Drug Dealer Charged In Manhattan Federal Court For Selling Heroin And Counterfeit Oxycodone Over The Internet

Defendant Arrested With Approximately 32 Kilograms of Illicit Prescription Pills In His Possession

  Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, James J. Hunt, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), James P. O’Neill, the Police Commissioner of the City of New York (“NYPD”), George P. Beach II, the Superintendent of the New York State Police (“NYSP”), and Angel M. Melendez, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), announced today the arrest of CRISTIAN RODRIGUEZ, who distributed through the U.S. mail heroin, oxycodone and other prescription drugs that were illegally sold over the Internet and on “dark web” marketplaces.  When RODRIGUEZ was arrested yesterday, the DEA and USPIS seized approximately 32 kilograms of prescription drugs that were in his apartment.  The defendant was presented yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald L. Ellis in Manhattan federal court.     

Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said:  “As alleged, Cristian Rodriguez used the anonymity of the internet to peddle massive quantities of addictive pain killers without valid prescriptions.  Hiding behind computers, Rodriguez and his co-conspirators allegedly sold and shipped multiple kilograms of highly addictive prescription drugs and potentially lethal opioids.  Thanks to the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners, Rodriguez has been arrested and his dangerous business has been taken offline.”

DEA Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt said:  “Anonymity is a drug trafficker’s friend and law enforcement’s foe.  Yesterday’s street corner dealer has been replaced by the dark web that enables criminal activity and drug addiction.  Online illicit marketplaces challenge law enforcement, but this investigation demonstrates how joint efforts can lead to the arrest of an alleged major drug distributor based in New York City.”

USPIS Inspector-in-Charge Philip R. Bartlett said: “The opioid crisis has become a national emergency impacting the lives of so many unsuspecting families.  Postal Inspectors, along with their law enforcement partners, are determined to put a stop to the distribution of illegal narcotics, safeguarding the American public.”

NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill said:  “This defendant attempted to use the anonymity of the internet to peddle heroin, counterfeit oxycodone, and other prescription drugs to those battling serious addiction.  Those who profit on at the expense of others’ well-being will be investigated and prosecuted, aggressively. Today’s arrest is the latest example of our continued commitment.”

NYSP Superintendent George P. Beach II said:  “This arrest is another example of how dedicated police work and strong law enforcement partnerships are succeeding in keeping dangerous narcotics from infiltrating our neighborhoods.  Criminals who illegally sell counterfeit prescription drugs are putting our communities as risk.  These pharmaceuticals, when not taken under the supervision of a doctor, can be highly addictive and destroy lives.  I commend the hard work of the Strike Force and all of our law enforcement partners as they fight to keep drugs off our streets and work to prevent prescription drug abuse.”

HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Angel Melendez said:  “These multi-agency task forces are essential in the fight against the illegal proliferation of potentially deadly and highly-addictive prescription drugs.  The arrest of the defendant and the significant seizures announced today ensure that these drugs will never make it into our communities to do untold harm.”

According to the allegations in the Complaint and statements made in Manhattan federal court:[[1]]    

Since at least May 2016, RODRIGUEZ and his co-conspirators anonymously sold and distributed controlled substances over the Internet via online marketplaces and “dark web” sites.  RODRIGUEZ shipped various prescription drugs, including counterfeit oxycodone, which was actually made of heroin and other substances, to individuals across the United States.  RODRIGUEZ maintained a stockpile of these drugs in his apartment in the Bronx, New York.  A search of RODRIGUEZ’s residence at the time of his arrest uncovered, among other things, approximately 32 kilograms of prescription drugs, shipping supplies, drug paraphernalia, money transfer records, and electronics typically used in the operation of online narcotics distribution schemes.                

           

RODRIGUEZ, 43, of the Dominican Republic, was charged with one count of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute heroin and oxycodone, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. 

Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the DEA’s New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force.  The Strike Force comprises agents and officers of the DEA, the New York City Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the New York State Police, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigative Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, the New York National Guard, the Clarkstown Police Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Port Washington Police Department, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.  The Strike Force is partially funded by the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (“HIDTA”), which is a federally funded crime fighting initiative and part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDTEF”) program.

In an effort to help prevent prescription drug abuse and theft, the DEA and its local law enforcement, community, and tribal partners are offering the public its 14th opportunity in seven years to rid their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.  This Saturday, October 28, 2017, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., individuals can take pills and other solid forms of medication to one of almost 5,000 collection sites manned by more than 4,000 partners nationwide.   Individuals can find nearby collection sites at www.DEATakeBack.com  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the descriptions of the Complaint set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

A.G. Schneiderman Announces Guilty Plea Of Ringleader In Upstate New York Cocaine Trafficking Ring

Cedric James Will Face Up To 12 Years In Prison For Selling Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars Worth Of Cocaine

16 Defendants Have Now Pleaded Guilty As Part Of Operation Wrecking Ball, Which Uncovered A Drug Trafficking Ring That Operated In Albany, Schenectady, And Rensselaer Counties

Pleas Are Latest In AG’s SURGE Initiative To Crackdown On Suburban & Upstate Traffickers – Part Of Multi-Faceted Approach To Tackling The Opioid Epidemic

  Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the guilty plea of Cedric James of Brooklyn, NY, the ringleader of a drug trafficking ring that distributed cocaine throughout Albany, Schenectady, and Rensselaer counties. James will face up to 12 years in prison at sentencing. The drug takedown was part of the Attorney General’s “Operation Wrecking Ball,” which charged 19 individuals with 226 crimes; to date, 16 defendants have entered guilty pleas. Today, James pled guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree.

The investigation – dubbed “Operation Wrecking Ball” due to the fact that several conspirators referred to powder cocaine as the “Miley Cyrus” over wiretaps – included hundreds of hours of physical surveillance and wiretapping, as well as the execution of numerous search warrants in Brooklyn and Schenectady in February 2017. The search warrants resulted in the seizure of more than three pounds of bulk cocaine with an approximate street value of $147,000, 35 firearms, over $63,000 in cash, and large quantities of drug paraphernalia, including scales, packaging, and cutting agents.

“Too many New York families are struggling with the scourge of addiction that’s fueled by those trafficking narcotics into our communities,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “My office will continue to use every tool available to us—from cracking down on drug traffickers to removing barriers to addiction treatment to reducing doctor shopping—to protect our communities as we take on this epidemic.”

The following defendants have now pleaded guilty as part of Operation Wrecking Ball:

• Joseph Berghela, of Albany, pled guilty on September 11, 2017, to Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. He will be sentenced to 3 years in state prison.
• Derrick Carrington, of Albany, pled guilty on September 19, 2017, to Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. He will be sentenced to 2 ½ years in state prison.
• Ladawn Harris, of Albany, pled guilty on September 11, 2017, to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. He will be sentenced to 7 years in state prison.
• Clifford Jackson, of Schenectady, pled guilty on July 21, 2017, to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. He will be sentenced to 7 years in state prison.
• Lewis Labshere, of Schenectady, pled guilty on August 30, 2017, to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree. He will be sentenced to 7 years in state prison.
• I’Quan Mayo, of Albany, pled guilty on October 12, 2017, to Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. He will participate in a drug treatment program.
• Deanna McCargo, of Albany, pled guilty on September 27, 2017, to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. He will be sentenced to 7 years in state prison.
• Octavius Mills, of Schenectady, pled guilty on September 8, 2017, to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. He will be sentenced to 5 years in state prison.
• Christopher Mozone, of Albany, pled guilty on August 23, 2017, to Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree. He will be sentenced to 2 years in state prison.
• Neiki Ricks, of Albany, pled guilty on August 14, 2017, to Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. He will be sentenced to 6 years in state prison.
• Summer Saglimbeni, of Schenectady, pled guilty on September 8, 2017, to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. He will be sentenced to 3 years in state prison.
• Traevon Shannon, of Albany, pled guilty on October 10, 2017, to Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree. He will be sentenced to 5 years’ probation supervision.
• Meghan Wilkinson, of Schenectady, pled guilty on August 17, 2017 to Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. She will participate in a drug treatment program.
• Frances Wright, of Schenectady, guilty on September 19, 2017, to Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. He will be sentenced to 3 years in state prison.
• Laquan Wright, of Schenectady, pled guilty on August 23, 2017, to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree. He will be sentenced to 10 years in state prison.

