Comments on: The 2008 Streetsie Awards, Part 1

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:25:03 +0000

No 'best street performer' category? I vote for the 'Saw Lady' (http://www.sawlady.com/blog ). I think I have been seeing her at the Union Square subway for at least a decade. 'Most persevering street entertainer', that's for sure, but also 'most entertaining'.

About Broadway Boulevard - yes, please give us New Yorkers a FULL pedestrian street like they have in Europe!

By: Jeramey Jannene

Jeramey Jannene — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:15:08 +0000

Jealous of all the great things NYC has going for it, can't wait for Milwaukee to get on board.

By: Rhywun

Rhywun — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:12:01 +0000

@Larry Littlefield:

Students get either a half-fare or a free card. And if the city is anything like the one I grew up in upstate, I bet around 2/3 or more of high school students travel across town to get to school.

By: Ian Turner

Ian Turner — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:50:08 +0000

This discussion just surpassed the excessive cannibalistic innuendo threshold.

By: Heffron

Heffron — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:35:19 +0000

how do we know if we're a delicious user? Are we covered in chocolate?

By: Sarah Goodyear

Sarah Goodyear — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:02:13 +0000

@J. Mork,

We will be updating http://streetsblog.net every weekday this week with top stories from the national blogger network.

Delicious users can also tag important streets-related stories for:streetsblog and they'll show up there in the "What You're Reading" section of http://streetsblog.net.

Also, if you're a Twitter user, you can follow us there. We're @streetsblog.

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:35:40 +0000

"That's something like $930 per kid, or $77.50 per kid per month."

I forgot about the 10-month school year. Make that $93 per kid per month. So how much would it be just for those getting transported?

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:34:12 +0000

"It's the kind of infrastructure that can make New York City a safe and comfortable place for pretty much anyone to ride a bike." It really is about the kids, long term. If they start getting around by bicycle, perhaps they won't stop. The risk of having a bicycle stolen, which poorer families cannot afford, or a child run over, a disaster for any family, is what stands in the way. The New York State Department of Education released its fiscal data for 2006-97, which I've been restructuring and doing some calculations on for a Room 8 post. I was surprised to find that NYC's share of state spending on student transportation, some $935 million in that year, was 37.2% of the state total, or higher than the city's share of state students. That's something like $930 per kid, or $77.50 per kid per month. Yes the cost of living is higher here, and many of those transported are handicapped children in need of great care. On the other hand, the city's density ought to mean the vast majority of kids are able to walk to school -- meaning the cost of transporting those receiving transport services must be extreme. Of course, the private bus companies are politically active large-scale donors, and while senior citizens get half-fare service from the MTA I'm not sure about its charge for school children. You wonder if some of that money could be re-directed.

By: Mark Walker

Mark Walker — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:19:56 +0000

Whoops, I confused Bway Blvd with total pedestrianization. My new year's resolution is fewer dopey posts.

By: Mark Walker

Mark Walker — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:18:43 +0000

As an Upper West Sider, I would like to see Broadway Boulevard extended not just to 59th St., but to 110th or (if Columbia wants it) even 125th. Of course truck deliveries would have to be allowed to supply local businesses. But Broadway on the UWS is a major shopping street and pedestrianization would work here.

By: J. Mork

J. Mork — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:34:14 +0000

I guess I'll have to head over to http://streetsblog.net for my headlines fix!