I expect my State Senator Velmanette Montgomery to be totally, utterly, useless. That’s normal. But when she’s worse than useless — as she was in this case — that really bothers me. Isn’t there anyone who could run against her in a Democratic primary? Does nobody want to be a state legislator?
Eric McClure
If the City Council really wants to start handing out letter grades, it could start by awarding a big fat “F” to the NYPD for its failure to arrest killer drivers, write speeding tickets or even occasionally suspect criminality.
Ben Kintisch
I like how more politicians are starting to work for safer streets. They are still years behind the people, but isn’t that usually the way things go with social change?
Ian Dutton
What the…! Velmanette Montgomery?!? As a new constituent, I’m going to call tomorrow and demand an explanation for a no vote! Hopefully it’s because she is insisting on stronger penalties for irresponsible, dangerous drivers! I’m not ready to accept any other excuse.
Eric McClure
Condolences to Roxanna Sorina-Buta’s family and friends. S**t’s gotta stop. If the NYPD isn’t going to charge killer drivers, and DAs aren’t going to investigate, what’s the City Council going to do about it?
Guest 2
First of all, they should fix M15, M34/M34A and Bx12 SBS issues first. MTA & NYCDOT still have not improve the issues that they are having right now.
WJC2013
Draft Bill Clinton.
Guest 2
Do not vote the witch.
Guest 2
Fifth Avenue bike lane is already overtaken in the “2nd car lane”… good job Bloomberg.
bill b
Since Quinn and the NYC council think they are doing such a great job I think they should run the MTA board and have full taxing authority. Transit problem solved!
Eric McClure
@facebook-1494180198:disqus , I know if I saw someone run down as a result of a driver’s negligence, I’d be more than happy to suffer the inconvenience of testifying to that effect. And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in that.
liclovr
furthermore, why is it a mess? its faster and now there’s more frequent bus service?? I’m just sick and tired of 60′s era new yorkers so stuck in their ways that nothing can EVER be improved…
liclovr
JKomar – i use select bus m34 twice everyday. if you have half a brain in your head you can figure out how to use it pretty quickly. also, just like on the subway, if you arrive to catch the bus a moment too late then you have to get the next one. how fast would the subway be if they waited for everyone to get through the turnstile before leaving??
Tyler
Bloomberg is not my favorite human but he is a leader and has had a direction. Sadik-Kahn being a brilliant choice. Quinn comes off as evasive and a back-room deal maker. Witness the City Council shutout for the parking sticker thing, The Sanitation Dept seemed more confused than anything else by that move.
Her size does matter. If I had to pick a candidate who understands the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists it would be someone who at least looks like she walks and rides.
She is the defacto next mayor so how to engage her? How do you engage someone who has not displayed any political vision yet but understands the use of political pressure? TA seems to be holding back on this one I assume out of political wisdom.
ironic that the elected reps standing up for this important measure of street safety are the ones representing an area where even muttering the phrase “traffic calming” sends waves of controversy and scraps a bike lane.
Larry Littlefield
“Second, if Quinn is a likely front-runner, given her prominence, how can we help her improve her stance on cycling in the city.”
I wouldn’t say she’s hostile. The best way to get her to improve her stance is to convince her to try it 30 times. Just 30 round trips from her apartment to City Hall. That’s all it would take.
Anonymous
Christine Quinn hijacked a bill designed to regulate pedicabs and made it so restrictive to almost regulate them out of existence. It had something to do with coziness with the taxi lobby.
Mark Walker
I agree with vnm about Quinn’s evasive wording. But the MTA is a state agency that serves several suburban counties as well as the boroughs. So the onus is on the state legislature, not the city council.
shalalalal
Um, yeah, so this needs to pass ASAP. Good news if it does.
knicksfan4eva
i thought it was the truck company in the picture. its not?
nycgirl
Its not right of all these coverages to put a companies truck on these pictures it makes the truck company look guilty when in fact it is not that companies fault but as it states another dump truck company. they were checking all trucks last night in that area newsday posted.
According to a commenter on Gothamist, an hour before this crash there were 4 protesters right there.
And 75 police officers keeping an eye on them.
Morris Zapp
Any chance interviewee number five is an adult?
vnm
“The MTA needs to develop a consistent funding stream for the future.”