Charges against another three defendants remain pending. 

The Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) has now taken down 25 large drug trafficking gangs, made more than 580 felony narcotics arrests, and seized more than $1.5 million and more than 2,000 pounds of illegal drugs since 2011. In the past several months alone, Attorney General Schneiderman’s new Suburban and Upstate Response to the Growing Epidemic (“S.U.R.G.E.”) Initiative—a crackdown on New York’s growing heroin, opioid, and narcotics trafficking networks—has resulted in removing 260 alleged traffickers and dealers off New York’s streets, through Operation Bricktown, Operation Un-Wise, Operation Gravy Train, Operation Bloodsport, and Operation Pipeline.

Since 2010, Attorney General Schneiderman has launched a multi-pronged strategy to tackle New York's constantly evolving heroin and opioid epidemic, including settlements with health insurers to remove barriers to treatment and enforce Mental Health Parity Laws; the I-STOP system, which has successfully reduced “doctor shopping” by 90%; the Community Overdose Prevention program, equipping law enforcement with naloxone; a multistate investigation into the opioid crisis; and more.

The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

MAYOR DE BLASIO TO COMPLETE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN 2 YEARS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, ACCELERATE PACE AND EXPAND GOALS

City will boost production to 25,000 apartments annually, administration sets new goal of 300,000 apartments by 2026 

  Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that his administration is now on track to build and protect 200,000 affordable homes by 2022, two years ahead of schedule. With the addition of new tools, programs and funding, the City will ramp up to securing 25,000 affordable apartments annually by 2021 and beyond—a pace it has never before reached. With that machinery in place, the City is taking on a new goal: 300,000 such apartments by 2026, enough for the entire population of Boston or Seattle.

In the coming days, the Mayor will unveil a battery of new programs designed to realize this new goal. Those efforts will target seniors, homeowners and tenants in existing affordable housing who need protection.  To accelerate, the plan will require an additional $150 million per year in the current 4-year financial plan. This will bring the City's investment in achieving 100,000 more homes to about $1.3 billion per year over nine years. Future financial plans will reflect the commitment.

“We’ve kept our promises to New Yorkers, and now it’s time to go farther and faster. Like Mayor Koch before us, we are building an engine that will keep families in safe, decent and affordable homes for decades to come. We will keep this a city for seniors, veterans, working families and the middle class,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

“Every year, we have pushed this plan deeper to reach more people in more neighborhoods. Completing this plan two years early means tens of thousands more families will come home sooner to homes they can afford. I am so proud of our agency teams and all our partners who are building an engine for affordable housing that will continue building and protecting homes for years to come,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen.

Mayor de Blasio announced the first new program today. The “Neighborhood Pillars” program will deploy a $275 million public-private fund to target fast-changing neighborhoods where aggressive speculators threaten traditional rent regulated apartment buildings. Through the largest program of its kind in the United States, the City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Housing Development Corporation will provide financing to non-profits and other mission-driven organizations to purchase older rent-regulated buildings to keep them affordable and keep current tenants in place. The program will secure an additional 1,000 affordable homes each year—7,500 total—putting those buildings in good hands before bad actors put tenants at risk of illegal rent hikes, harassment or eviction.

The program will help mission-driven non-profits grow and will take advantage of their ability to identify the buildings most at risk of speculation and rapid turnover. It will leverage funding from private-sector banking partners and philanthropic organizations.

