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Making the Streets Safe for Strollers

am New York | September 19, 2005

By Kit Hodge

They’re everywhere you look: Bugaboo, McClaren, jogging strollers, old-school carriage strollers and even double and triple wide strollers. Even if you don’t have a child, you can’t help but marvel at the craze for bigger and fancier strollers that has hit all five boroughs. But given the proliferation of congested sidewalks and aggressive, antisocial drivers, is New York City really a good environment for strollering? To answer this question, Transportation Alternatives has launched the first "NYC Stroller Report Card" at transalt.org/stroller.New York City recently celebrated receiving $71 million in federal money for transportation projects. Part of that funding is designated for redesigning streets and intersections to better serve pedestrians. But how should the city decide which sidewalks need widening and which walk signals need to be lengthened?Transportation Alternatives has the answer: the "stroller test." The stroller test is a simple way to measure the "walkability" of our sidewalks and intersections. Sidewalks flunk the test if you get jostled by other pedestrians while you are pushing a stroller, or while you are stopping and conversing with a neighbor. Intersections flunk if you lack ample time to cross the street, cannot comfortably use a ramp to get on and off the sidewalk, or if you are menaced by turning drivers as you attempt to cross. If you are a parent, the stroller survey is your opportunity to rate your neighborhood streets and sidewalks and help make raising children in New York City easier. Take the survey at transalt.org/stroller.

Submitted by admin on December 18, 2007 - 16:56. categories [ ]