TMLA donates for Thanksgiving

The Mary Louis Academy prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving by giving back to the broader community with a food drive, donating canned goods and nonperishables to Faith Mission in Mineola, LI, so that others will be able to share a meal together this holiday season.

In total, Mary Louis received 1,100 donations from students, faculty and other community members.

The venerable Jamaica Estates high school for young women thanked donors and its Pax Christi chapter for their generosity in a statement.

“This outpouring of support will directly benefit those in need, ensuring that many families facing food insecurity will have access to nourishing meals,” the statement reads. “The success of this food drive exemplifies the strength and compassion of the TMLA community united for a common cause.” crosswalks to make pedestrians crossing and oncoming traffic more visible. Hoboken, the report notes, has had much success with daylighting (though New York has this, it’s much more widespread in Hoboken.) In the year after the New Jersey city installed daylighting measures — combined with installing leading pedestrian intervals, or when the crossing light precedes a green light — Hoboken saw a 35 percent drop in pedestrians struck by vehicles, an 11 percent reduction in cyclists hit by vehicles and 27 percent fewer vehicle collisions.

The blueprint also calls for many more protected bike lanes to be built in Western Queens. It notes that the city is required under the NYC Streets Plan to install at least 50 miles of protected bike lanes in 2023 and 250 miles total between 2022 and 2026, however, fewer than 15 miles have been installed as of last month. Relatedly, the plan calls for the installation of more bike boulevards, which are extensions of the Open Streets program that allow for bikes, pedestrians and cars to use the street but significantly calm the flow of traffic through oneway diversion, chicanes (curves in the road that encourage slower speeds) and more.

Given the prevalence of micromobility vehicles, like e-bikes and scooters, the elected officials call for incentives for people who rely on them, such as delivery workers, to purchase safe, UL-certified ones rather than cheaper, uncertified vehicles with faulty lithium-ion batteries. That includes grant and rebate programs, spaces to safely charge and repair bikes and more. The report specifically says that mopeds are considered motorcycles by the state, and can be dangerous (especially in bike lanes) due to their weight and ability to reach higher speeds. Those programs would also serve to disincentivize mopeds. Q