Learn more about the new “Neighborhood Pillars” program here.

“The gains we have made to date through Housing New York are borne out not just in the numbers, but in the people we are reaching through the affordable housing we build and preserve. We are excited to act even more boldly and decisively by tackling this new, more aggressive goal and by deploying more tools to safeguard affordability,” said Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer.  “I want to thank the Mayor, my colleagues at HPD and HDC, and our many partners for their tireless work and commitment to ensuring New York is a more just and equitable city for generations to come.”

“We are proud to stand with the Mayor as he expands the City’s commitment to the people of New York with an accelerated housing plan,” said Housing Development Corporation President Eric Enderlin. “Together with our many dedicated partners we have set a solid course to reach the ambitious goals of Housing New York and are primed to amplify our production of affordable housing to reach even more New Yorkers in need.”

When the de Blasio administration took office, it inherited a strong foundation of affordable programs capable of building and protecting approximately 15,000 homes each year. Since 2014, the City has increased that pipeline to more than 20,000 per year. The new annual target of 25,000 per year represents a 66 percent jump from pre-2014 levels, and will represent a sustained level of production never before achieved by the City.

To date, the City has secured 77,651 affordable homes—enough for more than 200,000 New Yorkers. The City’s efforts to reform and accelerate affordable housing have included:

·  More housing for the lowest-income New Yorkers than ever before: Over 40 percent of all affordable homes secured last year served individuals making less than $33,500 or $43,000 for a family of three. New programs like ELLA (Extremely Low and Low Affordability) are now among the largest drivers of affordable housing in the city.

 ·     More protections to keep New Yorkers in their homes: Rent regulated tenants saw two consecutive years of rent freezes, the City is funding free legal services for all tenants facing eviction, a new Anti-Harassment Task Force is laying criminal charges against landlords who put tenants’ safety at risk, and targeted preservation efforts are keeping hundreds of buildings affordable.

 ·  A new paradigm for building: Permanent affordable housing is now mandatory in newly-rezoned residential buildings and neighborhoods, the City has passed reforms improving the quality and lowering the cost of affordable home construction, and tax incentive programs now require at least 25 percent of new apartments to be affordable—with no tax breaks at all for luxury condos.

 ·   A bigger network of housing providers: More partners than ever are building and protecting affordable housing in the city. Non-profit organizations are involved in a third of all affordable projects, the City is cultivating MWBE partners with special requests for proposals, and City worked with Enterprise to fund a number of emerging Community Land Trusts.        

         No stone left unturned: The City has added more affordable housing into existing projects like Lighthouse point on Staten Island and the Domino Sugar site in Williamsburg. The City has put two-thirds of its remaining public lots suitable for housing into production, and leveraged opportunities to add housing to City projects like the renovation and expansion of the Sunset Park library and at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

The Mayor made today’s announced at CAMBA Gardens II, one of the first new affordable and supportive housing construction projects undertaken under the Mayor’s housing plan in 2014. Today, tenants are moving into 293 brand new homes in Prospect Lefferts Gardens.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi Pairs Prenatal and Oral Care to Benefit Expectant Mothers and Their Babies

  NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi has launched a program focused on oral health for expectant mothers, to support both the women and their babies. Providing both dental care and education to pregnant women, the program aims to dispel myths and outdated thinking about pregnancy and x-rays, antibiotics, and anesthesia—outdated thinking that makes pregnant women especially vulnerable to tooth decay, gingivitis, and other oral infections. The benefits of the program extend to their babies as well, since most infants acquire tooth-decaying bacteria from their mothers.

The NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi program is the result of an innovative collaboration between its departments of Dentistry and Women’s Health Services. Through the Women’s Health Service’s Baby Shower program, celebratory events are held to provide prenatal patients with important information and education about health issues during pregnancy, and now dental education has been added.

During the shower, dental residents educate groups of approximately 30 expectant women about the importance of oral health for themselves and their babies, particularly during pregnancy. The women learn the warning signs of potential dental issues, healthy diet tips, and good oral hygiene practices. Since starting the program in late July, dozens of follow-up dental appointments have been made for expectant mothers.

