Quinnipiac's Queer Study

CARR note** The methodology of this study is suspect."Stinky" Howard Wolfson defends. SNAFU Situation Normal All F***** Up CARR note**



March 31, 2011 06:37 am EST
Quinnipiac’s "Unbelievable" Poll on NYC Bike Lanes
by David W. Moore

10 MINUTES ON GRAND STREET: One third of the bike rider observed on Grand Street, Soho, New York City within 10 minutes violated the one-way street signage and rode the wrong way. Numerous arrows that point the safe direction are ignored. (Credit: Rhonda Roland Shearer) In response to the current controversy over the expansion of bike lanes in New York City, Mayor Bloomberg’s senior advisor, Howard Wolfson, recently issued a statement defending the policy. The first defense he cited was the popularity of the program: "The majority of New Yorkers support bike lanes. According to the most recent Quinnipiac poll, 54 percent of New York City voters say more bike lanes are good 'because it's greener and healthier for people to ride their bicycles,' while 39 percent say bike lanes are bad 'because it leaves less room for cars which increases traffic.'" Given that a recent article in the Wall Street Journal reports that the mayor and his administration may have been spinning safety data to support the bike lane policy, you might think that Mayor Bloomberg himself had conducted the Quinnipiac poll, or commissioned it, or at the very least influenced its results in some way or another. How else could you account for the finding that a majority of New York City voters actually said increasing bike lanes is good because it’s “healthier for people to ride their bicycles”? Is that the first thing New Yorkers really think about when asked about bike lanes – how healthy it is for the bike riders? If so, kudos to them, for thinking of others. I live in New Hampshire, and when I asked a whole bunch of friends (admittedly not a representative sample of anything, not even of all my friends) whether they would want an expansion of bike lanes around our area, not one person said “yes” because they felt it was healthier for other people to ride bikes. Well, as it turns out, most New Yorkers probably wouldn’t give that reason either, if they were allowed to express their opinions in their own words. It was Quinnipiac that actually formulated the response, which in legal terms might be called “leading the witness.” Stacking the Deck Even before asking the loaded question, however, the Quinnipiac University Poll stacked the deck in favor of bike lanes. They did so by first informing respondents that “there has been an expansion of bicycle lanes in New York City.” How does that stack the deck? For almost all issues, even the most contentious, there is always a significant segment of the population that is not engaged – people who couldn’t care less one way or the other what happens. But once the pollster pretends as though everybody is informed (and makes that appear to be the case, by actually informing the respondents in the sample), and then asks all respondents to opine about the issue, the sample is fatally contaminated. It no longer represents the general public, many of whom are simply uninformed or otherwise unengaged in the issue. A more objective approach would have been to ask whether the respondents even knew of the expansion. After all, Bloomberg’s senior advisor Wolfson noted that in the past four years, the city has added 255 miles of bike lanes, while the city has over 6,000 miles of streets. This would suggest that probably a lot of residents were not even aware of the expansion – perhaps especially people who travel mostly by subway, or others who are generally clueless about anything. WATCH OUT! Within the same 10 minutes, New York City's Grand Street bike lane is awash in bike riders violating one-way-street traffic rules--like this woman and child riding a tandem bike the wrong direction. (Credit: Rhonda Roland Shearer) How many city residents are not engaged in the issue? Based on polling I’ve done and seen on jillions of other issues over the years, I would estimate about a third to a half of New York City voters don’t really care one way or the other, either because they don’t see bike lanes as affecting them, or because they simply haven’t been paying attention to the issue. (Of course, this is only a guess. What we need is for the pollster to ask the question, rather than taint the sample by giving respondents information.) Nevertheless, Quinnipiac asked all sample respondents – regardless of their knowledge or engagement in the issue – the following question: As you may know, there has been an expansion of bicycle lanes in New York City. Which comes closer to your point of view: A) This is a good thing because it's greener and healthier for people to ride their bicycle [sic], or B) This is a bad thing because it leaves less room for cars which increases traffic. There are two major problems with this question. First, it is a “forced choice” question, which means that there is no explicit option for a person to say they have “no opinion.” This format is used by pollsters when they want to suppress the percentage of people who are classified as “unsure.” (One reason pollsters do this is that they feel it’s not newsworthy if, say, 30% to 40% or more of the public has no opinion.) How do people with “no opinion” choose an option when an interviewer pressures them to come up with one? Typically, they succumb to the phenomenon of “response acquiescence” – a term which means they usually respond in a positive, rather than negative, manner. If that happened here, and I’d be surprised if it didn’t, that would mean an overestimate of the percentage who support the expansion of bike lanes. Second, the question could have asked whether the respondents supported or opposed the policy (or had no opinion). But instead, the pollster put words into the respondents’ mouths, by giving reasons for each choice. That’s how Wolfson could say that a majority of New York City voters believed bike lanes were “healthier for people to ride their bicycles,” though it’s highly unlikely many people would have made that statement on their own. The net result of the question phrasing, I believe, is to lead the respondents toward selecting option A, because it sounds good to have a policy that is “green” and “healthy” – even though there is the minor inconvenience of increased traffic. On New York City's Grand Street, 2/3 of the bike riders observed within 10 minutes correctly followed traffic rules, like man depicted above. Note the arrows. (Credit: Rhonda Roland Shearer) Of course, I could be wrong on this – it’s a matter of opinion which of the two alternatives sounds more positive to someone who otherwise doesn’t know anything about the issue. But that’s the point – rather than ask a tendentious question, Quinnipiac researchers could have asked an objective one. They did not. So, can we believe the finding that a majority of New York City voters support the Mayor’s policy? Not so, I would argue, if the only source is the Quinnipiac poll. It’s possible that even a majority don’t have an opinion one way or the other – though a good poll would let us know.

