley Dunston, executive director of Queens’ Elmcor Senior Center.
Many New Yorkers have struggled to bury their loved ones killed by COVID-19, which has disproportionately hit Black and Hispanic residents of working-class neighborhoods.
Some 2,225 people have been buried on Hart Island since January, the busiest year since the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, THE CITY reported in December. Hundreds more are expected to be laid to rest at the city’s public cemetery in the coming months.
In 1988, when the AIDS epidemic was at its peak, nearly 1,400 adult burials took place on the island, home of the largest mass grave in the United States. In 1918, there were over 22,000 burials during the Spanish flu pandemic.
Ocasio-Cortez, who up-ended the Democratic establishment with her 2018 win over longtime Queens Democratic leader and Rep. Joe Crowley, has been floated as a potential challenger to Schumer next year.
Schumer recently became Senate leader with the effective Democratic majority, elevating him to his highest position of power following a 45-year-plus political career and giving New York a potentially strong champion with the changeover to the Biden administration.
THE CITY is an independent, nonprofit news outlet dedicated to hard-hitting reporting that serves the people of New York.
A new interactive tool released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index for Natural Hazards, (NRI), shows that The Bronx has the second-highest risk from natural disasters in the country.
Natural disasters aren’t something that Bronxites might think about outside of the occasional hurricane and nor’easter that hits the region but this new tool analyzes risk to 18 different natural hazards including heat waves, winter weather, cold waves, tornados, earthquakes, and more.
And coming in second in a nation of over 3,000 counties is a bit surreal.
Strong winds, tornadoes, ice storms, and winter weather pose the greatest risk to The Bronx with a 100 score for each (the highest risk rating), followed by coastal flooding (75.34), heat wave (68.36), and yes, landslides (57.33).
Hurricanes and earthquakes also pose a ‘relatively high’ risk to the borough as well with risk ratings at 30.97 and 32.41 respectively.
Over half a dozen high rises are going up along the Port Morris waterfront (as seen from East Harlem) which once complete, will provide over 2,000 units of luxury housing in an area that was under water as a result of Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
According to FEMA, risk index is calculated by taking the expected annual loss (which measures the expected loss of building value, population, and agricultural value per year due to natural disasters) multiplied by the social vulnerability of an area which is defined as the “susceptibility of social groups to the adverse impacts by natural hazards, and is divided by the community resilience of an area’s ability to, “…prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, and more successfully adapt to the impacts of natural hazards.”
And it’s the last two that appears to be driving the risk even higher for The Bronx.
Taking all of this into the account, the South Bronx and the West Bronx overall, have a greater risk than the rest of the borough.
As for the rest of New York City, Manhattan came in behind The Bronx at 3rd place for greatest risk from natural disasters and hazards followed by Brooklyn at 6th place, and Queens at 11th placing them all together with The Bronx in the high risk category. Only Staten Island was in the moderate-risk category at 144th place.
Understanding these risks should be a blueprint for local and federal government officials to better prepare the people of The Bronx for not if a future natural disaster strikes but when.
We’ve already seen what happened to The Bronx during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic where we became the epicenter of infections and death as a result from the deadly virus but also one of economic devastation.
Given that it’s an election year, perhaps it would be prudent to question any candidate running for office what they intend to do given these findings.
To take a look at the interactive map and data you can go here or click below.
It was a different kind of opening day at Yankee Stadium today.
They arrived by the hundreds, with many waiting on line as early as 6AM despite the cold rain this morning, to get inoculated against COVID-19 on the first day of a mass vaccination operation at Yankee Stadium for Bronx residents only.
After data revealed that despite making over 50% of New York City’s population, with Black residents making up 24% of the population and Latinos 29%, only 11% and 15% of the that segment of the population (respectively) had received the COVID-19 vaccine.
To ensure that the vaccine is distributed equitably and prevent people from traveling in and taking spots intended for local residents, Governor Cuomo announced last week that Yankee Stadium would become a mass vaccination site exclusively for Bronx residents.