Most of the words in this sentence are correct, but they’re in the wrong order. By phrasing it this way, she’s evading government’s obligation to fund public transportation, and making it seem as if the MTA could magically find a revenue stream other than fares. I’d be with her if she phrased it this way: “The City Council needs to develop a consistent funding stream for the MTA.”
As it is right now, thanks to inaction by elected officials, the MTA actually HAS developed a consistent funding stream for the future: raising fares.
“I have spoken out numerous times in opposition to recent fare hikes.”
This is a correct statement. She has spoken out against fare hikes numerous times. But she hasn’t DONE anything to stop them. (See first point, above.)
Transit Guy
Easiest and best solution is to make the M60 a limited stop bus across 125th Street stopping only at subway station locations and 2nd Avenue. It’s alread on an 8 minute headway most of the day and it would just make getting to Queens and LaGuardia Airport all that much faster.
As already mentioned, there is a great need for serious and on-going traffic enforcement on 125th Street to end the common practice of double parking which hurts all of the crosstown bus service there.
Stacy
I see these guys whenever I’m out late at night. They run red lights, back up on one way streets, block crosswalks and often back up onto the curb so as not to have to walk as far. There was even an incident, not all that long ago, where a driver ran over his own coworker. If the driver couldn’t see a pedestrian, in the crosswalk, crossing with the light, then we shouldn’t allow these kinds of trucks to be operated on city streets.
Ben Kintisch
First off, let’s lay off the comments re: her appearance. Not nice, folks.
Second, if Quinn is a likely front-runner, given her prominence, how can we help her improve her stance on cycling in the city. Yes, the recent City Council law about new bike lane installation was an unnecessary layer of red tape, but now we need to move on. Right now, in London, the Mayoral candidates are trying to best one another in who can be the most pro-bike. How can we get that kind of conversation going in NYC, beyond the Streetsblog/Reclaim Magazine universe? Any ideas people?
Ben Kintisch
Thank you Senator Squadron and Assembly Member Kavanagh. It’s about time our elected officials stand up for those injured and killed by careless motorists. Mayor Bloomberg, can you please stand up, too?
Anonymous
WHy would anyone want this mess? Many times there are lines to get a ticket when the bus arrives and half the people can’t get on because they are waiting for the machine to produce a ticket. Then you wait sometimes 20 minutes for the next bus. Machines stop working so there’s no way to get a ticket, so u just have to get on and hope u don’t get caught. Tourists don’t have a clue so they get on and then are told to get off and buy a ticket, holding the bus up even longer. God help u if you misplace your ticket and they are checking. Even if u use your metro card there is no way for them to check so you are pulled off the bus and given a ticket for more Han $100 which you have to spend weeks fighting even though u did nothing wrong. In the end it is no faster than the old limited bus. The system stinks and I avoid it whenever possible. People on 125th street better hope they never get stuck with it.
Joe R.
The best witness is the vehicle’s black box. Unlike human witnesses, it’s not subject to bias. All motorists should be held to the same standard that commercial drivers are held to-namely if there’s a collision, the black box data is automatically downloaded and checked to see if any laws were violated. Checking if the driver was speeding is trivial. You can even check if the driver ignored traffic signals by comparing the vehicle’s GPS data with the city’s computerized traffic light data (which presumably has the exact times each traffic signal would have been red).
even if the cops wrote a ticket based on a witness statement it will be easy to get it thrown out of court. the witness would have to show up and recite the exact same story
Tyler
Judging by her size she has not ridden a bike or walked any distance in quite some time. She is ported about city in huge Chevy Suburban which runs lights every now and then (Right on red is still illegal, no?). I might be wrong but she comes off as TA unfriendly. Judging by her actions and words she may not reverse policies but she will let the current one whither and die.
“That’s why the Council recently passed legislation requiring DOT to engage community boards before installing new bike lanes”Community boards were engaged before this “recent legislation”
“to make sure we’re expanding bike lanes in a way that is thoughtful and sustainable. “They were thoughtless and unsustainable before? To whom?”We also passed legislation requiring parking garages to add bicycle parking spaces, and requiring commercial buildings to allow employees to enter with bicycles.” Bike in buildings is basically a failure. SL Green for example requires all bikes to be out of the building by 5pm each day” They make getting your bike into the building a lengthy bureaucratic process.”In addition, we must continue to make every effort to protect the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians alike as these programs expand.”