Nicolette Ramsey attended a baby shower in August, just before delivering her baby girl, Janeaya. “I am so happy that you guys helped me to obtain a dental appointment,” she says. “The dentist found weakening in the gum area supporting some of my teeth.”

Nadia Laniado, DDS, MPH, director of Community Dentistry and Population Health, spearheads the program. “Seeing mothers before they deliver is crucial in order to establish good oral hygiene and nutrition practices, for both moms and babies,” she says. “If we don’t see children until age two, they often already have cavities.”

“We’ve found that framing this learning as a celebration is very effective at generating participation,” said Ellen Walk, Health Education Coordinator for Women’s Health Services, who developed the Baby Shower program. “If we called the same program a ‘preadmission class,’ we’d be lucky if two or three patients showed up. “

Women who are expecting a baby, are receiving care at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, and would like to participate in the program should contact Ellen Walk at 718-918- 6391.

MAYOR DE BLASIO, CHANCELLOR FARIÑA AND BOROUGH PRESIDENT ADAMS ANNOUNCE 15 BROOKLYN SCHOOLS TO PARTICIPATE IN MEATLESS MONDAYS

Mayor de Blasio and First Lady McCray will also eat all-vegetarian meals every Monday

  Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams today announced that 15 Brooklyn schools will participate in Meatless Mondays next spring. The program will provide participating schools with healthy, all-vegetarian breakfast and lunch menus every Monday. The Mayor, First Lady Chirlane McCray and Gracie Mansion will also go meatless for all Monday meals.

"Cutting back a little on meat will help make our City healthier and our planet stronger for generations to come,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Chirlane and I are excited to participate in Meatless Mondays at home, and we thank Borough President Adams for leading the charge behind this healthy and sustainable initiative.”

"Meatless Mondays will expose our children to an exciting variety of delicious vegetarian meals that provide excellent nutrition and support their growing bodies. And the best way to encourage our children to eat healthy is for everyone to join in!,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray.

“Teaching students about nutrition and exposing them to healthy food options from an early age is critical,” said Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. “Like our Garden to Café program and the New York Thursday initiative, Meatless Mondays is one more way in which we are using school meals as a teachable moment to educate students on the importance of making healthy choices.”

“I am living proof of the power of a plant-based diet to transform one’s health,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “I believe that Meatless Mondays is an extremely significant initiative that has the power to transform the health of thousands of our city’s students, as well as open the door to a powerful conversation that children can have with families on nutrition and wellness. I thank Mayor de Blasio for working with me on this mission to change our relationship with food and tackle nutritional health in a real way. As Hippocrates said, ‘let food be thy medicine.’” 

This initiative builds off the plant-based health advocacy of Borough President Adams, who has committed himself to combating poor nutrition following his successful battle against Type 2 diabetes last year. In 2015, less than 20% of NYC children aged 6-12 ate 5 or more fruits and vegetables a day. Eating fruits and vegetables provides important vitamins and nutrients and can reduce the risk for heart disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. Furthermore, Meatless Mondays can also help reduce carbon footprint and preserve resources like water. Approximately 1,850 gallons of water are needed to produce a single pound of beef, while only 39 gallons of water are needed to produce a pound of vegetables. 

DOE's Office of SchoolFood will engage school communities across Brooklyn to finalize the schools that will participate in the program based on interest and ability to incorporate an all-vegetarian menu. Schools included in the program will receive customized menus each with vegetarian entrees. There is no additional cost to the City.

Today’s announcement was made at PS 1 in Sunset Park, one of five schools in New York City currently serving an exclusively vegetarian menu every day of the week. The Peck Slip School in Manhattan and The Active Learning Elementary School in Queens, as well as two non-public schools – Hanson Place Seventh-day Adventist Elementary School and the R.T. Hudson Seventh-day Adventist School – also participate in the program. These schools serve a variety of options including spinach wraps, vegetarian chili, roasted chickpea tagine, black bean quesadillas, crispy tofu, zucchini parmigiana, and margherita pizza.

