Comments on: Today’s Headlines

By: Think_twice

Think_twice — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:17:31 +0000

"Drivers Kill Three Pedestrians in Separate Collisions Throughout City" Put speed bumps at crosswalks. When a motorhead cares only about his/her "baby"—not pedestrians, not bicyclists—then let their "baby's" wheels, struts, and axel pay the price for their reckless driving.

By: Todd Scott

Todd Scott — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:43:32 +0000

Note that the last article in the list confused 1st quarter bike imports with 1st quarter bike sales. The author did not have bike sales information.

By: Stacy

Stacy — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:59:17 +0000

Those lawn chairs do have a certain "je ne sais quois" about them. Do you think JSK picked them out personally at Odd Lots?

By: Benjamin Kabak

Benjamin Kabak — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:36:10 +0000

Those CityRoom comments are outrageous. The Times has seriously dropped the ball in educating its readers about the issue, and I'm convinced that my fellow New Yorkers are, by and large, a bunch of idiots.

Times Squares needs to have cars to be the crossroads of New York? Give me an effing break.

By: Andy Trafford

Andy Trafford — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:14:20 +0000

Eric, another thing that all three pedestrian deaths have in common: None of them were in Times Square.

By: Rhywun

Rhywun — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:56:04 +0000

The argument that the "real" Times Square (and by extension, NYC) needs to be loud, dirty, and unpleasant really needs to stop. Now.

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:18:10 +0000

Nearly all of the big buildings in Times Square -- The Marriott Marquis hotel, 1515 Broadway, etc. -- have big loading bays on side streets.

As for the smoking, where was Peyser when thousands of cars, trucks, and buses were spewing exhaust on Broadway? If anything, having more room in the street moves smokers away from building entrances. Leave it to Post writers to grasp any straw in order to make their argument.

By: Josh

Josh — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:57:20 +0000

As much as I despise most of Andrea Peyser's stances, I have to hand it to her on the "malled" pun. That one isn't so bad.

By: Vroomfondel

Vroomfondel — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:09:29 +0000

Mark,
Pedestrian zones in Europe are usually open to limited commercial traffic (i.e., pickups and deliveries, no through traffic) for a few hours early in the morning, when there are few pedestrians around.

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:08:15 +0000

"Create truck loading/unloading zones on nearby side streets by banishing private car parking, either at the corners nearest the ped zone, or if necessary on entire blocks."

Don't those zones already exist? I think so. And any post-1961 buildings are supposed to have off-street loading bays under the regulations enacted that year.

My guess is that loading areas, off street and on, may be obstructed by politically powerful parking.

By: Eric McClure

Eric McClure — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:08:13 +0000

Q. What do those three incidents in which pedestrians were struck and killed by cars have in common?

A. "Police said its accident investigation squad was investigating, but had not arrested anyone or issued any summonses."

"The 36-year-old driver of the Access-A-Ride remained at the scene and was not charged."

"The 19-year-old driver was not charged."

By: Mark Walker

Mark Walker — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:46:51 +0000

The only people complaining about car-free Times Square for whom I have any sympathy are the truck drivers. Their job just got harder. A suggestion for the city: Create truck loading/unloading zones on nearby side streets by banishing private car parking, either at the corners nearest the ped zone, or if necessary on entire blocks. Giving the truckers a dedicated place to park would minimize the hassle of their backbreaking work. I wonder how the Europeans handle deliveries in their long-established ped zones? Does anyone know?

By: Streetsman

Streetsman — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:24:43 +0000

Re: Drivers Kill Three

Eerily reminiscent of last October...

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/10/24/2008-10-24_two_pedestrians_killed_a_third_is_clingi.html

and last June...

http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/06/23/no-place-safe-for-pedestrians-amid-rash-of-sidewalk-crashes/

and every other week in New York City

By: Mark Walker

Mark Walker — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:18:18 +0000

Don't miss the classic Andrea Peyser column. She likens the pedestrianized space to a "suburban parking lot" (???!!!) and complains that people were SMOKING! Like they never do that on the sidewalk along non-car-free streets!

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:23:57 +0000

There was a discussion recently as to how it came to be that residents of the suburbs can take government jobs in NYC, but residents of NYC can be excluded from government jobs in the rest of the state, which can limit them to locals.

Here are NYC pols angling to lift the remaining residency restrictions on behalf of the unions that provide the funds to collect their signatures and lawyers to keep opponents off the ballot.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2009/05/27/2009-05-27_civil_service_residency_rule_battle_resumes.html

As I've said, whether residency laws make sense per se is an open question. But I have never once, in all the years, read a single NYC politician demand that the state prohibit residency laws elsewhere to open up employment opportunities for city residents. Not once. Ever. The only thing I have ever read raising this issue I also wrote.

By: J-Uptown

J-Uptown — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:14:39 +0000

Great quote from a tour bus operator in the CityRoom article: “Now they’re relaxing in Times Square,” Mr. Liranzo lamented. “I don’t want them relaxing. I want them to get on the bus.”