| Issue 97 | September 21, 1996 |
Around the Region: NY State
Over a dozen bicyclists and representatives of bicycling organizations testified against legislation requiring universal mandatory bike helmet use at a New York City Council hearing Monday. No one testified in favor of the bill, introduced by Council Transportation Chair Noach Dear. Cycling advocates called on the Council and city government to do more to safely accommodate bicycling on city streets via more and better bike lanes and police enforcement of speeding and reckless driving laws. Transportation Alternatives presented evidence that helmet laws reduce the incidence of bicycling.NY Governor Pataki recently signed a bill introduced by Senate Transportation Chair Norman Levy that stiffly increases penalties for cars driving past school buses. NY school transportation officials estimate about 14,000 cars violate the law by passing stopped school buses each weekday. The Dept. of Motor Vehicles said citations for the crime jumped 50% from 1991 to 1995 in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Newsday The Rockland County Civic Association has called for an investigation into Pyramid Companies' contributions to the local Democratic Party. The mall-building corporation seeks to build the largest mall east of the Mississippi in West Nyack, NY. Pyramid admits it paid the rent on local Democratic headquarters' building for the last six months, but the company says such donations are part of being "a good corporate citizen." The impact of the "Palisades Center" on local quality of life and traffic is controversial throughout Rockland County. Several years ago, Pyramid was subject to charges that it bankrolled pro-mall Poughkeepsie councillors during a dispute over another of its development projects. Pyramid told the NY Post it believes opposition in Rockland is being largely generated by operators of nearby malls.