So the focus should be the safety of pedestrians vs bikes? Or does she mean pedestrians vs cars? I think she means bikes because that was the focus of the interview.
Miles Bader
“If you do not vote for me, I will run you over in my enormous SUV! …@#$*! bike paths…mumble…”
Larry Littlefield
“The MTA needs to develop a consistent funding stream for the future, instead of balancing their books on the backs of working New Yorkers. I also believe we need to be exploring alternative sources for transit funding at all levels of government.”
And the City will kick in what? And ensure it isn’t just offset by lower contributions by the rest of the metro area how?
I’ve given an answer. Have the City and counties take over all responsibility for bus service and paratransit, with them receiving their portion of the payroll tax and the city no longer sending the MTA money for MTA Bus and paratransit. The city would be left with a shortfall to cover, but could perhaps squeeze out some efficiencies too.
The state operating assistance that now goes to downstate suburban bus lines could go to the MTA for subway and rail instead, perhaps for the capital plan. The suburbs could keep the payroll tax and the buses or ditch both, but would have to shut up.
Anonymous
@dporpentine:disqus True, I suppose you’re right. The level of recklessness that’s just plain tolerated never ceases to amaze me.
Anonymous
@JoshNY:disqus I think that there’s another option between absolutely not seeing her and seeing her and running over her anyway: the dump truck driver could have seen her but calculated that if he kept going, she’d stop. That way he’d “win” the light and get to the next light faster–the dream, it seems, of all New York drivers. For whatever reason, that didn’t turn out the way he thought it would, so he kept going.
After all, the dump truck driver might be so ignorant as to think there would be negative consequences to killing a pedestrian.
Ben Kintisch
Barbara,
I’m sorry that so many Staten Island politicians seem to be behind the curve re: livable streets issues. That means it’s up to you and fellow SI’ers to spread the word to activate neighbors in the name of safer streets. So, if this one DOT traffic calming project goes forward, get ready to step up to the media, and to your local politicians, cheering the improvements and with other suggestions for the next step to make your part of the city safer.
Chris O'Leary
Just reminding everyone what the NYCDOT thinks of pedestrians who legally cross with the light when traffic is turning.
Anonymous
@dporpentine:disqus I think the guy quoted here is the same guy I saw interviewed on NY1 this morning, and if so, the tone seemed to suggest that he thought the driver was at fault for not seeing her. If people said “he should have seen her” in this situation, it would more clearly indicate that the speaker doesn’t know what the driver saw, but that the speaker believes a prudent driver would have seen the pedestrian.
I think also that the guy was implying that he didn’t see her because the alternative would be to suggest that he saw her and ran her over anyway, and people would rather suggest dangerous recklessness than outright malice.
Anonymous
While I like the CT Busway project, I just don’t know how it will be used. Having grown up right down the street from one of those stations I just don’t know how people will utilize it. Its just so short and transit options surrounding it are limited. the areas around those stations are not very walk-able and have poor access.
I suppose if you bike to a station put your bike on the bus and then bike from the bus to your destination, but the whole thing is only 9.4 miles, that’s not a long bike ride. So i just don’t really know. for the people in that area who do use the buses already it will be a big boon for those people but is it going to draw anyone new? or really stimulate the economy? I just don’t know, while on the one hand I wish there were more transit options there I don’t know how this is going to function.
In all I’m optimistic and glad CT is doing something.
Ben Kintisch
Nice to see that the comments for the Brooklyn Paper piece are almost universally in favor of the bike share program coming to Brooklyn Heights.
Ben Kintisch
125th is a constant mess because of double parking all the time. So if they do SBS on this corridor, which I support, it must be a physically separated busway, or it will be a bit like 34th streets wimpy painted bus lanes, where the busses are actually zig zagging all over the place to avoid people blocking the lanes. That has somewhat improved with the advent of bus cameras. But how can you convince the powers that be that it’s worth re-configuring space so everyone can move better…even if a few parking spaces are lost.
It would be pretty stupid if it were just the M60 – no argument there. But when you combine all the routes that run on 125th, you get much higher ridership. Between them those routes have more ridership by a significant margin than any single bus route, and more frequency than a single local bus can handle without hopelessly bunching.