CITIZEN BLOOMBERG BY HARRY SIEGEL VILLAGE VOICE JULY 2011

CARR note**The issue of rogue riding is not specifically mentioned in Siegel's informative piece. However with his suggestion that a scandal regarding statistics will erupt prior to his leaving office and that the problem for people who work for a billionaire is that "they think they are right" as well as the pattern and practice of advocating transparency and practicing stealth this issue fits in the pocket of Bloomberg's legacy IE; ego facet. The fact that summonses are issued for violations that the public has not been educated to deal with is a predatory practice. The indifference to public safety and allowing DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan to remain in office and employing Dep. Mayor Howard Wolfson to spin suspect studies and statistics is an indication that the managerial prowess that Bloomberg so loudly advertised is a myth. The emperor wears no clothes. If Cathie Black had not been summarily cashiered once Bloomberg's presidential ambitions had been quashed and he no longer was cultivating the media to the same extent he might have been willing to save face by 86ing JSK. But no-this out of town mayor has chosen to brazen it out-cavalierly sacrificing public safety and the common good to the whimsy, arrogance and presumed moral and logistical superiority of a radical org and zealous minority.
CARR note**

Citizen Bloomberg - Page 1 - News - New York - Village Voice

www.villagevoice.com/.../michael-bloomberg-harry-siegel-citizen-b... - Cached

3 days ago – After a charmed first decade in politics, Mayor Mike ...

Community Board 8 Resolutions

(CARR)** These resolutions are meant to suggest ways of combatting the danger caused by the prevalent rogue bike riding on the streets and sidewalks. They take into consideration the manpower limits of the NYPD and suggest alternative and reasonable ways to bring about compliance with the laws both by delivery agents, business owners, commuters and recreational riders. CARR thanks the Transportation Committee of CB#8 for their efforts.**

Jacqueline Ludorf 505 Park Avenue

Chair Suite 620

New York, N.Y. 10022

Latha Thompson (212) 758-4340

District Manager (212) 758-4616 (Fax)

www.cb8m.com Website

. info@cb8m.com - E-Mail

The City of New York

Manhattan Community Board 8

November 19, 2009

Margaret Forgione

Manhattan Borough Commissioner

NYC Department of Transportation

59 Maiden Lane, 35^th Flr.

New York, NY 10038

Re: Bicycle Safety

Dear Commissioner Forgione and Inspector Murtagh:

At the November 18, 2009 Land Use/Full Board Committee meeting, Community Board 8M adopted the following resolution by a vote of 31 in favor, 2 opposed, 7 Abstentions:

WHEREAS, Manhattan Community Board 8 is concerned about the safety of all people who use our streets and sidewalks, and