"Eating fruits and vegetables can lower your risk of heart disease and possibly some cancers. Diets higher in plant-based foods are associated with lesser environmental impact than the average American diet," said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett. "Meatless Mondays are a great way to encourage our students to include more produce in their diet, any day of the week."

“Meatless Mondays are a great way to expose students to healthy foods that can lower their risk of obesity as well as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes later in life,” said Michelle McMacken, MD, director of the Adult Weight Management Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue.

Meatless Mondays is also part of the City’s ongoing effort to ensure every student is provided with a free, healthy lunch. This year, the DOE launched Free School Lunch for All, which provides free school lunch to all public school students in New York City. Through the Summer Meals program, the DOE provides free breakfast and lunch to anyone age 18 or younger free of charge each summer. Schools across the City also participate in NY Thursdays, which provides schools with locally sourced or produced food every Thursday. Over 1,400 salad bars in NYC School cafeterias offer students a selection of fresh and healthy vegetables to complement their lunch entrée each day.  

The DOE is making strides in ensuring students are served high-quality foods in a sustainable way and converted from using a polystyrene tray to serving all meals in an eco-friendly compostable plate. This year, the DOE’s Office of Sustainability provided every school with new Recycling Stations and each cafeteria recycling station now features a blue bin for metal, glass, plastic, and cartons, a grey bin for general trash, a brown bin for food scraps, and a small white bin for liquids. Additionally, eight schools received cafeteria renovations last year and the Five-year Capital Plan includes funding to update 18 additional cafeterias.

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES ALL OF PROSPECT PARK WILL BECOME PERMANENTLY CAR-FREE

Decision comes after first-ever car-free summer proved successful and popular with park-goers

  Kicking off City Hall in Your Borough, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that Prospect Park’s entire loop drive—east and west—will become permanently car-free. The change will be implemented on January 2, 2018 and follows the park’s first car-free summer. From July through September, cars had not been allowed on the park’s East Drive – now open to cars during morning rush hours.  The car-free hours had enormous support from the park’s recreational users, who outnumber cars more than 3-1 during morning hours.

“Prospect Park is Brooklyn’s backyard. I married Chirlane here. This is where my kids played little league. And I have always wanted it to be the safe, quiet refuge for Brooklyn’s families that it was intended to be.  Restoring Prospect Park as a car-free oasis will improve the lives of the millions who use this park today and of generations to come,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

During the car-free summer -- from July 17 until September 11^th -- the park’s new arrangement was popular with the park’s walkers, joggers, and cyclists who use the loop drive.  DOT estimates those recreational users outnumber cars during morning rush hours 1,000 to just 300. After Labor Day weekend, New York City received petitions with more than 1,100 signatures calling for the return of full-time car-free hours for the entire park. 

While the analysis of the car-free trial is still being finalized, its preliminary results clearly indicate no alternative driving route experienced more than a minimal delay, with most experiencing no change in travel times whatsoever. Based on that data, officials are now confident a fully car-free park can be implemented without adverse impact. These results are consistent with those seen after the closure of the West Drive in June 2015, when the most affected alternative southbound route saw an increased travel time of less than a minute, while other afternoon drivers actually saw travel times improve.  

“We are delighted to announce that Prospect Park will be completely car-free for the first time,” saidDOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.  “Like the Mayor, I have spent countless hours enjoying the beauty of Prospect Park.  Cyclists, joggers and pedestrians, young and old, can rejoice year-round in a safer and quieter park.”   

“New Yorkers look to their parks for green space and fresh air,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP.  “Completely removing car traffic from Prospect Park turns one of our most historic sites back over to the kids, joggers, ball players, picnickers, and amblers who love it.  Starting in January, all visitors to Prospect Park will enjoy cleaner air, improved safety – and peace and quiet.”