Even just the 32,000 daily riders who board on 125th would rank 10th citywide – and that’s not counting benefits to people who travel through 125th without boarding or alighting there.
Tallycyclist
The big deal is that it’s risky to move around a bunch of parked cars (and very short term if dropping off kids) whose drivers are probably in a hurry to stop and go. The initiative in the story was positive, but not the double parking. Is it that big of a deal in actuality? Probably not, though I haven’t biked there during rush hour so I don’t know. But that’s not the point. What is the purpose of that bike lane? If it’s to make it more pleasant, safe and quick for cyclists to pass that one block, then it needs to serve that function at all times, especially during rush hour when presumably there are the greatest number of motorists and cyclists. If not then it fails to serve its intended purpose and needs to be improved. Taking the sidewalk approach is akin to putting in earplugs at bedtime rather than confronting your neighbor about being noisy and disruptive at night.
It’s indeed sad that middle-school students need to be escorted. But that’s because the road conditions are probably not good enough that parents will their kids to bike otherwise. Most 10 year-old Dutch and Danish kids bike on their own as well to school, but that’s because they have a safe network for getting around using any mode of transportation. Just because they can do it doesn’t mean it’s shameful that these kids can’t.
Ben Kintisch
I couldn’t agree more with Paco’s post. Mayor Bloomberg has been a great leader in terms of making the streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, but he has been horrible in terms of pressing HIS NYPD to investigate vehicular homicide. Just yesterday a famous actor was rundown on Broadway….I wonder if it will take the death or maiming of a more famous celebrity/politician/diplomat for the NYPD and the Mayor’s office to really take heed. We saw that happen in the case of Marilyn Dershowitz, whose famous relative Alan Dershowitz knew how to work the press. But when it’s just another innocent regular New Yorker, no one in our government seems to care much.
“According to reports the woman was walking east across Broadway at 14th Street, in the crosswalk and with the light, when the truck driver, also approaching from the east, made a right turn. The driver continued south on Broadway.”
If the truck made a right turn onto Broadway, then it was approaching from the west, not from the east. It was “also” going east, like the victim.
The pedestrian density in Union Square is way to great to allow cars. Wonder if this was one of the streets originally to be closed of to cars. Cars should be eliminated from Union Square.
chandru
Why spoil a positive story with manufactured negativity? Honestly, it’s as writers and commentators have never been outside the US in ‘real traffic’. What’s the big deal about moving around a bunch of parked or slow-moving cars for ONE block? If it’s too much, walk your bike the last block. Or, as kids are allowed to, use the sidewalk.
It’s also a sad commentary that middle-school students need an escort to use their bikes. My son was going around by himself at 10.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Brooklynite
I expect my State Senator Velmanette Montgomery to be totally, utterly, useless. That’s normal. But when she’s worse than useless — as she was in this case — that really bothers me. Isn’t there anyone who could run against her in a Democratic primary? Does nobody want to be a state legislator?
in response to State Senate Passes Bill Eliminating Incentive to Leave Scene of Crashes
Eric McClure
If the City Council really wants to start handing out letter grades, it could start by awarding a big fat “F” to the NYPD for its failure to arrest killer drivers, write speeding tickets or even occasionally suspect criminality.
in response to Today's Headlines
Ben Kintisch
I like how more politicians are starting to work for safer streets. They are still years behind the people, but isn’t that usually the way things go with social change?
in response to State Senate Passes Bill Eliminating Incentive to Leave Scene of Crashes
Ian Dutton
What the…! Velmanette Montgomery?!? As a new constituent, I’m going to call tomorrow and demand an explanation for a no vote! Hopefully it’s because she is insisting on stronger penalties for irresponsible, dangerous drivers! I’m not ready to accept any other excuse.
in response to State Senate Passes Bill Eliminating Incentive to Leave Scene of Crashes
Eric McClure
Condolences to Roxanna Sorina-Buta’s family and friends. S**t’s gotta stop. If the NYPD isn’t going to charge killer drivers, and DAs aren’t going to investigate, what’s the City Council going to do about it?
in response to Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
Guest 2
First of all, they should fix M15, M34/M34A and Bx12 SBS issues first. MTA & NYCDOT still have not improve the issues that they are having right now.
