Police cars parked in the busline outside the store typically with uniformed police officers (presumably on shift) either inside the store eating and drinking their cliched breakfast or actually in their car munching away.

Right on. Driving should be easy, fast, convenient, and rare.

I once found myself down under the Brooklyn Bridge, near New York Downtown Hospital, (or whatever they call themselves this week) where there were nothing but Access-A-Rides. It was a waking nightmare!

How do you expect them to begin to care?

Put bollards down.

If that means making personal automobiling more difficult and unpleasant (and preferably costlier!), then so be it.

What I find intriguing is that while most Streetsblog readers would be happy with all NYC automobiling becoming inconvenient, unpleasant, and subject to delay (not just AAR), we argue vociferously that automobilists (especially the AAR chauffeurs) should somehow become polite, friendly, and patient.

This seems paradoxical and unlikely.

Every politically connected person in Queens would suddenly become disabled.

Although, my guess is the agency doesn’t discourage this sort of behavior even if they don’t promote it.

Land a lugie on their rear windshield.

Nothing sends a driver into more impotent rage than a big fat phlegm on his rear window, right when he thinks he’s got away with nearly killing some “wayward” pedestrian. Plus, the lugie can’t possibly be used for a property damage charge, nor can it be proven that it came from you. I find they freeze, slam to a complete halt regardless of traffic conditions, and hunch over the steeringwheel with their hackles up like some sort of angry dog. It’s hilarious.

Of course, there’s a small chance he’ll get out of his car, chase you down, and try to beat you to a pulp; but then at least you’ve got him on assault charges.

vnm: yeah i was ambiguous w/ mah accessaride terms apologies

All that speed and endangerment of others only meant the van made it to the red light that much sooner.

I’ve got to start holding up a little sign to those kinds of drivers that says, “You were willing to kill people for your convenience.”

Incidentally, Access-A-Ride is a fiscal disaster for the MTA. In 2007, the Federal Transit Authority(FTA) put the cost of a single trip on Access-A-Ride at $70.20. (No typo.) So a round trip to the doctor for an Access-A-Rider is $140.40.

We’d be so much better off if we simply gave disabled New Yorkers vouchers to use car services and taxis. You could drive round-trip from the outer reaches of Queens to any hospital in Manhattan and not rack up a $140 bill.

And what are we paying for anyway? Access-a-Ride drivers are absolutely the worst drivers on the streets of New York. I’ve had an incredible number of bad experiences with these morons. I’d bet that the private companies that run these vans are all mobbed up or something. How else do you explain this pathetic branch of our city transportation system?