On Wednesday, registration opened up online and by telephone operated by SOMOS Community Care who’s also operating the vaccination site at the stadium and by yesterday evening, all appointments were booked for the first four days of operation.
According to Councilman Mark Levine (D), who represents parts of Upper Manhattan and is the Chair of Council Committee on Health, the mass vaccination site at Yankee Stadium can handle “…2,000+ per day” with many slots at each time interval.
Going by those numbers, it would appear then that over 10,000 residents have made appointments already given that there are no appointments through Tuesday, February 9th.
But not everyone who showed up today had an appointment. At least 50 people, some who claimed they arrived at 6AM said they either didn’t know they needed to make an appointment or couldn’t get through.
Many local activists have been vocal about how the appointment system is not geared to local residents who may not have internet access or cannot easily navigate the website which may be user friendly to many but to someone with limited or no internet access may appear a daunting task particularly for the elderly who are some of the most vulnerable.
These same activists, including Welcome2TheBronx, helped people get their appointments throughout the day yesterday and continuing to make sure everyone that wants one, can get an appointment.
Appointments are still available online or by calling 1-833-SOMOSNY.
Now if we can only get more vaccines rolled out to even more people.
Starting tomorrow, Yankee Stadium will be open as a mass vaccination site exclusively for Bronx residents and like all vaccination sites it’s free.
The site will be operating by SOMOS Community Care 7 days a week between 8AM and 8PM and currently as of this moment, the majority of the time slots are still open except for tomorrow which is already booked.
Eligibility is currently limited to Bronx residents over the age of 65, front line workers including restaurant workers and taxi drivers which were just added to the list (check here to see if you’re eligible).
In order to prove your Bronx residency, you must provide:
Remember, there are many residents who will not be able to make appointments on their own for a variety of reasons.
It’s also important to help your undocumented neighbors and let them know that they too can get vaccinated at zero cost and risk to their legal status.
Check with your friends and family and offer to make the appointment for them if they’re eligible. Together we can fight against this pandemic.
The site of the former and now demolished landmarked PS 31, is now home to the tallest building on The Bronx’s Grand Concourse and in the South Bronx.
But, at least for now, it has the distinction of also being the largest Passive House in North America and once it’s completed later this year, designed to utilize up to 70% less energy than a typical development according to details from Dattner Architects.
Currently, nearby Park Avenue Green in Melrose at 153rd Street is the largest such development in North America.
425 Grand Concourse is now the tallest building on the Grand Concourse and the South Bronx. Once completed later this year, it will also be the largest Passive House development in North America
At 26 stories soaring 290 feet high, 425 Grand Concourse is almost 100 feet taller than the 23 story Executive Towers further north at 165th Street which stands at 203 feet in height and was the tallest on the famed boulevard for almost 60 years since it was completed back in 1963.
425 Grand Concourse will feature 277 affordable residential units, several green rooftops, a supermarket, medical facility, and a student services center for CUNY’s Hostos once completed.
Despite its “affordability”, we know this building will only further fuel the rapid gentrification of the area.
The building will also feature historical elements that were salvaged from the demolition of PS 31 which was once known as The Castle on The Concourse due to its gothic architecture.
Dattner Architects rendering of 425 Grand Concourse
But the building won’t be the tallest in the South Bronx for long, as plans have been filed for a 43 story, 400 foot tall development just two blocks away along the Harlem River featuring 710 residential apartments in an area where the skyline is rapidly changing.
Just a few blocks south, you have The Arches luxury residential units with two, 25-story buildings and next to that you have the seven building Bankside development with 1,350 luxury apartments with several towers as high as 25 stories.
Rising high above Mott Haven, 425 Grand Concourse is now the tallest building in the South Bronx/Rendering via Dattner Architects
No exact date when construction is scheduled to be completed at 425 Grand Concourse but we’re assuming sometime in the second half of the year.
Once the housing lottery opens and applications are accepted, we will let our readers know.