in response to Uptown Transit Riders Fight for 125th Street Select Bus Service
WJC2013
Draft Bill Clinton.
in response to Mayoral Contenders Talk Transit, Part 4: Christine Quinn
Guest 2
Do not vote the witch.
in response to Mayoral Contenders Talk Transit, Part 4: Christine Quinn
Guest 2
Fifth Avenue bike lane is already overtaken in the “2nd car lane”… good job Bloomberg.
in response to Braving Double-Parked Parents, MS 51 Students Bike to School in Droves
bill b
Since Quinn and the NYC council think they are doing such a great job I think they should run the MTA board and have full taxing authority. Transit problem solved!
in response to Mayoral Contenders Talk Transit, Part 4: Christine Quinn
Eric McClure
@facebook-1494180198:disqus , I know if I saw someone run down as a result of a driver’s negligence, I’d be more than happy to suffer the inconvenience of testifying to that effect. And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in that.
in response to No More Excuses: Albany Bill Tells NYPD How to Enforce Careless Driving
liclovr
furthermore, why is it a mess? its faster and now there’s more frequent bus service?? I’m just sick and tired of 60′s era new yorkers so stuck in their ways that nothing can EVER be improved…
in response to Uptown Transit Riders Fight for 125th Street Select Bus Service
liclovr
JKomar – i use select bus m34 twice everyday. if you have half a brain in your head you can figure out how to use it pretty quickly. also, just like on the subway, if you arrive to catch the bus a moment too late then you have to get the next one. how fast would the subway be if they waited for everyone to get through the turnstile before leaving??
in response to Uptown Transit Riders Fight for 125th Street Select Bus Service
Tyler
Bloomberg is not my favorite human but he is a leader and has had a direction. Sadik-Kahn being a brilliant choice. Quinn comes off as evasive and a back-room deal maker. Witness the City Council shutout for the parking sticker thing, The Sanitation Dept seemed more confused than anything else by that move.
Her size does matter. If I had to pick a candidate who understands the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists it would be someone who at least looks like she walks and rides.
She is the defacto next mayor so how to engage her? How do you engage someone who has not displayed any political vision yet but understands the use of political pressure? TA seems to be holding back on this one I assume out of political wisdom.
in response to Mayoral Contenders Talk Transit, Part 4: Christine Quinn
dave "paco" abraham
ironic that the elected reps standing up for this important measure of street safety are the ones representing an area where even muttering the phrase “traffic calming” sends waves of controversy and scraps a bike lane.
in response to State Senate Passes Bill Eliminating Incentive to Leave Scene of Crashes
Larry Littlefield
“Second, if Quinn is a likely front-runner, given her prominence, how can we help her improve her stance on cycling in the city.”
I wouldn’t say she’s hostile. The best way to get her to improve her stance is to convince her to try it 30 times. Just 30 round trips from her apartment to City Hall. That’s all it would take.
in response to Mayoral Contenders Talk Transit, Part 4: Christine Quinn
Anonymous
Christine Quinn hijacked a bill designed to regulate pedicabs and made it so restrictive to almost regulate them out of existence. It had something to do with coziness with the taxi lobby.
in response to Mayoral Contenders Talk Transit, Part 4: Christine Quinn
Mark Walker
I agree with vnm about Quinn’s evasive wording. But the MTA is a state agency that serves several suburban counties as well as the boroughs. So the onus is on the state legislature, not the city council.
in response to Mayoral Contenders Talk Transit, Part 4: Christine Quinn
shalalalal
Um, yeah, so this needs to pass ASAP. Good news if it does.
in response to State Senate Passes Bill Eliminating Incentive to Leave Scene of Crashes
knicksfan4eva
i thought it was the truck company in the picture. its not?
in response to Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
nycgirl
Its not right of all these coverages to put a companies truck on these pictures it makes the truck company look guilty when in fact it is not that companies fault but as it states another dump truck company. they were checking all trucks last night in that area newsday posted.
in response to Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
IRMO
According to a commenter on Gothamist, an hour before this crash there were 4 protesters right there.
And 75 police officers keeping an eye on them.
in response to Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
Morris Zapp
Any chance interviewee number five is an adult?
in response to Mayoral Contenders Talk Transit, Part 4: Christine Quinn
vnm
“The MTA needs to develop a consistent funding stream for the future.”
