Comments on: Eyes on the Street: Drivers Flout New Prospect Park Law

By: BicyclesOnly

BicyclesOnly — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:30:55 +0000

Can someone point me to a link with authoritative statitistics on the number of pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor vehicle occupants killed each year in new York city due to collions involving motor vehicles? Or even just total number of deaths in NYC caused by motor vehicle collisions, for a recent year or years?

thanks.

By: t

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:51:52 +0000

Don't feed the trolls.

By: SUV 718

SUV 718 — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:49:25 +0000

LOL LOL

Methinks Brooklyn is telling the DOT and TA and this blog how things go down in the real world.

Go ahead and fantasize behind your little computer screens about all the fictional demonstrations you will do.

I bet not one of you will lift a finger to do anything about this except continuing to type in more comments.

LOL

By: oscarfrye

oscarfrye — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:31:42 +0000

Cap'n Transit, the criticism wasn't directed towards TA or this site, but just observing what actually happens in the Park

By: da

da — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:01:28 +0000

The new rink (Lakeside Center) will occupy the current parking lot. According to presentations that I've seen, parking will actually be moved further into the park, to the large open space atop "Breeze Hill". So it seems the vehicular entrance/exit on that side of the park will be with us for the forseeable future.

By: Cap'n Transit

Cap'n Transit — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:10:48 +0000

Why have any entrance for motor vehicles at all - other than zambonis? There's no private parking for cars at either of the rinks in Central Park.

By: J. Mork

J. Mork — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:08:35 +0000

Wollman Rink is supposedly being replaced (see http://www.prospectpark.org/about/lakeside ).

I don't see anything about a grade-seperated entrance for motor vehicles, though. That would be a very, very good idea.

By: ja

ja — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:04:37 +0000

Mike, they could keep the Wollman Lot access open, but limit it to those with permits or handicap plates. There's simply no reason why able-bodied people need to drive into the park! The left-turn into the lot is a bad spot in terms of accidents with bikes, peds, runners, and cars. Plus you have cars that have to make that left hand turn from the right lane. It's an accident waiting to happen every day.

Maybe the compromise should be to allow car access to the lot when the rink is open, but to severely limit it during the spring, summer, and fall. Plus, if you're going to allow parking, why not make people pay for the privilege? Five or ten bucks to park all day in that lot seems like a fair price.

Cap'n, I agree with you one hundred percent. I've seen TA fight for this for a long time, and I know that the people involved in the organization and with this site believe in full equality when it comes to livable streets and usable parks. The true blame lies at the feet of politicians who favor one neighborhood over another, actively or not.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:45:09 +0000

The reason why the southeastern entrances have to remain open (for now) is access to the Wollman Rink parking lot.

By: Cap'n Transit

Cap'n Transit — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:43:09 +0000

Hold off, Ja and Oscar. Transportation Alternatives has been fighting for a full closure of the park for at least fifteen years. Streetsblog has been involved from the beginning. The main opponents have been the politicians who are supposed to represent the neighborhoods to the south and east of the park. It's true that some neighborhoods get better treatment, but not from car-free park advocates.

By: oscarfrye

oscarfrye — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:26:25 +0000

you make a good point, ja

it really disturbs me that some parts of the park (& surroundings) get better treatment than others.

By: ja

ja — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:48:41 +0000

I think the next thing to do is to close Park Circle and the entrance to the Wollman lot. The Third Street closing and the others are nice, but they favor the more gentrified Park Slope and Windsor Terrace communities. The people on the other side of the park tend to be poorer and include more minorities. The PLG/Ocean Avenue/Flatbush side of the park is not maintained as nicely as the west side is and it seems somewhat unfair that the entire park can't be maintained equally for all who wish to use it. Do only rich white people deserve a nice place to relax and enjoy the summer?

So, close the entire park to traffic and only allow those with an absolute need, like the handicapped, to park in Wollman lot. It drives me nuts when I see people driving in, parking, and then taking their bikes out of their cars. If you can bike, you can leave your car outside of the park and walk or ride it into the park!!

If we want to go take steps towards reducing asthma, keeping the space clean, and giving kids safe places to play, there ought to be zero cars in the park.

By: t

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:05:16 +0000

In. Name a time and I think you'll get a lot of people.

By: m to the i

m to the i — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:33:59 +0000

Can't we just organize a sit in at the Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park during PM rush hour and show everyone that we don't want cars in the park anymore. Whenever I bike or run through at that time, I am surprised at the number of cars speeding in the park. We should take action. Who's in?

By: Ian Turner

Ian Turner — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:25:44 +0000

In many parts of the city, there are essentially unlimited opportunities to ticket lawbreaking motorists. Every day on my walk from the subway to work, I see automobiles speeding, running red lights, blocking the sidewalk, and displaying other antisocial behaviour --- and this in pedestrian-dense midtown.

By my computations, the city should be able to draw in around $400k in ticket revenue by posting a police officer at these intersections to write tickets. Since that number is well beyond the cost of recruiting and retaining a police officer, I don't understand why the city doesn't take this action.

By: daniel cassidy

daniel cassidy — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:55:13 +0000

if we can't toll the bridges, why can't we exploit this situation. let the vehicles drive in. half a mile down, take a photo of their license plate and hand them a ticket. bike cops can ride down the bike lanes and ticket cars double parked in bike lanes. There are a million ways the city can generate millions of dollars ticketing drivers. scofflaws=suspension. easy cheezy. funnel the money into mta

By: Marty Barfowitz

Marty Barfowitz — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:38:42 +0000

This largely illustrates why I find the discussions about cyclist behavior so tiresome. The rule-breaking exhibited by cyclists is peanuts compared to this stuff. Lawlessness and entitlement are the default setting for outer borough New York City drivers. This kind of behavior is basically considered normal.

Lew Fidler, Richard Brodsky, Carl Kruger: You represent these miserable motorists.

By: Eric McClure

Eric McClure — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:40:26 +0000

Those idiots are actually driving in both a marked bike lane and a marked pedestrian path, the equivalent of driving on a sidewalk. The big sign saying "Do Not Enter" is warning enough -- ticket them but good. And Anon, some driver got of his ass and moved them so he could drive through. How do you know the photographer didn't move them back after documenting the lawbreaking?

By: oscarfrye

oscarfrye — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:38:06 +0000

jerks

By: SUV 718

SUV 718 — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:19:46 +0000

LOL

Welcome to Brooklyn, little boys and girls.