To help expedite COVID-19 vaccination efforts in a borough where the positivity rate is the highest in New York City, Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that Yankee Stadium will be a mass vaccination site exclusively for Bronx residents.
With a positivity rate at 7.06% as of Friday, The Bronx’s rate is higher than the city average of 5.27% and more than twice Manhattan’s 3.47%.
Meanwhile, the positivity rate as of Friday within 10 Bronx Zip codes immediately around Yankee Stadium have a positivity rate of 10.32%.
Cuomo stated that this will be a joint venture between the city and state with the National Guard constructing and administering the site and SOMOS Community Care will operate it.
When this will all happen is still unknown.
Fans line up outside Yankee Stadium for the opening game back in 2018.
It’s hoped that utilizing the stadium as a mass vaccination site will help slow the spread of the virus but in order for that to actually happen, we not only need a greater increase in supply of the vaccines but we’ll also need people to step up to the plate and get inoculated.
Right now, according to a recent survey, 8% of Bronx residents say they will not take the vaccine with an additional 14% unsure if they’ll take the vaccine.
A lot of these negative sentiments towards receiving the COVID-19 vaccines are a result of either lack of information or misinformation regarding their safety and efficacy.
For example, many Latino and Asian responders to the survey are concerned about the cost of the vaccine, however, the vaccine is free and will be provided at no cost to everyone.
A whopping 49% of Bronx residents are concerned about side effects of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, currently the only two approved for use in the United States, shaping their decision on whether or not they’ll get vaccinated.
As per the Centers for Disease Control, the most common side effects from the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are:
In the arm where you got the shot:
Pain
Swelling
Redness
Throughout the rest of your body:
Chills
Tiredness (fatigue)
Headache
These side effects are similar to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as per information on the FDA’s website.
So while utilizing Yankee Stadium as a mass vaccination site in the fight against the pandemic, we must also do a lot more work to win the trust of our communities and work to understand why Blacks and Latinos may be more hesitant of the vaccine and distrustful.
After all, it was in this country that for 40 years until 1972, the Tuskegee Study was conducted where Black men were used to study the effects of untreated syphilis however none of the men in the study were even told of their diagnosis let alone received any treatment.
And within the Puerto Rican community, many families still remember the traumas of the US government’s forced sterilization program on the island of Puerto Rico where by 1965 a third of women were sterilized.
Although separate events and thousands of miles apart, they intersect within the Black and Latino communities of The Bronx so there should be little surprise as to why there is such mistrust.
A lot of damage has been done and although we’re no longer a society that is doing such things to its people, we have a long road in repairing that trust but it must be approached with a sensitivity to why people feel how they do about getting vaccinated and providing folks with as much education and information on the vaccines as is available.
It’s the only way forward and out of this pandemic.
A new poll commissioned by Transportation Alternatives and conducted by Sienna College indicates that Bronx residents want more protected bike lanes and dedicated bus lanes in their neighborhoods even if it means losing parking spaces.
Conducted between November and December of last year, the poll is a call to any candidate seeking office in New York City this year whether in the council or the mayor’s office, if they truly want to make the city a safer and greener place for all.
Bike lanes on Morris Park Avenue after it went on a “road diet” going from two lanes each way to just one each way along with the addition of bike lanes.
According to Transportation Alternatives, collectively, acreage occupied by city streets equals an area just under twice the size of The Bronx. That’s a lot of public space that is not being fully utilized in an equitable manner given that only 32% of residents actually use a car to get around with the remainder relying on walking, subway, buses, or biking.
Transportation Alternatives provided Bronx specific data from the poll to Welcome2TheBronx which revealed the following about Bronx voters:
Clear majorities of Bronx voters support adding more protected bike lanes (65%) and dedicated bus lanes (58%) in their neighborhood
90% of Bronx voters support creating more space for children to play, the highest support of any borough.
60% of Bronx voters supported creating wider sidewalks — the most of any borough.