Most of the words in this sentence are correct, but they’re in the wrong order. By phrasing it this way, she’s evading government’s obligation to fund public transportation, and making it seem as if the MTA could magically find a revenue stream other than fares. I’d be with her if she phrased it this way: “The City Council needs to develop a consistent funding stream for the MTA.”
As it is right now, thanks to inaction by elected officials, the MTA actually HAS developed a consistent funding stream for the future: raising fares.
“I have spoken out numerous times in opposition to recent fare hikes.”
This is a correct statement. She has spoken out against fare hikes numerous times. But she hasn’t DONE anything to stop them. (See first point, above.)
in response to Mayoral Contenders Talk Transit, Part 4: Christine Quinn
Transit Guy
Easiest and best solution is to make the M60 a limited stop bus across 125th Street stopping only at subway station locations and 2nd Avenue. It’s alread on an 8 minute headway most of the day and it would just make getting to Queens and LaGuardia Airport all that much faster.
As already mentioned, there is a great need for serious and on-going traffic enforcement on 125th Street to end the common practice of double parking which hurts all of the crosstown bus service there.
in response to Uptown Transit Riders Fight for 125th Street Select Bus Service
Stacy
I see these guys whenever I’m out late at night. They run red lights, back up on one way streets, block crosswalks and often back up onto the curb so as not to have to walk as far. There was even an incident, not all that long ago, where a driver ran over his own coworker. If the driver couldn’t see a pedestrian, in the crosswalk, crossing with the light, then we shouldn’t allow these kinds of trucks to be operated on city streets.
in response to Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
Ben Kintisch
First off, let’s lay off the comments re: her appearance. Not nice, folks.
Second, if Quinn is a likely front-runner, given her prominence, how can we help her improve her stance on cycling in the city. Yes, the recent City Council law about new bike lane installation was an unnecessary layer of red tape, but now we need to move on. Right now, in London, the Mayoral candidates are trying to best one another in who can be the most pro-bike. How can we get that kind of conversation going in NYC, beyond the Streetsblog/Reclaim Magazine universe? Any ideas people?
in response to Mayoral Contenders Talk Transit, Part 4: Christine Quinn
Ben Kintisch
Thank you Senator Squadron and Assembly Member Kavanagh. It’s about time our elected officials stand up for those injured and killed by careless motorists. Mayor Bloomberg, can you please stand up, too?
in response to No More Excuses: Albany Bill Tells NYPD How to Enforce Careless Driving
Anonymous
WHy would anyone want this mess? Many times there are lines to get a ticket when the bus arrives and half the people can’t get on because they are waiting for the machine to produce a ticket. Then you wait sometimes 20 minutes for the next bus. Machines stop working so there’s no way to get a ticket, so u just have to get on and hope u don’t get caught. Tourists don’t have a clue so they get on and then are told to get off and buy a ticket, holding the bus up even longer. God help u if you misplace your ticket and they are checking. Even if u use your metro card there is no way for them to check so you are pulled off the bus and given a ticket for more Han $100 which you have to spend weeks fighting even though u did nothing wrong. In the end it is no faster than the old limited bus. The system stinks and I avoid it whenever possible. People on 125th street better hope they never get stuck with it.
in response to Uptown Transit Riders Fight for 125th Street Select Bus Service
Joe R.
The best witness is the vehicle’s black box. Unlike human witnesses, it’s not subject to bias. All motorists should be held to the same standard that commercial drivers are held to-namely if there’s a collision, the black box data is automatically downloaded and checked to see if any laws were violated. Checking if the driver was speeding is trivial. You can even check if the driver ignored traffic signals by comparing the vehicle’s GPS data with the city’s computerized traffic light data (which presumably has the exact times each traffic signal would have been red).
in response to No More Excuses: Albany Bill Tells NYPD How to Enforce Careless Driving
Alen Teplitsky
even if the cops wrote a ticket based on a witness statement it will be easy to get it thrown out of court. the witness would have to show up and recite the exact same story
in response to No More Excuses: Albany Bill Tells NYPD How to Enforce Careless Driving
Tyler
Judging by her size she has not ridden a bike or walked any distance in quite some time. She is ported about city in huge Chevy Suburban which runs lights every now and then (Right on red is still illegal, no?). I might be wrong but she comes off as TA unfriendly. Judging by her actions and words she may not reverse policies but she will let the current one whither and die.
