Iris Weinshall

Iris Weinshall is a vice chancellor at the City University of New York and a former commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation.Cardwell, Diane. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980CE7DA143FF933A05752C0A9619C8B63 "Transportation Chief Takes a CUNY Post"] , "The New York Times", January 30, 2007. Accessed October 27, 2007. " New York City's transportation commissioner, Iris Weinshall, is leaving her post to become a vice chancellor of the City University of New York, officials said yesterday."] Weinshall was appointed commissioner by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani on September 8, 2000 and left the post on April 13, 2007.

Weinshall is a graduate of Brooklyn College and earned a Master of Public Administration degree from New York University's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She served as Senior Vice President of the New York State Urban Development Corporation, where she oversaw the development and implementation of the State's overall economic development program. She then held the position of Regional Vice President of Integrated Resources, Inc. where she structured limited partnerships for property acquisition and operation. She then served as President of the Financial Services Corporation, a nonprofit organization which functioned as the financing arm for the City's economic development initiatives. From 1988-1996, Weinshall served as Deputy Commissioner for Management and Budget at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Before becoming DOT Commissioner, she served as the First Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

Weinshall is married to Senator Charles Schumer of New York.

Tenure as NYC DOT Commissioner

Iris Weinshall was appointed Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani on September 8, 2000. Commissioner Weinshall was one of a handful of Giuliani department heads to be reappointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Under her leadership the Department of Transportation made the city's streets and sidewalks safer for the millions of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists who share New York's public spaces. Weinshall also took important steps to address congestion, improve traffic flow and better maintain the city's aging infrastructure.

Along Queens Boulevard, for example, the department significantly reduced pedestrian injuries and fatalities by slowing traffic, changing traffic signal timing and adding new signage and pedestrian fencing. During Weinshall's tenure, pedestrian fatalities in New York fell to their lowest level since 1910.

To enhance traffic flow in the city's most congested area, Midtown Manhattan, Weinshall and Mayor Bloomberg announced the 2003 THRU Streets Program. This program, which prohibits turns off of designated streets between 3rd and 6th Avenues, has reduced cross-town travel times by 25% and increased vehicle speeds by 33%.

During her nearly seven year tenure, the department also took important steps to rehabilitate and better maintain the city's bridges and roadways. Close to $3 billion was spent on rehabilitating the City's East River bridges and, thanks to new incentives clauses for contractors, much of the work was completed ahead of schedule. Also, in 2005, DOT filled a record 260,000 potholes and was able to respond to pothole complaints reported to 311 in 4 days, on average.

In addition to her role as DOT Commissioner, Weinshall was appointed by Mayor Bloomberg to the Taxi and Limousine Commission and also served as the Special Transportation Advisor to the Mayor. She was responsible for shaping a transportation strategy for the city and guiding the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission in their pursuits.

On January 29, 2007, Weinshall announced that she was stepping down as DOT commissioner and would take a job as CUNY's Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning, Construction and Management. Her last day as commissioner was April 13, 2007.

taten Island Ferry

The Staten Island Ferry system transports 65,000 passengers a day on the five-mile ride between St. George Terminal on Staten Island and Whitehall Terminal in Manhattan. The boats operate 24-hours a day, 365-days a year and have been a vital municipal service since 1905. During Weinshall’s tenure DOT has taken a number of steps to modernize the Staten Island Ferry service.

In February 2005, Weinshall joined Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at the opening of the new Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Lower Manhattan. Later that year, in May, DOT celebrated the grand opening of the renovated St. George in Staten Island. Since 2004, DOT has also introduced three new, state of the art ferries: the "Guy V. Molinari", "John J. Marchi", and most recently the "Spirit of America". The $40 million, 310 foot vessels were built by the Manitowoc Marine Group in Marinette, Wisconsin and replaced the Kennedy class ferries, which have been in operation for more than 40 years.

The normally low profile job of DOT Commissioner came into the spotlight following the 2003 Staten Island Ferry crash that killed 11 passengers. After the deadly crash, Iris Weinshall came under harsh criticism for allowing patronage relationships to compromise the safety of the ferry operations [ [http://www.gothamgazette.com/article//20031118/16/717 Staten Island Ferry Crash Remains a Puzzle] , "Gotham Gazette", November 2003] .

Since 2003, DOT has made significant progress to enhance safety on the Staten Island Ferry. In April 2004, Weinshall appointed Captain James C. DeSimone, a 30 year maritime industry veteran to serve as Chief Operating Officer for the Staten Island Ferry and shortly thereafter appointed Margaret Gordon a maritime safety and security expert to serve as Executive Director of Safety and Security at the ferry. In October, 2005, after a year long effort to develop and implement a comprehensive safety management system for the Staten Island Ferry, the American Bureau of Shipping presented the Department of Transportation with a "Voluntary Document of Compliance Certificate" for the DOT Staten Island Ferry Division and "Voluntary Safety Management Certificates" for all operational ferryboats. The New York City Department of Transportation is now the first ferry operator in the United States to voluntarily comply with this internationally accepted safety regime.

Queens Boulevard

Not long after she assumed the post of NYC DOT commissioner, the issue of Queens Boulevard came to the forefront. For decades, Queens Boulevard had been the most dangerous road in New York CityFact|date=February 2007. During the period 1950-2000, over 27,000 people were injured on Queens BoulevardFact|date=February 2007. During the years of 1980-1984, 40 people were killed on a 2.5 mile length section of Queens BoulevardFact|date=February 2007. From 2002-2004 there were 393 injuries and eight deathsFact|date=February 2007. Queens Boulevard became known as the "Boulevard of Death" [ [http://gothamist.com/2007/12/20/boulevard_of_de.php Boulevard of Death claims another victim] ] , and the community began an outcry to make the road safer. "New York Newsday" and the "New York Daily News" got into a circulation war on the issue of the "Boulevard of Death", and the DOT was under pressure to take action. Weinshall implemented pedestrian improvements on Queens Boulevard, including longer pedestrian crossing times, a lowering of the speed limit from 35mph to 30mph and the construction of new pedestrian median refuges. The safety improvements have proven successful, without the predicted backups.

Bicycle safety issues

Cycling in New York City streets grew every year, and under Weinshall’s leadership DOT embraced biking as a safe, environmentally friendly alternative to the car. DOT installed more than 400 miles of bike lanes, including 200 motor-vehicle-free paths in all boroughs. The Hudson River Greenway was improved. DOT also installed a series of bike lanes linking the East River bridges and Downtown Brooklyn, which is home to a growing cycling community. In 2006, Bicycling Magazine named New York one of the top bicycling cities in the United States.

Andrew Vesselinovitch, former Bicycle Program Director at DOT, resigned, accusing DOT of foot dragging on bicycle safety and deliberately sabotaging fixes to known hazards on the Williamsburg Bridge. Mr. Vesselinovitch claimed that First Deputy Commissioner Michael Primeggia told him to "butt out" when he attempted to fix bumps on the Williamsburg Bridge that were costing New York City millions in law suits. [ [http://www.nysun.com/article/36609 Bicycle Tsar Quits, Saying Goal To Increase Safety, Lanes Is Stymied] , "New York Sun", July 24, 2006] . Following Vesselinovith’s departure, Weinshall appointed Ryan Russo as Director for Street Management and Safety. Russo, oversees the department’s bicycle and pedestrian initiatives, previously worked in DOT’s Brooklyn Borough Commissioner’s Office where he successfully developed and implemented a number of cycling and pedestrian safety improvements in Downtown Brooklyn. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/home.html

References

External links

* [http://www1.cuny.edu/forum/?p=1120 CUNY announces Weinshall's hiring]