WHEREAS, Manhattan Community Board 8 recognizes that the improved education of those businesses in our district who employ delivery bicyclists concerning the rules of the road would help lead to the improved safety of all people who use our streets and sidewalks, and

WHEREAS, Manhattan Community Board 8 seeks new and innovative ways to assist those businesses in our district to better understand and follow existing rules, regulations and laws governing the safe and legal use of delivery bicycles, and

WHEREAS, Transportation Alternatives, a local bicycling advocacy group, has developed an education and outreach program called “Biking Rules” and has already worked with Council Member Garodnick’s office to implement this program and will begin this work in concert with Council Member Lappin’s office,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Community Board 8M supports such effort and seeks to further expand education outreach to retailers who rent and sell bicycles.

Please advise this office of any action taken regarding this matter.

acqueline Ludorf Jonathan Horn and Charles Warren

Chair Co-Chairs, Transportation Committee

Jacqueline Ludorf 505 Park Avenue

Chair Suite 620

New York, N.Y. 10022

Latha Thompson (212) 758-4340

District Manager (212) 758-4616 (Fax)

www.cb8m.com Website

. info@cb8m.com - E-Mail

The City of New York

Manhattan Community Board 8

November 19, 2009

Margaret Forgione

Manhattan Borough Commissioner

NYC Department of Transportation

59 Maiden Lane, 35^th Flr.

New York, NY 10038

Re: Bicycle Safety

Dear Commissioner Forgione and Inspector Murtagh:

At the November 18, 2009 Land Use/Full Board Committee meeting, Community Board 8M adopted the following resolution by a vote of 31 in favor, 2 opposed, 7 Abstentions:

WHEREAS, Manhattan Community Board 8 is concerned about the safety of all people who use our streets and sidewalks, and

WHEREAS, Manhattan Community Board 8 recognizes that the improved education of those businesses in our district who employ delivery bicyclists concerning the rules of the road would help lead to the improved safety of all people who use our streets and sidewalks, and

WHEREAS, Manhattan Community Board 8 seeks new and innovative ways to assist those businesses in our district to better understand and follow existing rules, regulations and laws governing the safe and legal use of delivery bicycles, and

WHEREAS, Transportation Alternatives, a local bicycling advocacy group, has developed an education and outreach program called “Biking Rules” and has already worked with Council Member Garodnick’s office to implement this program and will begin this work in concert with Council Member Lappin’s office,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Community Board 8M supports such effort and seeks to further expand education outreach to retailers who rent and sell bicycles.

Please advise this office of any action taken regarding this matter.

­

cc: Hon. Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York

Hon. Scott M. Stringer, Manhattan Borough President

Hon. Rose Pierre-Louis, Deputy Manhattan Borough President

Hon. Carolyn Maloney, United States Congress Member

Hon. Liz Krueger, New York State Senator

Hon. Jonathan Bing, New York State Assembly Member

Hon. Micah Kellner, New York State Assembly Member

Hon. Daniel Garodnick, New York City Council Member

Hon. Jessica Lappin, New York City Council Member

Dan Benjoya, Community Affairs Liaison, Manhattan Borough President’s Office

RESOLUTION # 2

J

acqueline Ludorf 505 Park Avenue

Chair Suite 620

New York, N.Y. 10022

Latha Thompson (212) 758-4340

District Manager (212) 758-4616 (Fax)

www.cb8m.com Website

. info@cb8m.com - E-Mail

The City of New York

Manhattan Community Board 8

November 19, 2009

Mayor Michael Bloomberg Speaker Christine Quinn

City Hall New York City Council

New York, NY 10007 City Hall

New York, NY 10007

Re: Bicycle Enforcement

Dear Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn:

At the November 18, 2009 Land Use/Full Board Committee meeting, Community Board 8M adopted the following resolution by a vote of 40 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 Abstention:

WHEREAS, Manhattan Community Board 8 wishes to encourage the safe, responsible, and legal use of delivery bicycles in our district, and

WHEREAS delivery bicyclists who violate the law represent a danger to the health and safety of all residents, including pedestrians, other cyclists and motorists, and

WHEREAS, the NY City Council passed Local Laws 9 and 10 in 2007 imposing additional requirements on the owners of businesses employing delivery bicyclists, and

