Notes from the Neighborhood

West Side Traffic Study The Department of Transportation will present the results of a West Manhattan Transportation Study to the community on Wednesday, April 25, from 6-8 p.m. The study was initiated by a request from Council Member Gale Brewer and Community Board 7 for the DOT to analyze and address congestion, parking shortages and overall safety and mobility of pedestrians in the neighborhood. The study began in January 2006, looking at the area bounded by West 55th Street, West 86th Street, Central Park West and Twelfth Avenue/Henry Hudson Parkway. The comprehensive study also took into account how public transportation operates in conjunction with pedestrian and vehicle traffic, as well as how delivery trucks, bicycles and taxis operate on the streets. The DOT has held periodic meetings to get community feedback as the study progressed, and this latest forum will be another opportunity for the public to comment on the findings and find out how the DOT plans to implement the data. At John Jay College Lecture Hall, 524 W. 59th St. Fracking Forum The New York Society for Ethical Culture and the group United for Action are co-sponsoring an event on the effects of hydraulic fracturing-a natural gas extraction method known as hydrofracking, or fracking. Experts on the panel will examine both the macro- and microeconomic factors of the process being performed in New York State, from price, supply and plans to export to net impacts on local drilling communities. Speakers include financial analyst Deborah Rogers; economist and principal of J.M. Barth & Associates, Jannette Barth, PhD; and former commissioner of the city's Department of Environmental Protection, Al Appleton. Tuesday, April 24 at 6:45 p.m. at the Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St. Drink to Preservation The Preservation League of New York will be holding a cocktail party and fundraiser to announce their Seven to Save campaign for this year, outlining the organization's priorities for preservation. This year's list includes the Upper West Side's IRT Powerhouse building on 11th Avenue and West 59th Street. The event will be Monday, April 23, 6?8 p.m. at The River Club, 447 E. 52nd St. Ambassador William vanden Heuvel, chairman of Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, will give remarks. Tickets are $200 for non-members, $150 for members and $50 for people under 30. Email slaclair@preservenys.org or call 518-462-5658 x. 13 for tickets. Recycling Event to Break Records On Saturday, April 21 from 12?5 p.m., the Upper West Side Recycling Center and Sims Recycling Solutions will hold an Earth Day recycling event in the hopes of breaking the official Guinness World Record for the most consumer electronics collected within 24 hours at multiple locations. The following electronics will be accepted: working and nonworking computers (laptops, desktops, servers) and computer accessories like monitors, printers, faxes, scanners, keyboards, mice and cables; TVs; stereo equipment; VCRs and DVD players; cable receivers; video games; cell phones; and flashlight-type batteries (AA, C, D, etc.) with the ends taped. Appliances, like microwave ovens, toasters, air conditioners, white goods and wall phones, are not accepted. The following textiles will be accepted: clothing, shoes, blankets, sheets and towels, in wearable or unwearable condition. Carpeting is not accepted. The event will be held on West 77th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues, in the P.S. 87 Tecumseh playground near Amsterdam on the north side of the street. Accessible Taxis to Join Fleet New audible touchscreens will soon be installed in New York City taxis, making them safer and easier for the blind to pay for taxi rides, City & State reported this week. The new technology was on display Tuesday in a taxi directly in front of the City Hall, with former Gov. David Paterson on hand to demonstrate how to use it. The system, which uses voice commands and larger touch-screen buttons, comes from Creative Mobile Technologies, the Long Island City-based company behind the city's existing Taxi TV fare system. The company will roll out the technology in the city's taxi fleet in coming weeks and then in cities across the nation. There's no indication it has anything to do with the city's agreement with Gov. Andrew Cuomo to expand the number of wheelchair-accessible taxis, and City Councilman Jimmy Vacca, who chairs the Transportation Committee, declined to offer any further details. Vacca, whose father was blind, has also spearheaded legislation for visually impaired pedestrians, and would only say that he had been woring on promoting the new technology for some time. Greenmarket Reopens for Spring The West 57th Street greenmarket opened for the spring and summer seasons last Saturday and will open Wednesdays in May. This year, the market brings returning farmers as well as several newcomers like Toigo Orchards, which sells orchard fruit, cider and greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers, and Meredith's Bread, which sells loaves of fresh-baked bread, pies, baked goods and preserves made from locally grown produce. Beginning this Saturday April 21, GrowNYC's food scrap compost program will be present to collect household food scraps between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. WIC and FMNP checks are accepted at individual farmer stands and EBT/food stamps/debit/credit are accepted at the market info tent from 8 a.m.?2 p.m. The market is held in Balsley Park at West 57th Street and 9th Avenue until 6 p.m. every Saturday (except May 19) through December and every Wednesday beginning May 2.