This Week: Hear From the Candidates for Vacant Harlem Council Seat

Harlem map
In a district where 80 percent of households don't own cars, Inez Dickens opposed better bus service on 125th Street. Will her successor be better on transit and safer streets?

There’s a special election on February 14 to fill the Harlem City Council seat vacated by Inez Dickens, who was elected to the State Assembly last year.

In a district where the overwhelming majority of residents don’t own cars, Dickens opposed bus improvements for 125th Street, prioritized high-speed driving over traffic-calming on Morningside Avenue, and never spoke up for pedestrian safety on deadly Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. Will her successor be better? You can hear from the candidates vying for the seat at a forum on Thursday.

Here are this week’s Streetsblog calendar highlights. See the full calendar for more info on these and other listings.

  • Today: The Manhattan CB 6 transportation committee will take up local transportation issues and how rezoning east Midtown will affect transit. NYU School of Dentistry, 433 First Avenue, Room 210, Manhattan. 7 p.m.
  • Tuesday: DOT is hosting a series of public workshops on the future of Select Bus Service and how transit can better serve New Yorkers. Participants will identify under-served corridors and discuss how improvements for walking and biking can augment the transit system. Tuesday’s meeting is at the Brooklyn College Student Center, Campus Road and E. 27th Street, in Brooklyn at 6 p.m. More details — and an online DOT transit survey — are here.
  • Also Tuesday: Riders Alliance holds its 2017 citywide membership meeting. RSVP requested. 121 Sixth Avenue, 6th Floor, Manhattan. 6:30 p.m.
  • Thursday: Candidate forum for the District 9 City Council seat, representing Harlem. St. Philip’s Church, 204 W. 134th Street, Manhattan. 6 p.m.
  • Also Thursday: MTA and DOT host a workshop on the L train shutdown. Town & Village Synagogue, 334 E. 14th Street, Manhattan. 7 p.m.
  • Friday: NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge and the Gehl Institute present a discussion on the past, present, and future of Astor Place and public plazas in NYC. Details and registration info here. 20 Cooper Square, 5th Floor, Manhattan. 6 p.m.

Watch the calendar for updates. Drop us a line if you have an event we should know about.

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