Bronx and Manhattan voters were the most likely to support increasing the amount of trees and green space, with 85% of voters from each borough reporting that they either “strongly” or “somewhat” supported this idea.
Parts of the Grand Concourse became a playground for kids during the beginning of the pandemic as part of the city’s open streets program to allow for greater social distancing.
BIKE LANES: 68 percent of voters – including majorities in all five boroughs – support adding more protected bike lanes in their neighborhoods. 82 percent of Hispanic voters support adding protected bike lanes in their neighborhoods.
BIKE SHARE: 56 percent of voters believe that bike share stations are an important use of curb space in their neighborhoods, including 69 percent of voters from households with income less than $50,000 per year.
Bike lane along Prospect Avenue
BUS LANES: 56 percent of voters support using space currently used for parking in order to have protected citywide bus lanes. New Yorkers from households with income below $50,000 a year have the strongest support, with 66 percent supporting.
OPEN RESTAURANTS: 64 percent of voters say outdoor seating for restaurants is an important use of curb space in their neighborhood, including 78 percent of voters in Manhattan.
OPEN STREETS: 63 percent of voters support the expansion of Open Streets in their neighborhood, including 76 percent of voters under age thirty-five.
CROSSWALK SAFETY: 85 percent of voters strongly or somewhat support efforts to improve crosswalk safety. 74 percent of Staten Island voters and 77 percent of Black voters strongly support these efforts, even if it results in fewer parking spaces.
WIDER SIDEWALKS: 58 percent support adding wider sidewalks to their neighborhood, including 70 percent of voters under age thirty-five. even if it results in fewer parking spaces.
PLAYGROUNDS: 84 percent of voters support adding more space for children to play in their neighborhood, including 90 percent of Bronx voters, even if it results in fewer parking spaces.
GREENERY: 83 percent of voters support adding more trees and greenery to their neighborhood, including 87 percent of Hispanic voters, even if it results in fewer parking spaces.
Prospect Avenue unprotected bike lane.
BENCHES: 75 percent of voters support creating more places to sit such as benches, even if it results in fewer parking spaces.
CAR OWNERS: A super-majority of voters from households that own a car support enhancing crosswalk safety (84 percent) and adding space for children to play (82 percent), even if it takes away parking spaces. 61 percent support adding more protected bike lanes in their neighborhood. 60 percent believe that outdoor seating for restaurants is an important use of curb space and 57 percent support Open Streets expansion in their neighborhood.
The need for more protected bike lanes in The Bronx is a critical one in terms of safety.
By December of last year, injuries to Bronx cyclists soared by 45% compared to the same period in 2019 and yet with cycling on the rise thanks to interest and Citi Bike finally arriving in the borough, the city has done little to protect these riders.
Trucks and cars race along side a bike lane along Bruckner Boulevard in Port Morris.
Only 3% of protected bike lanes are located in The Bronx compared to Manhattan with 50% of the city’s total.
The rise in injuries is a result of poor infrastructure. When the city announced it was installing nine miles of pop-up bike lanes to aid in the city’s pandemic recovery, for example, none was in the Bronx, pointed out Erwin Figueroa, director of organizing at Transportation Alternatives.
“It’s not a unique problem because of the pandemic, it’s something that has been building to this point,” he said. “There’s been an increase in cycling, including in the Bronx, but also the Bronx has not received the same amount of infrastructure. There were a number of announcements from the city highlighting where they were going to implement projects before COVID, and they never made an announcement coming for the Bronx.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio campaigned on ending the tale of two cities yet his administration did little to change the status quo and this is reflected in how the city has continued to treat Bronx infrastructure as an afterthought by throwing us a few crumbs.
Our current and future elected officials MUST fight for all New Yorkers and if our borough leaders truly want us to not be “62” then they can start by building a healthier Bronx with more protected bike lanes and open spaces.
If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us one thing about our city is that our streetscapes can be reimagined if there’s a will—and we have seen that there is a way.