“That’s why the Council recently passed legislation requiring DOT to engage community boards before installing new bike lanes”Community boards were engaged before this “recent legislation”
“to make sure we’re expanding bike lanes in a way that is thoughtful and sustainable. “They were thoughtless and unsustainable before? To whom?”We also passed legislation requiring parking garages to add bicycle parking spaces, and requiring commercial buildings to allow employees to enter with bicycles.” Bike in buildings is basically a failure. SL Green for example requires all bikes to be out of the building by 5pm each day” They make getting your bike into the building a lengthy bureaucratic process.”In addition, we must continue to make every effort to protect the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians alike as these programs expand.”
So the focus should be the safety of pedestrians vs bikes? Or does she mean pedestrians vs cars? I think she means bikes because that was the focus of the interview.
in response to Mayoral Contenders Talk Transit, Part 4: Christine Quinn
Miles Bader
“If you do not vote for me, I will run you over in my enormous SUV! …@#$*! bike paths…mumble…”
in response to Mayoral Contenders Talk Transit, Part 4: Christine Quinn
Larry Littlefield
“The MTA needs to develop a consistent funding stream for the future, instead of balancing their books on the backs of working New Yorkers. I also believe we need to be exploring alternative sources for transit funding at all levels of government.”
And the City will kick in what? And ensure it isn’t just offset by lower contributions by the rest of the metro area how?
I’ve given an answer. Have the City and counties take over all responsibility for bus service and paratransit, with them receiving their portion of the payroll tax and the city no longer sending the MTA money for MTA Bus and paratransit. The city would be left with a shortfall to cover, but could perhaps squeeze out some efficiencies too.
The state operating assistance that now goes to downstate suburban bus lines could go to the MTA for subway and rail instead, perhaps for the capital plan. The suburbs could keep the payroll tax and the buses or ditch both, but would have to shut up.
in response to Mayoral Contenders Talk Transit, Part 4: Christine Quinn
Anonymous
@dporpentine:disqus True, I suppose you’re right. The level of recklessness that’s just plain tolerated never ceases to amaze me.
in response to Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
Anonymous
@JoshNY:disqus I think that there’s another option between absolutely not seeing her and seeing her and running over her anyway: the dump truck driver could have seen her but calculated that if he kept going, she’d stop. That way he’d “win” the light and get to the next light faster–the dream, it seems, of all New York drivers. For whatever reason, that didn’t turn out the way he thought it would, so he kept going.
After all, the dump truck driver might be so ignorant as to think there would be negative consequences to killing a pedestrian.
in response to Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
Ben Kintisch
Barbara,
I’m sorry that so many Staten Island politicians seem to be behind the curve re: livable streets issues. That means it’s up to you and fellow SI’ers to spread the word to activate neighbors in the name of safer streets. So, if this one DOT traffic calming project goes forward, get ready to step up to the media, and to your local politicians, cheering the improvements and with other suggestions for the next step to make your part of the city safer.
in response to Today's Headlines
Chris O'Leary
Just reminding everyone what the NYCDOT thinks of pedestrians who legally cross with the light when traffic is turning.
in response to Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
Anonymous
@dporpentine:disqus I think the guy quoted here is the same guy I saw interviewed on NY1 this morning, and if so, the tone seemed to suggest that he thought the driver was at fault for not seeing her. If people said “he should have seen her” in this situation, it would more clearly indicate that the speaker doesn’t know what the driver saw, but that the speaker believes a prudent driver would have seen the pedestrian.
I think also that the guy was implying that he didn’t see her because the alternative would be to suggest that he saw her and ran her over anyway, and people would rather suggest dangerous recklessness than outright malice.
in response to Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
Anonymous
While I like the CT Busway project, I just don’t know how it will be used. Having grown up right down the street from one of those stations I just don’t know how people will utilize it. Its just so short and transit options surrounding it are limited. the areas around those stations are not very walk-able and have poor access.
I suppose if you bike to a station put your bike on the bus and then bike from the bus to your destination, but the whole thing is only 9.4 miles, that’s not a long bike ride. So i just don’t really know. for the people in that area who do use the buses already it will be a big boon for those people but is it going to draw anyone new? or really stimulate the economy? I just don’t know, while on the one hand I wish there were more transit options there I don’t know how this is going to function.