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES INITIATIVES TO HELP EASE CONGESTION

Effort will create new moving lanes, test new curbside access restrictions, expand enforcement, address commercial corridors outside Manhattan, and tackle persistent highway back-ups 

   Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced action on a series of initiatives designed to ease congestion in busy thoroughfares across the five boroughs. The new effort will include both new and proven approaches to traffic congestion, including the creation of new moving lanes in Midtown, clearing curbs during rush hours, expanding NYPD enforcement of block-the-box violations, limiting curbside access in crowded corridors, and bringing coordinated attention to recurring traffic spots on local highways. The Mayor announced the steps along one of the new Clear Lanes corridors in Midtown Manhattan, where vehicle travel times have declined by 23% since 2010.

“With 8.5 million people, New York City is experiencing both record population and economic vitality; but our success has put serious demands on our already crowded street network,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “New Yorkers have been telling me loud and clear about the quality-of-life problems created by traffic where they live and work.  With a targeted effort to help clear travel lanes, delivery zones, intersections and highways, these initiatives will address these concerns head-on, using established and new tools that will keep our City moving, from midtown to all of our neighborhoods .”

These initiatives will encompass the work of the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Police Department (NYPD), the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) and the Department of Finance (DOF) -- and will include five major elements:

1.   Clear Lanes:  Keeping Traffic Moving in Manhattan’s CBDs  

To address congestion in the core of Midtown, the City will create continuous curb moving lanes during busy times on 11 key crosstown streets. Deliveries will generally be permitted on one side of the street, while the other curb will be signed for no standing from 6 am to 7 pm.  To enforce these Clear Lanes, the NYPD will double the Traffic Enforcement Agents (TEAs) in the Midtown Manhattan Traffic Enforcement Task Force from 40 to 80 and increase uniform headcount by 110 officers. These officers will focus on moving and parking violations, double parking, and off-route trucks. The City will also expand its off-hour delivery program to assist businesses that are interested in shifting their deliveries to less busy times. Clear Lane streets will include:  

·         60^th and 59^th Sts. (Fifth to Second Ave.)

·         58^th St. (Lexington to Second Ave.)

·         54^th St. (Eighth to Third Ave.)

·         53rd St. (Ninth to Third Ave.)

·         50^th and 49^th Sts. (Ninth to Third Ave.)

·         47^th and 46^th Sts. (Ninth to Third Ave.)

·         37^th and 36^th Sts. (Sixth to Second Ave)

 To address congestion in Lower Manhattan, the City will expand its network of traffic cameras to better monitor traffic conditions and extend Midtown in Motion, NYC DOT’s signals-based congestion management system, to include Lower Manhattan. Finally, the City will reform its double parking and other curb regulation rules to make them easier to understand for drivers and easier to enforce.

2.  Clear Curbs: Testing Curb Access Restrictions  

In an effort to develop additional tools to manage traffic congestion, the City will test curb access restriction on two major commercial corridors and in a zone within Manhattan. The City will then monitor the impact of the pilot program and, if successful, expand the approach to additional corridors. For six months beginning in January 2018, the City will ban curbside loading on both sides of the street on the pilot corridors and within the pilot zone during peak hours (7 am-10 amand 4 pm-7 pm). Focusing on the morning and evening peak periods will preserve business viability while addressing the most severe congestion. The expeditious pick-up and drop-off of passengers would still be allowed, as would deliveries to off-street loading docks. This treatment will be implemented in:

· Manhattan (Midtown): the zone bounded by Sixth Ave. to the west, Madison Ave. to the East, 45^th St. to the south and 50^th St. to the north. 

· Queens (Jackson Hgts and Corona): Roosevelt Ave., Broadway to 108^th St.

· Brooklyn (Downtown, Park Slope, Prospect Hgts): Flatbush Ave, Grand Army Plaza to Tillary St.