WHEREAS, the requirements of NYC Administrative Code Section 10-157 governing delivery bicycles are routinely ignored by businesses located in Community Board 8M, and

WHEREAS, these violations may currently be enforced only by an officer of the NYPD, and

WHEREAS, the NYPD does not presently have the resources to effectively pursue these violations, and

WHEREAS, these violations include failure to provide and wear helmets, failure to properly identify business names on bicycles, failure to provide identification cards to delivery riders, failure to maintain a log book of deliveries, failure to equip bicycles with a lamp, bell, reflectors and other safety devices, and failure to post required signage in their establishment,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Community Board 8M requests that the Mayor’s Office of Special Operations perform a periodic sweep of restaurants within our district to check for compliance with NYC Administrative Code Section 10-157 and issue summons for violations of this and other code sections as applicable, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Community Board 8M urges the City Council to amend NYC Administrative Code Section 10-157 to allow agents of other city agencies besides NYPD (such as DCA, Sanitation and Health) to issue summons for violations of this code section.

Please advise this office of any action taken regarding this matter.

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Ludorf Jonathan Horn and Charles Warren

Chair Co-Chairs, Transportation Committee

cc: Hon. Scott M. Stringer, Manhattan Borough President

Hon. Rose Pierre-Louis, Deputy Manhattan Borough President

Hon. Carolyn Maloney, United States Congress Member

Hon. Liz Krueger, New York State Senator

Hon. Jonathan Bing, New York State Assembly Member

Hon. Micah Kellner, New York State Assembly Member

Hon. Daniel Garodnick, New York City Council Member

Hon. Jessica Lappin, New York City Council Member

Dan Benjoya, Community Affairs Liaison, Manhattan Borough President’s Office

Inspector James Murtagh, 19^th Precinct Commander

RESOLUTION # 3

J

acqueline Ludorf 505 Park Avenue

Chair Suite 620

New York, N.Y. 10022

Latha Thompson (212) 758-4340

District Manager (212) 758-4616 (Fax)

www.cb8m.com Website

. info@cb8m.com - E-Mail

The City of New York

Manhattan Community Board 8

December 17, 2009

Margaret Forgione

Manhattan Borough Commissioner

NYC Department of Transportation

59 Maiden Lane, 35^th Flr.

New York, NY 10038

Re: Continued discussion on issues raised at the September Bicycle Forum-Safety

Dear Commissioner Forgione:

At the December 16, 2009 Land Use/Full Board meeting, Community Board 8M adopted the following resolution by a vote of 34 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 Abstentions:

WHEREAS, it is well established public policy that users of our streets and highways should not be distracted while operating a moving vehicle, and

WHEREAS, there is a valuable public purpose in establishing requirements for safety measures intended to protect operators of moving vehicles, and

WHEREAS, it is already public law that children and commercial bicycle riders wear a safety helmet when riding a bicycle in the City of New York, and

WHEREAS, studies have shown that failure to wear a helmet significantly increases the chance of serious injury or death for bicyclists involved in an accident,

THERFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Manhattan Community Board 8 urges our elected officials to pass legislation requiring all bicyclists to wear a safety helmet when riding within the City of New York, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Manhattan Community Board 8 urges our elected officials to pass legislation making it illegal to use any handheld electronic device, such as cell phones and music players while riding a bicycle on New York City streets and highways.

Please advise this office of any action taken regarding this matter.

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Ludorf Jonathan Horn and Charles Warren

Chair Co-Chairs, Transportation Committee

cc: Hon. David A. Paterson, Governor of New York State

Hon. Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York

Hon. Scott M. Stringer, Manhattan Borough President

Hon. Rose Pierre-Louis, Deputy Manhattan Borough President

Hon. Carolyn Maloney, United States Congress Member

Hon. Liz Krueger, New York State Senator

Hon. Jonathan Bing, New York State Assembly Member

Hon. Micah Kellner, New York State Assembly Member

Hon. Daniel Garodnick, New York City Council Member

Hon. Jessica Lappin, New York City Council Member

RESOLUTION # 4

J

acqueline Ludorf 505 Park Avenue

Chair Suite 620

New York, N.Y. 10022

Latha Thompson (212) 758-4340

District Manager (212) 758-4616 (Fax)

www.cb8m.com Website

. info@cb8m.com - E-Mail

The City of New York

Manhattan Community Board 8

December 17, 2009

Commissioner David Swarts

NYS Department of Motor Vehicles

6 Empire State Plaza

Albany, NY 12228

Re: Continued discussion on issues raised at the September Bicycle Forum-Education