In all I’m optimistic and glad CT is doing something.
in response to Today's Headlines
Ben Kintisch
Nice to see that the comments for the Brooklyn Paper piece are almost universally in favor of the bike share program coming to Brooklyn Heights.
in response to Today's Headlines
Ben Kintisch
125th is a constant mess because of double parking all the time. So if they do SBS on this corridor, which I support, it must be a physically separated busway, or it will be a bit like 34th streets wimpy painted bus lanes, where the busses are actually zig zagging all over the place to avoid people blocking the lanes. That has somewhat improved with the advent of bus cameras. But how can you convince the powers that be that it’s worth re-configuring space so everyone can move better…even if a few parking spaces are lost.
in response to Uptown Transit Riders Fight for 125th Street Select Bus Service
Alon Levy
It would be pretty stupid if it were just the M60 – no argument there. But when you combine all the routes that run on 125th, you get much higher ridership. Between them those routes have more ridership by a significant margin than any single bus route, and more frequency than a single local bus can handle without hopelessly bunching.
Even just the 32,000 daily riders who board on 125th would rank 10th citywide – and that’s not counting benefits to people who travel through 125th without boarding or alighting there.
in response to Uptown Transit Riders Fight for 125th Street Select Bus Service
Tallycyclist
The big deal is that it’s risky to move around a bunch of parked cars (and very short term if dropping off kids) whose drivers are probably in a hurry to stop and go. The initiative in the story was positive, but not the double parking. Is it that big of a deal in actuality? Probably not, though I haven’t biked there during rush hour so I don’t know. But that’s not the point. What is the purpose of that bike lane? If it’s to make it more pleasant, safe and quick for cyclists to pass that one block, then it needs to serve that function at all times, especially during rush hour when presumably there are the greatest number of motorists and cyclists. If not then it fails to serve its intended purpose and needs to be improved. Taking the sidewalk approach is akin to putting in earplugs at bedtime rather than confronting your neighbor about being noisy and disruptive at night.
It’s indeed sad that middle-school students need to be escorted. But that’s because the road conditions are probably not good enough that parents will their kids to bike otherwise. Most 10 year-old Dutch and Danish kids bike on their own as well to school, but that’s because they have a safe network for getting around using any mode of transportation. Just because they can do it doesn’t mean it’s shameful that these kids can’t.
in response to Braving Double-Parked Parents, MS 51 Students Bike to School in Droves
Ben Kintisch
I couldn’t agree more with Paco’s post. Mayor Bloomberg has been a great leader in terms of making the streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, but he has been horrible in terms of pressing HIS NYPD to investigate vehicular homicide. Just yesterday a famous actor was rundown on Broadway….I wonder if it will take the death or maiming of a more famous celebrity/politician/diplomat for the NYPD and the Mayor’s office to really take heed. We saw that happen in the case of Marilyn Dershowitz, whose famous relative Alan Dershowitz knew how to work the press. But when it’s just another innocent regular New Yorker, no one in our government seems to care much.
in response to Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
Ben Fried
@qrt145:disqus Thanks — fixed.
in response to Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
Jeff
I suspect criminality.
in response to Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
Anonymous
“According to reports the woman was walking east across Broadway at 14th Street, in the crosswalk and with the light, when the truck driver, also approaching from the east, made a right turn. The driver continued south on Broadway.”
If the truck made a right turn onto Broadway, then it was approaching from the west, not from the east. It was “also” going east, like the victim.
in response to Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
fj
The pedestrian density in Union Square is way to great to allow cars. Wonder if this was one of the streets originally to be closed of to cars. Cars should be eliminated from Union Square.
in response to Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver at Union Square This Morning
chandru
Why spoil a positive story with manufactured negativity? Honestly, it’s as writers and commentators have never been outside the US in ‘real traffic’. What’s the big deal about moving around a bunch of parked or slow-moving cars for ONE block? If it’s too much, walk your bike the last block. Or, as kids are allowed to, use the sidewalk.
It’s also a sad commentary that middle-school students need an escort to use their bikes. My son was going around by himself at 10.
in response to Braving Double-Parked Parents, MS 51 Students Bike to School in Droves