These corridors serve as important links in the regional road network, carry high volumes of traffic, and are subject to significant blockages by double parking and delivery activity. Additional NYPD staff will be assigned to the pilot locations to enforce the new restrictions and keep curbs clear. The City will collect data on traffic congestion, double parking, delivery activity, and curb regulation compliance before and after the six-month pilot period and report on the new program in the fall of 2018.  

3.  Clear Intersections: Expanding Block-the-Box Enforcement to Reduce Gridlock

Drivers who enter intersections without sufficient space on the other side “block-the box,” which can have cascading effects on traffic and create dangers to pedestrians who cannot cross streets safely.   The City will reinvigorate its efforts against block-the-box with focus at 50 key intersections citywide. NYC DOT will install special block-the-box markings and update signage to make drivers more aware of block-the-box restrictions, while the NYPD will increase enforcement at these locations to keep traffic moving. NYPD will hire an additional 50 uniformed officers to enforce block-the-box rules.

The City will target about 30 intersections in Manhattan and 20 intersections outside Manhattan, with a focus on major routes leading to river crossings, highway on-ramps, and commercial centers. A new public-awareness campaign will also target drivers.

4. Clear Zones: Reducing Congestion in Commercial Districts Outside Manhattan

The City will undertake a range of efforts to address congestion at hotspots outside Manhattan, including: 

· Downtown Flushing:DDC is reconstructing Main Street and expanding sidewalks to improve pedestrian, vehicle, and bus circulation. DOT is also implementing Flushing in Motion, a dynamic signal system based on Midtown in Motion, to better manage traffic. Flushing in Motion and the capital project will be completed by the end of 2017.

· North Shore of Staten Island:  In preparation for the opening of new developments --including the Empire Outlets next spring -- and the expected increase in traffic, DOT has developed a potential program of traffic management measures, including signal timing changes, street and intersection redesigns, bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements, and enhancements to Staten Island Ferry service.

· Hunts Point:  In conjunction with New York State’s plans to convert the Sheridan Expressway into an urban boulevard and add new highway ramps, DOT is updating truck routes to improve access to businesses and to reduce environmental and quality of life impacts on the local community. 

· Downtown Jamaica: In support of EDC’s Jamaica Now Action Plan, DOT is developing a congestion action plan for the downtown core as part of a larger Jamaica-area transportation study. Findings will be released in 2018. The plan will include recommendations for street redesigns to enhance safety and mobility, signal timing changes and one-way street conversions to promote traffic flow, and curb regulation changes to reduce congestion, among other efforts.

·  Address Other Outer Borough Congestion Hotspots:  In parallel with the above efforts, the DOT is buying citywide traffic data sets, both real-time and historical, that include information such as origin-destination, vehicle type, relative volume, travel times, trip length, speeds, and delay costs. DOT will use the data to evaluate congestion and to identify and evaluate, for example but not limited to, the most/least congested, slowest/fastest, unreliable/reliable locations citywide.

5. Clear Highways: Reducing Congestion on the Arterial Highway System 

The City will engage state and local elected officials with the goal of convening task forces to focus on persistent congestion on highways outside the City’s jurisdiction, starting with the Cross Bronx Expressway and the Staten Island Expressway (SIE)/Verrazano–Narrows Bridge/Gowanus Expressway corridor. These task forces will seek to work with partner agencies, including the MTA, NYS DOT, and the Port Authority, to improve highway operations and address choke points. The SIE and Cross Bronx task forces will be convened in the coming months. Moving forward, the City may convene similar groups to focus on additional highways, such as the LIE. 

“Mayor de Blasio is head-on tackling the complex issue of congestion, after showing leadership on so many other elements of transportation -- from the creation of a new ferry network to just two days ago, announcing an unprecedented commitment to improved bus service,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “No magic bullet can cure congestion challenges, but this toolbox of smart strategies in Clear Congestion will help keep people and goods moving safely and sustainably – and help our city grow. Our mobility is a key to helping us sustain the energy and dynamism that make New York City great.”