Dear Commissioner Swarts:

At the December 16, 2009 Land Use/Full Board meeting, Community Board 8M adopted the following resolution by a vote of 34 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 Abstentions:

WHEREAS, usage of bicycles by commuters and other non-commercial users has grown significantly in recent years, and

WHEREAS, as part of PLANYC the City of New York plans to encourage further increases through infrastructure improvements and other means, and

WHEREAS, there is currently minimal safety training provided to both bicyclists and motorists on how to safely share the road, and

WHEREAS, providing such safety training serves the public interest and could reduce traffic accidents and fatalities,

WHEREAS, there is a advantage to providing safety education at an early age,

THERFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Manhattan Community Board 8 urges the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles to update their Driver’s Manual and syllabus for approved Driver’s Education courses to include additional material on how motorists should respect and interact safely with bicyclists, as well as the rules of the road which must be followed by bicyclists.

Please advise this office of any action taken regarding this matter.

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Ludorf Jonathan Horn and Charles Warren

Chair Co-Chairs, Transportation Committee

cc: Hon. David A. Paterson, Governor of New York State

Hon. Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York

Hon. Scott M. Stringer, Manhattan Borough President

Hon. Rose Pierre-Louis, Deputy Manhattan Borough President

Hon. Carolyn Maloney, United States Congress Member

Hon. Liz Krueger, New York State Senator

Hon. Jonathan Bing, New York State Assembly Member

Hon. Micah Kellner, New York State Assembly Member

Hon. Daniel Garodnick, New York City Council Member

Hon. Jessica Lappin, New York City Council Member

Lolita Jackson, Manhattan Director, Community Assistance Unit

Dan Benjoya, Community Affairs Liaison, Manhattan Borough President’s Office

RESOLUTION # 5

J

acqueline Ludorf 505 Park Avenue

Chair Suite 620

New York, N.Y. 10022

Latha Thompson (212) 758-4340

District Manager (212) 758-4616 (Fax)

www.cb8m.com Website

. info@cb8m.com - E-Mail

The City of New York

Manhattan Community Board 8

December 17, 2009

Margaret Forgione

Manhattan Borough Commissioner

NYC Department of Transportation

59 Maiden Lane, 35^th Flr.

New York, NY 10038

Re: Continued discussion on issues raised at the September Bicycle Forum-Enforcement

Dear Commissioner Forgione:

At the December 16, 2009 Land Use/Full Board meeting, Community Board 8M adopted the following resolution by a vote of 34 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 Abstentions:

WHEREAS, traffic violations by bicyclists, both commercial and non-commercial, and motorists continue to be an issue of serious concern to the residents of the Upper East Side, and

WHEREAS, the continuing growth of bicycle riding makes increased enforcement of these violations critical for the safety of all users of our roadways, including pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists, and

WHEREAS, there are limited resources available to NYPD to enforce all traffic violations by both bicyclists and motorists, and

WHEREAS, it is difficult for officers in patrol vehicles to issue citations to bicyclists, and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Manhattan Community Board 8 urges that all Traffic Enforcement Agents operating in the City of New York be authorized to issue moving traffic violations, and

Please advise this office of any action taken regarding this matter.

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Ludorf Jonathan Horn and Charles Warren

Chair Co-Chairs, Transportation Committee

cc: Hon. David A. Paterson, Governor of New York State

Hon. Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York

Hon. Scott M. Stringer, Manhattan Borough President

Hon. Rose Pierre-Louis, Deputy Manhattan Borough President

Hon. Carolyn Maloney, United States Congress Member

Hon. Liz Krueger, New York State Senator

Hon. Jonathan Bing, New York State Assembly Member

Hon. Micah Kellner, New York State Assembly Member

Hon. Daniel Garodnick, New York City Council Member

Hon. Jessica Lappin, New York City Council Member

Lolita Jackson, Manhattan Director, Community Assistance Unit

Dan Benjoya, Community Affairs Liaison, Manhattan Borough President’s Office